Vaclav Havel's Heideggerianism

The philosophy of Czechoslovakia's President, Vaclav Havel has received little attention in the West. Most people assume that “the enemy of our (former) enemies must be like us,” i.e., that Havel must be a sort of Western-style liberal-democrat. When Havel addressed a joint session of Congress in Washington and quoted Hegel's claim to the effect that “consciousness precedes being” (with a Heideggerian anti-modemist twist), few if any of the cheering delegates had the faintest idea concerning what they were applauding. In a sardonic editorial the following day, The Washington Post traced Havel's ideas to Hegel and ridiculed the members of Congress for their lack of philosophical education. But it did not question the more important Heideggerian meanings of Havel's speech.