Culture is rooted in human freedom. That is why history has made possible so many ways of thinking and living – and, of course, that is why it produces people with radically different beliefs. Kulturkampf (culture war) – bad and good Germans weiterlesen
Kategorie: reviews
Hitler, Arendt, Hoffer: Or: The Genius as Proletarian
He could have been a typical representative of the proletariat, for in his life he never got beyond casual work as a harvest worker and longshoreman and, in his youth, had not even been able to attend school. Hitler, Arendt, Hoffer: Or: The Genius as Proletarian weiterlesen
Sarrazin reloaded
The best known example of a shitstorm of recent origin is, of course, the “case Sarrazin”. In his book „Deutschland schafft sich ab“ (Germany is about to abolish itself), 95% of his evidence had been drawn from relevant scientific publications, while the last 5% (particularly his comments on the relative importance of the environment versus genetic predisposition) were a matter of legitimate scientific controversy. The professional publications he used had, however, only reached the tiny audience of researchers with similar interests, that is why they had practically escaped all public attention. Sarrazin reloaded weiterlesen
Ishiguro – Kehlmann – Houellebecq, a European triad of literary fame
Writers are said to represent the conscience of their time, the finest seismographs for the tectonic shifts of the soul. The three writers mentioned above are among the greatest in their respective linguistic areas, the English, the German and the French. What conclusions can be drawn from their works with regard to the state of mind prevalent among Europeans? Ishiguro – Kehlmann – Houellebecq, a European triad of literary fame weiterlesen
Huxley’s Brave New World revisited
Even during the writing of his masterpiece, Huxley seemed to have been in doubt as to how it was to be understood. Should one take it as a satire, a prophecy or a guide to political action? Huxley’s Brave New World revisited weiterlesen