The formal address, entitled "The Self-assertion of the German University" that Heidegger delivered when he became rector of the University of Freiburg in May, 1933, has achieved a renown beyond its philosophical deserts.¹ We restrict our attention to its philosophical deserts. The theme is ordinary enough. The new rector urges his students and professorial staff to assume their responsibility before the nation in the service of science, explaining what is meant by science and how this service is to be performed. What concerns us is the notion of science as conceived in 1933.²