It is today not considered possible by our culture for a sane and serious person to be entirely opposed to the modern world, to its infrastructure and to its thinking.
"It is today not considered possible by our culture for a sane and serious person to be entirely opposed to the modern world, to its infrastructure and to its thinking.” — Interesting how close that is to a practical definition of the Overton window.
Merlio: “a tragedy of uprooting,” — Keystone phrase!
“Without doubt, we are in the era of the decline of the soul” — One can scarcely imagine what Klages would think/say about our current era.
“And at its service is the whole of Technik and the far vaster sphere of science” — Could very well be describing the here and now, and written today … never mind over a 100 years ago.
"Klages says it is obvious that modern advances in physics and chemistry “serve only Capital” [24] and that the same seems to be true in other fields of learning.” — Yet another time-machined verbal snapshot of our current scientific corruption/co-optation.
"It is today not considered possible by our culture for a sane and serious person to be entirely opposed to the modern world, to its infrastructure and to its thinking.” — Interesting how close that is to a practical definition of the Overton window.
Yes! Though Jonathan Crary advocates forms of radical refusal in his book ‘Scorched Earth'‘, so discourse about taking on the impossible is beginning to form.
Merlio: “a tragedy of uprooting,” — Keystone phrase!
Great! First time I come across it, definitely a thought to hold on to.
“Without doubt, we are in the era of the decline of the soul” — One can scarcely imagine what Klages would think/say about our current era.
And the same applies to us in relation future eras… Emil Cioran, a man of extreme lucidity, revelled in making both these points with savage humour.
"Klages says it is obvious that modern advances in physics and chemistry “serve only Capital” [24] and that the same seems to be true in other fields of learning.” — Yet another time-machined verbal snapshot of our current scientific corruption/co-optation.
You're welcome I appreciate your writings there's much to learn from them -
To be an Anarchist in Australia one is required to be in a permanent state of civil disobedience.
edit... The natural state of humanity is perhaps best described anarchy in it's purest form however the ''authorities'' view anarchism as civil disobedience.
It's hard to be an anarchist when most if not all of the land is either privately owned or has some form of restricted access.
Tragically, there's a whole generation now of people who have never experienced life without invasive technology, free to roam without being constantly tracked, to think without being herded to binary traps, to eat real, organic food. Experience cannot be transmitted, it has to be lived, so when the generations who still remember that life fade out, how will these people claim what they've never experienced? Can one yearn for something that one does not even know it exists? Surely they will experience a feeling of existential void, they already are, but what will they choose to fill it with? More technology? I've nerve thought I'd be happy to be older and pity the young, but here I am. Coming from rural Greece, I've gone from a life without electricity, running water, genetically modified food, and telephones, to 5G, industrial agriculture, and biometric surveillance. I know which life was better. And yes, every older generation in the history of mankind has felt similarly about the youth, but this time the threat against humanity is truly existential.
I abhor the cruelty of the 5G towers, the cameras on every roundabout and traffic lights, the look of it alone- not even needing to get in to the intention of this new round of technology. The stark ugliness speaks volumes.
I happen to be rereading Tolkien’s LOTR and it strikes me how he expresses very similar ideas. The great struggle is between the evil wizards and their Orcs against nature and the species which live according to it, with humans wavering between the approaches.
I rather think that knowing what we know now, and what we will soon know, and what we've always known, we will retreat a great deal from all this industrialization and re-learn what it means to be human beings on the Earth... Struggle first, then boom! The light comes on... xo xo
Thanks for this little series of explainers on Klages, Paul - very greatly appreciated. And I must admit or confess that despite having been a student of German philosophy I was pretty much ignorant of Klages. Hmm - maybe that kind of verifies what you say about the suppression of his ideas.
In which case, anything the bad guys suppress is something which needs to be on my bookshelf. In the original German.
Yes, I'm sure he should really be read in German. Apparently there is a lot of depth to his use of words which makes him notoriously difficult to translate.
Hi Paul, I support your theme of rediscovering our connection with nature in this extremely urbanised world.
I'd argue that technological progress has overall positive effects, but our contemporary problem is progressivism, where progress is not meant to serve the society but as a tool in the hands of very few oligarchs to exert and grow their power under a neo-liberal economic system.
I consider the historical industrial development as a good thing, but unfortunately in the West we have been witnessing a long phase of de-industrialisation, because manufacturing companies moved to cheaper countries.
A risk of attacking industrialisation as a whole, is that it appears somehow similar to the Marxist nihilist attack on entrepreneurship.
Hi Mauro. Well, Marxists were, and are, very keen on industrialisation, so I don't see that there is much danger of my position being mistaken for theirs!
Just out of interest, why do you consider industrial development a good thing? I'm trying to understand how (what is your basis/method) you determine whether something is a good thing or a bad thing.
Do I really need to explain why if you own a car, a computer or a phone, this is only possible thanks to industrial development?
Industries give us technological products at an affordable price and they also create jobs, improving the economy and sustaining the expansion of the middle class.
On a global scale, we can now see how China is growing and thriving and on the other hand the West being de-industrialised is declining.
But - to your point - I agree that cars, computers and phones are only possible thanks to industrial development. My question is - why do you consider the existence of cars, computers and phones to be a good thing (assuming you do consider that)?
What makes you suggest that industry *creates* jobs? Didn't people have jobs before industry existed? What is your evidence that industry has "improved" the economy (I agree that the economy produces more *stuff* - but why do you consider that an improvement?) and sustained the expansion of the middle class?
As far as I can determine the existence or otherwise of the middle class has more to do with politics than economic development. Some technologies (e.g. firearms) appear to provide power to the middle class thus allowing them to increase their relative power and consequently wealth. Others (e.g. saddles, armor) appear to help the ruling class. The net effect of recent developments (ICE, TV, computers et al) seems to me to have reduced the power and relative wealth of the middle class - hence its current serious decline.
Another fine, timely piece!
"It is today not considered possible by our culture for a sane and serious person to be entirely opposed to the modern world, to its infrastructure and to its thinking.” — Interesting how close that is to a practical definition of the Overton window.
Merlio: “a tragedy of uprooting,” — Keystone phrase!
“Without doubt, we are in the era of the decline of the soul” — One can scarcely imagine what Klages would think/say about our current era.
“And at its service is the whole of Technik and the far vaster sphere of science” — Could very well be describing the here and now, and written today … never mind over a 100 years ago.
"Klages says it is obvious that modern advances in physics and chemistry “serve only Capital” [24] and that the same seems to be true in other fields of learning.” — Yet another time-machined verbal snapshot of our current scientific corruption/co-optation.
"It is today not considered possible by our culture for a sane and serious person to be entirely opposed to the modern world, to its infrastructure and to its thinking.” — Interesting how close that is to a practical definition of the Overton window.
Yes! Though Jonathan Crary advocates forms of radical refusal in his book ‘Scorched Earth'‘, so discourse about taking on the impossible is beginning to form.
Merlio: “a tragedy of uprooting,” — Keystone phrase!
Great! First time I come across it, definitely a thought to hold on to.
“Without doubt, we are in the era of the decline of the soul” — One can scarcely imagine what Klages would think/say about our current era.
And the same applies to us in relation future eras… Emil Cioran, a man of extreme lucidity, revelled in making both these points with savage humour.
"Klages says it is obvious that modern advances in physics and chemistry “serve only Capital” [24] and that the same seems to be true in other fields of learning.” — Yet another time-machined verbal snapshot of our current scientific corruption/co-optation.
Well said. It’s totally suffocating!
Kudos for Paul Cudenec for yet another brilliant essay!
It gives me hope to read and listen to these wise words at a time when the world is run by muppets who quite simply never made sense to begin with.
Thanks
You're welcome I appreciate your writings there's much to learn from them -
To be an Anarchist in Australia one is required to be in a permanent state of civil disobedience.
edit... The natural state of humanity is perhaps best described anarchy in it's purest form however the ''authorities'' view anarchism as civil disobedience.
It's hard to be an anarchist when most if not all of the land is either privately owned or has some form of restricted access.
Tragically, there's a whole generation now of people who have never experienced life without invasive technology, free to roam without being constantly tracked, to think without being herded to binary traps, to eat real, organic food. Experience cannot be transmitted, it has to be lived, so when the generations who still remember that life fade out, how will these people claim what they've never experienced? Can one yearn for something that one does not even know it exists? Surely they will experience a feeling of existential void, they already are, but what will they choose to fill it with? More technology? I've nerve thought I'd be happy to be older and pity the young, but here I am. Coming from rural Greece, I've gone from a life without electricity, running water, genetically modified food, and telephones, to 5G, industrial agriculture, and biometric surveillance. I know which life was better. And yes, every older generation in the history of mankind has felt similarly about the youth, but this time the threat against humanity is truly existential.
I abhor the cruelty of the 5G towers, the cameras on every roundabout and traffic lights, the look of it alone- not even needing to get in to the intention of this new round of technology. The stark ugliness speaks volumes.
I happen to be rereading Tolkien’s LOTR and it strikes me how he expresses very similar ideas. The great struggle is between the evil wizards and their Orcs against nature and the species which live according to it, with humans wavering between the approaches.
I rather think that knowing what we know now, and what we will soon know, and what we've always known, we will retreat a great deal from all this industrialization and re-learn what it means to be human beings on the Earth... Struggle first, then boom! The light comes on... xo xo
Thanks for this little series of explainers on Klages, Paul - very greatly appreciated. And I must admit or confess that despite having been a student of German philosophy I was pretty much ignorant of Klages. Hmm - maybe that kind of verifies what you say about the suppression of his ideas.
In which case, anything the bad guys suppress is something which needs to be on my bookshelf. In the original German.
Yes, I'm sure he should really be read in German. Apparently there is a lot of depth to his use of words which makes him notoriously difficult to translate.
Now that sound like a welcome challenge!
“like an insatiable moloch, swallowing humankind’s images of itself,”
Sounds a lot like phone culture!
I live in the bush. Every day it’s telling me something good.
All technology needs serious limits put on it or it devours.
Agree with Red Pill Poet…very timely…as is inclined to happen with all things organic 😉👍
Hi Paul, I support your theme of rediscovering our connection with nature in this extremely urbanised world.
I'd argue that technological progress has overall positive effects, but our contemporary problem is progressivism, where progress is not meant to serve the society but as a tool in the hands of very few oligarchs to exert and grow their power under a neo-liberal economic system.
I consider the historical industrial development as a good thing, but unfortunately in the West we have been witnessing a long phase of de-industrialisation, because manufacturing companies moved to cheaper countries.
A risk of attacking industrialisation as a whole, is that it appears somehow similar to the Marxist nihilist attack on entrepreneurship.
Hi Mauro. Well, Marxists were, and are, very keen on industrialisation, so I don't see that there is much danger of my position being mistaken for theirs!
Just out of interest, why do you consider industrial development a good thing? I'm trying to understand how (what is your basis/method) you determine whether something is a good thing or a bad thing.
And what exactly do you mean by "consider"?
Do I really need to explain why if you own a car, a computer or a phone, this is only possible thanks to industrial development?
Industries give us technological products at an affordable price and they also create jobs, improving the economy and sustaining the expansion of the middle class.
On a global scale, we can now see how China is growing and thriving and on the other hand the West being de-industrialised is declining.
You don't *need* to explain anything :-)
But - to your point - I agree that cars, computers and phones are only possible thanks to industrial development. My question is - why do you consider the existence of cars, computers and phones to be a good thing (assuming you do consider that)?
What makes you suggest that industry *creates* jobs? Didn't people have jobs before industry existed? What is your evidence that industry has "improved" the economy (I agree that the economy produces more *stuff* - but why do you consider that an improvement?) and sustained the expansion of the middle class?
As far as I can determine the existence or otherwise of the middle class has more to do with politics than economic development. Some technologies (e.g. firearms) appear to provide power to the middle class thus allowing them to increase their relative power and consequently wealth. Others (e.g. saddles, armor) appear to help the ruling class. The net effect of recent developments (ICE, TV, computers et al) seems to me to have reduced the power and relative wealth of the middle class - hence its current serious decline.