Helmuth Plessner (1892-1985) was a prominent German philosopher and sociologist. He developed ideas influenced by Neo-Kantianism, phenomenology, and philosophical anthropology. Plessner emigrated to the Netherlands in 1933-1934, after Adolf Hitler came to power. He became a professor of sociology at the University of Groningen.

One of his major works, *Die verspätete Nation*, analyzed Germany’s susceptibility to fascism, making an impact on post-war intellectual discussions.

Plessner initially studied medicine but later switched to biology, completing that degree. His growing interest in philosophy and sociology led him to publish philosophical studies, bringing him into contact with Max Weber.

Despite his intellectual ambitions, Plessner faced setbacks from people like Max Scheler and Martin Heidegger. When he still was in the Weimar Republic, Plessner opposed radical ideologies from both the left and right. He believed that humans exist both within and outside themselves; they embody a duality between being and having a body.

When Hitler rose to power in 1933, Plessner, who was considered half-Jewish because of his Jewish father, was dismissed from his position at the University of Cologne. In the Netherlands, financial difficulties persisted for him, but he continued his academic work and gained recognition for his analysis of Germany's political susceptibility to fascism. During the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II, Plessner lost his position due to his Jewish heritage and lived in hiding until the war’s end.

After the war, he returned to his academic career, first in Groningen and later in Göttingen, Germany, as a professor of sociology. He held prestigious positions, including the Theodor Heuss Chair in New York. Plessner continued writing until late in life and contributed significantly to philosophical anthropology, political philosophy, and sociology. He wrote about the human struggle to shape their life and society; he integrated ideas about individuality, community, and institutional structures.

Plessner passed away at the age of 92, leaving behind a legacy of influential philosophical thought on the human condition and society.