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150 UNIT II Nursing Philosophies

were published, which proved that Heidegger was a violation, doubt. These are “big words.” But they
member of the national Socialist Party in Germany and are no bigger than their location in life, our every-
that he had betrayed his Jewish colleagues and friends day nursing situation. Mercy, writes the Danish
such as Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) and Hannah theologian and philosopher Løgstrup, is the
Arendt (1906-1975). Heidegger was banned from renewal of life, it is to afford others life. . . . What
teaching for several years after the war because of his else is nursing but to release the patient’s possibili-
involvement with the Nazis (Lubcke, 1983). ties for living a meaningful life within the life cycle
Martinsen confronted Heidegger and her own we inhabit between life and death? We must ven-
thinking about his philosophy in From Marx to ture into life amongst our fellow humans in order
Løgstrup: On Morality, Social Criticism and Sensu- to experience the actual meaning of these big words
ousness in Nursing (Martinsen, 1993b). Precisely (Martinsen, 1996, p. 7).
because life and learning cannot be separated, it
became important for Martinsen to go to sources While Martinsen was teaching in Århus, she
other than Heidegger to illustrate the fundamental became Adjunct Professor at the Department of
aspects of caring. Knud E. Løgstrup (1905-1981) Nursing Science at the University of Tromsø in 1994.
was the Danish theologian and philosopher who In 1997, she moved north and become a full-time
became her alternative source, although the two professor. However, needing more time for her
never met. Martinsen knew him through his books research and writings, she left after only 1 year in this
and via his wife Rosemarie Løgstrup, who was origi- position to become a freelancer in 1998.
nally German. She met her husband in Germany, In 2002 and for a 5-year period, Martinsen made
where both were studying philosophy. She later her way back to the University of Bergen as professor
translated his books into German. at the Department of Public Health and Primary
While Martinsen lived and worked in Denmark, Health Care section for nursing science. Teaching
she met with Patricia Benner on several occasions for master’s and doctoral students was central. She
public dialogues in Norway and Denmark, and again arranged doctoral courses and was much in demand
in 1996 in California. One of these dialogues was later in the Nordic countries as supervisor and lecturer.
published with the title, “Ethics and Vocation, Culture The period from 1990 is characterized by philo-
and the Body” (Martinsen, 1997b); it took place at a sophical research. Fundamental philosophical and
conference at the University of Tromsø. ontological questions and their meaning for nursing
Martinsen also had important dialogues with Katie dominated Martinsen’s thought. During this period,
Eriksson, the Finnish professor of nursing. They met in in addition to her own books, she worked on a variety
Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. In the begin- of projects and published in several journals and
ning, their discussions were tense and strained, but anthologies. Books from this period have already
over time, they developed into fruitful and enlighten- been mentioned (Martinsen, 1993b, 1996). In 2000,
ing conversations that later were published as Phenom- The Eye and the Call (Martinsen, 2000b) was
enology and Caring: Three Dialogues (Martinsen, 1996). published. The chapter titles in this book ring more
Martinsen’s first chapter in this book is titled “Caring poetically than before: “To See with the Eye of the
and Metaphysics—Has Nursing Science Got Room for Heart,” “Ethics, Culture and the Vulnerability of the
This?” the second, “The Body and Spirit in Practical Flesh,” “The Calling—Can We Be Without It?” and
Nursing,” and the third, “The Phenomenology of “The Act of Love and the Call.”
Creation—Ethics and Power: Løgstrup’s Philosophy of Martinsen also worked with ideas about space and
Religion Meets Nursing Practice.” These headings architecture. According to her, space and architecture
employ impressive language, similar to that of the influence human dignity. She first wrote about this idea
dialogues that Martinsen conducted with Benner; in in an article with the poetic title, “The House and the
her preface to the book, she elaborates: Song, the Tears and the Shame: Space and Architecture
as Caretakers of Human Dignity” (Martinsen, 2001).
The words about which we speak and write are Martinsen has held positions at three nursing
compassion, hope, suffering, pain, sacrifice, shame, colleges. From 1989 to 1990, she was employed as