Overview

The tragedy of European civilization is a protracted historical event spanning the twentieth century and in many ways is ongoing. During this time some of the greatest modern thinkers were active, producing works that both reflected what was happening in history and contributed towards shaping it. This work is a critique of their ideas. Harry Redner establishes where and how they went wrong, in some cases with apocalyptic consequences for Europe and the world. The great intellectuals of the age, at once philosophers, sociologists, political theorists, historians and much else besides, include Marx, Weber, Freud, Elias, Spengler, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Arendt, Nietzsche, and Foucault. All of them had a historical impact, even if only in molding academic disciplines and shaping of public opinion, as was the case with the philosophers Wittgenstein and Arendt. This book explores the close links between anti-Semitism and cultural pessimism and the relation between psychology and sociology. Other themes range from the history and theory of the state, to the misconception of language and power. Suitable for students of sociology, philosophy, political theory, history, and cultural studies, this brilliant exploration of our civilization and its tragedies will also be of interest to intellectual general readers.

Full Product Details

9781412857116

Table of Contents

Reviews

As intellectual historian Harry Redner demonstrates in his seminal book The Tragedy of European Civilization, the unlikely though not always unwitting executioners of the West were philosophers, psychologists, and other wordsmiths who not only predicted but also contributed to the demise of the very ideas that had nurtured them... For along with Reason dies responsibility, the private realm, the individual, creativity, and indeed everything that we value. Hatred, metaphysical or otherwise, will spell not only the end of the misguided, solipsistic, self-destructive intellectuals who espouse it, but also the death of civilization and of humanity as we know it. - Juliana Geran Pilon, The Cato Journal, Spring-Summer 2016

If one puts this book in the context of the full four-volume study, it amounts to an extraordinary achievement, involving years of reading and reflection and covering an enormous amount of ground. - Professor Krishan Kumar, University of Virginia, USA

In this outstanding work of intellectual history, Redner argues with great force that European intellectuals must bear considerable responsibility for causing the horrors the 20th century. Karl Marx romanticized revolution (here, Redner focuses on the seizure of power by Louis Napoleon), and Friedrich Nietzsche glorified power. After them, Oswald Spengler called for authoritarian socialism in Germany, and Martin Heidegger defended Nazi rule. Marx was no racist, but Nietzsche, Spengler, and Heidegger were, and all these thinkers were advocates (in their different ways) of violence. In brief, the legacy of the Enlightenment (with its commitment to scientific objectivity and human rights) was cast aside. Redner also examines the failings of the more moderate thinkers of the period who sought to understand their time and finds that they-Sigmund Freud, Norbert Elias, and Hannah Arendt--all fell short of the mark. To put it bluntly, none of the three knew history, or they knew too little of it. The same was even truer of Michel Foucault. Redner argues that only Max Weber had a real understanding of the contemporary world. --S. Bailey, Knox College

Author Information

Harry Redner

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available