SODOM & GOMORRAH: A sample of the works cited in this study. Arendt, Hannah. 1958. The Human Condition. (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1998). Arendt, Hannah. 1963. Eichmann in Jerusalem. (New York: Penguin Books, 2006). Aristotle. "Politics" in The Basic Works of Aristotle, ed. Richard McKeon. (New York: Random House, 2001). Berlin, Isaiah. 1994. … [Read more...]
Nazi Mysticism: The Myth of Post-Mythical Politics
SODOM & GOMORRAH: We are told myth is dead. This itself is a myth - and a very dangerous one at that. In the vein of the Enlightenment, people today are convinced that the expansion of reason and science will do away with old superstitions. Religion, myth, and anything not falsifiable is on the way out. We would do well to echo the words of Carl Schmitt: "No one should … [Read more...]
Nazi Mysticism: The Failure of Liberalism
SODOM & GOMORRAH: In this section, I discuss how liberalism failed to contend with such a powerful yet demonic ideology. The modern reader will likely find such an account to be something out of a fairy tale. It perhaps seems strange that everyday individuals would suddenly find themselves in the grip of a millenarian mania. In our age, we look down on people who behave … [Read more...]
Nazi Mysticism: The Nazi Myth & Its Appeal
SODOM & GOMORRAH: In this section, I examine the Nazi myth in order to see what qualities are common to ideologies that retain allegiance to supernatural or other forces that do not fit within the scope of human reason. The Nazi movement was a mythical movement in that its members saw themselves as a chosen few destined to fight primordial forces of evil in a conflict to … [Read more...]
Nazi Mysticism: Definitions
SODOM & GOMORRAH: In part three, I define some key terms. In order to argue that liberalism cannot survive a conflict with mythical politics, we need to define each of these terms. Liberalism is understood as a set of political assumptions that place an emphasis on individual rights and a commitment to be "value-free." These individual rights include free speech, free … [Read more...]