The question of the alleged involvement of Nicolai Hartmann with National Socialismhas often been circumscribed by critics to the famous “Magdeburg speech” given in October 1933. In this contribution, I would like to attempt to offer abroader overview that also considers the years following 1933. First, I start formemphasizing how the political ambiguity of Hartmann’s attitude can already befound in the 1933 text Das Problem des geistigen Seins. In the second instance, I propose a reading to understand Hartmann’s political behavior from a widerperspective, based on the concept of «necessity» and «destiny», two conceptual keyspervasively present both in his writings and in his unpublished letters.
