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Man and Technics: A Contribution to a Philosophy of Life
"In the following pages I lay before the reader a few thoughts that are taken from a larger work on which I have been engaged for years. It had been my intention to use the same method which in The Decline of the West I had limited to the group of the higher Cultures, for the investigation of their historical pre-requisite - namely, the history of Man from his origins. But experience with the earlier work showed that the majority of readers are not in a postion to maintain a general view over the mass of ideas as a whole, and so lose themselves in the detail of this or that domain which is familiar to them, seeing the rest either obliquely or not at all. In consequence they obtain an incorrect picture, both of what I have written and of the subject-matter about which I wrote. Now, as then, it is my conviction that the destiny of Man can only be understood by dealing with all the provinces of his activity simultaneously and comparatively, and avoiding the mistake of trying to elucidate some problem, say, of his politics or his religion or his art, solely in terms of particular sides of his being, in the belief that, this done, there is no more to be said. Nevertheless, in this book I venture to put forward some of the questions. They are a few among many. But they are interconnected, and for that reason may serve, for the time being, to help the reader to a provisional glimpse into the great secret of Man's destiny." --- Oswald Spengler
116 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1931
About the author
Oswald Spengler
70 books505 followersOswald Spengler was born in 1880 in Blankenburg (then in the Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire) at the foot of the Harz mountains, the eldest of four children, and the only boy. His family was conservative German of the petite bourgeoisie. His father, originally a mining technician, who came from a long line of mineworkers, was a post office bureaucrat. His childhood home was emotionally reserved, and the young Spengler turned to books and the great cultural personalities for succor. He had imperfect health, and suffered throughout his life from migraine headaches and from an anxiety complex.
At the age of ten, his family moved to the university city of Halle. Here Spengler received a classical education at the local Gymnasium (academically oriented secondary school), studying Greek, Latin, mathematics and natural sciences. Here, too, he developed his affinity for the arts—especially poetry, drama, and music—and came under the influence of the ideas of Goethe and Nietzsche. He even experimented with a few artistic creations, some of which still survive.
After his father's death in 1901 Spengler attended several universities (Munich, Berlin, and Halle) as a private scholar, taking courses in a wide range of subjects: history, philosophy, mathematics, natural science, literature, the classics, music, and fine arts. His private studies were undirected. In 1903, he failed his doctoral thesis on Heraclitus because of insufficient references, which effectively ended his chances of an academic career. In 1904 he received his Ph.D., and in 1905 suffered a nervous breakdown.
Scholars[which?] remark that his life seemed rather uneventful. He briefly served as a teacher in Saarbrücken and then in Düsseldorf. From 1908 to 1911 he worked at a grammar school (Realgymnasium) in Hamburg, where he taught science, German history, and mathematics.
In 1911, following his mother's death, he moved to Munich, where he would live until his death in 1936. He lived as a cloistered scholar, supported by his modest inheritance. Spengler survived on very limited means and was marked by loneliness. He owned no books, and took jobs as a tutor or wrote for magazines to earn additional income.
He began work on the first volume of Decline of the West intending at first to focus on Germany within Europe, but the Agadir Crisis affected him deeply, and he widened the scope of his study. Spengler was inspired by Otto Seeck's work The Decline of Antiquity in naming his own effort. The book was completed in 1914, but publishing was delayed by World War I. Due to a congenital heart problem, he was not called up for military service. During the war, however, his inheritance was largely useless because it was invested overseas; thus Spengler lived in genuine poverty for this period.
At the age of ten, his family moved to the university city of Halle. Here Spengler received a classical education at the local Gymnasium (academically oriented secondary school), studying Greek, Latin, mathematics and natural sciences. Here, too, he developed his affinity for the arts—especially poetry, drama, and music—and came under the influence of the ideas of Goethe and Nietzsche. He even experimented with a few artistic creations, some of which still survive.
After his father's death in 1901 Spengler attended several universities (Munich, Berlin, and Halle) as a private scholar, taking courses in a wide range of subjects: history, philosophy, mathematics, natural science, literature, the classics, music, and fine arts. His private studies were undirected. In 1903, he failed his doctoral thesis on Heraclitus because of insufficient references, which effectively ended his chances of an academic career. In 1904 he received his Ph.D., and in 1905 suffered a nervous breakdown.
Scholars[which?] remark that his life seemed rather uneventful. He briefly served as a teacher in Saarbrücken and then in Düsseldorf. From 1908 to 1911 he worked at a grammar school (Realgymnasium) in Hamburg, where he taught science, German history, and mathematics.
In 1911, following his mother's death, he moved to Munich, where he would live until his death in 1936. He lived as a cloistered scholar, supported by his modest inheritance. Spengler survived on very limited means and was marked by loneliness. He owned no books, and took jobs as a tutor or wrote for magazines to earn additional income.
He began work on the first volume of Decline of the West intending at first to focus on Germany within Europe, but the Agadir Crisis affected him deeply, and he widened the scope of his study. Spengler was inspired by Otto Seeck's work The Decline of Antiquity in naming his own effort. The book was completed in 1914, but publishing was delayed by World War I. Due to a congenital heart problem, he was not called up for military service. During the war, however, his inheritance was largely useless because it was invested overseas; thus Spengler lived in genuine poverty for this period.
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June 29, 2019
The problem of man’s destiny
In this book Spengler examines technics, which he defines as the tactics of living, i.e. what one does with tools, rather than the tools themselves.
Spengler traces the history of technics in three phases:
Stage 1
The Hand
The genesis of man is the hand (see Animal Farm), which Spengler believes occurred as a sudden mutation.
It made man creative.
Stage 2
Speech (and Enterprise)
Speech then arose for needs of conversation or command (not thought or judgement). It is the means to collective doing (enterprise). It emancipated the intellect from the hand.
Man then separated into commanders and obeyers; individual lives mattered little at this time according to Spengler; what mattered was the whole, the tribe, the sea voyage or building project.
But the obeyers (hands) increased, and thus personality developed, as a protest against man in the mass.
Last Stage
Terminator: Rise of the Machines
The city then developed, and thought/intellect became rootless (although the city still drew its material sustenance from the land).
Roger Bacon’s ’Scientia experimentalis’ (1200s) was ‘the interrogation of nature with the rack, screw and lever’. God became an ‘infinite force’ rather than a personified Lord on a throne. Monks tried to find ‘perpetual motion’, which some saw as devilish.
Eventually machines grew so complex that leaders and led no longer understood each other. A spiritual barrenness set in, and leaders became divorced from the people. Nordic Man became spiritually enslaved to the machine.
European, Faustian culture is the most tragic culture, due to the conflict between its comprehensive intellectuality and its profound spiritual disharmony.
So the Faustian mind became weary of machines, and returned to contemplating nature (the green movement, the new age movement etc.). Man took refuge from civilisation. We can see this currently, with Nordics pursuing worthless degrees in ‘womyns studies’, while STEM positions in Western unis are occupied mainly by Chinese and Indian students.
Spengler thinks the export of white technics to the non-white world spelled the former’s doom, as the latter have no spiritual attachment to technics (except, maybe, the Japanese?). For non-whites, Spengler claims, technology is merely a weapon to be used against the Faustians who invented it (and he wrote this before mass immigration!).
But he then goes on to give his famous pronouncement that ‘optimism is cowardice’, that we must all die like the Roman soldier at his post.
With this pronouncement, Spengler reveals himself to be part of the problem.
Why didn’t he anticipate space travel, the ultimate technics? It can still serve as a point of revival for Faustians! What could appeal to their romantic impulses more than wanting to stand on the moons of Neptune?
Although Spengler claims the struggle between man and nature ‘ends’ with the Faustian culture, at one point he tentatively suggests a successor culture may arise ‘on the plains between the Vistula and the Amur’ (i.e. a Slavic-centred culture).
Given the current suicidal path Western Europe is following, this may turn out to be one of his more accurate predictions.
In this book Spengler examines technics, which he defines as the tactics of living, i.e. what one does with tools, rather than the tools themselves.
Spengler traces the history of technics in three phases:
Stage 1
The Hand
The genesis of man is the hand (see Animal Farm), which Spengler believes occurred as a sudden mutation.
It made man creative.
Stage 2
Speech (and Enterprise)
Speech then arose for needs of conversation or command (not thought or judgement). It is the means to collective doing (enterprise). It emancipated the intellect from the hand.
Man then separated into commanders and obeyers; individual lives mattered little at this time according to Spengler; what mattered was the whole, the tribe, the sea voyage or building project.
But the obeyers (hands) increased, and thus personality developed, as a protest against man in the mass.
Last Stage
Terminator: Rise of the Machines
The city then developed, and thought/intellect became rootless (although the city still drew its material sustenance from the land).
Roger Bacon’s ’Scientia experimentalis’ (1200s) was ‘the interrogation of nature with the rack, screw and lever’. God became an ‘infinite force’ rather than a personified Lord on a throne. Monks tried to find ‘perpetual motion’, which some saw as devilish.
Eventually machines grew so complex that leaders and led no longer understood each other. A spiritual barrenness set in, and leaders became divorced from the people. Nordic Man became spiritually enslaved to the machine.
European, Faustian culture is the most tragic culture, due to the conflict between its comprehensive intellectuality and its profound spiritual disharmony.
So the Faustian mind became weary of machines, and returned to contemplating nature (the green movement, the new age movement etc.). Man took refuge from civilisation. We can see this currently, with Nordics pursuing worthless degrees in ‘womyns studies’, while STEM positions in Western unis are occupied mainly by Chinese and Indian students.
Spengler thinks the export of white technics to the non-white world spelled the former’s doom, as the latter have no spiritual attachment to technics (except, maybe, the Japanese?). For non-whites, Spengler claims, technology is merely a weapon to be used against the Faustians who invented it (and he wrote this before mass immigration!).
But he then goes on to give his famous pronouncement that ‘optimism is cowardice’, that we must all die like the Roman soldier at his post.
With this pronouncement, Spengler reveals himself to be part of the problem.
Why didn’t he anticipate space travel, the ultimate technics? It can still serve as a point of revival for Faustians! What could appeal to their romantic impulses more than wanting to stand on the moons of Neptune?
Although Spengler claims the struggle between man and nature ‘ends’ with the Faustian culture, at one point he tentatively suggests a successor culture may arise ‘on the plains between the Vistula and the Amur’ (i.e. a Slavic-centred culture).
Given the current suicidal path Western Europe is following, this may turn out to be one of his more accurate predictions.
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January 3, 2017Everyone instinctively knows which parts of Friedrich Nietzsche’s work must be played down or rendered harmless—and there are many. The results went on display a while back in the Oxford Handbook of Nietzsche, or as I like to call it, Honey I Shrunk Zarathustra! Even that “God is dead” business, which was none too scandalous in 1882, is now teachable only with a nervous eye on the frowners in class. (He only said “God,” kids, he said nothing about Allah!) The man himself would not have been surprised by the turn things have taken. If he were still up in the Alps, he would be nodding grimly down at the many atheists, feminists, and homosexuals who welcome the growing presence of a religion that reviles them. This was what Nietzsche meant by decadence: a readiness to act against one’s own obvious interests. But we may now use that word only with a smile, when the dessert comes out.
Harder to render campus-friendly is Nietzsche’s more straightforward disciple Oswald Spengler (1880–1936), who was buried with a copy of Zarathustra. The good news is that he refused to serve the Nazis. The bad news? They were too left-wing for his liking. That’s not quite as awful as it sounds. As far as he was concerned, all ideologies catering to the human herd, from communism and Hitlerism to liberal democracy, were on the left and beneath contempt. What he wanted was a German Caesar and a meritocratic elite of true individuals with—to quote a Nietzschean pop song—no time for losers. This still makes him a fascist in the catch-all sense now current.
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...
Harder to render campus-friendly is Nietzsche’s more straightforward disciple Oswald Spengler (1880–1936), who was buried with a copy of Zarathustra. The good news is that he refused to serve the Nazis. The bad news? They were too left-wing for his liking. That’s not quite as awful as it sounds. As far as he was concerned, all ideologies catering to the human herd, from communism and Hitlerism to liberal democracy, were on the left and beneath contempt. What he wanted was a German Caesar and a meritocratic elite of true individuals with—to quote a Nietzschean pop song—no time for losers. This still makes him a fascist in the catch-all sense now current.
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...
May 21, 2009
Here's the thing: Spengler is an extremely interesting figure in the realm of speculative philosophy. He is, however, a horrible historian and an even worse scientist. These things get in the way of his precient views on the future. It's amazing to watch him make an ass of himself insofar as Darwin is concerned, and then make up a bunch of stuff about so-called historical trends and ignore all manner of actual, contemporary scholarship on the matter at hand, and then watch him turn around and start making sense. Never have I read a book so wrong and so right at the same time. My god I love this crazy ass German bastard.
July 9, 2018
"Optimism is cowardice."
Oswald Spengler wrote that in this very book. It's hard for me, a fellow who has sometimes found comfort in the thought of lying down in front of an oncoming train, to not like him. And, on the grounds of a shared general pessimism about this species known as Homo sapiens, I do like him. Hell, I don't even approve of the conceit Homo sapiens, translated loosely as "wise man" as it is. I'm more fond of Jonathan Swift's assessment of the species as rationis capax -- "capable of reason." (Yes, I know that the former is a scientific classification of genus and species whereas the latter is merely rhetorical caprice, nerd. My point is that I don’t see humans as inherently imbued with wisdom; indeed, they -- we, because I presume you, like me, are human, despite, perhaps, your desire to not be because you have an interest in Oswald Spengler -- merely are in possession of a facile diabolicalness that can be, with a lot of heavy lifting, massaged into something approaching a rationality which can be taken for a kind wisdom if looked at sideways.)
In this short treatise, Spengler sets out, through some hackneyed and truncated anthropological gymnastics and philosophical assumptions, to chart the path and destiny of humanity in general by way of a very specific tribe of that humanity, the proud — and, in essence, superior — Nordic. He begins with the hunter-gatherer stage, the implied apogee of this tribe because Spengler sees our species simply in episodic decline from those halcyon days before antibiotics, wherein the terrible yet inevitable decision is made to use tools by way of the hand — the appendage, never mind the big brain that requires all those calories be ingested, that truly sets humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. This unavoidable decision marks the Nordic as both special and tragic because tool-making becomes some sort of empirical compulsion that can never be satisfied by way of conquering nature; nevertheless, they try their damnedest as their civilization metastasizes into various stages, from agrarian to urban. Unfortunately, the Nordic tribe ends up stratifying, abandons technology which is then taken up by other, less white, tribes, who then use it to avenge themselves upon the long dominant Nordic tribe; meanwhile, the planet is rendered an ecological disaster through this technological orgy. But for the blood and soil bullshit, it’s an intriguing counterbalance to the often naive cult of progress in the vein of your classical cyclical view of history.
But, in the end, a sympathy by way of shared general pessimism is where I part ways with Herr Spengler. True, I may have a weakness for the vague and sweeping mysticism, informed by Nietzsche as it is, that gives color and flair to his pessimism, just as my own pessimism was once given color and flair by an adolescence thick with albums by The Cure. However, I only ever knew the lyrics; I never wore the eyeliner. You can have an identity without slavishly wearing a uniform, and a species can aspire to improve itself while painfully conscious of its past failures; indeed, how could it even begin to aspire without having encountered many a failure? Spengler would have us stand stoically as the Roman guard who was cut down by the eruption of Vesuvius, resigned and duty-bound to death, because progress isn’t possible. We are doomed. But this heroic and tragic image, thrown in almost as an afterthought, belies the survival instinct to which this poor unfortunate guard was in thrall to well before he peacocked around in his fascist trappings. He was a human being that was driven to live; indeed, his submission to the state was an exercise in that very real biological imperative. Besides, I've seen the pictures. That bastard was running.
Oswald Spengler wrote that in this very book. It's hard for me, a fellow who has sometimes found comfort in the thought of lying down in front of an oncoming train, to not like him. And, on the grounds of a shared general pessimism about this species known as Homo sapiens, I do like him. Hell, I don't even approve of the conceit Homo sapiens, translated loosely as "wise man" as it is. I'm more fond of Jonathan Swift's assessment of the species as rationis capax -- "capable of reason." (Yes, I know that the former is a scientific classification of genus and species whereas the latter is merely rhetorical caprice, nerd. My point is that I don’t see humans as inherently imbued with wisdom; indeed, they -- we, because I presume you, like me, are human, despite, perhaps, your desire to not be because you have an interest in Oswald Spengler -- merely are in possession of a facile diabolicalness that can be, with a lot of heavy lifting, massaged into something approaching a rationality which can be taken for a kind wisdom if looked at sideways.)
In this short treatise, Spengler sets out, through some hackneyed and truncated anthropological gymnastics and philosophical assumptions, to chart the path and destiny of humanity in general by way of a very specific tribe of that humanity, the proud — and, in essence, superior — Nordic. He begins with the hunter-gatherer stage, the implied apogee of this tribe because Spengler sees our species simply in episodic decline from those halcyon days before antibiotics, wherein the terrible yet inevitable decision is made to use tools by way of the hand — the appendage, never mind the big brain that requires all those calories be ingested, that truly sets humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. This unavoidable decision marks the Nordic as both special and tragic because tool-making becomes some sort of empirical compulsion that can never be satisfied by way of conquering nature; nevertheless, they try their damnedest as their civilization metastasizes into various stages, from agrarian to urban. Unfortunately, the Nordic tribe ends up stratifying, abandons technology which is then taken up by other, less white, tribes, who then use it to avenge themselves upon the long dominant Nordic tribe; meanwhile, the planet is rendered an ecological disaster through this technological orgy. But for the blood and soil bullshit, it’s an intriguing counterbalance to the often naive cult of progress in the vein of your classical cyclical view of history.
But, in the end, a sympathy by way of shared general pessimism is where I part ways with Herr Spengler. True, I may have a weakness for the vague and sweeping mysticism, informed by Nietzsche as it is, that gives color and flair to his pessimism, just as my own pessimism was once given color and flair by an adolescence thick with albums by The Cure. However, I only ever knew the lyrics; I never wore the eyeliner. You can have an identity without slavishly wearing a uniform, and a species can aspire to improve itself while painfully conscious of its past failures; indeed, how could it even begin to aspire without having encountered many a failure? Spengler would have us stand stoically as the Roman guard who was cut down by the eruption of Vesuvius, resigned and duty-bound to death, because progress isn’t possible. We are doomed. But this heroic and tragic image, thrown in almost as an afterthought, belies the survival instinct to which this poor unfortunate guard was in thrall to well before he peacocked around in his fascist trappings. He was a human being that was driven to live; indeed, his submission to the state was an exercise in that very real biological imperative. Besides, I've seen the pictures. That bastard was running.
September 2, 2021
Optimism is cowardice
May 8, 2024
I've listened to this while in the gym and i lifted 180kg in bench press, wat does it mean?
July 1, 2021
A book that is rather a work of art than science. This book adds new pages to the vision of The Downfall of the Occident, now from the perspective of technics. Instinctively right on many accounts, deeply wrong and at times outdated in some of its science and historiography. Spengler was the man of his epoch, the epoch at the end of the myth. His innate understanding of the technics as a process of doing, living, being, and changing the world around works on many levels and throughout the history. Technics made the man what he is now and brought him to the summit of his knowledge and comfort but inevitably is bound to cause his demise once it gets too complex and its proponents too lazy and tired of technology. Another theme of the book is a dichotomy of white nordic Faustian civilization and colored Others. Not that such thing is coherent in the historic outlook, but the view itself is quite fascinating and telling of the self-understanding and understanding of the world by an educated man in an interbellum Europe. The general theme of this book is that the craft, a general skill that can be developed for almost any job imaginable which only humans possess is what made him a king of Nature, a beast of prey over beasts of prey despite not having any claws or sharp teeth. The same craft in a different stage of human development is what brought about states, governments, technology, and in the end the modern European civilization. It got so high and created the conditions so comfortable that they started to eliminate the kind of man that was its foundation. That's why it is bound to bring about the end of the West.
Probably, Spengler would be terrified and assured of Western demise if he saw the world of today. In a way, his West is dead. But in other ways, it just shifted, changed, and adapted to the new ways of living and the technics of life. Some of his prophecies did not come true, some of his intuitions were wrong. But the main notion of technics and its consequences are sound. That is what makes this book valuable.
Probably, Spengler would be terrified and assured of Western demise if he saw the world of today. In a way, his West is dead. But in other ways, it just shifted, changed, and adapted to the new ways of living and the technics of life. Some of his prophecies did not come true, some of his intuitions were wrong. But the main notion of technics and its consequences are sound. That is what makes this book valuable.
April 11, 2021
Spengler predicts the fall of Faustian (Nordic) civilization because of us giving away our technics to the colored peoples while simultaneously those same technics have become too complex for the people who actually work with them. According to Spengler, the geniuses of our civilization (the leaders) have outgrown the common man (the led) which makes the led too envious of the leaders to sympathize with them and find a way to work together as a civilization. This will be our downfall, because Spengler believes the solution to the problem won't be found until it's too late. Which is what I believe his answer would be to Paul Christensen's critique.
I did appreciate the similarity I saw between the last sentence of this work
"This honorable end is the one thing that cannot be taken from Man."
and ideas expressed by Yukio Mishima, about how the only thing beautiful that remains to us is an honorable death.
I did appreciate the similarity I saw between the last sentence of this work
"This honorable end is the one thing that cannot be taken from Man."
and ideas expressed by Yukio Mishima, about how the only thing beautiful that remains to us is an honorable death.
May 6, 2020
I have made reflections about this book, and I think there are problems with some ideas presented here.
The author seems to think that all human actions are not natural, to the point which he says that man is battling with nature, but nature is the stronger of the two.
I understand the author's contempt against the artificialities that emerged with modern science. He makes some interesting remarks, that with the advent of Darwinism, it was thought that contemporary men would never become sick of machines:
"But all this is changing in the last decades, in all the countries where large-scale industry is of old standing. The Faustian thought begins to be sick of machines. A weariness is spreading, a sort of pacifism of the battle with Nature. Men are returning to forms of life simpler and nearer to Nature; they are spending their time in sport instead of technical experiments. The great cities are becoming hateful to them, and they would fain get away from the pressure of soulless facts and the clear cold atmosphere of technical organization. And it is precisely the strong and creative talents that are turning away from practical problems and sciences and towards pure speculation. Occultism and Spiritualism, Hindu philosophies, metaphysical inquisitiveness under Christian or pagan colouring, all of which were despised in the Darwinian period, are coming up again. It is the spirit of Rome in the Age of Augustus. Out of satiety of life, men take refuge from civilization in the more primitive parts of the earth, in vagabondage, in suicide. The flight of the born leader from the Machine is beginning. Every big entrepreneur has occasion to observe a falling-off in the intellectual qualities of his recruits. But the grand technical development of the nineteenth century had been possible only because the intellectual level was constantly becoming higher. Even a stationary condition, short of an actual falling off, is dangerous and points to an ending, however numerous and however well schooled may be the hands ready for work."
I agree with much in this book, but as I see it, the problem is not that man is in battle with nature, I think the real problem is that modern science was developed with certain presuppostions that led to the ugliness that has been realized.
As René Guénon puts it:
"It is highly significant that there is no longer any question here of 'truth', but only of a 'reality' that is reduced exclusively to the sensible order and conceived as something essentially changing and unstable; with such theories, intelligence is reduced to its lowest part, and reason itself is no longer admitted except insofar as it is applied to fashioning matter for industrial uses. After this there remained but one step: the total denial of intelligence and knowledge altogether and the substitution of 'utility' for 'truth'. "
"By individualism we mean the negation of any principle higher than individuality, and the consequent reduction of civilization, in all its branches, to purely human elements; "
"Be that as it may, one has the general impression that, in the present state of things, there is no longer any stability; but while there are some who sense the danger and try to react to it, most of our contemporaries are quite at ease amid this confusion, in which they see a kind of exteriorized image of their own mentality. Indeed there is an exact correspondence between a world where everything seems to be in a state of mere 'becoming', leaving no place for the changeless and the permanent, and the state of mind of men who find all reality in this 'becoming', thus implicitly denying true knowledge as well as the object of that knowledge, namely transcendent and universal principles."
This is one of those books that are so unique that there are none like it. There could be books that would touch on certain subjects here, but there are no books with this kind of analysis and style. The author, I can tell, is influenced by Nietzschean philosophy very much.
His idea of the beast of prey is interesting, but he would exaggerate it too much, saying that it is the will of man to dominate, sounds like he is an adept of Melkor. (Only Tolkien fans will understand what I mean)
The author seems to think that all human actions are not natural, to the point which he says that man is battling with nature, but nature is the stronger of the two.
I understand the author's contempt against the artificialities that emerged with modern science. He makes some interesting remarks, that with the advent of Darwinism, it was thought that contemporary men would never become sick of machines:
"But all this is changing in the last decades, in all the countries where large-scale industry is of old standing. The Faustian thought begins to be sick of machines. A weariness is spreading, a sort of pacifism of the battle with Nature. Men are returning to forms of life simpler and nearer to Nature; they are spending their time in sport instead of technical experiments. The great cities are becoming hateful to them, and they would fain get away from the pressure of soulless facts and the clear cold atmosphere of technical organization. And it is precisely the strong and creative talents that are turning away from practical problems and sciences and towards pure speculation. Occultism and Spiritualism, Hindu philosophies, metaphysical inquisitiveness under Christian or pagan colouring, all of which were despised in the Darwinian period, are coming up again. It is the spirit of Rome in the Age of Augustus. Out of satiety of life, men take refuge from civilization in the more primitive parts of the earth, in vagabondage, in suicide. The flight of the born leader from the Machine is beginning. Every big entrepreneur has occasion to observe a falling-off in the intellectual qualities of his recruits. But the grand technical development of the nineteenth century had been possible only because the intellectual level was constantly becoming higher. Even a stationary condition, short of an actual falling off, is dangerous and points to an ending, however numerous and however well schooled may be the hands ready for work."
I agree with much in this book, but as I see it, the problem is not that man is in battle with nature, I think the real problem is that modern science was developed with certain presuppostions that led to the ugliness that has been realized.
As René Guénon puts it:
"It is highly significant that there is no longer any question here of 'truth', but only of a 'reality' that is reduced exclusively to the sensible order and conceived as something essentially changing and unstable; with such theories, intelligence is reduced to its lowest part, and reason itself is no longer admitted except insofar as it is applied to fashioning matter for industrial uses. After this there remained but one step: the total denial of intelligence and knowledge altogether and the substitution of 'utility' for 'truth'. "
"By individualism we mean the negation of any principle higher than individuality, and the consequent reduction of civilization, in all its branches, to purely human elements; "
"Be that as it may, one has the general impression that, in the present state of things, there is no longer any stability; but while there are some who sense the danger and try to react to it, most of our contemporaries are quite at ease amid this confusion, in which they see a kind of exteriorized image of their own mentality. Indeed there is an exact correspondence between a world where everything seems to be in a state of mere 'becoming', leaving no place for the changeless and the permanent, and the state of mind of men who find all reality in this 'becoming', thus implicitly denying true knowledge as well as the object of that knowledge, namely transcendent and universal principles."
This is one of those books that are so unique that there are none like it. There could be books that would touch on certain subjects here, but there are no books with this kind of analysis and style. The author, I can tell, is influenced by Nietzschean philosophy very much.
His idea of the beast of prey is interesting, but he would exaggerate it too much, saying that it is the will of man to dominate, sounds like he is an adept of Melkor. (Only Tolkien fans will understand what I mean)
October 26, 2018
I have become enamored with Spengler and his book "The Decline of the West." Though I take some issues with parts of his thesis and argumentation, it is surely one of the greatest works of art and philosophy of the 20th century.
This book examines what Spengler takes to be the impacts of technology on the human race, particularly "Faustian" (or Western) civilization; in some ways it reminds me of Ted Kaczynski, but backed instead by his ideas concerning the morphology of history. In the fashion of his great mentor, Friedrich Nietzsche, Spengler gives us what he takes to be the genealogy of technics -- from the birth of 'civilization' over 5,000 years ago to the modern, scientific era. I rate this only 3 stars mostly because I found his argumentation in these first sections to be too short and unconvincing to justify what he was trying to say. Also unnecessarily obscure.
The last section I found more convincing. In this he makes a number of predictions: most of which turned out to be more or less correct!
At the end he concludes:
"Only dreamers believe that there is a way out. Optimism is cowardice. We are born into this time and must bravely follow the path to the destined end. There is no other way. Our duty is to hold on to the lost position, without hope, without rescue, like that Roman soldier whose bones were found in front of a door in Pompeii, who, during the eruption of Vesuvius, died at his post because they forgot to relieve him. That is greatness. That is what it means to be a thoroughbred. The honourable end is the one thing that can not be taken from a man."
This book examines what Spengler takes to be the impacts of technology on the human race, particularly "Faustian" (or Western) civilization; in some ways it reminds me of Ted Kaczynski, but backed instead by his ideas concerning the morphology of history. In the fashion of his great mentor, Friedrich Nietzsche, Spengler gives us what he takes to be the genealogy of technics -- from the birth of 'civilization' over 5,000 years ago to the modern, scientific era. I rate this only 3 stars mostly because I found his argumentation in these first sections to be too short and unconvincing to justify what he was trying to say. Also unnecessarily obscure.
The last section I found more convincing. In this he makes a number of predictions: most of which turned out to be more or less correct!
At the end he concludes:
"Only dreamers believe that there is a way out. Optimism is cowardice. We are born into this time and must bravely follow the path to the destined end. There is no other way. Our duty is to hold on to the lost position, without hope, without rescue, like that Roman soldier whose bones were found in front of a door in Pompeii, who, during the eruption of Vesuvius, died at his post because they forgot to relieve him. That is greatness. That is what it means to be a thoroughbred. The honourable end is the one thing that can not be taken from a man."
July 15, 2018
1931: Spengler mette a punto la sua visione della relazione sostanziale tra uomo e tecnica, il destino della nostra folle impresa di asservimento della natura e le organizzazioni sociali che questo impeto ha generato. Fondamentale.
December 14, 2021
Short and simple, but ripe with conceptual baggage. Of what is good, you will find in other betters. Of what is prescient, you will find in the kernel of predecessors with more piercing thought.
June 16, 2023
“Man and Technics" by Oswald Spengler, published in 1931, offers a thought-provoking examination of the profound impact of technology on human civilization and the potential consequences of its unrestrained growth. Spengler, a German philosopher and cultural critic, presents a critical analysis of the intricate relationship between human beings and the advancing forces of technology. In this academic review, we delve into the key themes, strengths, limitations, and scholarly significance of Spengler's work, shedding light on its contributions to the understanding of technological progress and its implications for humanity.
"Man and Technics" delves into the transformative power of technology and its pervasive influence on various aspects of human existence. Spengler argues that technological advancements have dramatically reshaped the course of civilization, challenging traditional values, social structures, and individual autonomy. He contends that the relentless pursuit of technological progress threatens to overshadow the essence of human existence, leading to the subjugation of individuals to the demands of machines and the erosion of human agency.
One strength of Spengler's analysis lies in his ability to capture the anxieties and dilemmas arising from the rapid advancements of technology. He raises critical questions about the consequences of unchecked technological growth, including the loss of human authenticity, the disintegration of cultural uniqueness, and the potential dehumanization of society. Spengler's work serves as a cautionary tale, urging readers to critically examine the implications of technology and its impact on the human experience.
Moreover, Spengler's historical perspective contributes to the book's scholarly significance. He contextualizes the relationship between man and technics within the broader framework of cultural decline and the cyclicality of civilizations. By examining historical precedents, he highlights the recurring patterns of civilizations reaching their zenith and subsequently succumbing to the destructive forces of technological expansion. This historical lens deepens the understanding of the potential challenges and crises faced by contemporary societies grappling with rapid technological advancements.
However, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of Spengler's work. Some critics argue that his analysis veers towards pessimism and lacks a nuanced consideration of the positive aspects of technological progress. Furthermore, his focus on the dominance of technology overlooks the potential for human agency and adaptability to shape and harness technology for positive ends.
"Man and Technics" by Oswald Spengler presents a thought-provoking exploration of the complex relationship between humanity and technology. Spengler's critique of technological progress and its potential consequences serves as a valuable contribution to the ongoing discourse surrounding the impact of technology on human civilization. His historical perspective and cautionary tone contribute to the book's scholarly significance, prompting readers to critically reflect on the trajectory of technological advancement and its implications for the human experience.
The book's strengths lie in its ability to raise pertinent questions about the relationship between man and technics, exposing the potential dangers of unbridled technological growth. By challenging prevailing assumptions about progress and technological determinism, Spengler invites readers to reassess the role of technology in shaping human societies and the need for responsible engagement with its forces.
"Man and Technics" by Oswald Spengler stands as a significant work that critically examines the impact of technology on human civilization. While recognizing its limitations, this academic review acknowledges the scholarly significance and thought-provoking nature of Spengler's analysis. By cautioning against the potential pitfalls of uncontrolled technological growth, the book encourages readers to engage in a nuanced and reflective dialogue about the place of technology in shaping the future of humanity.
GPT
"Man and Technics" delves into the transformative power of technology and its pervasive influence on various aspects of human existence. Spengler argues that technological advancements have dramatically reshaped the course of civilization, challenging traditional values, social structures, and individual autonomy. He contends that the relentless pursuit of technological progress threatens to overshadow the essence of human existence, leading to the subjugation of individuals to the demands of machines and the erosion of human agency.
One strength of Spengler's analysis lies in his ability to capture the anxieties and dilemmas arising from the rapid advancements of technology. He raises critical questions about the consequences of unchecked technological growth, including the loss of human authenticity, the disintegration of cultural uniqueness, and the potential dehumanization of society. Spengler's work serves as a cautionary tale, urging readers to critically examine the implications of technology and its impact on the human experience.
Moreover, Spengler's historical perspective contributes to the book's scholarly significance. He contextualizes the relationship between man and technics within the broader framework of cultural decline and the cyclicality of civilizations. By examining historical precedents, he highlights the recurring patterns of civilizations reaching their zenith and subsequently succumbing to the destructive forces of technological expansion. This historical lens deepens the understanding of the potential challenges and crises faced by contemporary societies grappling with rapid technological advancements.
However, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of Spengler's work. Some critics argue that his analysis veers towards pessimism and lacks a nuanced consideration of the positive aspects of technological progress. Furthermore, his focus on the dominance of technology overlooks the potential for human agency and adaptability to shape and harness technology for positive ends.
"Man and Technics" by Oswald Spengler presents a thought-provoking exploration of the complex relationship between humanity and technology. Spengler's critique of technological progress and its potential consequences serves as a valuable contribution to the ongoing discourse surrounding the impact of technology on human civilization. His historical perspective and cautionary tone contribute to the book's scholarly significance, prompting readers to critically reflect on the trajectory of technological advancement and its implications for the human experience.
The book's strengths lie in its ability to raise pertinent questions about the relationship between man and technics, exposing the potential dangers of unbridled technological growth. By challenging prevailing assumptions about progress and technological determinism, Spengler invites readers to reassess the role of technology in shaping human societies and the need for responsible engagement with its forces.
"Man and Technics" by Oswald Spengler stands as a significant work that critically examines the impact of technology on human civilization. While recognizing its limitations, this academic review acknowledges the scholarly significance and thought-provoking nature of Spengler's analysis. By cautioning against the potential pitfalls of uncontrolled technological growth, the book encourages readers to engage in a nuanced and reflective dialogue about the place of technology in shaping the future of humanity.
GPT
November 17, 2016
Whilst Spengler's conception of technology as being the fruits of a predatory ur-nature, which in society is translated into creativity and Will-to-power -- for its own sake -- is interesting and his concern for ecology appreciated, the book is rife with dogmatic essentialism, a very narrow view of culture, smug pessimism and, of course, eurocentrism. Man is superior to animal (whatever that may mean), some men are born to lead while others are only good for obeying, duty itself is a priori noble and our Achillean destiny, Marxism is bunk because the European working class is payed more than their colleagues in the third world are, Western ("faustian") civilization is both basically Vikings ánd hermetically sealed -- it's us versus them, and they're inferior because they didn't adapt to the harshness of the North. Oswald's prediction of there being fewer and fewer leaders (of the mind or of the policy) because of the daunting nature of technology -- they'd kill themselves, abscond to non-technological civilizations or become shut-ins rather than commit themselves to a technology-dependent lifestyle, ultimately hostile to our Predatory heritage -- seems unfounded and reads more like a projection of Spengler's own disgust towards and fear of the hi-tech; little did he know in 60 years teenagers would be crossing borders and dissolving national consciousness, programming apps, creating space ships and perfecting the ultimate virtual sex bot simulators.
Against the backdrop of the rise of Nazism Spengler's attitude becomes more understandable, but this still doesn't excuse the book being constructed in an ass-backwards fashion -- he exported the apocalyptic pessimism engrained in his earlier work (or so I'm assuming) and shaped his poorly analyzed and reductionist views on technology around it.
Reading his comments on the main modes of the noble predator (contempt towards those below, hatred towards equals, envy towards the higher-ups) with Erich Fromm's characterization of the totalitarian mind in mind is enriching. Spengler appears passionately in love with the tragic European fate; he revels in his own aporia, and the scorn he has in store for those of a different attitude ("Time cannot be delayed; there is no sage turnabout, no wise renunciation. Only dreamers believe in solutions. Optimism is cowardice" (p 156)) he believes to be a good enough substitute for proper argumentation.
Well then.
EDIT: shit, on a second reading it turns out that his thoughts on the origin of speech, sociality and tools, and the role of the eye and hand among this are actually quite thought-provoking and deserve serious reception. Ignore the prescriptive stuff, be the most critical reader of the descriptive things.
Against the backdrop of the rise of Nazism Spengler's attitude becomes more understandable, but this still doesn't excuse the book being constructed in an ass-backwards fashion -- he exported the apocalyptic pessimism engrained in his earlier work (or so I'm assuming) and shaped his poorly analyzed and reductionist views on technology around it.
Reading his comments on the main modes of the noble predator (contempt towards those below, hatred towards equals, envy towards the higher-ups) with Erich Fromm's characterization of the totalitarian mind in mind is enriching. Spengler appears passionately in love with the tragic European fate; he revels in his own aporia, and the scorn he has in store for those of a different attitude ("Time cannot be delayed; there is no sage turnabout, no wise renunciation. Only dreamers believe in solutions. Optimism is cowardice" (p 156)) he believes to be a good enough substitute for proper argumentation.
Well then.
EDIT: shit, on a second reading it turns out that his thoughts on the origin of speech, sociality and tools, and the role of the eye and hand among this are actually quite thought-provoking and deserve serious reception. Ignore the prescriptive stuff, be the most critical reader of the descriptive things.
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March 19, 2024الإنسان والتقنية: إضافة في فلسفة الحياة، آسولد سبينغلر.
يبدأ الكتاب بمقدمة توضح أن التقنية ليست من خصائص النوع البشري، وإن في الحيوان ما يشبه التقنية من مخالب صقر أو أنياب ذئب أو فك أسد مفترس، كلها تقنية. إنَّ تقنية الإنسان أخذت في التطور والارتفاع رغم بقاء الأصل الحيواني لها.
المرحلة الأولى: الكف والعين والأداة.
تبدأ رحلة تطور التقنية البشرية من العين والكف عند سبينغلر. فالإنسان بعينه التي تنظر في الأفق ويده التي يستخدمها في إرادته، النوع البشري لم يبدأ كنوع بل بدأ بشكل مفاجئ كإفراد، كل منهم يريد أن يضع يده على الأفق أمام عينه، وبهذا يكون الإنسان حيوان مفترس بكل ما تعنيه الكلمة.
إنَّ مقدار ما يستطيع الإنسان فعله كفرد قليل جدًا، وبهذا يتعاون الإنسان مع غيره في توسيع مقدار إرادته ومقدار إمساكه بالأفق. وفي لحظة التعاون هذه تنقسم التقنية البشرية إلى نوع يقود ونوع منقاد وتبقى المهمة الأصلية هي أن يضع الإنسان يده على الأفق.
هنا يفارق الإنسان باقي الحيوانات بتقنيته، فقتنيته متطورة وخاصة بعكس تقنية الحيوان المبثوثة في النوع كله وثابتة، فلا يوجد في نوع الأسد صنف بلا مخالف وصنف بمخالف، ولا يختلف الأسد قبل مليون سنة عن الأسد الآن في طرائق صيده ومخالبه.
المحلة الثانية: الخطاب والمشاريع.
مع تطور التقنية البشرية تحدث الثورة الجديدة والمرحلة القادمة وهي تطور اللغة، إنَّ اللغة أيضًا في بداياتها كما يرى سبينلغر لا تمثل إلا مجموعة أومر لتسهيل تعاون النوع البشري في فرض إرادته على الأفق، الصنف القائد يريد طريقة تحسين القيادة وتحسين اليد والعين البشرية.
وهو تحول روحي بشكل ما حيث أصبح الإنسان لا يفعل باليد، بل يفعل بالتخطيط.
هنا أصبح التقسيم الأول للصنف البشري أكثر تجريدًا، القائد تقسم والمنقاد تقسم، هنا بدأ تقسيم العمالة. وهنا أيضًا بدأت تولد بدايات السرقة من الطبيعة، لم يعد الإنسان بحاجة للصيد بعد أن استطاع أن يجير بعض النباتات لصالحه وقد كان قبل ذلك يجمعها جمعًا دون أن يدري كيف تنمو وتنبت، ولم يعد يحتاج أن يصيد قطعان الحيوانات البرية بعد أن أصبح يولد بعضها في خيمته.
المحطة الثالثة: ولادة الماكينة وبداية النهاية.
في المرحلة الثالثة بدأ الإنسان يضاعف يده وإرادته أضعافًا كثيرة، إذا كانت يده تحرك حجرًا فإيدًا مع الماكينة تحرك جبلًا، إذا كان يسرق من الطبيعة، أصبح الآن يستعبد الطبيعة يحطم الجبال، يجير الأنهار والسدود لما يريد ويحرق الغابات من أجل أن يحولها إلى مزارع.
في كل المراحل السابقة كان يقود التغيير نخبة فريدة تمتاز بالروح العالية والإرادة القوية يتفجر من ابداعها التحول الثوري وينطلق هذا الانفجار من بغض هؤلاء للذوبان في الجموع.
إنَّ هذه المحطة تحمل معها كوارث للحضارة الأخيرة الحضارة الفاوستية.
خلال رحلة التقنية البشرية كانت الحضارة تنتقل من الجنوب إلى الشمال كما يرى سبينغلر وانتهت شعلة الحضارة إلى الإنسان الأبيض الأوروبي وتحديدًا الأوروبي الشمالي-الغربي الذي يمتاز على باقي الجنس البشري أنه أكثر من يطمع إلى امساك الأفق، إنه حفيد الفايكنغز الذين كانوا لا يشبعون من الغارات والإبحار يضربون من أمريكا الشمالية إلى القسطنطينية في غاراتهم، وهذا ما جعلهم الأشد تقنية، بالنسبة للإنسان الفاوستي كما يراه سبينغلر، فإنَّ التغلب على الحدود أمر روحي ولا يسعى بالضرورة أن ينتفع منه ماديًا كما في باقي الحضارات. ويُرى سبينغلر أن الإنسان الفاوستي وقع في ثلاث مصاعب سوف تأتي على نهاية حضارته.
أولها: أن بعض أجزاء الحضارة الفاوستية أصبحت فيها اختناقًا بشريًا قاتلًا يستحيل معها استخدام التكنولوجيا أقل نفعًا من عدم استخدامها، فيلاحظ في زمانه أن بعض مدن أوروبا من الأفضل أن تستخدم الحصان على وسائل النقل التقنية الحديثة.
ثانيها: أن كثيرًا من عقول وطاقات الحضارة الفاوستية أصبحت تبغض المدن والتقنية وتفضل عيشًا أكثر بدائية، ففي عصر سبينغلر كان هناك الولع بالحكمة الهندية، وحركات العودة إلى الريف، وحماية ما تبقى من الطبيعة، وحركات التعلق بالتفكير الرومانسي... الخ، وكلها أمور تدل على أن الحضارة التقنية لم تعد جذابة لأبنائها.
وثالثها: أن الحضارة الفاوستية طمعًا في أسواق لمنتجاتها توسعت في الأفاق واحتلت الأمم الكثيرة واستعمرتها وكانت مصدرًا للفخر مثلاً أن القائد البحري الأمريكي ماثيو بايري فتح اليابان بالقوة تحت تهديد المدافع للتجار الأمريكان، وبعد هذا كان المصنع الفاوستي يرى أن من مصلحته أن يجعل الصناعة أقرب للسوق لتقليل كلفة النقل وترك موارد أوروبا الصناعية ودخل يمشط أراضي المستعمرات من أجل مواردها وتحت راية تحضير الأمم قامت الحضارة الفاوستية بفتح مدارسها في كل أنحاء العالم، حتى أن اليابانيين فاجؤوا باقي العالم بسرعة تأقلمهم مع هذه الحضارة الأخرى.
ويُضاف على هذه العوامل أن أعداد البشر وتوزيع الإنتاج الكبير الذي حصل في أوروبا أدى إلى نشوء عداوة بين القائد والمنقاد سوف تنتهي بكارثة على الاثنين، حيث إنَّ القائد سوف تبتلعه جموع المنقادين، ثم إن هذه الجموع سوف تهلك بلا قيادة.
الأ ان الشعوب الاسيوية مع لحوقها بالغرب فهي ليست شعوب فاوستية بالطبيعة ، هي شعوب تبنت التقنية الفاوستية [الغربية] على سبيل النجاة ، اما بالنسبة للغربي فهي شعور روحاني خالص ، وبهذا مع ذهاب الانسان الغربي الفاوستي وسقوطه من سلم الحضارة فسوف تذهب معه تقنيته كما يرى سبينغلر .
أنتهى تلخيص الكتاب
المراجعة:
إيمان سبينغلر إن هناك حتمية للتطور التقني يشبه في منطلقاته الإيمان الإنساني بالتطور البشري حتى لو كان سبينغلر يرى أن مألات التطور سوف تنتهي بكوارث تعيد العجلة إلى الصفر، من السهل أن نرى أن الإنسان يتطور خلال 5 آلاف سنة مضت، لكن من الصعب فهم لماذا لم يتطور بنفس الرتيبة خلال جميع فترة وجوده على سطح الكرة الأرضية؟
إذا ما أخذنا أقل التقديرات التي تقول إن الإنسان المعاصر وُجد على الأرض منذ 200 ألف سنة، فسوف تكون فترة تطوره حالة شاذة بالمقارنة مع تاريخه الطويل على الأرض، وسوف تكون أكثر شذوذًا إذا ما أخذنا بعين الاعتبار التقدير القائل إن الإنسان موجود منذ مليوني سنة على الأرض.
خلال الكتاب يرى سبينغلر إن الأصل الوجودي للكائن البشري هو الفردانية، وأن التطور الذي يحصل له إنما هو محاولة للهروب من اختناق بعض الأفراد ذوي النفوس العظيمة في وحل الجموع. إدراكًا من الصداقة الإنسان خلال 5 آلاف سنة مضت، لكن من الصعب فهم لماذا لم يتطور إلا بنفس الرتيبة خلال جميع فترة وجوده على سطح الكرة الأرضية؟
إذا ما اعتبرنا أن الشعوب الأكثر بدائية تبدو كما لو أنها تعيش حياة ثابتة لا يتجاوز فيها عدد أفراد القبيلة 100 فرد، وبهذا نرى أن الحالة الوجودية الأصلية للإنسان هي القبلية لا الفردانية. إنَّ ظهرت الفردانية في الأيام الأخيرة من عمر الحضارة الغربية بالتحديد، ومع التسليم بإن هناك أفرادًا أفذاذًا في التاريخ كان دافعهم الأكبر هو توسيع نفوذهم، الا أنَّ وجودهم لا يمكن تفسيره بمعزل عن إرادة قبيلة ما سواء دينية أو نسبية.
يبدو إنَّ سبينغلر لا يرى أن التقنية بذاتها لها ضرر على النوع البشري كما يرى جاك أيلول أو تيد كازنسكي، وأنَّه وان كان يرى أن النواتج الثانوية لهذه التقنية الحديثة مدمرة للمدن الكبرى. لكنه يرى أن فيها جانبًا إيجابيًا يبعث على الأمل، الا أنَّ الواقع المجرب يبين أن الإنسان كان كبيرًا عندما كانت التقنية صغيرة ، وتضائل وصغر عندما عظمت تقنيته. يمكننا ان نرى ان الانسان لأول مرة أصبحت غرائزه تستغل بشكل شيطاني لتدميره من الداخل .
ما كان في الانسان ليحفزه على الجهد البدني ومطاردة الغرائز والشعور بنشوة صعود جبل او التغلب على خصم اصبح يشبع بمواد مخدرة قاتلة . ما كان في الانسان من شهوة النسل والتجانس اصبح يستغل بطرق بشعة شيطانية في الصناعة الإباحية التي لم تكتسب قدرتها المدمرة على الوصول الى اقاصي الكوكب بلا التقنية الحديثة ، تقنية بسيطة في جسم الانسان وهي حفظ الدهون لستهلاكها عند الحاجة أصبحت اكبر مصدر لشقائه عبر الأطعمة الغذائية السامة والمتوفرة بكميات غير طبيعية تجعل الانسان كتلة من الدهون تعاني من امراض لا يعلمها الا الله .
فقط عندما جاءت التقنية اصبح الانسان مروضاً هذا المفترس الأعظم على وجه الأرض منقاد الى كرسي طوال عمره حتى يموت .
التقنية اذن ليست مجرد شيء مهلك صنعه الانسان ذاهب الى الدمار مع ذهاب صانعها الاوروبي كما يرى سبينغلر ، أنه ثورة فعلية ضد كل ما هو طبيعي وكل ما هو حقيقي .
يبدأ الكتاب بمقدمة توضح أن التقنية ليست من خصائص النوع البشري، وإن في الحيوان ما يشبه التقنية من مخالب صقر أو أنياب ذئب أو فك أسد مفترس، كلها تقنية. إنَّ تقنية الإنسان أخذت في التطور والارتفاع رغم بقاء الأصل الحيواني لها.
المرحلة الأولى: الكف والعين والأداة.
تبدأ رحلة تطور التقنية البشرية من العين والكف عند سبينغلر. فالإنسان بعينه التي تنظر في الأفق ويده التي يستخدمها في إرادته، النوع البشري لم يبدأ كنوع بل بدأ بشكل مفاجئ كإفراد، كل منهم يريد أن يضع يده على الأفق أمام عينه، وبهذا يكون الإنسان حيوان مفترس بكل ما تعنيه الكلمة.
إنَّ مقدار ما يستطيع الإنسان فعله كفرد قليل جدًا، وبهذا يتعاون الإنسان مع غيره في توسيع مقدار إرادته ومقدار إمساكه بالأفق. وفي لحظة التعاون هذه تنقسم التقنية البشرية إلى نوع يقود ونوع منقاد وتبقى المهمة الأصلية هي أن يضع الإنسان يده على الأفق.
هنا يفارق الإنسان باقي الحيوانات بتقنيته، فقتنيته متطورة وخاصة بعكس تقنية الحيوان المبثوثة في النوع كله وثابتة، فلا يوجد في نوع الأسد صنف بلا مخالف وصنف بمخالف، ولا يختلف الأسد قبل مليون سنة عن الأسد الآن في طرائق صيده ومخالبه.
المحلة الثانية: الخطاب والمشاريع.
مع تطور التقنية البشرية تحدث الثورة الجديدة والمرحلة القادمة وهي تطور اللغة، إنَّ اللغة أيضًا في بداياتها كما يرى سبينلغر لا تمثل إلا مجموعة أومر لتسهيل تعاون النوع البشري في فرض إرادته على الأفق، الصنف القائد يريد طريقة تحسين القيادة وتحسين اليد والعين البشرية.
وهو تحول روحي بشكل ما حيث أصبح الإنسان لا يفعل باليد، بل يفعل بالتخطيط.
هنا أصبح التقسيم الأول للصنف البشري أكثر تجريدًا، القائد تقسم والمنقاد تقسم، هنا بدأ تقسيم العمالة. وهنا أيضًا بدأت تولد بدايات السرقة من الطبيعة، لم يعد الإنسان بحاجة للصيد بعد أن استطاع أن يجير بعض النباتات لصالحه وقد كان قبل ذلك يجمعها جمعًا دون أن يدري كيف تنمو وتنبت، ولم يعد يحتاج أن يصيد قطعان الحيوانات البرية بعد أن أصبح يولد بعضها في خيمته.
المحطة الثالثة: ولادة الماكينة وبداية النهاية.
في المرحلة الثالثة بدأ الإنسان يضاعف يده وإرادته أضعافًا كثيرة، إذا كانت يده تحرك حجرًا فإيدًا مع الماكينة تحرك جبلًا، إذا كان يسرق من الطبيعة، أصبح الآن يستعبد الطبيعة يحطم الجبال، يجير الأنهار والسدود لما يريد ويحرق الغابات من أجل أن يحولها إلى مزارع.
في كل المراحل السابقة كان يقود التغيير نخبة فريدة تمتاز بالروح العالية والإرادة القوية يتفجر من ابداعها التحول الثوري وينطلق هذا الانفجار من بغض هؤلاء للذوبان في الجموع.
إنَّ هذه المحطة تحمل معها كوارث للحضارة الأخيرة الحضارة الفاوستية.
خلال رحلة التقنية البشرية كانت الحضارة تنتقل من الجنوب إلى الشمال كما يرى سبينغلر وانتهت شعلة الحضارة إلى الإنسان الأبيض الأوروبي وتحديدًا الأوروبي الشمالي-الغربي الذي يمتاز على باقي الجنس البشري أنه أكثر من يطمع إلى امساك الأفق، إنه حفيد الفايكنغز الذين كانوا لا يشبعون من الغارات والإبحار يضربون من أمريكا الشمالية إلى القسطنطينية في غاراتهم، وهذا ما جعلهم الأشد تقنية، بالنسبة للإنسان الفاوستي كما يراه سبينغلر، فإنَّ التغلب على الحدود أمر روحي ولا يسعى بالضرورة أن ينتفع منه ماديًا كما في باقي الحضارات. ويُرى سبينغلر أن الإنسان الفاوستي وقع في ثلاث مصاعب سوف تأتي على نهاية حضارته.
أولها: أن بعض أجزاء الحضارة الفاوستية أصبحت فيها اختناقًا بشريًا قاتلًا يستحيل معها استخدام التكنولوجيا أقل نفعًا من عدم استخدامها، فيلاحظ في زمانه أن بعض مدن أوروبا من الأفضل أن تستخدم الحصان على وسائل النقل التقنية الحديثة.
ثانيها: أن كثيرًا من عقول وطاقات الحضارة الفاوستية أصبحت تبغض المدن والتقنية وتفضل عيشًا أكثر بدائية، ففي عصر سبينغلر كان هناك الولع بالحكمة الهندية، وحركات العودة إلى الريف، وحماية ما تبقى من الطبيعة، وحركات التعلق بالتفكير الرومانسي... الخ، وكلها أمور تدل على أن الحضارة التقنية لم تعد جذابة لأبنائها.
وثالثها: أن الحضارة الفاوستية طمعًا في أسواق لمنتجاتها توسعت في الأفاق واحتلت الأمم الكثيرة واستعمرتها وكانت مصدرًا للفخر مثلاً أن القائد البحري الأمريكي ماثيو بايري فتح اليابان بالقوة تحت تهديد المدافع للتجار الأمريكان، وبعد هذا كان المصنع الفاوستي يرى أن من مصلحته أن يجعل الصناعة أقرب للسوق لتقليل كلفة النقل وترك موارد أوروبا الصناعية ودخل يمشط أراضي المستعمرات من أجل مواردها وتحت راية تحضير الأمم قامت الحضارة الفاوستية بفتح مدارسها في كل أنحاء العالم، حتى أن اليابانيين فاجؤوا باقي العالم بسرعة تأقلمهم مع هذه الحضارة الأخرى.
ويُضاف على هذه العوامل أن أعداد البشر وتوزيع الإنتاج الكبير الذي حصل في أوروبا أدى إلى نشوء عداوة بين القائد والمنقاد سوف تنتهي بكارثة على الاثنين، حيث إنَّ القائد سوف تبتلعه جموع المنقادين، ثم إن هذه الجموع سوف تهلك بلا قيادة.
الأ ان الشعوب الاسيوية مع لحوقها بالغرب فهي ليست شعوب فاوستية بالطبيعة ، هي شعوب تبنت التقنية الفاوستية [الغربية] على سبيل النجاة ، اما بالنسبة للغربي فهي شعور روحاني خالص ، وبهذا مع ذهاب الانسان الغربي الفاوستي وسقوطه من سلم الحضارة فسوف تذهب معه تقنيته كما يرى سبينغلر .
أنتهى تلخيص الكتاب
المراجعة:
إيمان سبينغلر إن هناك حتمية للتطور التقني يشبه في منطلقاته الإيمان الإنساني بالتطور البشري حتى لو كان سبينغلر يرى أن مألات التطور سوف تنتهي بكوارث تعيد العجلة إلى الصفر، من السهل أن نرى أن الإنسان يتطور خلال 5 آلاف سنة مضت، لكن من الصعب فهم لماذا لم يتطور بنفس الرتيبة خلال جميع فترة وجوده على سطح الكرة الأرضية؟
إذا ما أخذنا أقل التقديرات التي تقول إن الإنسان المعاصر وُجد على الأرض منذ 200 ألف سنة، فسوف تكون فترة تطوره حالة شاذة بالمقارنة مع تاريخه الطويل على الأرض، وسوف تكون أكثر شذوذًا إذا ما أخذنا بعين الاعتبار التقدير القائل إن الإنسان موجود منذ مليوني سنة على الأرض.
خلال الكتاب يرى سبينغلر إن الأصل الوجودي للكائن البشري هو الفردانية، وأن التطور الذي يحصل له إنما هو محاولة للهروب من اختناق بعض الأفراد ذوي النفوس العظيمة في وحل الجموع. إدراكًا من الصداقة الإنسان خلال 5 آلاف سنة مضت، لكن من الصعب فهم لماذا لم يتطور إلا بنفس الرتيبة خلال جميع فترة وجوده على سطح الكرة الأرضية؟
إذا ما اعتبرنا أن الشعوب الأكثر بدائية تبدو كما لو أنها تعيش حياة ثابتة لا يتجاوز فيها عدد أفراد القبيلة 100 فرد، وبهذا نرى أن الحالة الوجودية الأصلية للإنسان هي القبلية لا الفردانية. إنَّ ظهرت الفردانية في الأيام الأخيرة من عمر الحضارة الغربية بالتحديد، ومع التسليم بإن هناك أفرادًا أفذاذًا في التاريخ كان دافعهم الأكبر هو توسيع نفوذهم، الا أنَّ وجودهم لا يمكن تفسيره بمعزل عن إرادة قبيلة ما سواء دينية أو نسبية.
يبدو إنَّ سبينغلر لا يرى أن التقنية بذاتها لها ضرر على النوع البشري كما يرى جاك أيلول أو تيد كازنسكي، وأنَّه وان كان يرى أن النواتج الثانوية لهذه التقنية الحديثة مدمرة للمدن الكبرى. لكنه يرى أن فيها جانبًا إيجابيًا يبعث على الأمل، الا أنَّ الواقع المجرب يبين أن الإنسان كان كبيرًا عندما كانت التقنية صغيرة ، وتضائل وصغر عندما عظمت تقنيته. يمكننا ان نرى ان الانسان لأول مرة أصبحت غرائزه تستغل بشكل شيطاني لتدميره من الداخل .
ما كان في الانسان ليحفزه على الجهد البدني ومطاردة الغرائز والشعور بنشوة صعود جبل او التغلب على خصم اصبح يشبع بمواد مخدرة قاتلة . ما كان في الانسان من شهوة النسل والتجانس اصبح يستغل بطرق بشعة شيطانية في الصناعة الإباحية التي لم تكتسب قدرتها المدمرة على الوصول الى اقاصي الكوكب بلا التقنية الحديثة ، تقنية بسيطة في جسم الانسان وهي حفظ الدهون لستهلاكها عند الحاجة أصبحت اكبر مصدر لشقائه عبر الأطعمة الغذائية السامة والمتوفرة بكميات غير طبيعية تجعل الانسان كتلة من الدهون تعاني من امراض لا يعلمها الا الله .
فقط عندما جاءت التقنية اصبح الانسان مروضاً هذا المفترس الأعظم على وجه الأرض منقاد الى كرسي طوال عمره حتى يموت .
التقنية اذن ليست مجرد شيء مهلك صنعه الانسان ذاهب الى الدمار مع ذهاب صانعها الاوروبي كما يرى سبينغلر ، أنه ثورة فعلية ضد كل ما هو طبيعي وكل ما هو حقيقي .
Read
June 12, 2020Spengler toes the border-line of delirium so carefully that we are quickly disoriented and confused. He does not follow strictly Traklian or Artaudian lines of flight. Spengler seems to hint at the ocean of insanity often and explicitly, but always from the position of a steady, German, conservative.
At times it is difficult not to cringe. Sentences detailing the failure of the white race to remain competitive in the race war due to its bizarre desire to share its deepest secrets in an attempt to educate the world are clearly of a bygone madness, now to be looked only with paralysing sobriety.
Still, however, Spengler offers a vision of power, and of war, among equals. A vision of honourable demise in the face of technology's undeniable conquest of the human organism. Spengler reveals machinic delirium in its most primary form -- as the beast lurking beyond the horizon of the last man's blinking gaze.
Despite any possible criticism of the book, one should not neglect its saying: "Optimism is cowardice" because "only dreamers believe there is a way out... we... must brave follow the path to the destined end. There is no other way". Or, more succinctly, that the only way out is through.
At times it is difficult not to cringe. Sentences detailing the failure of the white race to remain competitive in the race war due to its bizarre desire to share its deepest secrets in an attempt to educate the world are clearly of a bygone madness, now to be looked only with paralysing sobriety.
Still, however, Spengler offers a vision of power, and of war, among equals. A vision of honourable demise in the face of technology's undeniable conquest of the human organism. Spengler reveals machinic delirium in its most primary form -- as the beast lurking beyond the horizon of the last man's blinking gaze.
Despite any possible criticism of the book, one should not neglect its saying: "Optimism is cowardice" because "only dreamers believe there is a way out... we... must brave follow the path to the destined end. There is no other way". Or, more succinctly, that the only way out is through.
February 6, 2017
Basically The Decline of the West pt.3.
This book provides a nice conclusion to the Decline of the West by going a little deeper into how the Faustian civilization will be ended.
I gotta stop reading Spengler, he's making me get too depressive haha.
"We are born into this time and must bravely follow the path to the destined end. There is no other way. Our duty is to hold on to the lost position, without hope, without rescue, like that Roman soldier whose bones were found in front of a door in Pompeii, who, during the eruption of Vesuvius, died at his post because they forgot to relieve him. That is greatness. That is what it means to be a thoroughbred. The honorable end is the one thing that can not be taken from a man."
-Oswald Spengler
"Be robbers and ravagers as soon as you ca not be rulers and owners, you men of knowledge! The time will soon past when you could be content to live concealed int he woods like timid deer"
-Friedrich Nietzsche
This book provides a nice conclusion to the Decline of the West by going a little deeper into how the Faustian civilization will be ended.
I gotta stop reading Spengler, he's making me get too depressive haha.
"We are born into this time and must bravely follow the path to the destined end. There is no other way. Our duty is to hold on to the lost position, without hope, without rescue, like that Roman soldier whose bones were found in front of a door in Pompeii, who, during the eruption of Vesuvius, died at his post because they forgot to relieve him. That is greatness. That is what it means to be a thoroughbred. The honorable end is the one thing that can not be taken from a man."
-Oswald Spengler
"Be robbers and ravagers as soon as you ca not be rulers and owners, you men of knowledge! The time will soon past when you could be content to live concealed int he woods like timid deer"
-Friedrich Nietzsche
December 16, 2020
This book is Greypill if there is such a thing. It predicts the inevitable decline of the west due to export of technics that made it superior, they are not only limited to production but to governance and organization too. The only thing western man can do is to hold on according to the author.
May 6, 2013
weirdly prophetic... and slightly appaling (considering all the racism) at the same time. speculative philosophy at its most speculative.
August 10, 2019
This book had a lot of interesting (but dubious) ideas, had incorrect predictions (at least in the short term), and came off as something like a pessimistic Nietzsche.
November 28, 2020
Very good. So he views history as a discrete process with a de facto end point which we are nearing (i don't understand why some people think that this work contains a cyclic view of history, except insofar as species go through a cycle of generation to extinction-- and then cease to exist). He outlines his view of this historical process, which goes through various phases each one building on the previous one until we get to the final phase, which is the machine age.
Fundamentally he views mankind as a predatory tool using animal, and he believes that these essential features determine the rest of human history. Our forward facing eyes direct us toward towards goals, towards our literal prey, but also towards metaphorically speaking, our prey as embodied in any particular aspect of nature which meets our desiring gaze. That represents one facet of our being-- our observing nature. Then, our tool using hand represents our doing nature.
Early on in human development i.e. in our revolt against nature, these two functions are united in one being--a man. But as time goes on man becomes more and more collectivized into a social organism, and his functions become disaggregated across various members of society, thus conceptualization of mankind as a whole or what men are striving towards becomes fragmented across different strata. Furthermore his thinking function becomes divided into a more pure observation or Idealism of the preist or scholar of philosophy as opposed to more doing-oriented-thinking like entrepreneurs or tacticians.
As history progresses this disaggregation becomes so severe that the spirit of man almost ceases to perceptibly inhabit even collectives of man, but rather is the ghost inside the system of political organization and economic production (which is similar to a Marxist observation) ultimately producing a scenario in which nobody really understands the full significance of their role in the system. or exerts significant influence on the overall productive and political system of mankind, and in fact, men are subject to this now basically disembodied force, though it still requires their collective participation to persist.
There are multiple other smaller observations as well. For example the notion that the two types of thought have a certain tension between one another which occasionally causes conflict to erupt, just as conflict erupts. Between doers and thinkers. If we take seriously Spengler's implication that the social body really is or was the embodiment 9f mankind, then these episodes can be seen as schizophrenic freakouts, or insane episodes of self harm.
Spangler also seems rightfully pessimistic that elite thinkers are becoming rarer and less elite, and that white workers are becoming comparably worse to brown or black ones, which, combined with the fact that the industrial secrets of the west have been sold off, represents a likely death of the west.
If Spengler was alive today I wonder what he would think. It seems like he sees history playing out in 1 of 2 ways, both ending in the tragic but inevitable destruction of the west, and likely all of mankind ultimately. Mankind essentially exists in a permanent war against his creator-- nature, which he seeks to supplant in order to become God, but nature being the stronger party this is obviously impossible and dooms mankind to a self defeating course. Spengler sees no way out of this though and thinks we should opt for a noble death.
Option 1 is for the whites to attempt to hoard their gains and go down with the ship, I suppose either in a cataclysmic world war, or by eventually succumbing to the perverse self destructive ends of one of our freakish scientific pursuits, be it nuclear annihilation, cybernetic destruction of the human consciousness, biological or genetic catastrophe, etc.
Option 2 is for whites to cede the faustian mission to some other civilization and watch them subjugate the west before themselves destroying the planet.
Fundamentally he views mankind as a predatory tool using animal, and he believes that these essential features determine the rest of human history. Our forward facing eyes direct us toward towards goals, towards our literal prey, but also towards metaphorically speaking, our prey as embodied in any particular aspect of nature which meets our desiring gaze. That represents one facet of our being-- our observing nature. Then, our tool using hand represents our doing nature.
Early on in human development i.e. in our revolt against nature, these two functions are united in one being--a man. But as time goes on man becomes more and more collectivized into a social organism, and his functions become disaggregated across various members of society, thus conceptualization of mankind as a whole or what men are striving towards becomes fragmented across different strata. Furthermore his thinking function becomes divided into a more pure observation or Idealism of the preist or scholar of philosophy as opposed to more doing-oriented-thinking like entrepreneurs or tacticians.
As history progresses this disaggregation becomes so severe that the spirit of man almost ceases to perceptibly inhabit even collectives of man, but rather is the ghost inside the system of political organization and economic production (which is similar to a Marxist observation) ultimately producing a scenario in which nobody really understands the full significance of their role in the system. or exerts significant influence on the overall productive and political system of mankind, and in fact, men are subject to this now basically disembodied force, though it still requires their collective participation to persist.
There are multiple other smaller observations as well. For example the notion that the two types of thought have a certain tension between one another which occasionally causes conflict to erupt, just as conflict erupts. Between doers and thinkers. If we take seriously Spengler's implication that the social body really is or was the embodiment 9f mankind, then these episodes can be seen as schizophrenic freakouts, or insane episodes of self harm.
Spangler also seems rightfully pessimistic that elite thinkers are becoming rarer and less elite, and that white workers are becoming comparably worse to brown or black ones, which, combined with the fact that the industrial secrets of the west have been sold off, represents a likely death of the west.
If Spengler was alive today I wonder what he would think. It seems like he sees history playing out in 1 of 2 ways, both ending in the tragic but inevitable destruction of the west, and likely all of mankind ultimately. Mankind essentially exists in a permanent war against his creator-- nature, which he seeks to supplant in order to become God, but nature being the stronger party this is obviously impossible and dooms mankind to a self defeating course. Spengler sees no way out of this though and thinks we should opt for a noble death.
Option 1 is for the whites to attempt to hoard their gains and go down with the ship, I suppose either in a cataclysmic world war, or by eventually succumbing to the perverse self destructive ends of one of our freakish scientific pursuits, be it nuclear annihilation, cybernetic destruction of the human consciousness, biological or genetic catastrophe, etc.
Option 2 is for whites to cede the faustian mission to some other civilization and watch them subjugate the west before themselves destroying the planet.
May 2, 2024
He was too frail to know that we can still win.
….
When I arise from my bathtub once in awhile, recovering from my nearby unkegged whiskey, sometimes I turn and vertically salute the entire sky with the power of the earth behind me and again and again I invoke the name of the hero while the Harry Stiles music plays. Then reality dissolves like a mermaid’s unfurled robes and I realise, as I have always been realising, I am in the far north in a familiar nameless country and snow begins to fall on my real body.
….
It’s the end of their world and the beginning of ours.
….
When I arise from my bathtub once in awhile, recovering from my nearby unkegged whiskey, sometimes I turn and vertically salute the entire sky with the power of the earth behind me and again and again I invoke the name of the hero while the Harry Stiles music plays. Then reality dissolves like a mermaid’s unfurled robes and I realise, as I have always been realising, I am in the far north in a familiar nameless country and snow begins to fall on my real body.
….
It’s the end of their world and the beginning of ours.
April 4, 2017
Mooi boek. Te lezen als de inleiding tot het grotere werk van Oswald Spengler zijnde der Untergang des Abendlandes. Een must-read voor elke Spengler-fan en iedereen die geïnteresseerd is in Spengleriaanse filosofie.
August 11, 2021
Interesting historical and anthropological analysis from one of the titans and of the German Conservative Revolution. Interesting take on history and the development of tools, culture and the way we think. Is it right? I don't know I'm not an anthropologist or a historian so stop asking.
March 29, 2022
Some of the points here are brilliantly stated, but there is enough that misses the mark or enough misstatements on science and geology that this book suffers. The distillation of philosophy and of Nietzschean views is, however, excellent.
Read
May 12, 2022The Faustian Man.
August 29, 2022
(My YouTube review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96zAh... )
A very interesting short book on mankind's rise to power and its theory of decline. Spengler predicts many problems of today - industrialisation and technology becoming more and more intrusive. I am certainly motivated to read his most acclaimed work 'Decline and Fall of the West'.
Video review coming soon.
A very interesting short book on mankind's rise to power and its theory of decline. Spengler predicts many problems of today - industrialisation and technology becoming more and more intrusive. I am certainly motivated to read his most acclaimed work 'Decline and Fall of the West'.
Video review coming soon.
February 3, 2017
I picked this up as a test to see if I should commit to The Decline of the West. I will, but not without reservation. Spengler gives a compelling account of the nature of man, or at least a type of man. The man that is great, but not good. The kind of man that Liberals would like to pretend is a historical oddity, even though he keeps resurfacing time after time to destroy everything that we build.
Where Spengler loses me is in his adoration of these men. He knows they are a disaster and that they will spell our doom over and over until we are gone forever, but in the fashion of Nietzsche, he celebrates this as a great tragedy. We should not fight our nature to better ourselves, but rather live to our potential and seize what we can while we can.
The ambivalence continues throughout the book. He gives a powerful argument on the transformative power of hands/tools and speech/cooperation that have propelled humans to an apex predator unlike any other animals. But then he mocks Darwin and dismisses the entire concept of evolution because he thinks something as powerful as the hand had to come to man in one powerful thunderclap, rather than a slow, gradual process. Questioning the particulars of evolution was a far more viable affair in the 1920s than it is today, and with the rise of studying rather than simply hunting animals we regard them as much closer relatives than in Spengler's time. It would be a treasure to know how Spengler's stance on these issues would be in our time.
One of the key aspects of Spengler's work was the cycle, and reading this book 85 years on, you can't help but look for patterns and parallels. While not racist by 1930 Germany standards, Spengler saw clear competition between the west and other cultures of the world. One of his fears was that the west was sealing her doom by sharing technology with the rest of the world, a threat that the right has declared imminent my entire life. More alarming is his utter contempt for Liberalism, and mocking the late 19th Century Liberals and what this bodes for the accomplishments of Liberals following WWII.
Where Spengler loses me is in his adoration of these men. He knows they are a disaster and that they will spell our doom over and over until we are gone forever, but in the fashion of Nietzsche, he celebrates this as a great tragedy. We should not fight our nature to better ourselves, but rather live to our potential and seize what we can while we can.
The ambivalence continues throughout the book. He gives a powerful argument on the transformative power of hands/tools and speech/cooperation that have propelled humans to an apex predator unlike any other animals. But then he mocks Darwin and dismisses the entire concept of evolution because he thinks something as powerful as the hand had to come to man in one powerful thunderclap, rather than a slow, gradual process. Questioning the particulars of evolution was a far more viable affair in the 1920s than it is today, and with the rise of studying rather than simply hunting animals we regard them as much closer relatives than in Spengler's time. It would be a treasure to know how Spengler's stance on these issues would be in our time.
One of the key aspects of Spengler's work was the cycle, and reading this book 85 years on, you can't help but look for patterns and parallels. While not racist by 1930 Germany standards, Spengler saw clear competition between the west and other cultures of the world. One of his fears was that the west was sealing her doom by sharing technology with the rest of the world, a threat that the right has declared imminent my entire life. More alarming is his utter contempt for Liberalism, and mocking the late 19th Century Liberals and what this bodes for the accomplishments of Liberals following WWII.
June 12, 2022
The pace of discovery grows fantastic, and nevertheless – it must be repeated – human labour is not saved thereby. The number of necessary hands grows with the number of machines, because technical luxury enhances every other type of luxury, and because the artificial life becomes more and more artificial.
-p68
In the early 20th century, German philosopher Oswald Spengler wrote this cynical but wide-eyed and (I think) realistic assessment of humanity.
He quickly summarizes all of anthropology and its consequences for his thesis in a few short chapters. We are carnivores. Our hands are so unique, we developed tools, and then when we could plan together about 5,000 years ago, that was the beginning of our end. We got together in cities, we sucked up the resources of Nature, and thereby increased our dependence on Nature but also our destruction of it. Eventually, he predicts humanity will lose in this dynamic.
The main areas of interest to modern readers are the final two chapters. He predicted in the 1930s that the beginning of the end was upon our species. He makes no firm predictions about when or in what circumstances, only that the above details make it inevitable. Our way of life and impoverishment of the natural world are accelerating. Our way of doing things (what he calls “technics”, distinct from tools, but rather how we use them) is part of our identity, and can’t be shaken off. We are what we are.
So while it’s vague and pessimistic, the work is also engaging and includes much reference to other provocative philosophical work. I wish I had a few more lifetimes to look into them all. And any worldview that includes the fatalism of a doomed humanity necessarily implies that the planet will live on, which has always heartened me.
The fight against Nature is hopeless and yet – it will be fought out to the bitter end.
-p46
3.5 stars
-p68
In the early 20th century, German philosopher Oswald Spengler wrote this cynical but wide-eyed and (I think) realistic assessment of humanity.
He quickly summarizes all of anthropology and its consequences for his thesis in a few short chapters. We are carnivores. Our hands are so unique, we developed tools, and then when we could plan together about 5,000 years ago, that was the beginning of our end. We got together in cities, we sucked up the resources of Nature, and thereby increased our dependence on Nature but also our destruction of it. Eventually, he predicts humanity will lose in this dynamic.
The main areas of interest to modern readers are the final two chapters. He predicted in the 1930s that the beginning of the end was upon our species. He makes no firm predictions about when or in what circumstances, only that the above details make it inevitable. Our way of life and impoverishment of the natural world are accelerating. Our way of doing things (what he calls “technics”, distinct from tools, but rather how we use them) is part of our identity, and can’t be shaken off. We are what we are.
So while it’s vague and pessimistic, the work is also engaging and includes much reference to other provocative philosophical work. I wish I had a few more lifetimes to look into them all. And any worldview that includes the fatalism of a doomed humanity necessarily implies that the planet will live on, which has always heartened me.
The fight against Nature is hopeless and yet – it will be fought out to the bitter end.
-p46
3.5 stars
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