German philosophy tradition holds truth independent of governmental authority

Evidence

I have not belonged to any political party either before or after my appointment. I attempted to carry out the duties of my position in a manner which would be productive for philosophy and for science. The prospect of having to leave it is a painful one, as I have always found my contact with my students, which was never disturbed by any political incidents, a great good fortune. German students, historically, are among the liveliest and most gifted in the world. I do not know whether the actions taken against me took place more with regard to my convictions or to my Jewishness. In any case, both motives would contradict the best traditions of German philosophy. German philosophy has always demanded that decisions concerning its theories and the convictions which correspond to them cannot be taken outside of philosophy itself; they are not at the discretion of the authorities. There is no necessary correspondence between truth and the programme of a government, no matter how strong its will is, no matter how deeply its roots spread among the people. Caesar non est supra grammaticos. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 531

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Horkheimer’s inaugural lecture stance in earlier chapters — his insistence on apolitical, purely academic philosophical inquiry as forged defense against the Nazi regime. — connects to: Objectivist truth served as philosophy’s safeguard against the intoxication of power — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 2943; The truth of ideas is independent of their social origins — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 210; Philosophers have historically served to justify established authority (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Objectivist truth served as philosophy’s safeguard against the intoxication of power #expands (0.80) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 2943
• Philosophers have historically served to justify established authority #contradicts (0.80)
• The truth of ideas is independent of their social origins #expands (0.75) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 210
• Philosophy works by replacing one common sense with another aligned to the ruling group #contradicts (0.75) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1507