Author Description

English summary: The interest taken in the philosophy of Hans Blumenberg (1920-1996) is growing both in Germany and abroad. Yet it almost always focuses on the later Blumenberg. The reasons for the neglect of his early writings are easy to point out: they seek their way between Husserl and Heidegger in interpretations of texts of medieval philosophy, and the greater part of them remains unpublished to this day. This monograph by Kurt Flasch, one of Germany's most renowned experts on medieval philosophy and the history of philosophy, is based on archival studies and draws on lifelong source work on medieval philosophy and the early modern period. It reconstructs the philosophical development of Blumenberg from his earliest texts up to the discussion centered upon the Legitimitat der Neuzeit (1966). It philosophically and philologically discusses their lines of argumentation and juxtaposes them with the contemporaneous historical development of the German Federal Republic. It does not eschew criticism, but at the same time does not deny the author's personal empathy for his subject. Despite the scholarliness of the presentation, the extensive study is an eminently good read - just as one has come to rightfully expect from this author. German description: Das Interesse an der Philosophie von Hans Blumenberg (1920-1996) wachst im In- und Ausland. Es konzentriert sich aber fast immer auf seine spatere Zeit. Die Grunde der Vernachlassigung seiner fruhen Schriften sind leicht zu erklaren: Sie suchen ihren Weg zwischen Husserl und Heidegger im Blick auf Texte der mittelalterlichen Philosophie, und vieles blieb ungedruckt. Die Monographie von Kurt Flasch beruht auf Archivstudien und greift zuruck auf lebenslange eigene Quellenarbeit zur Philosophie des Mittelalters und der fruhen Neuzeit. Sie rekonstruiert die philosophische Entwicklung Blumenbergs von seinen fruhesten Texten bis zur Diskussion um die Legitimitat der Neuzeit (1966). Sie diskutiert philosophis