Blucher Symposium
This audio collection documents the Blücher Symposium, held at Bard College in 2003, a commemorative event celebrating the life, teaching, and intellectual legacy of philosopher Heinrich Blücher. The symposium brought together former students, colleagues, and scholars to reflect on Blücher’s distinctive pedagogical style, his philosophical commitments, and his lasting influence on the Bard community and beyond.
Recorded across three audio discs, the symposium includes opening remarks, a keynote address, and a series of panel discussions. Speakers explore Blücher’s approach to teaching, his role as a formative presence during the Vietnam era, and his intellectual partnership with Hannah Arendt, drawing on personal experience, scholarly analysis, and historical context. The recordings also document early efforts to preserve and share Blücher’s lectures through digital archival initiatives.
Participants include Jeffrey Katz, former Director of the Stevenson Library at Bard College; Alexander Bazelow ’71, a former student of Blücher and keynote speaker; and panelists Jack Blum ’62, Professor Peter Skiff, Elizabeth Young-Bruehl, Jerome “Jerry” Cohen, and Wolfgang Heuer. Together, these recordings offer a rich and intimate portrait of Blücher as a teacher, thinker, and influential figure in twentieth-century intellectual life.
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Blücher Symposium: CD 1
Bard College
This recording is the first of three from the Blücher Symposium, held at Bard College in 2003, celebrating the life and work of philosopher Heinrich Blücher. The CD includes opening remarks by Jeffrey Katz, Director of the Stevenson Library at Bard College, who serves as master of ceremonies, outlines the program, and introduces the keynote speaker.
The keynote address is delivered by Alexander Bazelow ’71, a former student of Blücher who assisted Hannah Arendt in preparing Blücher's lectures for publication. Bazelow reflects on Blücher's teaching style, philosophical approach, and impact on students, sharing personal experiences as a veteran and transfer student at Bard. Audience members also participate, asking questions and sharing anecdotes about Blücher and his relationship with Arendt. The recording provides an introduction to Blücher's intellectual legacy and the symposium's focus on preserving and sharing his lectures through digital archives.
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Blücher Symposium: CD 2
Bard College
This second recording of three CDs of the Blücher Symposium, held at Bard College in 2003, captures a panel discussion on the life, teaching, and influence of philosopher Heinrich Blücher. Jeffrey Katz, Director of the Stevenson Library at Bard College, serves as master of ceremonies and introduces the panelists.
Panelists include Jack Blum ’62, who compares Blücher’s teaching method to that of Socrates; Professor Peter Skiff, a longtime colleague, who reflects on Blücher’s influence on students during the Vietnam era; and Elizabeth Young-Bruehl, biographer of Hannah Arendt, who discusses insights from Blücher’s correspondence with Arendt. The discussion highlights Blücher’s Socratic approach, emphasis on critical thinking, and lasting impact on education at Bard College.
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Blücher Symposium: CD 3
Bard College
This third of three CD recordings of the Blücher Symposium, held at Bard College in 2003, focuses on the relationship and correspondence between Hannah Arendt and Heinrich Blücher. Panelists include Elizabeth Young-Bruehl, Arendt’s biographer, and Jerome “Jerry” Cohen, director of the Hannah Arendt Center at The New School, who engage in a dialogue about Blücher and Arendt’s shared philosophical views, mutual support, and the preservation of his lectures. Wolfgang Heuer of the Free University of Berlin reflects on Blücher as a “Socratic outsider.” Audience members also contribute questions and anecdotes. The discussion highlights Blücher’s Socratic teaching style and situates his intellectual and personal partnership with Arendt within broader philosophical and historical contexts.