Theodor Adorno 1951

Minima Morali

Source: http://www.efn.org/~dredmond/MinimaMoralia.html; Translation: !""5 #ennis $edmond; %op&'eft: translation used with permission( %reati)e %ommons *Attri+ute , ShareAli-e.; /riginal 0erman: from Suhr-amp 1erlag as: Theodor 2. Adorno. %ollected 2or-s( 1olume 3; Transcri+ed: +& And& 4lunden.

5art 1. Aphorisms 165" 5art !. Aphorisms 5161"" 5art 7. Aphorisms 1"16157

Dedication
The melanchol& science( from which 8 ma-e this offering to m& friend( relates to a realm which has counted( since time immemorial( as the authentic one of philosoph&( +ut which has( since its transformation into method( fallen pre& to intellectual disrespect( sententious caprice and in the end forgetfulness: the teaching of the good life. 2hat philosoph& once called life( has turned into the sphere of the pri)ate and then merel& of consumption( which is dragged along as an addendum of the material production6process( without autonom& and without its own su+stance. 2hoe)er wishes to e9perience the truth of immediate life( must in)estigate its alienated form( the o+:ecti)e powers( which determine the indi)idual e9istence into its innermost recesses. To spea- immediatel& of what is immediate( is to +eha)e no differentl& from that no)elist( who adorns their marionettes with the imitations of the passions of &ester&ear li-e cheap :ewelr&( and who sets persons in motion( who are nothing other than in)entor&6 pieces of machiner&( as if the& could still act as su+:ects( and as if something reall& depended on their actions. The ga;e at life has passed o)er into ideolog&( which conceals the fact( that it no longer e9ists. 4ut the relationship of life and production( which the latter degrades in realit& into an ephemeral appearance of the former( is completel& a+surd. Means and ends are interchanged. The intuition of this ludicrous <uid pro <uo has not +een totall& e9punged from life. The reduced and degraded essence +ristles tenaciousl& against its ensorcelment in the fa=ade. The change of the relations of production itself depends more than e)er on what +efalls the >sphere of consumption(? the mere reflection6form of production and the caricature of true life: in the consciousness and unconsciousness of indi)iduals. /nl& +& )irtue of opposition to production( as something still not totall& encompassed +& the social order( could human +eings introduce a more humane one. 8f the appearance @ScheinA of life were e)er wholl& a+rogated( which the consumption6sphere itself defends with such +ad reasons( then the o)ergrowth of a+solute production will triumph. 8n spite of this( considerations which +egin from the su+:ect ha)e as much that is false in them( so much as life +ecomes appearance @ScheinA. 4ecause the o)erwhelming o+:ecti)it& of the contemporar& phase of historical mo)ement consists solel& of the dissolution of the su+:ect( without a new one appearing in its stead( indi)idual e9perience necessaril& relies on the old su+:ect( the historicall& condemned one( which is still for itself( +ut no longer in itself. 8t thin-s of its autonom& as still secure( +ut the nullit&( which the concentration camps demonstrated to su+:ects( alread& o)erta-es the form of su+:ecti)it& itself. Something sentimental and anachronistic clings to the su+:ecti)e consideration( no matter how criticall& sharpened against itself: something of the lament a+out the wa& of the world( which is not to +e re:ected for the sa-e of its good intentions( +ut +ecause the lamenting su+:ect threatens to harden in its +eing6:ust6so @SoseinA and there+& to fulfill once again the law of the wa& of the world. The fidelit& to oneBs own state of consciousness and e9perience is fore)er in temptation of falling into infidelit&( +& den&ing the insight( which reaches +e&ond the indi)iduated @IndividuumA and which calls the latterBs su+stance +& name. Thus argued Cegel( whose method schooled that of Minima Moralia( against the mere +eing6for6itself of su+:ecti)it& on all its le)els. #ialectical theor&( a)erse to e)er&thing which is singular( cannot permit aphorisms to +e )alid as such. 8n the +est of cases the& ma& +e tolerated( in the words of the Preface of the Phenomenology of Spirit( as >con)ersation.? The latterBs time howe)er is o)er. De)ertheless the +oo- does not forget the totalit&6claim of the s&stem( which does not wish an&one to escape it( an& more than the re+ellion against the latter. Cegel does not pa& heed to the su+:ect in accordance with the re<uirement( which he otherwise passionatel& defends: that of +eing in the matter @SacheA and not >alwa&s +e&ond it(? instead of >entering into the immanent content of the matter @SacheA.? 8f the su+:ect is disappearing toda&( aphorisms ta-e on the weight& responsi+ilit& of >considering that which is disappearing itself as essential.? The& insist( in opposition to CegelBs procedure and ne)ertheless in concordance with his thought( on negati)it&: >The life of the Spirit @GeistesA wins its truth onl& +& finding itself in what is

a+solutel& torn apart. 8t is not this power as the positi)e( which loo-s awa& from the negati)e( as when we sa& of something( that it is nothing or wrong( and now( done with that( pass o)er from there to something else; rather it is this power onl& when it stares the negati)e in the face( tarr&ing on it.? The dismissi)e gesture( with which Cegel in contradiction to his own insight( constantl& runs roughshod o)er the indi)idual( deri)es parado9icall& enough from his necessar& +ias for li+eralistic thought. The conception of a totalit& harmonious throughout all its antagonisms compels him to ran- indi)iduation( howe)er man& times he designates it as the dri)ing moment of the process( as something lesser in the construction of the whole. That in prehistor& the o+:ecti)e tendenc& asserts itself o)er the heads of human +eings( indeed +& )irtue of the annihilation of the indi)idual( without the reconciliation implied +& the concept of the generalit& and the particular e)er +eing historicall& achie)ed( this is distorted in Cegel: with loft& iciness he opts once more for the li<uidation of the particular. Dowhere does he dou+t the primac& of the whole. The more du+ious the transition from the reflecting singulari;ation to the glorified totalit& remains( as much in histor& as in Cegelian logic( the more enthusiasticall& philosoph& clings( as :ustification of the e9istent( to the )ictorious motorcade of the o+:ecti)e tendenc&. The de)elopment of the social principle of indi)iduation into the )ictor& of fatalit& alread& gi)es it occasion enough. Since Cegel h&postati;es +ourgeois societ& as much as its founding categor&( the indi)iduated @IndividuumA( he could not trul& carr& out the dialectic +etween the two. Admittedl&( he assures us( with classical economics( that the totalit& produces and reproduces itself out of the interrelation of the antagonistic interests of its mem+ers. 4ut he nai)el& regards the indi)iduated @IndividuumA as such solel& as that which is irreduci+l& gi)en @GegebenheitA( which he :ust dismantled in his theor& of cognition. 8n the indi)idualistic societ& howe)er the generalit& is reali;ed not onl& through the interpla& of indi)iduals( rather the societ& is essentiall& the su+stance of the indi)iduated @IndividuumA. That is wh& social anal&sis can garner incompara+l& more from indi)idual e9perience than Cegel conceded( while con)ersel& the great historical categories( after all that has +een perpetrated with them in the meantime( are no longer a+o)e suspicion of fraud. 8n the one hundred and fift& &ears which ha)e passed since CegelBs conception( something of the force of protest has passed o)er again into the indi)iduated @IndividuumA. %ompared with the paterfamilial scantiness( which characteri;es its treatment in Cegel( it has won as much richness( differentiation and energ& as it has( on the other hand( +een wea-ened and hollowed out +& the sociali;ation of societ&. 8n the epoch of its disassem+l& @ZerfallsA( the e9perience of the indi)iduated @IndividuumA as well as what it encounters contri+utes once more to a recognition( which it had concealed( so long as it was construed seamlessl& and positi)el& as the ruling categor&. 8n )iew of the totalitarian unison( which +roadcasts the elimination of difference as immediatel& meaningful( a measure of emancipator& social power ma& ha)e temporaril& withdrawn into the sphere of the indi)idual. That critical theor& tarries in it( is not onl& due to a +ad conscience. All this is not to den& what is de+ata+le in such an attempt. 8 wrote the +oo- for the most part during the war( under conditions of contemplation. The )iolence which dro)e me into e9ile simultaneousl& +loc-ed me from its full recognition. 8 had not &et admitted to m&self the complicit& of those who( as if in a magic circle( spea- at all of what is indi)idual( in )iew of the unspea-a+le things which collecti)el& occurred. Each of the three parts starts out from the narrowest pri)ate realm( that of the intellectual in emigration. After this follow considerations of wider social and anthropological scope; the& pertain to ps&cholog&( aesthetics( and science in its relationship to the su+:ect. The concluding aphorisms of each section lead thematicall&( too( to philosoph&( without claiming to +e conclusi)e and definiti)e: all of these are intended to mar- points of attac- or to generate models for future e9ertions of the concept. The immediate occasion for writing this +oo- was the fiftieth +irthda& of Ma9 Cor-heimer on Fe+ruar& 13( 1935. The composition transpired in a phase in which( due to e9ternal circumstances( we had to

interrupt our common wor-. The +oo- wishes to proffer than-s and fidelit&( +& refusing to recogni;e the interruption. 8t is testimon& to a dialogue interiur @French: internal dialogueA: there is no motif herein( which does not +elong as much to Cor-heimer as to the person who found the time for formulation. The specific approach of Minima Moralia( the attempt to represent moments of a common philosoph& from the standpoint of su+:ecti)e e9perience( means that the pieces do not entirel& measure up to the philosoph&( of which the& are ne)ertheless a part. This is e9pressed as what is loose and non+inding in the form( along with the renunciation of an e9plicit theoretical conte9t. At the same time( such asceticism should atone for something of the in:ustice( wherein one continued to wor- alone on something which can onl& +e completed +& +oth( and from which we shall not desist.

Minima Moralia

Reflections from the damaged life Part One 1944

'ife does not li)e G Ferdinand HIrn+erger

1
For Marcel Proust. The son of well6to6do parents who( whether out of talent or wea-ness( chooses a so6 called intellectual occupation as an artist or scholar( has special difficulties with those who +ear the distasteful title of colleagues. 8t is not merel& that his independence is en)ied( that the seriousness of his intentions is dou+ted and that he is presumed to +e a secret en)o& of the esta+lished powers. Such mistrust is +orne out of resentment( &et would usuall& find its confirmation. Cowe)er the actual resistances lie elsewhere. The occupation with intellectual @geistigenA things has meanwhile +ecome >practical(? a +usiness with a strict di)ision of la+or( with +ranches and numerus clausus @'atin: restricted entr&A. Those who are materiall& independent( who choose out of repugnance towards the shame of earning mone&( are not inclined to recogni;e this. For this he is punished. Ce is no >professional? @in English in originalA( ran-s in the hierarch& of competitors as a dilettante( regardless of how much he -nows a+out his su+:ect( and must( if he wishes to pursue a career( displa& a professional tunnel )ision e)en narrower than that of the most narrow6minded e9pert. The suspension of the di)ision of la+or to which he is dri)en( and which the economic state of affairs allows him( within certain limits( to reali;e( is considered especiall& scandalous: this +etra&s the a)ersion to sanction the hustle and +ustle dictated +& societ&( and high and might& competence does not permit such idios&ncrasies. The departmentali;ation of the Spirit @GeistA is a means of a+olishing such there( where it is not e9 officio or contractuall& o+ligated. 8t does its wor- all the more surel&( as those who continuall& re:ect the di)ision of la+or G if onl& in the sense that the& en:o& their wor- G re)eal( +& this selfsame measure( their )ulnera+ilities( which are insepara+le from the moments of their superiorit&. Thus is the social order @ rdnungA assured: this one must pla& along( +ecause one could not otherwise li)e( and that one( who could indeed li)e( is -ept outside( +ecause the& donBt want to pla& along. 8t is as if the class which the independent intellectual deserted from re)enges itself( +& forci+l& pushing through its demands precisel& where the deserter sought refuge.

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Grassy seat. The relationship to parents is undergoing a sad( shadow& change. The& ha)e lost their awe through their economic powerlessness. /nce we re+elled against their insistence on the realit& principle( the so+riet& which was alwa&s read& to recoil into the rage against those who do not renounce. Toda& howe)er we find oursel)es facing a presuma+l& &ounger generation( which is in e)er& one of its impulses un+eara+l& more grown up than the parents e)er were; which has renounced( +efore things e)er came to a conflict( and which deri)es their authorit& from that( implaca+l& authoritarian and unsha-ea+le. 5erhaps one alwa&s e9perienced the parental generation as harmless and disempowered( once the latterBs ph&sical energ& su+sided( while oneBs own generation seemed to +e threatened +& &outh: in the antagonistic societ&( the relationship of the generations is also one of competition( +ehind which stands na-ed )iolence. Toda& howe)er things are regressing to a condition which does not -now the /edipus comple9( +ut onl& the sla&ing of the father. /ne of the most telling s&m+olic atrocities of the Da;is was the -illing of the e9tremel& old. Such a climate produces a +elated and rueful understanding with oneBs parents( similar to the one +etween condemned prisoners( distur+ed onl& +& the fear that we( oursel)es powerless( ma& not +e a+le to care for them some da& as the& cared for us( when the& owned something. The )iolence which is inflicted on them ma-es us forget the )iolence the& committed. E)en their rationali;ations( the once6hated lies with which the& sought to :ustif& their particular interest as the general one( show an in-ling of the truth( the urge towards the reconciliation of conflicts( which the up+eat successor generation happil& denies. E)en the faded( inconse<uential and self6dou+ting Spirit @GeistA of the elders is more approacha+le than the <uic-6witted stupidit& of :unior. E)en the neurotic peculiarities and malformations of the older adults represent character( that which is humanl& achie)ed( compared with pathic health( infantilism raised to a norm. /ne reali;es in horror that when one pre)iousl& clashed with oneBs parents( +ecause the& represented the world( one was secretl& the mouthpiece of a still worse world against the merel& +ad. Jnpolitical attempts to +rea- out of the +ourgeois famil& usuall& onl& lead to deeper entanglement in such( and sometimes it seems as if the disastrous germ6cell of societ&( the famil&( is simultaneousl& the nourishing germ6cell of the uncompromising will for a different one. 2hat disintegrates( along with the famil& G so long as the s&stem continues G is not :ust the most effecti)e agenc& of the +ourgeoisie( +ut also the resistance which indeed oppressed the indi)idual( +ut also strengthened the latter( if not indeed producing such. The end of the famil& cripples the counter6forces. The dawning collecti)istic social order @ rdnungA is the moc-er& of one without class: it li<uidates( along with the +ourgeois( at the same time the utopia( which at one time drew nourishment from the motherBs lo)e.

3
Fish in !ater. G Since the comprehensi)e apparatus of distri+ution of highl& concentrated industr& has dissol)ed the circulation6sphere( this latter +egins an astonishing post6e9istence. 2hile the economic +asis for the occupation of go6+etweens disappears( the pri)ate life of innumera+le people +ecomes that of agents and go6+etweens( indeed the realm of the pri)ate is wholl& swallowed up +& a m&sterious enterprise @0eschKftig-eit: +usiness( acti)it&( +us&nessA( which +ears all the mar-s of the commercial -ind( onl& in a situation where nothing is reall& +eing done. Those who are afraid( from the unemplo&ed to professionals who in the ne9t moment ma& come to feel the wrath of those whose in)estments the& represent( +elie)e the& can win o)er the u+i<uitous compan& e9ecuti)e onl& through sensiti)it&( assiduousness( accessi+ilit&( +& one wa& or another( through the <ualities of traders( and soon there is no relationship which is not seen in terms of other relationships( no impulse which is not su+:ected to prior censorship( in order not to de)iate from appro)al. The concept of relationships( a categor& of mediation and circulation( ne)er prospered +est in the actual circulation6sphere( in the mar-et( +ut in closed( monopol&6li-e hierarchies. Dow that the entire societ& is +ecoming hierarchal( opa<ue relationships adhere e)er&where( where)er there was still the appearance @ScheinA of freedom. The irrationalit& of the s&stem is e9pressed not less in the economic fate of particular indi)iduals @"in#elnenA than in the parasitic

ps&cholog& of such. Earlier( when there was still something li-e the disreputa+le +ourgeois separation of occupation and pri)ate life( whose passing one would almost li-e to regret( whoe)er pursued goals in their pri)ate life was e&ed with distrust( as a loutish gatecrasher. Toda& whoe)er engages in something pri)ate( which does not ha)e a discerni+le goal( appears as arrogant( foreign and improper. 2hoe)er isnBt >out? for something @!er nichts >will?: literall&( whoe)er doesnBt want( wish( intend to do somethingA is almost suspect: no6one trusts an&one else to help them get +&( without legitimating themsel)es through counter6 claims. M&riads of people ma-e their li)ing out of a condition( which follows the li<uidation of occupations. These are the nice people( the popular ones( who are friends with all( the :ust ones( who e9cuse e)er& sort of meanness as >human? @in English in originalA and incorrupti+l& defame e)er& non6 normali;ed impulse as >sentimental? @in English in originalA. The& are indispensa+le than-s to their -nowledge of all the channels and +ac- doors of power( the& guess its most secret :udgments and li)e off the de9terous communication of such. The& are to +e found in all political camps( e)en there( where the re:ection of the s&stem is ta-en for granted and for that reason a la9 and cunning conformism of its own has de)eloped. /ften the& win o)er people through a certain +ene)olence( through the s&mpathetic sharing of the life of others: selflessness as speculation. The& are cle)er( witt&( sensi+le and fle9i+le; the& ha)e polished the old trader6spirit with the achie)ements of the da&6+efore6&esterda&Bs ps&cholog&. The& are read& for an&thing( e)en lo)e( &et alwa&s faithlessl&. The& +etra& not from instinctual dri)es( +ut from principle: the& )alue e)en themsel)es as a profit( which the& do not wish to share with an&one else. The& are +ound to the Spirit @GeistA with affinit& and hate: the& are a temptation for the thoughtful( +ut also their worst enemies. For the& are the ones who su+tl& apprehend and despoil the last hiding6places of resistance( the hours which remain free from the demands of the machiner&. Their +elated indi)idualism poisons what still remains of the indi)iduated @Individuum: indi)idual( the indi)iduatedA.

4
Final clarity. G The newspaper o+ituar& for a +usinessman once read: >The +readth of his conscience competed with the goodness of his heart.? The lapse committed +& the mourners in the rarefied( ele)ated language called for at such times( the in)oluntar& admission that the -ind6hearted deceased was de)oid of a conscience( e9pedites the funeral procession on the shortest path to the land of truth. 2hen a man of ad)anced age +ecomes famous for +eing especiall& +enign @abge$l%rt: clarified( mellowedA( one can presume that his life represented a series of scandals. Ce has gotten used to outrage. The +road conscience passes itself off as greatness of mind @&either#ig$eitA( which forgi)es e)er&thing( +ecause it understands it all too well. A <uid pro <uo steps +etween oneBs own guilt and that of others( which is resol)ed in fa)or of whoe)er got the +est of the deal. After such a long life( one :ust canBt distinguish who did what to whom. 8n the a+stract representation of uni)ersal in:ustice( e)er& concrete responsi+ilit& collapses. The scoundrel twists it around( as if he e9perienced it himself: if &ou onl& -new( &oung man( what life is reall& li-e. Those howe)er who are alread& distinguished in the middle of life +& special +ene)olence( are usuall& drawing an ad)ance on such +enignit& @'bge$l%rtheitA. 2hoe)er is not e)il( does not li)e +enignl& @abge$l%rtA( +ut in a peculiarl& +ashful manner( hardened and intolerant. #ue to a lac- of appropriate o+:ects( the latter hardl& -nows an& other e9pression of their lo)e than the hatred of inappropriate ones( through which the& admittedl& come to resem+le what the& hate. The +ourgeoisie howe)er is tolerant. Their lo)e for people( as the& are( originates in the hatred of rightful human +eings.

5
(octor) that is $ind of you. G Dothing is harmless an&more. The small :o&s( the e9pressions of life( which seemed to +e e9empt from the responsi+ilit& of thought( not onl& ha)e a moment of defiant silliness( of the cold6hearted turning of a +lind e&e( +ut immediatel& enter the ser)ice of their most e9treme opposite. E)en the tree which +looms( lies( the moment that one percei)es its +loom without the shadow of horror; e)en the innocent >Cow +eautiful? +ecomes an e9cuse for the ignomin& of e9istence( which is otherwise( and

there is no longer an& +eaut& or an& consolation( e9cept in the ga;e which goes straight to the horror( withstands it( and in the undiminished consciousness of negati)it&( holds fast to the possi+ilit& of that which is +etter. Mistrust is ad)isa+le towards e)er&thing which is unselfconscious( casual( towards e)er&thing which in)ol)es letting go( impl&ing indulgence towards the supremac& of the e9istent @"*istierendeA. The malign deeper meaning of comfort( which at one time was limited to the toasts of co;& socia+ilit&( has long since spread to friendlier impulses. 2hen in the chance con)ersation with a man on the train( one ac<uiesces( in order to a)oid a <uarrel( to a couple of sentences which one -nows ultimatel& certif& murder( is alread& an act of treacher&; no thought is immune against its communication( and uttering it at the wrong place and in the conte9t of a false agreement is enough to undercut its truth. E)er& )isit to the cinema( despite the utmost watchfulness( lea)es me dum+er and worse than +efore. Socia+ilit& itself is a participant in in:ustice( insofar as it pretends we can still tal- with each other in a fro;en world( and the flippant( chumm& word contri+utes to the perpetuation of silence( insofar as the concessions to those +eing addressed de+ase the latter once more as spea-ers. The e)il principle which has alwa&s lur-ed in affa+ilit& de)elops( in the egalitarian Spirit @GeistA( into its full +estialit&. %ondescension and ma-ing oneself out as no +etter are the same. 4& adapting to the wea-nesses of the oppressed( one confirms in such wea-nesses the prere<uisite of domination( and de)elops in oneself the measure of +ar+arit&( thic-headedness and capacit& to inflict )iolence re<uired to e9ercise domination. 8f( in the latest era( the gesture of condescension is dispensed with( and solel& adaptation +ecomes )isi+le( then it is precisel& in such a perfect screening of power that the class6relationship( howe)er denied( +rea-s through all the more irreconcila+l&. For intellectuals( unswer)ing isolation is the onl& form in which the& can )ouchsafe a measure of solidarit&. All of the pla&ing along( all of the humanit& of interaction and participation is the mere mas- of the tacit acceptance of inhumanit&. /ne should +e united with the suffering of human +eings: the smallest step to their :o&s is one towards the hardening of suffering.

6
'ntithesis. G For those who do not pla& along( there e9ists the danger of considering themsel)es +etter than others and misusing their criti<ue of societ& as an ideolog& for their own pri)ate interest. 2hile feeling their wa& towards ma-ing their own e9istence into the flic-ering picture of the right one( the& should remain aware of its insu+stantialit& and -now how little the picture can replace the right life. Such considerations howe)er contradict the gra)itational force of what is +ourgeois within them. Those who are at a distance are as entangled as those who are acti)el& engaged; the former ha)e nothing o)er the latter( e9cept the insight into their entanglement and the happiness of the tin& freedom( which lies in the recognition as such. Their own distance from +usiness as usual is a lu9ur&( solel& spun off +& that +usiness as usual. That is wh& e)er& impulse towards self6withdrawal +ears the mar-s of what is negated. The coldness which it must de)elop is not to +e separated from the +ourgeois one. 8n the monadological principle( e)en where it protests( lur-s the ruling generalit&. 5roustBs o+ser)ation( that the photographs of the grandfathers of a du-e and a Lew from the entrepreneurial class loo- so similar( that no6one thin-s of the social ran-ing order( stri-es at a far more comprehensi)e state of affairs @SachverhaltA: all of those differences which comprised the happiness( indeed the moral su+stance( of indi)idual e9istence( o+:ecti)el& disappear +ehind the unit& of the epoch. 2e detect the deca& of education( and &et our prose( measured against Laco+ 0rimm or 4achofen( has phraseologies in common with the culture6industr& which we did not suspect. Moreo)er we no longer -now 0ree- or 'atin li-e 2olf or Hirchhoff. 2e point out the transition of ci)ili;ation into analpha+etism and oursel)es forget to write letters or to read a te9t of Lean 5aul( as it must ha)e +een read in his time. 2e a+hor the coarsening of life( +ut the a+sence of an& o+:ecti)el& +inding common decenc& @Sitte: moralsA compels us at e)er& step into modes of conduct( speech and calculation which are +ar+aric( measured +& humane standards( and tactless( e)en +& the du+ious standards of the good societ&. 2ith the dissolution of li+eralism( the authentic +ourgeois principle( that of competition( was not o)ercome( +ut passed o)er from the o+:ecti)it& of social processes into the composition @+eschaffenheit: character( constitutionA of pushing and sho)ing atoms G into

anthropolog&( as it were. The su+:ugation of life to the production6process degradingl& inflicts something of that isolation and loneliness on e)er& single person( which we are tempted to consider the matter of our superior choice. The notion that e)er& single person considers themsel)es +etter in their particular interest than all others( is as long6standing a piece of +ourgeois ideolog& as the o)erestimation of others as higher than oneself( :ust +ecause the& are the communit& of all customers. Since the old +ourgeois class has a+dicated( +oth lead their afterlife in the Spirit @GeistA of intellectuals( who are at the same time the last enemies of the +ourgeois( and the last +ourgeois. 4& allowing themsel)es to still thin- at all )is6a6)is the na-ed reproduction of e9istence( the& +eha)e as the pri)ileged; +& lea)ing things in thought( the& declare the nullit& of their pri)ilege. The pri)ate e9istence( which &earns to loo- li-e one worth& of human +eings( simultaneousl& +etra&s the latter( +ecause the similarit& of the general implementation is withdrawn( which more than e)er +efore re<uires an independent sensi+ilit& @+esinnungA. There is no e9it from the entanglement. The onl& responsi+le option is to den& oneself the ideological misuse of oneBs own e9istence( and as for the rest( to +eha)e in pri)ate as modestl&( inconspicuousl& and unpretentiousl& as re<uired( not for reasons of good up+ringing( +ut +ecause of the shame that when one is in hell( there is still air to +reathe.

7
,hey) the people. @in English in originalA G The circumstance that intellectuals mostl& deal with other intellectuals should not mislead them into thin-ing the& are worse than the rest of humanit&. For the& encounter one another primaril& in the most em+arrassing and degrading situation of all( that of competing supplicants( and are there+& nearl& alwa&s compelled to show their worst side to each other. /ther people( especiall& the simple fol- whose )irtues intellectuals are wont to praise( usuall& meet them in the role of someone tr&ing to sell them something( who doesnBt ha)e to worr& a+out the customer horning in on their turf. 8t is eas& for the auto mechanic and the sales6girl at the li<uor store to remain free of impudence: friendliness is in an& case mandated from a+o)e. 8f on the other hand illiterates come to intellectuals in order to ha)e letters written( these latter ma& indeed ma-e a reasona+l& good impression. 4ut the moment simple fol- ha)e to +rawl for their share of the social product( the& surpass an&thing in the canon of en)& and hatefulness displa&ed +& literati or musical directors. The glorification of the splendid underdogs @in English in originalA ends up in glorif&ing the splendid s&stem which made them so. The :ustifia+le feelings of guilt of those e9empted from ph&sical la+or ought not +ecome an e9cuse for rural idioc& @famous phrase used +& Mar9 to descri+e the stagnation of peasant lifeA. 8ntellectuals who write solel& a+out intellectuals and gi)e them their +ad name in the name of that which is authentic @"chtheitA onl& strengthen the lie. A large part of the pre)ailing anti6intellectualism and irrationalism( all the wa& to Cu9le&( is set in motion +& the fact that writers complain a+out the mechanism of competition without themsel)es +eing a+le to see through the latter( and so fall )ictim to such. 8n the field most their own( the& ha)e shut out the consciousness of tat t!am asi @MThou art this(? <uote from JpanishadsA. That is wh& the& then rush into 8ndian temples.

8
If bad boys should tempt you. G There is an amor intellectualis @'atin: a+stract lo)eA for the -itchen staff( the temptation for those who wor- theoreticall& or artisticall&( to rela9 the intellectual @geistigenA claim on oneself( to lower oneBs ni)eau( to follow all manner of platitudes in the matter @SacheA and e9pression( which one had re:ected as an alert appraiser. Since no categories( not e)en that of culti)ation @+ildung: educationA( can +e proscri+ed to intellectuals an&more( and a thousand demands of hustle and +ustle endanger the concentration( the effort of producing something with a measure of integrit& is so great( that scarcel& an&one is still capa+le of it. The pressure of conformit&( which +urdens e)er&one who produces something( furthers lowers their demands on themsel)es. The center of intellectual @geistigenA self6 discipline as such is understood to +e disintegrating. The ta+oos which comprised the intellectual

@geistigenA stature of a human +eing( often sedimented e9periences and unarticulated recognitions( direct themsel)es continuousl& against oneBs own impulses( which one learned to condemn( which howe)er are so strong( that onl& an un<uestioning and un<uestiona+le :uridics @Instan#A can halt them. 2hat applies to the life of the instinctual dri)es( applies no less to the life of the mind: the painter and composer( who for+id themsel)es the use of this or that color com+ination or chord contrast as -itsch&( the author who finds that a linguistic configuration gets on their ner)es as +anal or pedantic( react so forcefull& +ecause there are la&ers within them which are drawn +& such. The re:ection of the hegemonic o)ergrowth of culture presumes that one has participated enough in the latter to feel it in oneBs fingertips( as it were( simultaneousl& drawing from this participation the forces to dismiss it. These forces( which ma-e their appearance as such in indi)idual resistance( are for that reason +& no means of a merel& indi)idual sort. The intellectual conscience( in which the& are integrated( has a social moment so much as the moral superego. 8t cr&stalli;es in the conception @1orstellungA of the right societ& and its citi;ens. 8f this conception is set aside G and who could still +lindl& su+scri+e to it G then the intellectual compulsion towards the +ottom loses its inhi+itions( and all the :un- which the +ar+aric culture has left +ehind in the indi)iduated @IndividuumA comes into )iew: half6education( la9ness( cloddish trustfulness( shoddiness. Mostl& it is rationali;ed as humanit&( as the wish to ma-e oneself understanda+le to other human +eings( as cosmopolitan responsi+ilit&. 4ut the sacrifice of intellectual self6discipline is +orne far too easil&( to reall& +elie)e that it is indeed one. This is drasticall& e)ident when o+ser)ing intellectuals whose material situation has changed: as soon as the& ha)e con)inced themsel)es e)en the slightest +it that the& must earn a li)ing +& writing and nothing else( the& send the same :un- into the world( down to the last nuances( which in their lusher times the& once denounced with the utmost ferocit&. Entirel& li-e formerl& wealth& emigres( who can finall& +e as greed& in foreign lands as the& alwa&s wanted to +e at home( so do those who are impo)erished in Spirit @GeisteA march enthusiasticall& into the hell( which is their hea)en.

9
'bove all one thing) my child. G 2hat is unmoral a+out lies does not consist of the in:ur& to the sacrosanct truth. Do societ& which forces its compulsor& mem+ers to hand themsel)es o)er with language( in order to o)erta-e them that much more <uic-l&( has the right to call on such. 8t does not +efit uni)ersal untruth( to insist on the particular truth( while nonetheless in)erting the latter straightawa& into its opposite. 8n spite of this( something repellent clings to the lie( and though the consciousness of this was indeed +eaten into one with the old whip( this simultaneousl& said something a+out the master of the dungeon. The mista-e lies in all too much honest&. 2hoe)er lies( is ashamed( +ecause in e)er& lie the& must e9perience what is degrading in the e9isting state of the world( which compels them to lie( if the& wish to li)e( while war+ling >4e e)er true and honest? @song scored +& Mo;artA in their ear. Such shame saps the energ& of the lies of those who are more su+tl& organi;ed. The& do it +adl&( and onl& there+& does the lie come to +e genuinel& unmoral for others. 8t suggests the former thin- the latter are stupid( and ser)es to e9press disrespect. Among toda&Bs cunning practitioners( the lie has long since lost its honest function( of concealing something real. Do6one +elie)es an&one( e)er&one is in the loop. 'ies are told onl& when someone wants others to -now the& arenBt important( that the former does not need the latter( and does not care what the& thin-. Toda& the lie( once a li+eral means of communication( has +ecome one of the techni<ues of +ra;enness( with whose help e)er& single person spreads the iciness( in whose shelter the& thri)e.

10
Separated-united. G Marriage( whose despica+le parod& li)es on in a time when the +asis of the human right of marriage has +een withdrawn( ser)es toda& mostl& as a tric- of self6preser)ation: each of the two conspirators deflects the responsi+ilit& for an& )illain& which the& might commit onto the other( while in truth the& e9ist together opa<uel& and swampil&. The onl& proper marriage would +e one( in which +oth ha)e an independent life for themsel)es( without the fusion which rests on an economicall& compulsor&

communit& of interest( +ut which instead would in)ol)e ta-ing mutual responsi+ilit& for each other out of freedom. Marriage as a communit& of interest ine9ora+l& signifies the degradation of the interested parties( and what is perfidious a+out the e9isting state of affairs( is that no6one( e)en if one -new of this( can a)oid such degradation. Sometimes one might entertain the thought that it is onl& those who are emancipated from the pursuit of interests( that is to sa& the rich( who retain the possi+ilit& of a marriage without shame. 4ut this possi+ilit& is entirel& formal( +ecause those who are pri)ileged are precisel& the ones to whom the pursuit of interests has +ecome second nature G otherwise the& would not maintain their pri)ileges.

11
,able and bed. As soon as human +eings di)orce( e)en the most -ind6hearted( friendl& and educated ones( a cloud of dust enshrouds and dau+s e)er&thing it touches. 8t is as if the sphere of intimac&( the inattenti)e trust of the common life is transformed into a poisonous su+stance( once the relationships are +ro-en( in which the& rested. 2hat is intimate +etween human +eings is compassion( patience( refuge for personal characteristics. 8f it is distorted( then the moment of wea-ness therein ho)es into )iew( and during di)orces such a turn towards the outside is una)oida+le. Things which were once signs of lo)ing care( pictures of reconciliation( ma-e themsel)es suddenl& self6standing as )alues and show their e)il( cold and pernicious side. After separations( professors +rea- into the dwellings of their wi)es( in order to carr& off o+:ects from the des-( and well6appointed ladies denounce their men for ta96e)asion. 8f marriage afforded one of the last possi+ilities of constructing humane cells in the inhuman generalit&( then the generalit& re)enges itself in its disassem+l& @NerfallA( +& ta-ing control of that which was apparentl& an e9ception( the alienated social orders of :ustice and propert& which underlies it and which pours scorn on those who thought themsel)es secure from it. 5recisel& that which is safeguarded turns into the cruel re<uisite of +eing sacrificed. The more >generousl&? the lo)e+irds originall& +eha)ed with each other( the less the& thought of ownership and o+ligation( the more horrid the humiliation. For it is e)en in the realm of the :uridicall& undefined( in <uarrel( defamation( in the endless conflict of interests flourishes. E)er&thing shadow&( on whose ground the institution of marriage is raised( the +ar+aric access of the man to the propert& and la+or of the woman( the not less +ar+aric se9ual oppression( which tendentiall& compels the man to ta-e lifelong responsi+ilit& for someone with whom he once too- pleasure in sleeping with G this crawls out of the cellars and fundaments into the open( when the house is demolished. Those who once e9perienced the good generalit& in the restricted +elonging to each other( are now compelled +& the societ& to consider themsel)es scoundrels and to learn( that the& are the same as the generalit& of unrestricted nastiness outside. The generalit& pro)es itself in di)orce as the mar- of shame of the particular( +ecause the particular( marriage( is not capa+le of reali;ing the true generalit& in this societ&.

12
Inter pares. G @'atin: among e<ualsA 8n the realm of erotic <ualities( a re)aluation seems to +e occurring. Jnder li+eralism( well into our da&( married men from high societ& who were unsatisfied with their strictl& +rought up and correct spouses a+sol)ed themsel)es in the compan& of female artists( +ohemians( sugar +a+ies @s.sse M%deln: sweet maidensA and cocottes. 2ith the rationali;ation of societ& this possi+ilit& of unregimented happiness has disappeared. The cocottes are e9tinct( the sugar +a+ies pro+a+l& ne)er e9isted in Anglo6Sa9on countries and other lands of technical ci)ili;ation( while the female artists and those +ohemians who e9ist parasiticall& in the mass culture are so thoroughl& permeated with the latterBs reason( that those who flee in longing to their anarch&( to the free accessi+ilit& of their own use6 )alue( are in danger of wa-ing up to the o+ligation of engaging them as assistants( if not at least recommending them to a film6e9ecuti)e or scriptwriter the& -now. The onl& ones who are still capa+le of something li-e irrational lo)e are precisel& those ladies who the spouses once fled on e9cursions to Ma9imBs @Ma9im: famous restaurant in 5arisA. 2hile the& are as tiresome to their own hus+ands( due to

the latterBs fault( as their own mothers( the& are at least capa+le of granting to others( what all others ha)e withheld from them. The long since frigid li+ertine represents +usiness( while the proper and well +rought up lad& represents &earning and unromantic se9ualit&. 8n the end( the ladies of societ& garner the honor of their dishonor( in the moment when there is no more societ& and no more ladies.

13
'id) assistance and advice. E)er& intellectual in emigration is( without e9ception( damaged( and if one does not wish to +e taught a cruel lesson +ehind the airtight doors of oneBs self6esteem( would do well to recogni;e this. /ne li)es in an en)ironment which necessaril& remains incomprehensi+le( e)en if one can manage to find their wa& among trade union organi;ations or automo+ile traffic; one is fore)er getting lost. 4etween the reproduction of oneBs own life under the monopol& of mass6culture and o+:ecti)e( responsi+le wor- there lies an irreconcila+le +reach. /neBs language has +een e9propriated and the historical taproot from which one deri)ed their powers of cognition has +een ta-en awa&. The isolation +ecomes worse( the more that closed and politicall&6directed groups form( suspicious of their own mem+ers( hostile towards those +randed as the mem+ers of others. The share of the social surplus allocated to foreigners is ne)er enough to go around and dri)es them into a hopeless secondar& competition amongst themsel)es( in the midst of the more general one. All this lea)es telltale mar-s on e)er& indi)idual. 2hoe)er escapes the shame of +eing reduced to the lowest common denominator @Gleichschaltung: >le)eling(? notorious term of Da;i propagandaA +ears this e9ceptional condition as their particular +rand: as an illusor& and unreal e9istence in the life6process of societ&. The relations +etween those who ha)e +een e9pelled are e)en more poisoned than +etween those who are long6standing residents. All metrics +ecome false( the )ision +lurs. That which is pri)ate asserts itself improperl&( hecticall&( )ampire6li-e precisel& +ecause it no longer reall& e9ists and con)ulsi)el& wants to pro)e otherwise. That which is pu+lic is consigned to the unspo-en oath of fealt& on the pu+lic platform. The ga;e ta-es on the aspect of that which is manic and at the same time cold in all grasping( de)ouring( commandeering. Dothing helps outside of the steadfast diagnosis of oneself and of others; the attempt( through consciousness( to not so much elude the calamit& as to depri)e it of its catastrophic )iolence( that of +lindness. /ne should e9ercise the most e9treme caution in choosing oneBs pri)ate circle( insofar as one has a choice at all. /ne should +eware a+o)e all of see-ing out influential t&pes from whom >one can e9pect something.? The e&e for potential ad)antages is the mortal enem& of the construction of relationships worth& of human dignit&; though solidarit& and consideration for others ma& ensue from these latter( the& can ne)er originate in thoughts of practical deals. Do less dangerous are the mirror images of power( the lac-e&s( toadies and leeches who ma-e themsel)es agreea+le to those +etter off than themsel)es( in an archaic manner which could onl& flourish in the econonomicall& e9traterritoriali;ed conditions of emigration. 2hile the& +ring their protector small ad)antages( the& drag him down as soon as the& are accepted( an e)er6present temptation which is e9acer+ated +& his own helplessness while a+road. 8f the esoteric gesture in Europe was often merel& a prete9t for the +lindest self6interest( the concept of austerit @French: austerit&A( though far from +eing completel& sea6worth&( remains ne)ertheless the most suita+le life+oat. /nl& a )er& few ha)e( of course( an appropriate craft at their disposal. Most of those who clim+ a+oard are threatened with star)ation or madness.

14
/e bourgeois revenant. G @French: the returning +ourgeoisA The Fascist regimes of the first half of the !"th centur& ha)e a+surdl& sta+ili;ed an o+solete economic form( multipl&ing the terror and miser& the latter re<uired for its continued preser)ation( now that its senselessness is plain as da&. 5ri)ate life howe)er is also mar-ed +& this. Along with the reach of administration( the asph&9iating social order of the pri)ate( the particularism of interests( the long since o+solete form of the famil&( the right of propert& and its reflection in the character ha)e all +een shored up once more. 4ut with a +ad conscience( the +arel&

disguised consciousness of untruth. 2hate)er was once good and proper in what was +ourgeois G independence( persistence( thin-ing ahead( consideration G is rotten to its innermost core. For while +ourgeois forms of e9istence are doggedl& preser)ed( their economic prere<uisites ha)e fallen awa&. That which is pri)ate has gone o)er completel& into that pri)ation( which it secretl& alwa&s was( and the stu++orn grip on oneBs own interest is intermingled with the rage that one is no longer capa+le of percei)ing that things could +e different and +etter. The +ourgeoisie ha)e lost their naO)PtP( and for that reason ha)e +ecome wholl& o+durate and male)olent. The +ene)olent hand which e)en now cares for and nourishes their little garden as if it had not long ago turned into a >lot? @in English in originalA( +ut fearfull& holds the un-nown intruder at a distance( is alread& that which refuses to grant the political refugee as&lum. /+:ecti)el& threatened( the power elite and their functionaries +ecome su+:ecti)el& utterl& inhuman. Thus the class comes into itself and ma-es the destro&ing will of the course of the world into its own. The +ourgeoisie li)e on li-e ghosts who threaten catastrophe.

15
/e nouvel avare. G @French: the new miserA There are two -inds of greed. /ne is the archaic -ind( the passion which +egrudges nothing to oneself and others( whose ph&siognomic traits were immortali;ed +& Moliere and theori;ed +& Freud as the anal character. 8t comes to fruition in the miser @in English in originalA( the +eggar who secretl& owns millions( who is the puritanical mas-( as it were( of the m&sterious caliph out of fair&6tales. The miser is related to the collector( the manic one or the great lo)er( li-e 0o+sec- is to Esther @characters in 4al;ac no)elA. Dow and then one still runs across them as curiosities in the local section of the newspaper. The greed& of toda& regard nothing as too e9pensi)e for themsel)es( +ut e)er&thing as too e9pensi)e for others. The& thin- in e<ui)alencies( and their entire pri)ate life stands under the law of gi)ing less than the& get +ac-( +ut alwa&s :ust enough to get +ac- something. E)er& little fa)or the& dispense is mar-ed +& an unspo-en( >is that reall& necessar&Q(? >do 8 reall& ha)e toQ.? Their surest sign is the rush to re)enge themsel)es for some consideration the& ha)e recei)ed( in order to forestall e)en the slightest gap in that chain of e9change6acts( +& which one is reim+ursed. 4ecause e)er&thing is rational @in English in originalA and +usinessli-e with them( the& are G unli-e Carpagon and Scrooge G neither to +e con)icted nor con)erted. Their amia+ilit& is a measure of their implaca+ilit&. 2hen push comes to sho)e( the& put themsel)es irrefuta+l& in the right and turn the law into in:ustice( while the madness of the sha++& s-inflint had the redeeming feature that( according to the tendenc&( the gold in the cash6+o9 drew thie)es to it( indeed that its passion could +e stilled onl& in sacrifice and loss( :ust as the erotic desire for possession is stilled in self6a+andonment. The greed& of toda& howe)er no longer practice asceticism as e9cess( +ut with caution. The& are insured.

16
n the dialectic of tact. G 0oethe( who was <uite aware of the threatening impossi+ilit& of all human relationships in the dawning industrial societ&( sought to represent tact in the 2ilhelm Meister no)els as the pro)idential information @rettende 'us$unft: rescuing information( sa)ing accommodationA +etween alienated human +eings. This information seemed to him as one with relin<uishment( with renunciation of undiminished closeness( passion and un+ro-en happiness. To him( what was humane consisted of a self6 restriction( which ad:udicated the una)oida+le course of histor& G the inhumanit& of progress( the atroph& of the su+:ect G as its own affair @SacheA. 4ut what has occurred since then ma-es 0oethean relin<uishment loo- li-e fulfillment. Tact and humanit& G to him the same G ha)e meanwhile gone down precisel& the road which( according to his +elief( the& were to preser)e us from. For tact has its precise historical hour. 8t is the one in which the +ourgeois indi)iduated @IndividuumA rid itself of a+solutist compulsion. Free and solitar&( it stood for itself( while the forms of hierarchical respect and de)otion de)eloped +& a+solutism( di)ested of their economic foundation and their threatening force( are still e9tant enough to ma-e li)ing together inside pri)ileged groups +eara+le. Such a parado9ical opening de+ut

@"instandA( as it were( of a+solutism and li+eralit& can +e detected e)er&where from 2ilhelm Meister to 4eetho)enBs attitude towards the con)entional schemata of musical composition( and indeed e)en in the logic of HantBs su+:ecti)e reconstruction of o+:ecti)el& +inding ideas. 4eetho)enBs regular recapitulations following d&namic de)elopments( HantBs deduction of the scholastic categories out of the unit& of consciousness( are in an eminent sense >tactful.? The prere<uisite of tact is a con)ention which is +oth fractured and &et still e9tant. This has now irretrie)a+l& deca&ed( and li)es on onl& in the parod& of forms( a capriciousl& dreamed up or recollected eti<uette for the ignorant( li-e the preaching of ad)ice columnists in newspapers( while the common understanding which might ha)e +orne those con)entions in their humane hour has passed o)er into the +lind conformit& of auto6owners and radio listeners. The d&ing out of the ceremonial moment appears at first glance to +enefit tact. The latter is emancipated from e)er&thing heteronomous( e)er&thing which is rote learning in the +ad sense @schlecht 'us!endigenA( and tactful +eha)ior could onl& +e one which guided itself according to the specific constituti)e features @+eschaffenheitA of each human relationship. Such emancipated tact howe)er runs into the same difficulties which e)er&where plague nominalism. Tact meant not simpl& su+ordination to ceremonial con)ention: the latter has +een unstintingl& ironi;ed +& all modern humanists. The achie)ement of tact was on the contrar& as parado9ical as its historical position. 8t demanded the actuall& impossi+le reconciliation +etween the unauthenticated claim of con)ention and the unrul& one of the indi)iduated @IndividuumsA. Tact could not at all +e measured( outside of that con)ention. This latter represented( howe)er insu+stantiall&( that which is general( which comprises the su+stance of the indi)idual claim. Tact is the determination of difference. 8t consists of -nowing de)iations. 4ut when( once emancipated( it confronts the indi)iduated a+solutel&( without a generalit& from which it could +e deciphered( it falls short of the indi)iduated and finall& does the latter in:ustice. The in<uir& into oneBs health( when this is no longer re<uired and e9pected +& oneBs up+ringing( turns into nosiness or an insult( and the silence on touch& su+:ects turns into empt& indifference( as soon as no rule go)erns what one should or should not spea- a+out. 8ndi)iduals thus +egin to react with hostilit& to tact( and not without reason: a certain -ind of politeness does not gi)e them the feeling of +eing addressed as human +eings( +ut e)o-es an intuition of the inhumane condition in which the& find themsel)es( and those who are polite run the ris- of seeming impolite( +ecause the& still ma-e use of politeness li-e some outmoded prerogati)e. Jltimatel&( emancipated( purel& indi)idual tact turns into a mere lie. 2hat can +e mar-ed of it toda& in the indi)iduated( is what it specificall& silences G the actual and still more the potential power( which each person em+odies. 4ehind the demand to confront the indi)iduated as such( without an& pream+le( a+solutel& as +efits such( lies an eager super)ision( chec-ing whether each word tacitl& gi)es an account of what the addressee( amidst an all6encompassing hierarch& hardened in itself( is sa&ing( and which are the addresseeBs chances. The nominalism of tact aids the triumph of that which is most general( the na-ed reach of administration( e)en in the most intimate constellations. The write6off of con)entions as outmoded( useless and e9traneous ornaments onl& confirms the most e9traneous of all things( a life of immediate domination. That the discontinuation of this caricature in school+o&ish camaraderie ma-es e9istence e)en more un+eara+le( as the moc-er& of freedom( is merel& a further sign of how impossi+le it has +ecome for human +eings to li)e together under current conditions.

17
'll rights reserved. G The signature of the epoch is that no human +eing( without an& e9ception( can determine their life in a somewhat transparent sense( as was earlier possi+le +& gauging mar-et relationships. 8n principle e)er&one( e)en the mightiest of all( is an o+:ect. E)en the profession of general affords no sure protection an&more. Do defenses are stringent enough in the Fascist era to protect head<uarters from air stri-es( and commanders who +eha)e with traditional caution are hanged +& Citler and +eheaded +& %hiang Hai6she-. 8t follows that an&one attempting to somehow ma-e it through G and e)en the continuation of life has something nonsensical a+out it( as in dreams wherein one witnesses to the end of the world and crawls out afterwards from an underground cellar G should simultaneousl& +e

prepared( at an& moment( to e9tinguish their life. That is the sad truth which emerges from NarathustraBs e9u+erant doctrine of the free death. Freedom has contracted into pure negati)it&( and what at the time of the 0ugendstil @art nou)eauA was -nown as d&ing in +eaut&( has reduced itself to the wish to shorten the endless degradation of e9istence as much as the endless miser& of d&ing( in a world in which there are far worse things to fear than death. G The o+:ecti)e end of humanit& is onl& another e9pression for that which is the same. 8t attests to the fact that indi)idual persons ha)e( as indi)iduals G as these latter represent the species6+eing @Gattungs!esenA of humanit& G lost the autonom& through which the& could ha)e reali;ed the species.

18
'sylum for the homeless. G Cow things are going for pri)ate life toda& is made e)ident +& its arena @Schauplat#A. Actuall& one can no longer dwell an& longer. The traditional dwellings( in which we grew up( ha)e ta-en on the aspect of something un+eara+le: e)er& mar- of comfort therein is paid for with the +etra&al of cognition @"r$enntnisA; e)er& trace of securit&( with the stuff& communit& of interest of the famil&. The newl& functionali;ed ones( constructed as a tabula rasa @'atin: +lan- slateA( are cases made +& technical e9perts for philistines( or factor& sites which ha)e stra&ed into the sphere of consumption( without an& relation to the dweller: the& slap the longing for an independent e9istence( which an&wa& no longer e9ists( in the face. 2ith prophetic masochism( a 0erman maga;ine decreed +efore Citler that modern human +eings want to li)e close to the ground li-e animals( a+olishing( along with the +ed( the +oundar& +etween wa-ing and dreaming. Those who sta& o)ernight are a)aila+le at all times and unresistingl& read& for an&thing( simultaneousl& alert and unconscious. 2hoe)er flees into genuine +ut purchased historical housing( em+alms themsel)es ali)e. Those who tr& to e)ade the responsi+ilit& for the dwelling( +& mo)ing into a hotel or into a furnished apartment( ma-e a cann& norm( as it were( out of the compulsor& conditions of emigration. Things are worst of all( as alwa&s( for those who ha)e no choice at all. The& li)e( if not e9actl& in slums( then in +ungalows which tomorrow ma& alread& +e thatched huts( trailers @in English in originalA( autos or camps( resting6places under the open s-&. The house is gone. The destruction of the European cities( as much as the la+or and concentration camps( are merel& the e9ecutors of what the immanent de)elopment of technics long ago decided for houses. These are good onl& to +e thrown awa&( li-e old tin cans. The possi+ilit& of dwelling is +eing annihilated +& that of the socialistic societ&( which( ha)ing +een missed( sets the +ourgeois one in motion towards catastrophe. Do indi)idual person can do an&thing against it. E)en those who occup& themsel)es with furniture designs and interior decoration( would alread& mo)e in the circle of arts& su+tlet& in the manner of +i+liophiles( howe)er opposed one might +e against artsiness in the narrow sense. From a distance( the differences +etween the 1iennese wor-shops and the 4auhaus are no longer so considera+le. 8n the meantime( the cur)es of the pure purposi)e form ha)e +ecome independent of their function and pass o)er into ornaments( :ust li-e the +asic shapes of %u+ism. The +est conduct in regards to all this still appears to +e a non+inding( suspending one: to lead a pri)ate life( so long as the social order of societ& and oneBs one needs will allow nothing else( +ut not to put weight on such( as if it were still sociall& su+stantial and indi)iduall& appropriate. >8t is one of m& :o&s( not to +e a house6owner(? wrote Diet;sche as earl& as ,he Gay Science. To this should +e added: ethics toda& means not +eing at home in oneBs house. This illustrates something of the difficult relationship which indi)idual persons ha)e vis-1-vis their propert&( so long as the& still own an&thing at all. The tric- consists of certif&ing and e9pressing the fact that pri)ate propert& no longer +elongs to one person( in the sense that the a+undance of consumer goods has +ecome potentiall& so great( that no indi)idual @IndividuumA has the right to cling to the principle of their restriction; that ne)ertheless one must ha)e propert&( if one does not wish to land in that dependence and pri)ation( which perpetuates the +lind continuation of the relations of ownership. 4ut the thesis of this parado9 leads to destruction( a lo)eless lac- of attention for things( which necessaril& turns against human +eings too; and the antithesis is alread&( the moment one e9presses it( an ideolog& for those who want to -eep what is theirs with a +ad conscience. There is no right life in the wrong one.

19
(o not $noc$. G Technification is ma-ing gestures in the meantime precise and rough G and there+& human +eings. The& dri)e all hesitation out of gestures( all consideration( all propriet& @GesittungA. The& are su+:ected to the irreconcila+le G ahistorical( as it were G re<uirements of things. Thus one no longer learns to close a door softl&( discreetl& and &et firml&. Those of autos and frigidaires ha)e to +e slammed( others ha)e the tendenc& to snap +ac- +& themsel)es and thus imposing on those who enter the inci)ilit& of not loo-ing +ehind them( of not protecting the interior of the house which recei)es them. /ne cannot account for the newest human t&pes without an understanding of the things in the en)irons which the& continuall& encounter( all the wa& into their most secret inner)ations. 2hat does it mean for the su+:ect( that there are no window shutters an&more( which can +e opened( +ut onl& frames to +e +rus<uel& sho)ed( no gentle latches +ut onl& handles to +e turned( no front lawn( no +arrier against the street( no wall around the gardenQ And which auto6dri)er has not felt the temptation( in the power of the motor( to run o)er the )ermin of the street G passers+&( children( +ic&clistsQ 8n the mo)ements which machines demand from their operators( lies alread& that which is )iolent( crashing( propulsi)el& unceasing in Fascist mistreatment. Dot the least fault for the d&ing out of e9perience is due to the fact that things assume a form under the law of their purposi)eness which restrict their interaction to mere application( without the surplus G were it that of freedom of +eha)ior( were it that of the autonom& of the thing G which might sur)i)e as the -ernel of e9perience( +ecause it is not consumed +& the moment of action.

20
Stru!!elpeter. @Shoc-6headed 5eter( stor& +& CoffmanA G 2hen Cume sought to defend epistemological contemplation against his ur+ane English contemporaries( something e)er and anon disreputa+le to gentlemen @in English in originalA as >pure philosoph&(? he used the argument: >Accurac& is( in e)er& case( ad)antageous to +eaut&( and :ust reasoning to delicate sentiment.? That was itself pragmatic( and &et it contains implicitl& and negati)el& the entire truth concerning the Spirit @GeistA of pra9is. 8n the profit6 +ased econom&( the practical social orders @ rdnungenA of life( while claiming to +enefit human +eings( cause what is human to wither( and the wider the& spread( the more the& cut off e)er&thing which is tender. For tenderness +etween human +eings is nothing other than the consciousness of the possi+ilit& of non6purposi)e relations( which stri-es those who are caught up in purposes as consolation; the legac& of ancient pri)ileges( which promises a condition without pri)ilege. The a+olition of pri)ilege +& the +ourgeois ratio ultimatel& a+olishes this promise too. 2hen time is mone&( it seems the right thing to do to sa)e time( a+o)e all oneBs own( and one e9cuses such thriftiness with all due respect for the other. /ne is straightforward. E)er& )eil which steps +etween human +eings conducting +usiness is felt to +e a distur+ance of the functioning of the apparatus( in which the& are not onl& o+:ecti)el& incorporated( +ut to which the& +elong with pride. That the& greet each other with the hellos of tried6and6true indifference instead of doffing their hats( that the& send each other interoffice memos de)oid of addresses or signatures instead of letters( are the endemic s&mptoms of the sic-ness of contact. Alienation manifests itself in human +eings precisel& in the fact that distances fall awa&. For onl& so long as the& are not o)erwhelmed with gi)ing and ta-ing( discussion and conclusion( access and function( would enough space remain +etween them for that fine mesh of threads( which connects them to each other( and where+& that which is e9ternal @'us!endigeA trul& cr&stalli;es as what is assimilated @In!endigesA. $eactionaries such as the followers of %.0. Lung ha)e noticed something of this. >8t is a t&pical feature(? goes an "ranos essa& +& 0. $. Ce&ers( >of those not full& formed +& ci)ili;ation( that a theme ma& not +e immediatel& dealt with( indeed ma& not e)en +e mentioned; on the contrar& the con)ersation must mo)e in spirals +& itself towards its actual o+:ect.? 8nstead( the shortest connection +etween two people is now the straight line( as if the& were points. Lust as the walls of houses are nowada&s poured out of cement molds( so too has the social mortar +etween human +eings +een replaced +& the pressure( which holds them together. 2hat is different( is no longer e)en understood( +ut appears( if not <uite as the 1iennese culinar& specialt& with a

tinge of something headwaiterl&( then as childish trustfulness or impermissi+le closeness. 8n the form of the offhand comments concerning the health and disposition of the spouse( which precede the +usiness lunch( the opposition to the social order of purposes has itself +een sei;ed +& such( adduced into the latter. The ta+oo against tal-ing shop and the incapacit& to tal- to each other are in truth the same thing. 4ecause e)er&thing is +usiness( it ma& not +e named as such( rather li-e the rope in the house of someone who has hanged themsel)es. 4ehind the pseudo6democratic demolition of formulaic modes @Formel!esenA( archaic courtliness( and useless con)ersations which are not unfairl& suspected of +eing gossip( +ehind the apparent clarification and transparenc& of human relations( which no longer permits an&thing which is undefined( stands the arri)al of open +ar+arit&. The direct answer( which tells others the facts of the matter to their face( without digressions( hesitations( or reflections( alread& has the form and sound of the commands( which under Fascism the dum+ issued to the silent. The matter6of6factness @Sachlich$eitA +etween human +eings which clears awa& the ideological ornamentation +etween them( has itself alread& +ecome an ideolog& of those who wish to treat human +eings as things.

21
2o e*changes allo!ed. G Cuman +eings are forgetting how to gi)e gifts. 1iolations of the e9change6 principle ha)e something mad and un+elie)a+le a+out them; here and there e)en children si;e up the gift6 gi)er mistrustfull&( as if the gift were onl& a tric-( to sell them a +rush or soap. For that( one doles out charit& @in English in originalA( administered well6+eing( which papers o)er the )isi+le wounds of societ& in coordinated fashion. 8n its organi;ed +ustle( the human impulse no longer has an& room( indeed e)en donations to the need& are necessaril& connected with the humiliation of deli)er&( the correct measure( in short through the treatment of the recipient as an o+:ect. E)en pri)ate gift6gi)ing has degenerated into a social function( which one carries out with a reluctant will( with tight control o)er the poc-et+oo-( a s-eptical e)aluation of the other and with the most minimal effort. $eal gift6gi)ing had its happiness in imagining the happiness of the recei)er. 8t meant choosing( spending time( going out of oneBs wa&( thin-ing of the other as a su+:ect: the opposite of forgetfulness. Cardl& an&one is still capa+le of this. 8n the +est of cases( the& gi)e what the& themsel)es would ha)e wished for( onl& a few shades of nuance worse. The decline of gift6gi)ing is mirrored in the em+arrassing in)ention of gift articles( which are +ased on the fact that one no longer -nows what one should gi)e( +ecause one no longer reall& wants to. These goods are as relationless as their purchasers. The& were shelf warmers @/adenhueterA from the first da&. 'i-ewise with the right to e9change the gift( which signifies to the recei)er: hereBs &our stuff( do what &ou want with it( if &ou donBt li-e it( 8 donBt care( get something else if &ou want. 8n contrast to the em+arrassment of the usual gifts( their pure fungi+ilit& still represents something which is more humane( +ecause the& at least permit the recei)er to gi)e themsel)es something( which is to +e sure simultaneousl& in a+solute contradiction to the gift. 8n relation of the greater a+undance of goods( which are a)aila+le e)en to the poor( the decline of gift6 gi)ing ma& appear unimportant( and considerations on such as sentimental. Cowe)er( e)en if it +ecame superfluous in a condition of superfluit& G and this is a lie( pri)atel& as well as sociall&( for there is no6one toda& whose imagination could not find e9actl& what would ma-e them thoroughl& happ& G those who no longer ga)e would still +e in need of gift6gi)ing. 8n them wither awa& those irreplacea+le capacities which cannot +loom in the isolated cell of pure interiorit&( +ut onl& in contact with the warmth of things. %oldness en)elops e)er&thing which the& do( the friendl& word which remains unspo-en( the consideration which remains unpracticed. Such iciness recoils +ac- on those from which it spread. All relations which are not distorted( indeed perhaps what is reconciliator& in organic life itself( is a gift. Those who +ecome incapa+le of this through the logic of stringenc& @3onse4uen#: conse<uence( corollar&A( ma-e themsel)es into things and free;e.

22
+aby !ith the bath!ater. /ne of the central motifs of cultural criti<ue since time immemorial is that of the lie: that culture produces the illusion of a societ& worth& of human +eings( which does not e9ist; that it conceals the material conditions on which e)er&thing human is constructed; and that +& see-ing to console and assuage( it ends up preser)ing the +ad economic determinac& of e)er&da& e9istence. This is the notion of culture as ideolog&( which at first glance +oth the +ourgeois doctrine of )iolence and its opponent( Diet;sche and Mar9( seem to ha)e in common. 4ut precisel& this notion( li-e all hand6wringing against lies( has a suspicious tendenc& to itself +ecome an ideolog&. This is e)ident in the realm of the pri)ate. Thoughts concerning mone& and the conflicts attendant on such in)aria+l& reach deep into the most heartfelt erotic( su+lime and spiritual @geistige: spiritual( intellectualA relationships. The cultural critic could demand( following the logic of conse<uence and the pathos of the truth( that all relations ought to +e reduced to their material origins( without an& consideration and directl& according to the interests of the participants. After all( meaning is ne)er free from its genesis( and it would +e eas& to show the trace of in:ustice( sentimentalit&( and frustrated and therefore dou+l& poisonous interest in e)er&thing which o)erla&s or mediates that which is material. Ret if one wished to act radicall& on this insight( one would uproot all that is true along with e)er&thing untrue( e)er&thing which( howe)er powerlessl&( dares to tr& to escape the demesne of uni)ersal pra9is( indeed all the chimerical anticipations of a worthier state of affairs( and would there+& fall +ac- into that +ar+arism which one reproaches culture for mediating. 8n the +ourgeois cultural critics after Diet;sche this une9pected re)ersal was alwa&s e)ident; Spengler enthusiasticall& endorsed it. 4ut Mar9ists are not immune to this either. /nce cured of the social democratic +elief in cultural progress and confronted with the rising tide of +ar+arism( the& face the constant temptation to ad)ocate such as the >o+:ecti)e tendenc&? and( in an act of desperation( to e9pect sal)ation from the mortal enem& who( in the guise of the >antithesis(? is supposed to +lindl& and m&steriousl& arrange a happ& ending. 8n)o-ing the material element against the Spirit @GeistA as a lie +ears a -ind of du+ious affinit& with political econom&( which one su+:ects to immanent criti<ue( compara+le to the complicit& +etween the police and the underworld. Since the +anishment of utopia and the unit& of pra9is and theor& was made compulsor&( one has +ecome all too practical. The fear of the powerlessness of theor& &ields the prete9t of declaring fealt& to the almight& production6process and there+& full& concedes the powerlessness of theor&. Traces of malice are not entirel& foreign to authentic Mar9ist discourse( and toda& there is a growing resem+lance +etween the spirit of +usiness and the so+er( :uridical criti<ue( +etween )ulgar materialism and the other -ind( in which it +ecomes increasingl& difficult to properl& separate su+:ect and o+:ect. G To identif& culture solel& with lies is most disastrous at the moment when it reall& +ecomes a+sor+ed +& such( and this identification is enthusiasticall& lauded in order to compromise e)er& thought which resists such. 8f one calls material realit& the world of e9change6 )alue( and culture( that which refuses to accept the domination of such( this refusal is indeed illusor& so long as the e9istent continues to e9ist. 4ut since the free and e<ual e9change is itself a lie( whate)er denies it stands at the same time for the truth: lies accordingl& +ecome a correcti)e on the lie of the world of commodities( and conse<uentl& denounce such. That culture has hitherto failed is not a grounds for demanding its failure( +& strewing the store of milled flour on spilled +eer li-e Hatherlieschen @reference to fair&6taleA. Cuman +eings who +elong together should neither +e silent a+out their material interests nor reduce themsel)es to their lowest common denominator( +ut should reflecti)el& grasp their relationship and there+& mo)e +e&ond such.

23
Plurale tantum @'atin: onl& in the pluralA G 8f societ& is trul& one of rac-ets( as a contemporar& theor& teaches( then its truest model is precisel& the opposite of the collecti)e( namel& the indi)idual @IndividuumA as monad. 4& pursuing the a+solutel& particular interest of e)er& single indi)idual( the essential nature @&esenA of the collecti)e can +e most precisel& studied( and it re<uires no great leap to

decipher the organi;ation of the )arious conflicting dri)es under the primac& of the realit&6oriented ego from the +eginning as an inner)ated +and of ro++ers with a leader( followers( ceremonies( oaths( oath6 +rea-ing( interest6conflicts( intrigues and all the other paraphernalia. /ne need onl& o+ser)e out+rea-s( in which the indi)idual @IndividuumA reacts energeticall& against the en)ironment( as for e9ample rage. The enraged alwa&s seem to +e their own gang6leaders( whose unconscious has recei)ed the command to stri-e mercilessl&( and from whose e&es gleams the satisfaction of spea-ing for the man&( which the& indeed are. The more someone is ta-en up with their aggression( the more perfectl& the& represent the repressing principle of societ&. 8n this sense( perhaps more than in an& other( the rule applies: that which is most indi)idual would +e the most general.

24
,ough baby @in English in originalA G A certain gesture of manliness( +e it oneBs own( +e it that of another( deser)es mistrust. 8t e9presses independence( suret& of the power of command( the silent conspirac& of all men with each other. Earlier one an9iousl& called it( awe6struc-( the whims of lords( toda& it is democrati;ed and is pla&ed +& film heroes for the +enefit of the lowliest +an- emplo&ee. The archet&pe for this is the good loo-ing man in a smo-ing :ac-et( who enters his +achelorBs pad alone one late e)ening( turns on the indirect lighting( and pours a whis-&6soda: the carefull& recorded fi;;ing of the mineral water sa&s what the arrogant mouth does not; that he despises whate)er does not smell of smo-e( leather and sha)ing cream G a+o)e all( women( and for that )er& reason the& swarm all o)er him. For him( the pinnacle of human relations is the clu+( the site of a respect founded on a considerate inconsiderateness. The :o&s of such men( or on the contrar& of their models( which hardl& an&one ali)e reall& matches( for human +eings are alwa&s +etter than their culture( ha)e altogether something of the latent act of )iolence. 4& all appearances( this is threatened to others( though he has long since had no need to do so( sprawled on his eas& chair. 8n truth it is past )iolence against himself. 8f all pleasure su+lates earlier displeasure @JnlustA( then here displeasure is raised G as pride in +earing it G unmediated( untransformed( stereot&picall& into pleasure: unli-e wine( e)er& glass of whis-e&( e)er& puff on the cigar still recalls the reluctance( which it must ha)e cost the organism( to accustom itself to such powerful stimuli. According to their own constitution( the he6men would thus +e what the& are usuall& presented as in film scripts( masochists. The lie is concealed in their sadism( and it is as liars that the& trul& +ecome sadists( agents of repression. That lie is nothing other than repressed homose9ualit&( which emerges as the onl& appro)ed form of what is heterose9ual. 8n /9ford one can differentiate +etween two -inds of students: the >tough gu&s? @in English in originalA and the intellectuals; the latter are e<uated almost without further ado to those who are effeminate. There is a great deal of e)idence that the ruling class polari;es itself according to these e9tremes on the road to dictatorship. Such disintegration is the secret of integration( of happiness of unit& in the a+sence of happiness. 8n the end the >tough gu&s? @in English in originalA are the ones who are reall& effeminate( who re<uire the wea-lings as their )ictims( in order not to admit that the& are li-e them. Totalit& and homose9ualit& +elong together. 2hile the su+:ect falls apart( it negates e)er&thing which is not of its own -ind. The opposites of the strong man and the compliant &outh fuse into a social order( which unreser)edl& asserts the masculine principle of domination. 4& ma-ing e)er&one( without e9ception G e)en presumed su+:ects G into its o+:ects( it recoils into total passi)it&( )irtuall& into what is feminine.

25
,hin$ not of them. 8t is well6-nown that the former life of emigres is +eing annulled. Earlier it was the warrant of arrest( toda& it is intellectual @geistige: intellectual( spiritualA e9perience which is declared non6 transfera+le and simpl& out of +ounds. 2hat is not reified( what cannot +e counted and measured( falls awa&. Dot satisfied with this( reification e9tends e)en to its own opposite( the life which is not immediatel& actuali;ed; whate)er continues to li)e on( merel& as thought and memor&. For this the& ha)e

de)ised a uni<ue ru+ric. 8t is called >+ac-ground? and appears as an appendi9 in <uestionnaires( after gender( age and occupation. The )iolated life is still dragged along +& the )ictor& car of the united statisticians( and e)en that which is past is no longer safe from the present( which( +& remem+ering it( consecrates it once more to forgetting.

26
"nglish spo$en. @in English in originalA G 8n m& childhood 8 often recei)ed +oo-s as gifts from elderl& 4ritish ladies( with whom m& parents maintained relations: richl& illustrated childrenBs +oo-s( and e)en a tin& green 4i+le +ound in leather. All were in the language of the gift6gi)ers: none of them thought to aswhether 8 could actuall& read them. The peculiar inaccessi+ilit& of the +oo-s( which sprang at me with pictures( huge titles and )ignettes( without gi)ing me an& chance to decipher the te9t( led me to +elie)e that these werenBt reall& +oo-s at all( +ut rather ad)ertisements( perhaps for machines( li-e the ones m& uncle produced in his 'ondon factor&. Since 8 ha)e come to li)e in Anglo6Sa9on countries and to speaEnglish( this consciousness has not dimmed +ut rather strengthened. There is a girlBs song from 4rahm( +ased on a poem +& Ce&se( which goes: >/h heartBs woe( &ou eternit& / onl& self6other is +liss for me.? 8n the most popular American )ersion( this is rendered as: >/ miser&( eternit&S / 4ut two in one were ecstas&.? The passionate( medie)al6era nouns of the original ha)e +een turned into +rand names of hit songs( which sing the praises of the latter. 8n the light the& switch on( the ad)ertising6character of culture radiates .

27
n parle francais. @French: one spea-s in French( French is spo-enA Cow closel& se9 and language are intermingled +ecomes apparent when reading pornograph& in another language. Do dictionar& is needed to read Sade in the original @i.e. FrenchA. E)en the most refined e9pressions for that which is indecent( whose awareness is imparted +& no school( no parentsB house( and no literar& e9perience( are understood intuiti)el&( :ust as in childhood( when the most euphemistic e9pressions and o+ser)ations regarding se9ual matters shoot together into the correct representation. 8t is as if the imprisoned passions e9plode( upon +eing called +& these names( +lind words li-e the wall of oneBs own repression( stri-ing )iolentl& and irresisti+l& into the innermost cell of meaning( which it itself resem+les.

28
Paysage. @French: countr&sideA G 2hat is missing in the American landscape is not so much the a+sence of historical memories( as the romantic illusion has it( as the fact that no hand has left a trace in it. This relates not merel& to the a+sence of farm6fields( the stu++l& and often tin& scru+6li-e forests( +ut a+o)e all the streets. These are alwa&s immediatel& +lasted out of the landscape( and the more successful their smoothness and +readth( the more relationless and )iolent their shimmering path stands in contrast to its all too wild( o)ergrown en)irons. The& +ear no imprint @'usdruc$: e9pression( imprintA. 4ecause the& -now no traces of shoes or wheels( no gentle footpaths along their edge as a transition to the )egetation( no side6paths into the )alle& +elow( the& lac- that which is mild( softened( rounded in things( on which hands or their immediate tools ha)e wor-ed. 8t is as if no6one had com+ed the landscapeBs hair. 8t is disconsolate and inconsola+le. This corresponds to the manner of its perception. For what the hurr&ing e&e has merel& )iewed from the car cannot +e retained( and the latter sin-s as trac-lessl&( as the traces on such fade awa&.

29
(!arf fruit. 8t is the courtes& of 5roust to spare the reader the em+arrassment of thin-ing themsel)es more adroit than the author. 8n the nineteenth centur& the 0ermans painted their dream( and it alwa&s turned into a )egeta+le. The French needed onl& to paint a )egeta+le( and it was alread& a dream. 8n the Anglo6Sa9on lands( the whores loo- as if the& dispensed the punishments of hell along with the sins. 4eaut& of the American landscape: that the immeasura+le si;e of the entire land is inscri+ed( as e9pression( e)en in the smallest of its segments. 8n the memor& of emigration( e)er& 0erman )enison roast tastes as if it was freshl& felled +& the Freischuet;. Dothing is true in ps&choanal&sis e9cept its e9aggerations. /ne can tell if one is happ& +& listening to the wind. This latter reminds the unhapp& of the fragilit& of their house and pursues them in fitful sleep and )iolent dreams. To the happ&( it sings the song of their safet& and securit& @0e+orgenseinA: its raging whistle registers the fact that it no longer has an& power o)er them. The silent din( long familiar to us from our dream6e9periences( +lares in our wa-ing hours from the newspaper headlines. The m&thical message of doom renews itself in the radio. 2hoe)er +roadcasts something important in an authoritarian manner( +roadcasts trou+le. 8n English solemn @in English in originalA means ceremonial and threatening. The power of the societ& +ehind the spea-er turns +& itself against the listener. That which has most recentl& happened is alwa&s portra&ed as if it had +een destro&ed in a catastrophe. The e9pression of that which is historical in things is nothing other than past torment. 8n Cegel( self6consciousness was the truth of self6certaint&( according to the words of the Phenomenology @of SpiritA( the >nati)e realm of truth.? Do sooner had the& ceased to understand that( than the +ourgeoisie were self6conscious at least in the pride that the& owned propert&. Toda& self6conscious @in English in originalA means onl& the reflection on the ego as an em+arrassment( as the inner)ation of powerlessness: to -now( that one is nothing. 2ith man& people( itBs alread& an e9ercise in shamelessness( when the& sa& 8. The mote in &our own e&e is the +est magnif&ing glass. E)en the most impo)erished person is capa+le of recogni;ing the wea-nesses of the most powerful; e)en the dum+est( the mental errors of the most cle)er. The first and onl& principle of se9ual ethics: the accuser is alwa&s wrong.

The whole is the untrue.

30
Pro domo nostra. [Latin: to subdue us?] G 2hen the +rass& mouths of the s&mphon& orchestras of man& countries were stilled +& the pre)ious war G a war which seems( li-e e)er& war( peaceful compared to the one which followed G Strawins-i wrote 5istory of a Soldier for a sparse( shoc-6laden cham+er ensem+le. 8t +ecame his +est score( the onl& trul& +inding surrealist manifesto( whose con)ulsi)e6dreamli-e compulsion endowed music with something of the negati)e truth. The prere<uisite of the piece was po)ert&: it demolished the official culture so drasticall& +ecause it was +arred from the latterBs material wealth( as well as from the ostentation which was hostile to culture. Therein lies a clue for intellectual @geistigeA production after the current war( which has left +ehind a measure of destruction in Europe which e)en the gaping holes of that music could not ha)e imagined. Toda& progress and +ar+arism are so intertwined as mass culture that onl& +ar+aric asceticism against this latter and against the progression of the means ma& again produce that which is un+ar+aric. Do wor- of art( no thought which does not inner)ate the re:ection of false wealth and first6class productions( of color films and tele)ision( of millionaire maga;ines and Toscanini( has a chance to sur)i)e. The older media( not geared for mass production( win new rele)anc&: that of the not &et encompassed and of impro)isation. The& alone could outflan- the unified front of trusts and technics @,echni$A. 8n a world in which e)en +oo-s no longer looli-e +oo-s( the onl& +oo-s are those which are no longer such. 8f the in)ention of the printing press stood at the +eginning of the +ourgeois era( then soon its repeal through mimeograph& will come due( the onl& appropriate and inconspicuous means of dissemination.

31
6at out of the bag. E)en solidarit&( socialismBs most honora+le mode of conduct( is ill. At one time it wished to reali;e the doctrine of +rotherhood( to wrest it from the generalit& in which it was an ideolog&( reser)ing it for the particular( the 5art&( which was supposed to solel& represent the generalit& in the antagonistic world. 0roups of human +eings were solidaristic +ecause the& committed their li)es together( and +ecause their own li)es were( in )iew of the tangi+le possi+ilit&( not the most important thing( so that the& were prepared to sacrifice themsel)es for each other without the a+stract o+session of the idea +ut also without indi)idual hope. Such gi)ing up of self6preser)ation had as a prere<uisite the recognition and freedom of the decision: lac-ing these( the +lind interest of the particular reimposes itself. Meanwhile howe)er solidarit& has passed o)er into the trust that the 5art& has a thousand e&es( into enlistment into uniformed wor-ersB +attalions which are assumed to +e stronger( in swimming along with the current of world6histor&. 2hate)er is to +e temporaril& gained in securit& from this( is paid for with permanent fear( s&cophanc&( mutual +ac-scratching and )entrilo<u&: the energies which one could ha)e used to feel out the wea-ness of the enem& are used to anticipate the moods of oneBs own leaders( +efore whom one trem+les deep down more than +efore the old enem&( intuiting that in the end the leaders +oth here and there will come to an accommodation on the +ac-s of those the& ha)e integrated. The refle9 of this can +e felt +etween indi)iduals. 2hoe)er is considered progressi)e G according to the stereot&pes to which people are classified in ad)ance( without e)en signing the imaginar& contract which seems to +ind the true +elie)ers( who are themsel)es to +e recogni;ed +& something impondera+le in gesture and speech( a -ind of rough6hewn( o+edient resignation( li-e a password G alwa&s has the same e9perience. The true +elie)ers( or those in related factions who are all too similar( meet &ou and e9pect solidarit& from &ou. The& appeal e9pressl& and implicitl& to the common progressi)e agenda @"inverst%ndnisA. Cowe)er( the moment when &ou hope for the slightest sign of the same solidarit& from them( or e)en mere s&mpath& for &our own share of the social product of suffering( the& show &ou the cold shoulder( which is the onl& thing left remaining of atheism and materialism in the age of restored popes. Those who are organi;ed want intellectuals of prominence to issue proclamations on their +ehalf( +ut the moment the& fear the& ha)e to

issue proclamations for themsel)es( the latter are capitalists( and the same prominence on which the& speculated is now ludicrous sentimentalit& and stupidit&. Solidarit& is polari;ed in the desperate fidelit& of those for whom there is no wa& +ac-( and in the )irtual e9tortion of those who want nothing to do with prison wardens( nor wish to deli)er themsel)es to ro++ers.

32
Savages are not better human beings. /ne can find in 4lac- @i.e. AfricanA students of national econom&( in Siamese @ThaiA students at /9ford( and in de)oted art6historians and musicologists of pett& +ourgeois +ac-ground generall& the inclination and readiness to com+ine the appropriation of what is new and to +e learned with a +oundless respect for what is esta+lished( )alidated or recogni;ed. An unreconciled inner sensi+ilit& @GesinnungA is the opposite of wildness( neoph&te status or >non6capitalist ;ones.? 8t presupposes e9perience( historical memor&( the la+ilit& of the intellect and a+o)e all a thorough share of the social surplus. 8t is o+ser)ed time and again that those recruited &oung and innocent into radical groups defect the moment the& +ecome aware of the force of tradition. /ne has to ha)e this latter in oneself in order to hate it properl&. That it is the sno+s rather than the proletarians who ha)e a taste for a)ant6garde aesthetic mo)ements sheds light on politics( too. 'atecomers and newcomers ali-e ha)e a worrisome affinit& for positi)ism( from the de)otees of %arnap in 8ndia to the +old defenders of the 0erman masters Matthias 0rInewald and Ceinrich SchIt;. 8t would +e poor ps&cholog& to presume that what one is e9cluded from arouses onl& hate and resentment; it also awa-ens a possessi)e( impatient sort of lo)e( and those who repressi)e culture -eeps at a distance can turn( easil& enough( into the latterBs most narrow6minded partisans. This resonates e)en in the o)ercompensating Cigh 0erman of the wor-er who as a socialist wants >to learn a +it(? to ta-e part in the so6called cultural heritage( and the +analit& of the 4e+els consists not so much in their foreignness to culture than in the enthusiasm with which the& presume it as a fact( identif&ing with it and indeed there+& in)erting its meaning. Socialism is in general as little immune from this transformation as the theoretical slippage into positi)ism. 8t can happen easil& enough that in the Far East Mar9 ta-es the place )acated +& #riesch and $ic-ert. At times it is to +e feared that the interrelationship of the non6/ccidental peoples in the antagonisms of industrial societ&( in itself long o)erdue( will primaril& +enefit the rational increase of production and transport and the modest raising of li)ing standards( rather than those to +e emancipated. 8nstead of e9pecting miracles from pre6 capitalist peoples( the mature capitalist ones ought to +e on their guard against their own so+riet&( their slipshod affirmation of what is traditional( and the successes of the 2est.

33
Far from the firing-line. $eports of air raids seldom fail to mention the names of the firms which manufactured the aircraft: Fo--er62olf( Cein-el( and 'ancaster appear where one once tal-ed a+out cuirassiers( lancers and hussars. The mechanism of the reproduction of life( its e9ploitation and annihilation( is immediatel& the same( and industr&( the state and ad)ertising are fused accordingl&. The old e9aggeration of s-eptical li+erals( that war is merel& a +usiness( has come true: the power of the state has gi)en up e)en the appearance @ScheinA of independence from particular profit interests and puts itself into the latterBs ser)ice( which it alwa&s did in realit&( now ideologicall& as well. E)er& glowing mention of the chief firm in)ol)ed in the ra;ing of cities enhances its good calling( for whose sa-e the +est contracts for the reconstruction are doled out. 'i-e the Thirt& RearsB 2ar( so too does this war G whose +eginning no6one will +e a+le to remem+er an&more( once it comes to an end G disintegrates into discontinuous field campaigns( separated +& +lanpauses; the 5olish campaign( the Dorwegian( the French( the $ussian( the Tunisian( the Dormand& 8n)asion. 8ts rh&thm( the alternation of spasmodic action and complete standstill( due to a lac- of geographicall& accessi+le enemies( has itself something mechanical a+out it( which characteri;ed the

means of war in the particular and which has )er& li-el& e)o-ed once more the preli+eral form of the campaign. This mechanical rh&thm howe)er completel& determines human conduct towards the war( not onl& in the disproportion +etween indi)idual +odil& strength and the energ& of motors( +ut deep into the most secret cells of the modes of su+:ecti)e e9perience. The sheer incommensura+ilit& of the +od& to the war of attrition the pre)ious time around @i.e. 22 8A alread& made authentic e9perience impossi+le. Do6 one could ha)e tal-ed a+out it the wa& the +attles of the artiller&6general Dapoleon 4onaparte were recounted. The long inter)al +etween war memoirs and the armistice is not an accident: it testifies to the la+orious reconstruction of memor&( which remains con:oined to something powerless and e)en inauthentic in all those +oo-s( regardless of whate)er horrors the writer witnessed. 22 88 howe)er is as completel& de)oid of e9perience as a machine is to the mo)ements of a +od&( which it resem+les onl& in periods of illness. The less the war retains an& sense of continuit&( histor&( the >epic? element( +ut to a certain e9tent starts all o)er again at each phase( the less can it lea)e +ehind a continuous and unconsciousl& preser)ed picture of memor&. E)er&where( with each e9plosion( it has +ro-en through the protecti)e shield in which personal e9perience formed( the duration +etween the healing forgetting and the healing memor&. 'ife has transformed itself into a timeless succession of shoc-s( +etween which gape holes( paral&;ed intermediar& spaces. Dothing howe)er is perhaps more catastrophic for the future than the fact that soon literall& no6one will +e a+le to thin- of this( that e)er& trauma( e)er& unprocessed shocof that which recurs( is a ferment of coming destruction. G Harl Hraus was right to call his pla& ,he /ast (ays of 5umanity. 2hat is happening toda& should +e called 'fter (oomsday. The total concealment of the war through information( propaganda( commentar&( the film crews in the leading tan-s and the heroic death of war reporters( the mishmash of manipulated6enlightened pu+lic opinion and unconscious action( all this is another e9pression for desiccated e9perience( the )acuum +etween human +eings and their doom( in which their doom actuall& consists. The reified( fro;en mold of e)ents( as it were( su+stitutes for this itself. Cuman +eings are turned into the actors of a monster documentar& film( which no longer -nows an& )iewers( +ecause e)en the )er& last one has to participate on the sil)er screen. The genesis of the +ela+ored tal- of the >phon& war? la& in precisel& this moment. 8t originated to +e sure from the Fascist techni<ue of dismissing the real horrors of the war as >mere propaganda(? precisel& in order to facilitate those horrors. Ret li-e all tendencies of Fascism( this too has its origin in elements of realit&( which ends up pre)ailing onl& +& )irtue of that Fascist attitude( which sneeringl& hinted at such. The war reall& is >phon&? @in EnglishA( +ut its >phon&ness? @in EnglishA is more terrif&ing than an& terror( and those who ma-e light of this onl& contri+ute that much more to the calamit&. Cad CegelBs philosoph& of histor& encompassed this epoch( then CitlerBs ro+ot6+om+s would ha)e ta-en their place( ne9t to the death6scene of Ale9ander and similar images( among the empiricall& selected facts in which the s&m+olic state of the world6spirit is immediatel& e9pressed. 'i-e Fascism itself( the ro+ots are self6steering and &et utterl& su+:ectless. Lust li-e the former( the& com+ine the utmost technical perfection with complete +lindness. Lust li-e the former( the& sow the deadliest panic and are completel& futile. G >8 ha)e seen the world6spirit(? not on horse+ac- +ut on wings and headless( and this at once refutes CegelBs philosoph& of histor&. The thought that after this war life could continue on >normall&(? or indeed that culture could +e >reconstructed? G as if the reconstruction of culture alone were not alread& the negation of such G is idiotic. Millions of Lews ha)e +een murdered( and this is supposed to +e onl& the intermission and not the catastrophe itself. 2hat e9actl& is this culture waiting for an&wa&Q And e)en if there was time left for countless people( is it concei)a+le that what happened in Europe would ha)e no conse<uences( that the sheer <uantit& of )ictims would not recoil into a new <ualit& of the entire societ&( into +ar+arismQ As long as li-e follows li-e( the catastrophe perpetuates itself. /ne need onl& consider retri+ution for the murdered. 8f :ust as man& of the others were to +e -illed( then the horror would turn into an institution and

the precapitalist schemata of +lood for +lood( which from its inception in prehistoric times still reigns onl& in the most distant mountain pro)inces( +e reintroduced and e9panded( onl& with entire nations as su+:ectless su+:ects. 8f howe)er the dead are not a)enged and merc& is shown( then an unpunished Fascism has despite e)er&thing stolen its )ictor&( and after it has once +een shown how easil& it is done( it will +e perpetuated [ er etrated?] in other places. The logic of histor& is as destructi)e as the human +eings which it +egets: where)er their inertia tends to go( it reproduces the e<ui)alent of past calamities. Dormalit& is death. As to the <uestion as to what should +e done with a defeated 0erman&( 8 would -now onl& two wa&s to answer. First: 8 would at no price and under no circumstances +e an e9ecutioner or deli)er legal prete9ts for e9ecutioners. Second: 8 would not wish to hold +ac-( least of all with the apparatus of the law( an&one who wished to a)enge past atrocities. That is a through and through unsatisf&ing( contradictor& answer( as ill6fitting to the generali;ation as to the pra9is. 4ut perhaps the fault alread& lies with the <uestion and not primaril& with me. 2ee-l& show at the mo)ies: the in)asion of the Marianas( among them 0uam. The impression is not one of +attles( +ut of mechanical highwa& and demolition wor- underta-en with an immeasura+l& increased )ehemence( e)en of >fumigation(? pest control on a telluric scale. /perations are carried out until grass no longer grows. The enem& functions as patient and corpse. 'i-e the Lews under Fascism( he appears onl& as the o+:ect of technical6administrati)e measures( and when he defends himself( his counter6actions ha)e the same character. Therein is the Satanic element( that to a certain e9tent this war re<uires more initiati)e than war in the old st&le( that it costs the su+:ect all its energ&( as it were( to achie)e su+:ectlessness. The reali;ation of Edward 0re&Bs humane dream( of a war without hate( is complete inhumanit&. G Autumn 1933.

34
0ohnny-5ead-in-'ir. @%haracter in Ceinrich CoffmanBs StruwwelpeterA G 4etween cognition @"r$enntnis: recognition( -nowledgeA and power e9ists not onl& the interrelation of ser)ilit&( +ut also one of truth. Man& cognitions( e)en if the& formall& stri-e the mar-( are )oid due to their lac- of proportion with the distri+ution of forces. 2hen the e9iled doctor sa&s( >For me( Adolf Citler is a pathological case(? then the clinical e)idence ma& ultimatel& confirm his statement( +ut its disparit& to the o+:ecti)e catastrophe which spreads o)er the world in the name of the paranoid one( ma-es the diagnosis ridiculous( wherein the diagnostician merel& puffs themsel)es up. 5erhaps Citler is a pathological case >in himself(? +ut most certainl& not >for himself.? The )anit& and impo)erishment of man& of the demonstrations against Fascism in emigration are interrelated. Those who thin- in the form of free( distanced( disinterested :udgments( were una+le to assimilate the e9perience of )iolence G which reall& and trul& rendered such thin-ing powerless G in these forms. The almost insolu+le tas- consists of refusing to allow oneself to +e rendered dum+( either +& the power of others or +& oneBs own powerlessness.

35
7eturn to culture. G The assertion that Citler has destro&ed 0erman culture is nothing +ut an ad)ertising tric- of those who wish to re+uild it from their telephone6des-s. 2hat Citler e9tirpated in art and culture had long led an apochr&phal and cut6off e9istence( whose last hiding6spaces were swept awa& +& Fascism. 2hoe)er did not pla& along( had to go into inner emigration &ears +efore the out+rea- of the Third $eich: at the )er& latest( since the sta+ili;ation of the 0erman currenc&( which coincided with the end of E9pressionism( 0erman culture had sta+ili;ed itself in the spirit of the 4erlin illustrated maga;ines( which conceded little to the strength through :o& @notorious Da;i sloganA( national auto highwa&s( and up+eat e9hi+ition6classicism of the Da;is. 8n its +roadest measure( 0erman culture pined for its Citler precisel&

where it was most li+eral( and it would +e an in:ustice to reproach the editors of Moss and Jllstein or the reorgani;ers of the Fran$furter 2e!s for following the sensi+ilities of the times. The& were alread& this wa&( and their line of least resistance to the intellectual goods the& produced meshes seamlessl& into the line of least resistance to political rule( whose ideological methods included( in the FuehrerBs own words( a+o)e all comprehensi+ilit& for the most stupid. This has led to a catastrophic confusion. Citler has e9tirpated culture( Citler dro)e Mr. 'ouis into e9ile( therefore Mr. 'ouis is culture. And so he is. A glance at the literar& production of those emigrants who( +& dint of discipline and a strict compartmentali;ation of spheres of influence( ha)e come to represent the 0erman Spirit @GeistA( show :ust what one can e9pect from the happ& re+uilding process: the introduction of 4roadwa& methods on the HIrfurstendamm @main road of 4erlinA( which +& the 19!"s was distinguisha+le from the former onl& +& its lesser means( not +etter ends. 2hoe)er intends to do something against cultural fascism( must come to grips with 2eimar( the >4om+s on Monte %arlo? and the 5ress 4all( if one does not wish to disco)er that( in the end( am+iguous figures such as Fallada under Citler said more than the spotless 0erman personalities( who succeeded in transferring their prestige.

36
,he health unto death. G 8f something li-e a ps&choanal&sis of toda&Bs protot&pical culture were possi+le; if the a+solute hegemon& of the econom& did not moc- e)er& attempt at e9plicating conditions +& the ps&chic life of their )ictims; and if the ps&choanal&sts themsel)es had not long ago sworn fealt& to those conditions G then such an in)estigation would ha)e to show that contemporar& sic-ness e9ists precisel& in what is normal. The li+idinal achie)ements which are re<uired of the indi)idual @IndividuumA( who +eha)es in a manner sound in +od& and mind( are such that the& can +e perfected onl& +& )irtue of the deepest mutilation( of an inner)ation of castration +& the >e9tro)erts? @in English in the originalA; +& comparison( the old tas- of identification with the father was indeed the childBs pla& which it was rehearsed as. The >regular gu&? @in English in originalA( the >popular girl? @in English in originalA must repress not onl& their desires and cognitions( +ut also all of the s&mptoms generated +& repression in +ourgeois times. Lust as the old in:ustices are left unchanged +& the generous mass displa& of light( air and h&giene( +ut are concealed precisel& +& the gleaming @blin$endeA transparenc& of rationali;ed enterprise( so too has the most internali;ed @in!endigeA health of the epoch cut off the flight into sic-ness( without changing the slightest +it of the latterBs etiolog&. The dar-ened e9its ha)e +een wiped out as an em+arrassing waste of space and displaced into the +athroom. This confirms the suspicion which ps&choanal&sis long har+ored( +efore it itself turned into a piece of h&giene. 2here the light is +rightest( is where the fecal secretl& rules. The )erse: >Miser& remains. As it e)er was. / Rou canBt completel& uproot its laws / 4ut &ou ma-e it an in)isi+le cause(? applies in the household of the ps&che e)en more than where the a+undance of goods o+scures( for the time +eing( constantl& increasing material differences. To this da&( no science would suffice to plum+ the depths of the hell in which those deformations are produced( which surface later as cheerfulness( decisi)eness( socia+ilit&( as successful adaptation to what is una)oida+le and as un)arnished common sense. There is reason to presume that these deri)e from still earlier phases of childhood de)elopment than the origin of neuroses: if these latter are the result of a conflict in which the dri)e is +eaten down( then the former +espea-s a condition which is as normal as the damaged societ& which it resem+les( that of a prehistorical assault( as it were( which smashes the forces of the ps&che +efore a conflict can e)en occur( and the later state of unconflictedness reflects the predetermined social +eing( the a priori triumph of the collecti)e instance( not healing through cognition @"r$ennen: recogni;ing( understandingA. The iron ner)es and calm under fire which are the crucial prere<uisites for applicants of highl& paid positions( are the picture of the asph&9iated silence( which the emplo&ers of the human resources manager later impose politicall&. The sic-ness of the health& is solel& to +e diagnosed o+:ecti)el&( in the disproportion +etween the rational wa& the& lead their li)es and the possi+l& reasona+le determination of their li)es. 4ut the trace of the sic-ness +etra&s itself nonetheless: the& loo- as if their s-in were printed with a rash in regular patterns( as if in mimicr& of what is inorganic.

8t re<uires little to imagine those +ent on pro)ing their <uic-sil)er li)eliness and o)erpowering energ& as prepared corpses( to whom the news of their not <uite successful demise has +een withheld for reasons of population polic&. At the root of ruling health lies death. All of its mo)ements resem+le the refle96 mo)ements of +eings( whose hearts ha)e stopped. Cardl& e)er does a furrowed +row G testimon& to some fearsome and long6forgotten effort G or a moment of pathic stupidit& in the middle of fi9ed logic( or indeed a helpless gesture( preser)e the distur+ing traces of disappeared life. For the sociall& designated sacrifice is so uni)ersal( that it manifests itself in the societ& as a whole and not in the indi)idual person. 8t has ta-en o)er the sic-ness of all indi)iduals( as it were( and in it( in the +ottled6up madness of Fascist actions and in all its innumera+le precursors and mediations( the su+:ecti)e catastrophe inscri+ed in the indi)iduated @IndividuumA is integrated with the )isi+l& o+:ecti)e one. There is hardl& consolation in the thought that the sic-ness of what is normal is not necessaril& the opposite of the health of those who are sic-( +ut rather that the latter onl& represents( for the most part( the schemata of the same catastrophe in a different form.

37
,his side of the pleasure-principle. G The repressi)e traits in Freud ha)e nothing to do with that lac- of +ene)olence @G.teA( which the e)er6industrious re)isionists refer to in the strict se9ual theor&. Those who are +ene)olent +& profession fa+ulate profits on the +asis of closeness and immediac&( precisel& where no6 one -nows an&thing a+out an&one else. The& +etra& their )ictims +& affirming( in the wea-ness of the latter( the course of the world which made them so( and inflict :ust as much in:ustice on the latter( as the truth the& omit. 8f Freud lac-ed such +ene)olence( then on this score at least he would +e in the compan& of critics of political econom& @i.e. Mar9A( which is +etter than that of Tagore and 2erfel. /n the contrar&( what is fatal is that( in opposition to +ourgeois ideolog&( he materialisticall& pursued conscious +eha)ior into the +asis of its unconscious grounding in the dri)es( &et simultaneousl& accords with the +ourgeois contempt for the dri)es( which is itself the product of precisel& those rationali;ations( which he demolishes. Ce parta-es( in the words of the Introductory /ectures( of >the general estimation... that social goals stand higher than fundamentall&( self6ser)ingl& se9ual ones.? As an e9pert ps&chologist( he ta-es the contrast +etween social and egoistic as a gi)en( staticall&. Ce no more recogni;es in it the wor- of repressi)e societ& than the trace of the disastrous mechanisms( which he himself had descri+ed. /r rather( he oscillates( theor&less and +ending to pre:udice( +etween negating the renunciation of the dri)es as a repression contrar& to realit&( or else praising it as a su+limation which encourages culture. Something of the Lanus character of culture li)es o+:ecti)el& in this contradiction( and no amount of praise to health& sensualit& can gloss o)er it. 8n Freud howe)er this results in the de)aluation of the critical standard for the goal of the anal&sis. FreudBs unenlightened enlightenment pla&s into the hands of +ourgeois disillusionment. As the late opponent of h&pocris&( he stands am+iguousl& +etween the will for outright emancipation of the oppressed and the apolog& for outright oppression. $eason for him is a mere superstructure( not so much( as official philosoph& charges( +ecause of his ps&chologism( which penetrates deepl& enough into the historical moment( +ut on the contrar& +ecause he discards the onl& purpose( +oth distant from meaning and reasonless( in which the means of reason could pro)e itself to +e reasona+le: pleasure. As soon as this latter is disparagingl& classified as a tric- of species preser)ation( dissol)ed into sl& reason( as it were( without naming the moment therein( which reaches +e&ond the circle of that which has lapsed +ac- into nature @2aturverfallenheitA( the ratio degenerates into rationali;ation. Truth is consigned to relati)it& and human +eings to power. /nl& those who locate utopia in the +lind somatic pleasure( which has no intention and which stills this last( would +e capa+le of an idea of truth which stood the test. 8n FreudBs wor-( howe)er( the dou+le enmit& towards the spirit @Geist: mindA and towards pleasure( whose common root was precisel& what ps&choanal&sis deli)ered the means to comprehend( unwillingl& reproduces itself. The passage in Future of an Illusion( where the commercial tra)elerBs ma9im that hea)en is to +e left to the angels and the sparrows is cited with the misera+le wisdom of a +itter old man( is the companion piece to that passage from the /ectures( where he condemns in horror the

per)erse practices of the :et set. Those who are e<uall& disgusted +& pleasure and hea)en( in fact function +est as o+:ects: one can fre<uentl& o+ser)e something empt& and mechani;ed in successfull& anal&;ed patients( which should +e rec-oned not on account of their sic-ness( +ut on their healing( which +rea-s what it emancipates. The much6+all&hooed therapeutic transference G whose resolution comprises( and not for nothing( the cru9 of anal&tic la+or G the ela+orate situation( in which the su+:ect )oluntaril& and calamitousl& completes that cancellation of themsel)es( which once seemed to +e in)oluntaril& and happil& reali;ed +& de)otedness( is alread& the schema of a reflecti)e mode of conduct( which li<uidates( :ust li-e the followers of the supreme leader( all spirit @Geist: spirit( mindA as well as the anal&sts( who +etra&ed it.

38
Invitation to dance. G 5s&choanal&sis li-es to gi)e itself credit for returning to human +eings their capacit& for en:o&ment( since this latter is disrupted +& neurotic sic-ness. As if the mere term >capacit& for en:o&ment(? assuming the thing e)en e9ists( did not suffice to degrade such in the worst possi+le wa&. As if a happiness( which is due to the speculation on happiness( would not +e the opposite of happiness( a further trespass of institutionall& planned modes of conduct into the e)er6shrin-ing domain of e9perience. 2hat sort of condition must the ruling consciousness ha)e achie)ed( when the +inding proclamation of e9tra)agance and champagne6ine+riation( formerl& reser)ed for attaches in Cungarian operettas( is raised to a ma9im of the right life in +rute earnest. #ecreed happiness loo-s e9actl& li-e what its name suggests: to parta-e of it( the fortunate neurotic must also sacrifice the last +it of reason left remaining +& repression and regression( and for the sa-e of the ps&choanal&st( has no choice +ut to find inspiration in the trash& film( the e9pensi)e +ut +ad meal at the French restaurant( the serious >drin-? @in English in originalA and se9ualit& reduced to doses of >se9? @in English in originalA. SchillerBs comment( >'ife is +eautiful nonetheless(? alwa&s a piece of paper6mTchP( has +ecome idioc&( e)er since it has +een trumpeted in chorus with that omnipresent ad)ertising( in whose fanfares e)en ps&choanal&sis( despite its +etter possi+ilities( :oins in. Since people ha)e altogether too few inhi+itions rather than too man&( without +eing a :ot healthier for this( then a cathartic method must( if it does not wish to +e measured in terms of successful ad:ustment and economic success( aim at ma-ing human +eings aware of unhappiness( of the general -ind as well as that which is indissolu+l& their own; and to ta-e from them the apparent satisfaction( +& )irtue of which the hideous social order perpetuates itself within them( as if its e9ternal grip were not alread& powerful enough. /nl& in the surfeit of false pleasure( in the contrariness to what is offered( in the intuition of the inade<uac& of happiness( e)en where it is still one G let alone there( where it is +ought +& gi)ing up the supposedl& sic-l& resistance against its positi)e surrogate G would the thought dawn( of what one might e9perience. The in:unctions on >happiness? @in English in originalA( in which the sanatorium director who prescri+es good li)ing and the frantic propaganda +osses of the entertainment industr& chime as one( +ear the traits of the raging father( who shrie-s at the children( +ecause the& arenBt running downstairs in transports of :o& when he comes home from wor- in a +ad mood. 5art of the mechanism of domination is that one is for+idden to recogni;e the suffering which that domination produces( and there is a straight line connecting the e)angelical lecture on the :o& of life to the construction of slaughter6houses for human +eings so far off in 5oland( that e)er&one in oneBs own ethnic group can con)ince themsel)es the& donBt hear the screams of pain. That is the schema of the undistur+ed capacit& for en:o&ment. Those who name it as such( howe)er( are triumphantl& diagnosed +& the ps&choanal&sts as merel& suffering from an /edipal comple9.

39
"go is id. 8t is customar& to lin- the de)elopment of ps&cholog& to the rise of the +ourgeois indi)idual @Individuums: indi)idualA( in anti<uit& and since the $enaissance. /ne should not o)erloo- the contrar& moment( which ps&cholog& holds in common with the +ourgeois class( and which toda& has de)eloped

into e9clusi)it&: the oppression and dissolution of precisel& the indi)iduated @IndividuumsA( in whose ser)ice the reciprocal relationship of cognition @"r$enntis: cognition( -nowledgeA to its su+:ect was +ased. 8f all ps&cholog& since 5rotagoras ele)ated human +eings +& thin-ing of them as the measure of all things( then it has also simultaneousl& and from the )er& +eginning turned the latter into o+:ects( anal&tic material( and consigned them( once the& are lined up as things( to nullit&. The denial of o+:ecti)e truth through the recourse to the su+:ect implies its own negation: no measure remains for the measure of all things( it deca&s into contingenc& and turns into untruth. This howe)er points +ac- to the real life6process of the societ&. The principle of human domination( which de)eloped into an a+solute( has there+& turned its point against human +eings as the a+solute o+:ect( and ps&cholog& has participated in sharpening that point. Jnder the ga;e of the former( the ego( its leading idea and its a priori o+:ect( has alwa&s +een turned into something non6e9istent. 4& drawing on the fact that the su+:ect is not reall& one in the e9change6 societ&( +ut is in fact an o+:ect( ps&cholog& could deli)er the weapons which ena+led that societ& to turn it into one( and to -eep it down. The decomposition of human +eings into capa+ilities is a pro:ection of the di)ision of la+or on its presumed su+:ects( insepara+le from the interest in deplo&ing them with ulterior moti)es( a+o)e all in order to +e a+le to manipulate them. 5s&chotechnics is no mere deca&ed form of ps&cholog&( +ut immanent in its principle. Cume( in whose wor- e)er& sentence testifies to genuine humanism and &et simultaneousl& dismisses the ego as a pre:udice( e9presses in such contradictions the essence of ps&cholog& as such. 8n this he still had the truth on his side( for what the ego sets itself up as( is in fact mere pre:udice( the ideological h&postasis of the a+stract centers of control( and the criti<ue of this last demanded the demolition of the ideolog& of >personalit&.? 4ut this demolition simultaneousl& ma-es the residue that much more suscepti+le to control. This +ecomes flagrant in ps&choanal&sis. 8t confiscates the personalit& as the lifelong lie( as the highest rationali;ation which holds together the countless rationali;ations( which ena+le indi)iduals @IndividuumA to achie)e the renunciation of the dri)es and to align themsel)es with the realit&6principle. 5recisel& +& pro)ing such( howe)er( it simultaneousl& confirms to human +eings their own non6e9istence. 8t alienates @entaeussern: to alienate( disclose( reali;eA them from themsel)es( denouncing their autonom& along with their unit& and su+:ecting them completel& to the mechanism of rationali;ation G that of ad:ustment. The intrepid criti<ue of the ego in itself passes o)er into the demand( that the otherBs ought to capitulate. 8n the end the wisdom of the ps&choanal&sis trul& +ecomes what the Fascist unconscious of the ta+loid maga;ines considers it to +e( to the technics of a special rac-et among others( which irre)oca+l& +inds helpless and suffering human +eings to itself( in order to command them and e9ploit them. Suggestion and h&pnosis( once re:ected as apochr&phal( li-e a sideshow magician at the town mar-et( return in their grandiose s&stem once again li-e the short feature in the +loc-+uster film. The ones who help +ecause the& -now +etter( turn into the ones who humiliate others through +oss& pri)ilege. 2hat remains of the criti<ue of the +ourgeois consciousness is onl& that shrugging of the shoulders( +& which all doctors ha)e announced their secret complicit& with death. G 8n ps&cholog&( in the +oundless fraud of what is merel& interiori;ed @bloss In!endigenA *it is not for nothing that this has to do with the >properties? @in English in originalA of human +eings. is reflected what the organi;ation of +ourgeois societ& has since time immemorial practiced on e9ternal propert&. As a result of social e9change( the former has de)eloped the latter( onl& with an o+:ecti)e reser)e clause( which e)er& +ourgeois intuits. The indi)idual person is there+& on loan( as it were( from its class( and those who are its functionaries are read& to ta-e it +ac-( as soon as generali;ed propert& endangers its principle( which consists precisel& of withholding. 5s&cholog& repeats in personal traits( what happened to propert&. 8t e9propriates indi)idual persons( +& apportioning its happiness to them.

40
'l!ays say it) never thin$ of it. G Since depth ps&cholog& has( with the help of film( soap operas and Corne&( plum+ed the deepest cre)ices( organi;ed culture is cutting off the last possi+ilit& human +eings ha)e of e9periencing themsel)es. 5refa+ enlightenment transforms not onl& spontaneous reflection( +ut also the anal&tic insights( whose power is e<ui)alent to the energ& and passion which it too- to achie)e

them( into mass6produced products( and the painful secrets of indi)idual histor&( which orthodo9& is alread& wont to reduce to formulas( into humdrum con)entions. The dissolution of rationali;ations +ecomes itself a rationali;ation. 8nstead of performing the la+or of self6constitution( well6schooled e9perts culti)ate the capacit& to su+sume all dri)e6conflicts under concepts such as inferiorit& comple9( mother6 fi9ation( >e9tro)ert? @in English in originalA and >intro)ert? @in English in originalA( which the& fundamentall& cannot access at all. The horror of the a+&ss of the self @Ich: 8( ego( selfA is remo)ed +& the consciousness( that itBs onl& a <uestion of arthritis or >sinus trou+les? @in English in originalA. %onflicts there+& lose that which was threatening. The& are accepted; +& no means healed( +ut merel& slotted into the surface of a normali;ed life li-e an ine)ita+le piece of in)entor&. Simultaneousl& the& are a+sor+ed( as a general ill( +& the mechanism of immediate identification of the indi)idual with the social instance( which has long since ta-en hold of the presuma+l& normal modes of conduct. 8n the place of that catharsis( whose success was ne)er guaranteed in ad)ance( steps the winning of pleasure @/ustge!innA( of +eing an e9emplar of the ma:orit& in oneBs own wea-ness; not in order to earn the prestige of the interesting pathological case( as with the sanatorium inmates of &ester&ear( +ut on the contrar& in order to pro)e that one +elongs to the group precisel& +& means of those defects( and to transfer the power and greatness of the collecti)e to oneself. Darcissism( which loses its li+idinal o+:ect due to the disassem+l& of the ego( is replaced +& masochistic pleasure of no longer +eing an ego( and the &ounger generation guards its egolessness with rare enthusiasm( as a lasting and common possession. The realm of reification and normali;ation is e9tended in this manner into its most e9treme contradiction( that which is assumed to +e a+normal and chaotic. 2hat is incommensura+le is made( precisel& as such( commensura+le( and the indi)idual @IndividuumA is hardl& capa+le of an impulse an&more( which could not +e named an e9ample of this or that pu+licl& ac-nowledged constellation. Meanwhile( such an e9ternall& adopted and perfected identification G one +e&ond( as it were( its own d&namic G ultimatel& a+olishes( along with the genuine consciousness of the impulse( this last as well. 8t turns into the refle9 of stereot&pical atoms to stereot&pical stimuli( to +e flipped on and off li-e a switch. Moreo)er( the con)entionali;ation of ps&choanal&sis triggers its own castration: se9ual moti)es( partl& denied( partl& appro)ed( +ecome entirel& harmless( +ut also entirel& )oid. Along with the fear( which the& could pro)o-e( also disappears the pleasure( which the& could o+tain. 5s&choanal&sis thus +ecomes the )ictim of precisel& that su+stitution of the appropriate superego )ia the dogged adoption of a relationless e9ternal one( which it taught itself to understand. The latest grandl& conceptuali;ed theorem of +ourgeois self6criti<ue has turned into a means of transforming +ourgeois self6alienation in its latest phase into an a+solute( while thwarting the intuition of the age6old wound( which contains the hope of a +etter one in the future.

41
Inner and outer. /ut of piet&( la;iness( and calculation( philosoph& continues to muddle through in an e)er narrower academic framewor-( and e)en there( it is increasingl& +eing replaced with organi;ed tautolog&. 2hoe)er entrusts themsel)es to credentialed profundit&( fall )ictim :ust as a hundred &ears ago to the compulsion to +e( at e)er& moment( :ust as nai)e as oneBs colleagues( on whom oneBs career depends. 4ut e9tra6academic thin-ing( which would li-e to elude such compulsion as well as the contradiction +etween high6flown materials and narrow6minded @spiessbuergerlicher: pett& +ourgeoisA treatment( is threatened +& a scarcel& less urgent danger: +& the economic pressure of the mar-et( which at least the professors in Europe were sheltered from. 5hilosophers who want to earn a li)ing as authors( must offer at e)er& instant something rarefied( something e9<uisite( maintaining themsel)es through the monopol& of rarit&( as it were( as opposed to that of credentials. The noisome concept of the inspirational sound6+ite @geistigen /ec$erbissens: spiritual tid+it( taste of enlightenmentA( dreamed up +& pedants( ends up scoring an em+arrassing point against its na&6sa&ers. 8f the good old Schmoc- @hac- :ournalist in pla& +& Fre&tagA groaned under the newspaper editorBs demand( to write with constant +rilliance( then he also registers in all naO)PtP the law which implicitl& presides o)er the wor-s of the cosmogonic Eros and the %osmos Atheos @reference to m&stical wor- +& HlagesA( the shape6shifting of the gods and the secret of

the gospel according to St. Lohn. The life6st&le of the +elated +ohemian( which is forced upon non6 academic philosophers( soon gi)es the former a fatal affinit& to that which is arts&( spirituall& -itsch&( sectarian and half6educated. The Munich +efore 22 8 was a +reeding grounds for that spiritualit& @Geistig$eitA( whose protest against the rationalism of the schools culminated( )ia the cult of the costume festi)als( in Fascism e)en faster than the half6hearted s&stem of old $ic-ert. So great is the power of the ad)ancing organi;ation of thought( that those who wish to sta& outside are dri)en to the )anit& of resentment( to the +a++ling of self6promotion( and ultimatel& the )an<uished ones to con games. 2hen the professors posit the principle of sum ergo cogito @'atin: 8 thin-( therefore 8 amA and fall pre& in the open s&stem to agorapho+ia( and in thrownness @Ge!orfenheit: notorious Ceideggerian termA to the pre6 industrial communit& @8ol$sgemeinschaft: fol- communit&( notorious term of Da;i propagandaA( then their opponents go astra&( unless the& are )er& much on guard( in the real of grapholog& and aero+ics @rhythmischen Gymnasti$A. The compulsi)e t&pes there correspond to the paranoids here. The wistful opposition to factual research( the legitimate consciousness that scientism forgets what is +est( e9acer+ates through its naO)PtP the split from which it suffers. 8nstead of comprehending the facts( +ehind which others are +arricaded( it hurriedl& throws together whate)er it can gra+ from them( rushing off to pla& so uncriticall& with apochr&phal cognitions( with a couple isolated and h&postati;ed categories( and with itself( that it is easil& disposed of +& referring to the un&ielding facts. 8t is precisel& the critical element which is lost in the apparentl& independent thought. The insistence on the secret of the world hidden +eneath the shell( which dares not e9plain how it relates to the shell( onl& reconfirms through such a+stemiousness the thought that there must +e good reasons for that shell( which one ought to accept without <uestion. 4etween the pleasure of emptiness and the lie of plenitude( the ruling condition of the spirit @Geistes: mindA permits no third option. De)ertheless the glance at what is remote( the hatred of +analit&( the search for that which has not &et +een grasped( for what has not +een encompassed +& the general conceptual schema( is the last chance for thought. 8n an intellectual @geistigenA hierarch&( which continuall& holds e)er&one responsi+le( then irresponsi+ilit& alone is capa+le of immediatel& calling the hierarch& itself +& name. The sphere of circulation( whose mar-s are +orne +& intellectual outsiders( opens the last refuges to the spirit @0eistA( which it is selling off( at the moment when these no longer reall& e9ist. 2hoe)er offers something which is one of a -ind( which no6one wants to +u& an&more( represents( e)en against their will( freedom from e9change.

42
Freedom of thought. G The suppression of philosoph& +& science has led( as is commonl& -nown( to a separation of the two elements whose unit&( according to Cegel( comprises the life of philosoph&: reflection and speculation. The land of truth is so+erl& consigned to determinations of reflection( and speculations are tolerated therein with an ill grace( solel& as a mere formulation of h&potheses( which are to +e thought up outside of wor-ing hours and sol)ed as <uic-l& as possi+le. 2hoe)er might +elie)e that the speculati)e realm is preser)ed( undisputed( in its e9tra6scientific realm G left in peace( as it were( +& the hustle and +ustle of uni)ersal statistics G is thoroughl& mista-en. Speculation is hit hard from the outset +& the separation from reflection. 8t either degrades into the compliant parroting of traditional philosophical schemes or degenerates( in its distance from facts which ha)e +een rendered +lind( into the +a++le of a non6+inding pri)ate world )iew. Dot content with this( the scientific enterprise incorporates speculation into itself. Among the pu+lic functions of ps&choanal&sis( this is not the least. 8ts medium is the free association. The road into the unconscious of the patient is constructed +& e9cusing them of the responsi+ilit& for reflection( and the anal&tical formation of theor& follows the same trac-( whether it ta-es its cue from the progression and +loc-ages of those associations( or whether the anal&st( e)en the most gifted ones li-e 0roddec-( trust to their own associations. $ela9ed on the anal&stBs couch( one rehearses what was once achie)ed +& the most e9treme e9ertion of thought +& Schelling and Cegel in the lecturerBs

podium: the decoding of the phenomenon. 4ut such a rela9ation of tension affects the <ualit& of the thin-ing: the difference is hardl& less than that +etween the philosoph& of re)elation @SchellingBs later philosoph&A and the gossip of the mother6in6law. The same mo)ement of the Spirit @GeistesA( whose >material? was formerl& to +e raised to the concept( is itself degraded to a mere material for the conceptual social order. 2hate)er ideas cross oneBs mind( are good enough for e9perts to decide whether the originator is a compulsi)e character( an oral t&pe or a h&steric. 4& )irtue of the slac-ening of responsi+ilit&( which lies in the separation from the reflection( from the control of understanding( speculation is consigned to science as an o+:ect( whose su+:ecti)it& is e9tinguished along with it. Thought( +& allowing the administrati)e schema of the anal&sis to recall its unconscious origins( forgets to +e thought. From the true :udgment( it turns into a neutral material. 8nstead of mastering itself +& performing the la+or of the concept( it powerlessl& entrusts its own processing to the doctor( who alread& -nows e)er&thing an&wa&. Thus speculation is conclusi)el& +ro-en and turned into a fact( which can +e filed in one of the +ranches of classification as a piece of e)idence of what is alwa&s the same.

43
Fear-mongering does not apply. G 2hat the truth might o+:ecti)el& +e( remains difficult enough to discern( +ut when dealing with human +eings one should not allow oneself to +e terrori;ed +& this. There are criteria there( which seem satisf&ing at first. /ne of the most relia+le is the reproach that an e9pression is >too su+:ecti)e.? 8f this is laid down with that indignation( which echoes with the furious harmon& of all reasona+le people( then one has reason to +e satisfied with oneself for a couple of seconds. The concepts of what is su+:ecti)e and what is o+:ecti)e ha)e +een completel& in)erted. /+:ecti)e means the non6 contro)ersial side of the phenomenon @"rscheinungA( its un<uestioned imprint( ta-en as it is( the facade constructed out of classified data( therefore the su+:ecti)e; and the& call su+:ecti)e( whate)er +rea-s through such( emerging out of the specific e9perience of the thing( di)esting itself of pre:udged con)ention and setting the relation to the o+:ect in place of the ma:orit& decision concerning such( which the& cannot e)en see( let alone thin- G therefore( what is o+:ecti)e. Cow )acuous the formal o+:ection to su+:ecti)e relati)it& is( can +e o+ser)ed in its own actual field( that of aesthetic :udgments. Those who ha)e su+:ected themsel)es in earnest( out of the energ& of their precise reaction( to the discipline of a worof art( to the compulsion of its shape( of its immanent law of form( find the o+:ection against what is merel& su+:ecti)e in their e9perience dissol)ing li-e a thread+are appearance @ScheinA( and e)er& step the& ta-e further into the matter( +& )irtue of their e9treme su+:ecti)e inner)ation( has incompara+l& greater o+:ecti)e power than comprehensi)e and much6)indicated conceptual formations( such as that of >st&le(? whose scientific claim comes at the cost of such e9perience. This is dou+l& true in the era of positi)ism and of the culture6industr&( whose o+:ecti)it& is calculated +& administrating su+:ects. 8n contrast to this( reason has fled completel& into e&eless @fensterlosA idios&ncras&( which the caprice of the power6+ro-ers castigates as caprice( +ecause the& want the powerlessness of su+:ects( out of fear of the o+:ecti)it&( which alone is su+lated in these su+:ects.

44
For post-Socratics. G Dothing is less worth& of intellectuals( who ha)e underta-en to achie)e what was earlier called philosoph&( than the wish to +e pro)ed correct in the discussion( and one would li-e to sa&( in the citation of e)idence. The wish to +e pro)ed correct( down to its most su+tle logical form of reflection( is the e9pression of that spirit @0eistesA of self6preser)ation( whose dissolution ma-es up the particular concern of philosoph&. 8 -new someone who met with all the cele+rities from epistemolog&( the natural sciences and social sciences( one after another( thoroughl& discussed his s&stem with each one and( after no6one dared to raise an argument against its formalism( considered his wor- conclusi)el& esta+lished. Something of such naO)PtP is u+i<uitous in wor-s where philosoph& e)en distantl& resem+les the gesture of con)iction. Jnderl&ing this is the prere<uisite of the uni)ersitas literarum @'atin: uni)ersal

literac&A( an a priori common agreement of minds @Geister: minds( spiritsA( which are a+le to communicate with each other( and there+& indeed on complete conformism. 2hen philosophers( well6-nown for +eing a)erse to silence( enter into a con)ersation( then the& should spea- as if the& were +eing pro)ed wrong( +ut in a manner which con)icts the opponent of untruth. The point is not to generate cognitions which are a+solutel& correct( +ulletproof and watertight G these run una)oida+l& into tautolog& G +ut rather those which direct the <uestion of their correctness towards themsel)es. G This is not to argue for irrationalism( the positing of capricious theses( :ustified through the re)elator& +eliefs of intuition( +ut the a+olition of the distinction +etween thesis and argument. To thin- dialecticall& means( in this respect( that the argument should achie)e the criticalit& @#rasti-A of the thesis and the thesis should contain the plenitude of its ground within itself. All +ridging concepts( all connections and logical helping operations( which are not in the matter itself( all secondar& conse<uences not suffused with the e9perience of the o+:ect( should fall awa&. 8n a philosophical te9t( all propositions should stand e<uall& near to the midpoint. Though Cegel would ne)er ha)e said as much( his entire procedure testifies to this intention. Since it does not recogni;e that which is first( then strictl& spea-ing neither should it recogni;e that which is second or deri)ed( and it has displaced the concept of mediation from formal inter)ening determinations into the matter itself( there+& see-ing to o)ercome its difference from a thin-ing which is e9ternal to such or mediates it. The limits to the success of such an intention in the Cegelian philosoph&( are simultaneousl& the limits of its truth( namel& the remnants of prima philosophia @'atin: first philosoph&A( the supposition that the su+:ect is something which in spite of e)er&thing is >first.? /ne of the tas-s of dialectical logic is to e9punge the last traces of the deducti)e s&stem( together with the last legalistic @ad)o-atorischenA gestures of thought.

45
>9et ho! ill does everything gro!ing seem...? @Uuote from poem +& Tra-lA G #ialectical thin-ing defies reification also in the sense( that it refuses to confirm the indi)idual as singled6out and in separateness: it ascertains precisel& this isolation as the product of the general. Thus it wor-s as a correcti)e against manic fi9it& as well as the unresisting and empt& drift of the paranoid spirit @GeistesA( which pa&s for the a+solute :udgment with the sacrifice of the e9perience of the matter @SacheA. 4ut for that reason dialectics is nonetheless not what it +ecame in the English Cegelian school and then all the more so in #ewe&Bs strenuous pragmatism( the >sense of proportions? @in English in originalA( the putting of things in their correct perspecti)e( simple +ut intracta+le common sense. 8f Cegel seemed to come close to such a )iew in his con)ersations with 0oethe( defending his philosoph& against 0oethean 5latonism +& sa&ing that the former was >fundamentall& nothing more than the regular( methodicall& constructed spirit of contradiction( which dwells within all human +eings(? a >gift which pro)es its worth in the distinction of the true from the false(? then the cann& formulation contains( tric-ster6st&le( in the praise of >what dwells within e)er& human +eing(? the simultaneous denunciation of the >common sense? @in English in originalA which is made into its innermost determination( +ecause it cannot +e deri)ed from >common sense? @in English in original(? +ut contradicts such. >%ommon sense? @in English in originalA( the appraisal of correct relationships( the cosmopolitan( practiced e&e( schooled in the mar-et( shares with the dialectic the freedom from dogma( limitation and pre:udice. 8ts so+riet& forms an indispensa+le moment of critical thin-ing. 4ut also its sworn enem&( due to the renunciation of delusionar& wa&wardness. The generalit& of the opinion( immediatel& assumed as one in societ&( as it is( necessaril& has consensus as its concrete content. 8t is no accident that in the 19th centur& it was precisel& outworn dogmatism( afflicted +& the Enlightenment with a +ad conscience( appealed to common sense( so that an arch6positi)ist li-e Mill was compelled to polemici;e against such. The >sense of proportions? @in English in originalA wholl& relates to the in:unction to thin- in the standard relationships and orders of magnitude of life( which remain fi9ed. /ne need onl& ha)e once heard the d&ed6in6the6wool representati)e of a ruling cli<ue sa&( >ThatBs of no importance(? one need onl& o+ser)e at what times the +ourgeoisie spea-s of e9aggeration( h&steria( and foolishness( to -now that it is precisel& where the appeal to reason emerges most promptl&( that the issue

una)oida+l& concerns an apolog& for unreason. Cegel emphasi;ed the health& spirit of contradiction with the hardheadedness of the peasant( who has learned o)er the centuries to withstand the hunts and tithes of the might& feudal lords. 8t is the special concern of philosoph& to -noc- the health& )iewpoints held +& later power6+ro-ers regarding the immuta+ilit& of the course of the world for a loop( and to decode in their >proportions? @in English in originalA the true and reduced mirror6image of immeasura+l& enlarged disproportions. #ialectical reason @8ernunft: reasonA is( against the ruling one( unreason @:nvernunftA: onl& +& carr&ing o)er and su+lating the latter( does it +ecome rational @vern.nftig: reasona+le( rationalA. Cow +iased and Talmudic indeed was the insistence( in the middle of the functioning e9change societ&( on the distinction +etween the total wor-6hours e9pended +& wor-ers and those necessar& for the reproduction of their li)es. Cow Diet;sche put the cart +efore the horses( on which he charged( how Harl Hraus( Haf-a( e)en 5roust( each in their own manner( falsified the picture of the world in a +iased manner( in order to sha-e off falsit& and +ias. #ialectics ma& not stop +efore the concepts of the health& and the sic-( nor indeed +efore the lattersB famil& relations( the rational and the irrational. /nce it recogni;es the ruling generalit& and its proportions as sic- G and mar-ed in the most literal sense with paranoia( with >pathic pro:ection? G then it finds the cells of healing solel& in what the standards of that social order portra& as sic-( a+surd( paranoid G indeed( >insane(? and it is true as toda& as in the medie)al era( that onl& fools spea- the truth to power. 8n this respect it is the dut& of the dialectician to help this truth of the fool to attain the consciousness of its own reason @8ernunftA( without which it would indeed perish in the a+&ss of that sic-ness( pitilessl& dictated +& the common sense of others.

46
n the ethics ;Moral< of thin$ing. G Dai)e and unnaO)e( these are concepts which are so closel& intertwined( that nothing good will come of pla&ing one against the other. The defense of the nai)e( underta-en +& irrationalists and intellectual6haters of all -inds( is igno+le. The reflection which ta-es the side of naO)PtP( turns against itself: cle)erness and o+scurantism ha)e e)er +een the same. 4& upholding immediac& )ia mediation( instead of comprehending the former as something mediated in itself( thin-ing in)erts into the apologetics of its own opposite( into the immediate lie. 8t ser)es all sorts of +ad ends( from the o+durateness of the pri)ate things6are6:ust6so to the :ustification of social in:ustice as Dature. 8f one wished howe)er to raise the opposite to a principle and G as 8 m&self once did G call philosoph& the +inding o+ligation to the unnaO)e( then one does hardl& an& +etter. 8t is not merel& that un naO)PtP is a du+ious medium of cognition @"r$enntnisA in the sense of adeptness( hard6+ittenness( <uic-6wittedness( alwa&s prepared( through affinit& to the practical social orders of life( and the all6round mental reser)ation against theor&( to re+ound into naO)PtP( the fi9ed ga;e on purposes. E)en where un naO)PtP is grasped in the theoreticall& responsi+le sense of what +roadens( of what does not remain in the isolated phenomenon( of the thought of the whole( a shadow falls. 8t is :ust that +roadening and ina+ilit& to tarr&( that implicit recognition of the priorit& of the generalit& o)er the particular( which comprises not onl& the deception of idealism( which h&postasi;es concepts( +ut also its inhumanit&( which degrades the particular( as soon as it sei;es such( to a mere wa&6station and finall& ma-es its peace with suffering and death( in a reconciliation which ta-es place onl& in the reflection G in the final anal&sis( the +ourgeois coldness( which is all too happ& to sign on to what is ine)ita+le. Hnowledge ma& +roaden onl& where it persists +& the indi)idual( so that its isolation is disassem+led +& this insistence. This presupposes to +e sure a relationship to the generalit&( though not one of su+sumption( +ut almost its opposite. #ialectical mediation is not the recourse to what is more a+stract( +ut the process of resolution of the concrete in itself. Diet;sche( who himself thought in all too wide hori;ons( -new something of this: >Those who wish to mediate +etween two incisi)e thin-ers(? reads a passage in ,he Gay Science( >are mar-ed as mediocre: the& do not ha)e e&es for what is uni<ue; seeing things as the same and ma-ing things the same are the hallmar-s of wea)ision.? The ethics @MoralA of thin-ing do not consist of proceeding in a stu++orn or so)ereign manner( nor +lindl& or emptil&( nor atomisticall& or conse<uentiall&. The dou+le6sidedness of the method( which among reasona+le people ga)e to Cegelian phenomenolog& with name of a+&ssal difficult& +& reasona+le

people( namel& the demand( to allow the phenomenon to spea- as such G the >pure onloo-ing? G and &et at e)er& moment to maintain the reflection( its relation to the consciousness as a su+:ect( e9presses this ethos most acutel& and in full depth of the contradiction. Ret how much more difficult this is to achie)e( if one can no longer assume the identit& of su+:ect and o+:ect( the ultimate assumption which ena+led Cegel to conceal the antagonistic demands of on6loo-ing and construal. Dothing less is demanded of those who thin- toda&( than to +e at e)er& moment in the matter @SachenA and outside of the matter @SachenA G the gesture of MInchhausen( who pulled himself out of the swamp +& his own pigtails( +ecomes the schemata of e)er& cognition( which wishes to +e more than either a fi9ed determination or a proposition. And then the philosophers still come along and reproach us( for not ha)ing a fi9ed standpoint.

47
(e gustibus est disputandum @'atin: There is no accounting for taste.A G E)en those who are con)inced of the incompara+ilit& of wor-s of art( find themsel)es continuall& entangled in de+ates where wor-s of art( and precisel& those of the highest and for that reason incompara+le ran-( are compared with and e)aluated against each other. The o+:ection in)aria+l& raised during such considerations( that it is all :ust a matter of collectorsB instincts( of measuring +& ells( usuall& means onl& that the good citi;ens( to whom art can ne)er +e irrational enough( wish to -eep the inner constitution and claim of truth distant from the wor-s. The compulsion of the consideration is howe)er located in the wor- of art itself. So much is true( that the& do not allow themsel)es to +e compared. $ather( the& want to annihilate each other. 8t is not for nothing that the ancients @i.e. 0ree-sA reser)ed the pantheon of that which is compati+le to the gods or to ideas( +ut re<uired wor-s of art to enter the agon @0ree-: contest( conflict( struggleA( each one the mortal enem& of the other. The depiction of a >pantheon of classicism(? which Hier-egaard still clung to( is a fiction of neutrali;ed up+ringing. For if the idea of the +eautiful is portra&ed as merel& di)ided up into man& wor-s( each indi)idual one ne)ertheless rec-ons on an inaliena+le claim to the whole( claiming the +eautiful for itself out of its uni<ueness and can ne)er admit its segmentation( without annulling itself. The +eautiful( as something unitar&( true and appearanceless @scheinlosA( emancipated from such indi)iduation( is not represented +& the s&nthesis of all wor-s( +& the unit& of arts and of art( +ut solel& corporeall& and actuall&: in the downfall of art itself. E)er& wor- of art aims at such a downfall( +& see-ing the death of all the others. That all art rec-ons on its own end( is another wa& of stating the same state of affairs. 8t is out of such a compulsion towards self6annihilation in wor-s of art( from their innermost concern( that dri)es towards the appearanceless @scheinlosA picture of what is +eautiful( which stirs up seemingl& useless aesthetic disputes o)er and o)er again. 2hile the& stu++ornl& and o+stinatel& wish to find what is aestheticall& correct @7echtA and precisel& there+& fall )ictim to an un<uencha+le dialectic( the& are more correct than the& can -now; +& delimiting each art6wor-( whose energ& the& ta-e into themsel)es and raise to a concept( the& wor- towards the destruction of art( which is its sal)ation. The aesthetic tolerance( which )alidates wor-s of art in their immediate narrowness( without +rea-ing this last( &ields onl& the wrong downfall( that of the :u9taposition( which denies the claim of the unitar& truth.

48
For 'natole France. G A <uestiona+le moment +egins to surface in )irtues such as open6mindedness( the capacit& to )ouchsafe and en:o& the +eautiful( e)en in what is most mundane and unapparent. /nce( in the epoch of o)erflowing su+:ecti)e plenitude( aesthetic indifference in relation to the choice of the o+:ect( as well the energ& to e9tract meaning from e)er&thing one e9perienced( e9pressed the relation to the o+:ecti)e world itself( a relation which confronted the su+:ect antagonisticall& G down into all of its fragments( as it were G and &et closel& and significantl&. 8n a phase when the su+:ect a+dicates +efore the alienated hegemon& of things( its readiness to )ouchsafe what is e)er&where positi)e or +eautiful( displa&s a resignation of critical capacit& as much as of the interpreti)e imagination insepara+le from such. 2hoe)er finds e)er&thing +eautiful( is now in danger of finding nothing +eautiful. The generalit& of the

+eautiful is communicated to the su+:ect in no other wa& than the o+session with the particular. Do ga;e achie)es +eaut&( without +eing accompanied +& indifference( and well6nigh contempt for e)er&thing outside of the )iewed o+:ect. And it is solel& through +eda;;lement @8erblendung: da;;le( infatuationA( the un:ust closure of the ga;e vis-1-vis the claim raised +& e)er&thing which e9ists( that :ustice is done to what e9ists. 4& +eing accepted in its one6sidedness( for what it is( its one6sidedness is understood as its essence and reconciled. The ga;e which loses itself in something which is +eautiful( is one of the Sa++ath @da& of repose in LudaismA. 8t rescues in the o+:ect something of the peacefulness of its da& of creation. Cowe)er if this one6sidedness is su+lated +& a consciousness of the uni)ersal imposed from outside( if the particular is harried( su+stituted and weighed up( then the :ust )iew of the whole ma-es the uni)ersal in:ustice( which lies in e9changea+ilit& and su+stitution( its own. Such :ustice turns into the e9ecutor of m&thos upon creation. To +e sure( no thought is immune to such interwea)ing( none ma& +e +lin-ered. 4ut e)er&thing depends on the manner of the transition. The mischief comes from thought as might @Ge!alt: power( )iolenceA( the shortcut of the path which finds the generalit& solel& through what is impenetra+le( whose theoretical content @GehaltA is preser)ed in impenetra+ilit& itself( not in the deri)ed congruence of )arious o+:ects. /ne could almost sa& that the truth itself depends on the tempo( patience and duration of the tarr&ing on the particular: what goes +e&ond this( without ha)ing entirel& lost itself( what proceeds to :udgment( without ma-ing itself guilt& of the in:ustice of the intuition @'nschauungA( loses itself in the end in the )oid. 'i+eralit&( which grants rights to human +eings indiscriminatel&( amounts to annihilation( :ust li-e the will of the ma:orit& which inflicts harm on the minorit&( and thus ma-es a moc-er& of the democrac&( according to whose principles the& act. 8ndiscriminate +ene)olence towards all constantl& threatens that coldness and remoteness against each( which are once again communicated to the whole. 8n:ustice is the medium of true :ustice. Jnrestricted +ene)olence turns into the confirmation of e)er&thing which is +ad( +& +elittling its difference from the trace of what is good and le)eling it to that generalit&( which springs hopelessl& from the +ourgeois6Mephistophelean wisdom( that e)er&thing which e9ists( deser)es to perish. @%itation from 0oetheBs FaustA The sal)ation of +eaut& e)en in what is lac-luster or indifferent appears that much more no+ler as the o+stinate insistence on criti<ue and specification( as the& are in truth more plia+le to the social orders of life. Mo+ili;ed against this is the sanctit& of what is ali)e( which is reflected precisel& in what is most ugl& and distorted. 4ut its reflection is nothing immediate( +ut solel& something refracted: what is supposed to +e +eautiful :ust +ecause it is ali)e( is for that reason alread& what is ugl&. The concept of life in its a+straction( to which recourse is made here( is +& no means to +e separated from what is repressi)e( relentless( trul& deadl& and destructi)e. The cult of life in itself alwa&s amounts to that of these forces. 2hate)er the e9pression of life ma& mean( from +rimming fertilit& and the frenetic dri)es of children( all the wa& to the competence of those who co++le together something correctl& and the high spirits of the wife( who is idoli;ed +ecause appetite shows in her so unreser)edl& G all of this( ta-en a+solutel&( has something of the ta-ing awa& of the light from others( of what is possi+le( in +lind self6perpetuation. $ampant health as such is alwa&s alread& sic-ness. 8ts antidote is sic-ness which is conscious of itself( the delimitation of life itself. 4eaut& is such healing sic-ness. 8t arrests life and there+& its deca&. Cowe)er if one denied sic-ness for the sa-e of life( then the h&postati;ed life passes o)er( +& )irtue of its +lind separation from the other moment( into what is destructi)e and male)olent( insolent and self6aggrandi;ing. 2hoe)er hates what is destructi)e( must hate life along with it: onl& what is dead is an allegor& @Gleichnis: allegor&( para+le( analog&A of what is li)ing and undistorted. Anatole France reali;ed something of this( in his enlightened wa&. >Do(? sa&s the otherwise mild6mannered Mr. 4ergeret( >8 would rather +elie)e( that organic life is the special illness of our unlo)el& planet. 8t would +e un+eara+le to thinthat there is nothing +ut eating and +eing eaten throughout the endless uni)erse.? The nihilistic antipath& in his words is not merel& the ps&chological +ut also the material precondition of humanit& as utopia.

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"thics ;Moral< and temporal order. G 2hile literature has dealt with all manner of erotic conflicts( the simplest e9ternal moti)e for conflict has remained untouched( due to its o+)iousness. That is the phenomenon of +eing alread& ta-en: that a person +elo)ed +& us is inaccessi+le not +ecause of inner antagonisms and inhi+itions( too much coldness or o)erl& repressed warmth( +ut +ecause a relationship alread& e9ists( which e9cludes a new one. The a+stract temporal order pla&s in truth the role which one would li-e to ascri+e to the hierarch& of the feelings. The state of +eing ta-en( lea)ing aside freedom of choice and the decision( also has something wholl& accidental a+out it( which appears to thoroughl& contradict the claim of freedom. E)en and e9actl& in a societ& healed from the anarch& of commodit& production( there would scarcel& +e rules regarding how and in what order one got to -now people. 2ere it an& different( then such an arrangement would e<uate to the most un+eara+le assault on freedom. For that reason( the priorit& of what is accidental has powerful reasons on its side: if a new person is preferred o)er another( then the latter is slighted( +ecause the past of the common life is annulled( e9perience itself is( as it were( crossed out. The irre)ersi+ilit& of time sets an o+:ecti)e moral criterion. 4ut this latter is entwined with m&thos( li-e a+stract time itself. The e9clusi)it& posited in it de)elops according to its own concept into the e9clusi)e rule of hermeticall& sealed groups( finall& to that of large6scale industr&. Dothing can +e more touching than the worr& of lo)ers( that a new person could attract lo)e and tenderness G their finest possessions( :ust +ecause the& cannot +e possessed G precisel& +& means of that newness( which is itself produced +& the pri)ilege of the older. 4ut from this touchingness( whose disintegration would mean the simultaneous disintegration of all warmth and snugness @GeborgenseinA( leads an irresisti+le path from the a)ersion of the little child to its &ounger si+lings and the contempt of the fraternit& +rother to the pledge( to the immigration laws which e9clude all non6Europeans in social democratic Australia( all the wa& to the Fascist e9termination of racial minorities( wherein in fact warmth and snugness e9plode into nothingness. 8t is not onl&( as Diet;sche -new( that all good things were once e)il: e)en the most tender of these( left to its own momentum( has the tendenc& to culminate in unthin-a+le +ar+arit&. 8t would +e idle to tr& to point out a path leading out of such entanglement. Ret the +aleful moment can +e named( which +rings this entire dialectic into pla&. 8t lies in the e9clusi)e character of what is first. The original relationship( in its mere immediac&( alread& presupposes that a+stract temporal order. The concept of time is historicall& formed on the +asis of the social order of propert&. 4ut the desire for ownership reflects time as fear of losing( of irretrie)a+ilit&. 2hat is( is e9perienced in relation to its possi+le non6+eing. 8t is there+& turned into a possession and precisel& in such petrification to something functional( which can +e e9changed for another( e<ui)alent possession. /nce +ecome entirel& a possession( the +elo)ed human +eing is actuall& no longer e)en loo-ed at. A+straction in lo)e is the complement of e9clusi)it&( which manifests itself decepti)el&( as its opposite( as the clinging to the appearance of someone6:ust6so. The o+:ect of this con)entionalism slips out of the latterBs hands( precisel& +ecause it is turned into an o+:ect( and forfeits the human +eings( which it degrades to >m& people.? 8f human +eings were no longer possessions of an& -ind( then the& could also no longer +e e9changed. The true affection would +e one( which spea-s specificall& to the other( holding fast to +elo)ed traits and not to the idol of personalit&( the mirror6reflection of possession. 2hat is specific is not e9clusi)e: it lac-s the impulse towards totalit&. 4ut in another sense it is ne)ertheless e9clusi)e: it pre)ents the su+stitution of the e9perience which is indissolu+l& +ound to it( not so +& for+idding such( +ut +ecause its pure concept pre)ents this su+stitution from happening in the first place. The protection of what is entirel& determinate is that it cannot +e repeated( and that is wh& it tolerates the other. The propert& relationship in human +eings( the e9clusi)e right of priorit&( recalls to mind the old sa&ing: 'ord( the&Vre onl& human +eings( which one( doesnBt reall& matter. The affection which -nows nothing of such wisdom( need not fear infidelit&( +ecause it would +e immune to faithlessness.

50
Gaps. G The demand that one should +e intellectuall& honest amounts mostl& to the sa+otage of thought. 8t means to hold authors accounta+le( to e9plicitl& portra& all the steps which led them to their conclusion( and thus ena+le e)er& reader to follow the process along and( where possi+le G for e9ample( in academia G to duplicate it. Dot onl& does this operate according to the li+eral fiction of the popular( general communica+ilit& of e)er& thought and inhi+it its factuall& appropriate e9pression( +ut is also false as a principle of representation @(arstellungA. For the worth of a thought is measured +& its distance from the continuit& of what is familiar. 8t is o+:ecti)el& de)alued +& the diminution of this distance; the more it approaches the pre)iousl& esta+lished norms( the more its antithetical function disappears( and its claim is founded onl& in the latter( in the apparent relationship to its opposite( not in its isolated e9istence. Te9ts which an9iousl& underta-e to document e)er& last one of their steps( deca& una)oida+l& into what is +anal and into a +oredom which relates not :ust to the tension during the reading( +ut also to its own su+stance. SimmelBs te9ts( for e9ample( suffer e)er&where from the incompati+ilit& of their distincti)e o+:ects with the painfull& lucid treatment. The& esta+lish what is distincti)e as the true complement of that mediocrit& which Simmel wrongl& +elie)ed to +e 0oetheBs secret. 4ut far +e&ond this( the demand for intellectual honest& is itself dishonest. E)en if one followed for once the du+ious instruction( that the representation @(arstellungA ought to model itself precisel& on the thought6process( then this process would no more +e one of discursi)e progress from step to step( as the re)erse( that insights fall to the see-er of -nowledge from hea)en. %ogni;ing in)ol)es on the contrar& a networ- of pre:udices( intuitions( inner)ations( self6 corrections( assumptions and e9aggerations( in short in dense( grounded e9perience( which is +& no means transparent in all places. /f this the %artesian rule( that one should onl& turn to o+:ects( >to whose clear and undou+ted -nowledge our mind @GeistA seems to suffice(? including all order and disposition which relates to such( gi)es as false an account as the opposing doctrine of the apperception @&esenschauA( which is ne)ertheless ine9trica+l& entwined with the former. 8f this latter denies what is logicall& right( which in spite of e)er&thing )alidates itself in e)er& thought( then the former ta-es what is logicall& right in its immediac&( in relation to e)er& indi)idual intellectual act and not as mediated through the stream of the entire life6consciousness of the cogni;er. Therein howe)er lies simultaneousl& a confession of deepest inade<uac&. For if the honest thought una)oida+l& amounts to mere repetition G whether of what is alread& -nown( or of categorical forms G the one which renounces the full transparenc& of its logical genesis for the sa-e of the relationship to its o+:ect( alwa&s incurs a certain guilt. 8t +rea-s the promise which is posited with the form of the :udgement itself. This inade<uac& resem+les that of the life6line( which runs on +ent( di)erted( disillusioning according to its premises( and &et solel& in this course( +ecause it is continuall& less than what it should +e( ma& it portra& under the gi)en conditions of e9istence an unregimented one. 8f life fulfilled its determination straightawa&( then it would forfeit the latter. 2hoe)er died in old age and in the consciousness of a guiltless( as it were( success( would secretl& +e the model pupil( who completes e)er& grade with an in)isi+le +ac-pac-( without gaps. E)er& thought which is not idle( howe)er( remains mar-ed +& the impossi+ilit& of the full legitimation( as we -now in dreams( that there are mathematics lessons which we miss for the sa-e of a +lissful morning in +ed( which can ne)er +e made up. Thought waits for the da& that it is awa-ened +& the memor& of what was omitted( and is transformed into teaching.

Part !! 194"
2here e)er&thing is +ad it must +e good to -now the worst. G F.C. 4radle&

51
+ehind the mirror. First word of caution for authors: chec- e)er& te9t( e)er& fragment( and e)er& line to see if the central motif presents itself clearl& enough. 2hoe)er wants to e9press something( is so carried awa& that the& are dri)en along( without reflecting on such. /ne is too close to the intention( >in thought(? and forgets to sa&( what one wants to sa&. Do impro)ement is too small or piddling to +e carried out. /ut of a hundred changes( a single one ma& appear trifling and pedantic; together the& can raise the te9t to a new le)el. /ne should ne)er stint on deletions. 'ength doesnBt matter and the fear that there isnBt enough there is childish. /ne shouldnBt consider an&thing worth preser)ing( :ust +ecause itBs written down. 8f se)eral sentences seem to )ar& the same thought( this usuall& indicates se)eral )ariations of something the author has not &et mastered. 8n that case one should select the +est formulation and wor- on it further. The tool-it @,echni$A of an author should include the capacit& to renounce producti)e thoughts( so long as the construction demands it. The wealth and energ& of these latter ultimatel& come to +enefit suppressed thoughts. $ather li-e the +an<uet6ta+le( where one shouldnBt eat e)er& last crum+ or drin- to the dregs. /therwise one might +e accused of stinginess. 2hoe)er wants to a)oid cliches( should not restrict themsel)es to words( lest one falls )ictim to )ulgar co<uetr&. The great French prose of the 19th centur& was especiall& sensiti)e to this. 8ndi)idual words are seldom +anal: in music( too( the single tone ne)er wears out. The worst cliches of them all are on the contrar& word6grams @&ortverbindungenA of the sort which Harl Hraus s-ewered: totall& and completel&( for +etter or for worse( planned and implemented. For in them gurgles( as it were( the sluggish flow of stale language( precisel& where the author should construct( through precision of e9pression( those resistances which are re<uired where)er language emerges. This applies not :ust to word6grams +ut also to the construction of entire forms. 8f a dialectician alwa&s mar-ed the dialectical recoil @:mschlagA of a

thought which ad)ances +e&ond itself +& putting a >howe)er? @aber: howe)er( +utA in front of the caesura( then the literar& schemata would punish the unschematic intent of what is +eing discussed with untruth. The :ungle is no sacred gro)e. 8t is o+ligator& to resol)e difficulties which deri)e solel& from the comfort and ease of self6understanding. The distinction +etween the desire to write with a densit& appropriate to the depth of the o+:ect( and the temptation for the a+struse and pretentious sloppiness( is not automatic: a mistrustful insistence is alwa&s health&. 5recisel& those who wish to ma-e no concession to the stupidit& of common sense must guard themsel)es against st&listicall& draping together thoughts which are themsel)es to +e con)icted of +analit&. 'oc-eBs platitudes do not :ustif& CamannBs cr&ptolog&. 8f one has e)en the slightest <ualms a+out a completed wor-( regardless of its length( then one should ta-e such with inordinate seriousness( out of all proportion to the le)el of rele)ance which it might register. The affecti)e in)estment @+eset#ungA in a te9t and )anit& tend to minimi;e such misgi)ings. 2hat is passed o)er with the tiniest dou+t( ma& well indicate the o+:ecti)e worthlessness of the whole. The Echternacher spring procession @0erman fol- parade( where marchers mo)e three steps forward and two +ac-A is not the course of the 2orld6Spirit @&eltgeistA; restriction and re)ocation are not the means of narration @(arstellungsmittelA for dialectics. /n the contrar& this latter mo)es +& e9tremes and( instead of <ualif&ing such( dri)es the thought through uttermost conse<uence to its dialectical recoil @:mschlagA. The prudence with which one for+ids oneself to )enture too far with a sentence( is mostl& onl& an agent of social control and thus of dum+ing down. S-epticism against the oft6cited o+:ection( that a te9t( a formulation would +e >too +eautiful.? The re)erence for the matter @Sache: thing( philosophic matterA( or e)en for suffering( can easil& rationali;e the resentment against those who find( in the reified shape of language( the traces of something un+eara+le( which +efalls human +eings: de+asement. The dream of an e9istence @(asein: e9istence( +eingA without shame( to which the passion for language clings( e)en though the latter is for+idden to depict the former as content( is to +e maliciousl& strangled. The author should ma-e no distinction +etween +eautiful and factual @sachlichem: factual( o+:ecti)e( realisticA e9pression. /ne should neither entrust this distinction to concerned critics( nor tolerate it in oneself. 8f one succeeds in completel& sa&ing what one means( then it is +eautiful. The +eaut& of e9pression for its own sa-e is +& no means >too +eautiful(? +ut ornamental( arts&( ugl&. Ret whoe)er lea)es off from the purit& of the e9pression( under the prete9t of unswer)ingl& stating the facts( there+& +etra&s the matter @SacheA too. 5roperl& wor-ed te9ts are li-e spider we+s: hermetic( concentric( transparent( well6:oined and fastened. The& draw e)er&thing into themsel)es( whate)er crawls and flies. Metaphors( which fleetingl& dart through them( +ecome their nourishing pre&. Materials come fl&ing to them. The +inding stringenc& @Stichhaltig$eitA of a conception is to +e :udged +& whether its citations e)o-e other citations. 2here)er the thought opens up a cell of realit&( it must push into the ne9t cham+er( without an act of )iolence +& the su+:ect. 8t )ouchsafes its relationship to the o+:ect( as soon as other o+:ects cr&stalli;e around it. 8n the light that it sheds on its determinate o+:ect( others +egin to gleam. Authors settle into their te9ts li-e home6dwellers. Lust as one creates disorder +& lugging papers( +oo-s( pencils and documents from one room to another( so too does one comport oneself with thoughts. The& +ecome pieces of furniture( on which one sits down( feeling at ease or anno&ed. /ne stro-es them tenderl&( scuffs them up( :um+les them up( mo)es them around( trashes them. To those who no longer ha)e a homeland( writing +ecomes home. And therein one una)oida+l& generates( :ust li-e the famil&( all manner of household litter and :un-. 4ut one no longer has a shed( and it is not at all eas& to separate oneself from cast6offs. So one pushes them to and fro( and in the end runs the ris- of filling up the page with them. The necessit& to harden oneself against pit& for oneself includes the technical necessit&( to

counter the diminution of intellectual tension with the most e9treme watchfulness( and to eliminate an&thing which forms on the wor- li-e a crust or runs on mechanicall&( which perhaps at an earlier stage produced( li-e gossip( the warm atmosphere which ena+led it to grow( +ut which now remains fust& and stale. 8n the end( authors are not e)en allowed to +e home in their writing.

52
&here the stor$ brings children from. G E)er& human +eing has an archet&pe out of a fair&6tale( one need onl& loo- long enough. /)er there a +eaut& as-s the mirror( if she is the fairest of them all( li-e the Uueen in Snow 2hite. She who +ristles and is nitpic-& to death( was modeled after the goat descri+ed in the )erse( >8Vm so stuffed / canBt eat an& more( meeeh( meeeh.? A man who is sorrowful and &et un+owed resem+les the crin-led little old lad& gathering wood( who meets the 0ood 'ord without recogni;ing Cim( and is +lessed with +ount&( +ecause she helped Cim. Another went out into the world as a fine &oung fellow to ma-e his fortune( dispatched a num+er of giants( +ut had to die nonetheless in Dew Ror-. /ne wal-s through the wilderness of the cit& li-e 'ittle $ed $iding Cood and +rings the grandmother a slice of ca-e and a +ottle of wine( &et another undresses during lo)e6ma-ing as shamelessl& childli-e as the girl with the coins li-e sil)er stars. The cle)er one +ecomes aware of his strong animal soul( does not wish to perish along with his friends( forms a group of 4remen cit& musicians( leads them into the ro++ersB den( outwits the croo-s there( +ut wants to go +ac- home. The frog prince( an incorrigi+le sno+( stares at the princess with e&es of longing and cannot stop hoping that she will rescue him.

53
,omfoolery. The linguistic ha+itus of Schiller is reminiscent of &ouths who come from the +ottom and( em+arrassed( +egin to shout in high societ&( in order to ma-e themsel)es heard: power @in English in originalA and insolence. The 0erman tirade and sententiousness is modeled on the French )ersion( +ut practiced at the +ar ta+le. 8n their infinite and implaca+le demands( the petit +ourgeois hams it up( identif&ing with the power the& do not ha)e( out+idding it through arrogance all the wa& to a+solute Spirit @GeistA and a+solute horror. 4etween the uni)ersal6human grandiosit& and su+limit& G which all idealists ha)e in common( and which continuall& wishes to inhumanl& trample on what is small as mere e9istence G and the crude lo)e of ostentation of +ourgeois men of )iolence( e9ists the most intimate understanding. Spiritual giants are wont to laugh in a +ooming )oice( to e9plode( to utterl& demolish. 2hen the& sa& creation( then the& mean the cramped will( with which the& puff themsel)es up and hush <uestions: from the primac& of practical reason( it was alwa&s onl& a step to the hatred of theor&. Such a d&namic dwells within all idealistic thought6mo)ements: e)en CegelBs immeasura+le effort( to heal it +& itself( +ecame its )ictim. To wish to deri)e the world in words out of a principle( is the mode of conduct of those who would li-e to usurp power( instead of resisting such. Fittingl&( Schiller dealt mostl& with usurpers. 8n the classicistic e9planation of so)ereignt& o)er nature( what is )ulgar and lesser is mirrored )ia assiduous negation. %lose +ehind the ideal stands life. The rose6scents of El&sium( far too )olu+le to +e )ouchsafed the e9perience of a single rose( smells li-e the to+acco in the functionariesB office( and the l&rical +ac-drop of the moon was modeled on the oil6light( in whose guttering light students slog for their e9ams. 2ea-ness posing as strength has +etra&ed the thought of the presuma+l& rising +ourgeoisie to ideolog&( e)en in the da&s it fulminated against t&rann&. 8n the innermost recess of humanism( as its selfsame soul( surreptitiousl& rages the +rute who as a Fascist turns the world into a prison.

54
,he 7obbers. G The Hantian Schiller is +oth more non6sensuous as well as more sensuous than 0oethe: +oth more a+stract as well as more entangled in se9ualit&. This latter( as immediate desire( turns e)er&thing into an action6o+:ect and there+& the same. >Amalia for the +and? G that is wh& 'ouise remains

as flat as lemonade. %asano)aBs women( not for nothing identified with letters instead of names( are scarcel& to +e distinguished from each other and also not from the figurines( which form complicated p&ramids in SadeBs mechanical organ. Something of such se9ual +rutalit&( the incapacit& to ma-e distinctions( li)es howe)er in the great speculati)e s&stems of idealism( all imperati)es to the contrar&( and chains the 0erman Spirit @GeistA and 0erman +ar+arism to each other. 2hat peasant greed( onl& held in chec- with difficult& +& the warnings of the priests( ad)ocates as autonom& in metaph&sics( is the right to reduce e)er&thing in its path to its essence as +ra;enl& as peasant conscripts vis-1-vis the women of the con<uered cit&. The pure factual treatment @,athandlungA is the )iolation pro:ected into the starr& s-ies a+o)e. The long( contemplati)e glance( howe)er( in which human +eings and things reall& unfold( is alwa&s that in which the compulsion towards the o+:ect is +ro-en( reflected. Don6)iolent reflection @+etrachtungA( from which all happiness of the truth comes( has this condition( that those who reflect do not incorporate the o+:ect into themsel)es: nearness to distance. /nl& +ecause Tasso( who the ps&choanal&sts would call a destructi)e character( is afraid in front of the princess and falls as a ci)ili;ed )ictim to the impossi+ilit& of the immediate( do Adelheid( HlKrchen and 0retchen spea- the transparent( unforced language( which ma-es them into allegories of Jr6histor&. The appearance @ScheinA of life in 0oetheBs women was paid for with withdrawal( e)asion( and more is at sta-e here than mere resignation +efore the )ictor& of the social order. The a+solute opposite to this( the s&m+ol of the unit& of the sensuous and the a+stract( is #on Luan. 2hen Hier-egaard sa&s( that sensualit& is to +e grasped in him as a principle( then he touches on the secret of sensualit& itself. 8ts fro;en glance contains( so long as its self6 constitution @SelbstbesinnungA does not arise( precisel& that anon&mit&( that unhapp& generalit&( which catastrophicall& reproduces itself in its negati)e( the controlling so)ereignt& of thought.

55
If you=ll permit me. G 2hen the poet in Schnit;lerBs pla& Merry-go-7ound tenderl& approaches the co<uette( portra&ed as the friendl& opposite of a 5uritan( she sa&s( >Step off( go pla& the piano alread&.? She cannot +e unaware of the purpose of the arrangement( nor does she actuall& resist. Cer impulse goes deeper than con)entional or ps&chological prohi+itions. 8t e)inces archaic frigidit&( the fear of the female animal of reproduction( which inflicts nothing +ut pain. 5leasure is a late achie)ement( scarcel& older than consciousness. 8f one o+ser)es how animals compulsi)el& copulate( as if under a spell( then one sees through the pro)er+ >4liss was gi)en e)en to the worm? as a piece of idealistic l&ing( at least where females are concerned( who encounter lo)e in unfreedom( and who are recogni;ed onl& as o+:ects of )iolence. Something of this has remained in women( especiall& those of the pett& +ourgeoisie( well into the late industrial era. The memor& of the old in:ur& still li)es on( while the ph&sical pain and the immediate fear ha)e +een remo)ed +& ci)ili;ation. Societ& continuall& throws the de)otedness of the female +ac- to the situation of sacrifice( from which it emancipated women. Do man( so long as he is not completel& insensiti)e( who is lo++&ing a poor woman to come along with him( can mista-e the undertone of :ustice in her resistance( the sole prerogati)e which patriarchal societ& accords to women( who( once persuaded( end up pa&ing the +ill after the +rief triumph of the >no.? She -nows that she( as the pro)ider since time immemorial( is simultaneousl& the one who is +etra&ed. 8f for that reason she is out onl& for herself( then she will +e +etra&ed that much more. This is apparent in the ad)ice to the no)ice( which 2ede-ind puts into the words of the madame of a +rothel: >There is onl& one wa& to +e happ& in this world( and that is to do e)er&thing to ma-e others as happ& as possi+le.? /neBs own pleasure has as a prere<uisite the +oundless throwing of oneself awa&( which women( due to their archaic fear( are no more capa+le of than men in their puffed6up self6importance. Dot merel& the o+:ecti)e possi+ilit& G also the su+:ecti)e capacit& for happiness lies onl& in freedom.

56
Genealogical research. G The deepest affinit& e9ists +etween 8+sen and the Stru!!elpeter @of Ceinrich CoffmanA. 8t is the same -ind as the fro;en similarit& of the flash+ul+ snapshots of famil& mem+ers in 19th centur& al+ums. 8snBt Fidget& 5hilip trul& what Ghosts sa& it is( a famil& dramaQ #oesnBt >and Mother ga;ed in silence rare / +& the ta+le( nose in air? descri+e the manner of +an- director 4or-mannBs wifeQ Cow else to e9plain AugustusB consumpti)e illness than as the sins of his father and the inherited memor& of guiltQ Furious Frederic- is prescri+ed +itter +ut healing medicine +& that enem& of the people( #octor Stoc-mann( who in return donates his li)er6sausage to the dog. #ancing little Carriet with the matches is a touched6up photograph of the small Cilda 2angel from the time that her step6mother( the woman of the sea( left her alone in the house( and Fl&ing $o+ert high o)er the church steeple is her selfsame +uilding contractor. And what else does Lohnn& Cead6in6air want than the sunQ 2ho else could ha)e lured him into the water than 'ittle E&olfBs $at62ife( cut out of the same cloth as the red6legged Scissor ManQ The strict poet howe)er +eha)es li-e tall Dicholas @also called Agrippa in some translations of Coffman( a schoolmaster who dun-s three mis+eha)ing students into an in-6potA( who dun-s the childrenBs pictures of modernit& into his great +arrel of in-( +lac-ening them with their prehistor&( pulling them to and fro li-e <ui)ering marionettes( and in such a manner holding a da& of :udgment o)er himself.

57
"*cavation. G As soon as 8+senBs name is dropped( there is a cr& that he and his o+:ects are outmoded and o+solete. These are the same t&pes who were enraged si9t& &ears ago a+out what was modernisticall& alienating and unethicall& e9tra)agant @8erstiegeneA a+out Dora @in (oll>s 5ouseA and Ghosts. 8+sen( the splenetic +ourgeois @+.rger: +ourgeois( citi;enA( )ented his spleen at societ&( +orrowing his implaca+ilit& and ideals from the latterBs own principle. Ce painted the portrait of those deputi;ed as the solid ma:orit&( who shouted down the enem& of the people( as a pathetic +ut enduring monument( and to this da& the& are still not flattered. That is wh& the& mo)e on to the +usiness of the da&. 2here reasona+le people are united o)er the +eha)ior of the unreasona+le( one can alwa&s presume something displaced and not &et wor-ed through( painful scars. Thus it is with the woman <uestion. 8n fact this is superficiall& no longer >acute(? due to the dissolution of the >masculineM6li+eral competiti)e econom&( the participation of women in salaried occupations where the& are as independentl& dependent as men( the disenchantment of the famil& and the loosening of se9ual ta+oos. At the same time( howe)er( the continuation of traditional societ& has warped the emancipation of women. Few things are more s&mptomatic of the deca& of the wor-ersB mo)ement than its failure to notice this. The admission of women to all possi+le super)ised acti)ities hides the perpetuation of their dehumani;ation. The& remain in large firms what the& were in the famil&( o+:ects. /ne must thin- not onl& a+out their impo)erished dail& grind at wor- and their life at home( which counter6intuiti)el& preser)es craft6era wor-ing conditions in the midst of industrial ones( +ut a+out women themsel)es. 2illingl&( without an& contrar& impulse( the& reflect domination and identif& with it. 8nstead of sol)ing the woman <uestion( masculine societ& has e9tended its own principle to the point that its )ictims are not e)en capa+le of raising the <uestion an&more. Do sooner are the& granted a certain measure of wealth( than the& enthusiasticall& affirm their fate( lea)e thin-ing to the men( defame e)er& reflection as an affront to the feminine ideal propagated +& the culture6industr& and a+o)e all lea)e themsel)es in the unfreedom( which the& hold to +e the fulfillment of their gender. The defects +& which the& ha)e to pa& for this( a+o)e all neurotic stupidit&( contri+ute to the perpetuation of the condition. Alread& in 8+senBs time( most women with +ourgeois pretensions were read& to tear into the h&sterical sisters( who for their part too- upon themsel)es the hopeless attempt to +rea- out of the prison of societ&( which turned all four walls against them so unfeelingl&. The grand6daughters howe)er would tolerantl& smile at the h&sterical ones( without feeling themsel)es affected( and refer them to the proper authorities for friendl& treatment. The female h&steric( who wished for the miraculous( is succeeded +& the raging( industrious +loc-head( who cannot wait for the triumph of calamit&. G 5erhaps something similar is at

wor- in e)er&thing which is outmoded. 8t is to +e e9plained not +& mere temporal distance( +ut as the :udgment of histor&. 8ts e9pression in things is the shame welling up in those +orn later( when confronted with an earlier possi+ilit& which the latter failed to +ring to life. 2hat was achie)ed( ma& +e forgotten and preser)ed in the present. /nl& what failed is alwa&s outmoded( the +ro-en promise of something new. 8t is not for nothing that 8+senBs women are called >modern.? The hatred of modernit& and that of what is outmoded are immediatel& one and the same.

58
,he truth about 5edda Gabler. G The aestheticism of the 19th centur& cannot +e understood in the conte9t of the histor& of philosoph&( +ut solel& in relation to primar& realit&( to social conflicts. The +ad conscience rests on the grounds of amoralit&. %riti<ue confronted +ourgeois societ& economicall& as well as ethicall& with its own norms. Against this( there remained no recourse for the ruling class( to the e9tent the& did not wish to fall +ac- on apologetic lies and powerlessness li-e the court poets and no)elists with state pensions( than to re:ect the principle +& which societ& itself is measured( and thus its own ethics @MoralA. Cowe)er( the new position which radical +ourgeois thought assumed( under the pressure of its opponents( was not e9hausted +& the mere replacement of ideological appearance @ScheinA +& a truth which was proclaimed with the rage of self6destruction( defiantl& re+ellious and read& to capitulate. The uprising of the +eautiful against +ourgeois good @GutA was an uprising against +ene)olence @G.teA. 4ene)olence is itself the deformation of the good. 4& se)ering the ethical principle from the social one and displacing it into a pri)ate sensi+ilit& @GesinnungA( the former restricted the latter in a dou+le sense. 4ene)olence renounced the reali;ation of a condition worth& of human +eings( which was +uilt into the ethical principle. Each one of its actions is inscri+ed with consoling resignation: it aims at alle)iation( not healing( and in the end the consciousness of incura+ilit& forms a pact with such. 4ene)olence there+& +ecomes restricted e)en in itself. 8ts guilt consists of trustfulness. 8t mirrors the immediate relations +etween human +eings and leaps o)er the distance +& which alone indi)iduals can protect themsel)es against +ecoming touched +& the generalit&. 8t is precisel& in the most intimate contact that the& e9perience the non6su+lated difference most painfull&. /nl& alienness @Fremdheit: foreignnessA is the antidote to alienation @"ntfremdungA. The ephemeral picture of harmon&( in which +ene)olence delights( onl& e9acer+ates the suffering of irreconcila+ilit&( the more it idioticall& denies the latter. The affront against taste and consideration( from which no good act is e9empt( completes the le)eling( which the powerless utopia of the +eautiful opposes. From the +eginnings of mature industrial societ&( the allegiance to e)il was not onl& the precursor of +ar+arism( +ut also a mas- of the good. 8ts dignit& passed o)er to e)il( +& drawing all hatred and all resentment of the social order to itself( an order which drilled the good into its mem+ers( so that it could +e e)il without punishment. 2hen Cedda 0a+ler mortall& em+arrassed Aunt Lulle( who meant onl& the )er& +est( when she intentionall& declared that the dreadful hat which the aunt ac<uired to honor the generalBs daughter +elonged to the maid( then the dissatisfied one did not merel& sadisticall& )ent her hate against the clo&ing +onds of marriage on a defenseless person. $ather she sins against what is the +est( in what she has to do( +ecause she recogni;es in the +est the shame of the good. She represents( against the old woman who adores the dim6witted nephew( unconsciousl& and a+surdl&( the a+solute. Cedda is the )ictim and not Lulle. The +eautiful( whose fi9ed idea dominates Cedda( opposes ethics @MoralA e)en +efore scorning such. For it digs in its heels against e)er& generalit& and posits the differential determination of mere e9istence a+solutel&( as the contingenc& which allows for one thing +ut not another. The opa<ue particularit& maintains itself as the norm in the +eautiful( as something solel& general( +ecause the normal generalit& has +ecome all too transparent. Thus it casts down its challenge to the latter( the e<ualit& of e)er&thing which is unfree. 4ut it +ecomes there+& guilt& itself( +& once more se)ering( along with the generalit&( also the possi+ilit& of going +e&ond that mere e9istence( whose opacit& merel& mirrors the untruth of the +ad generalit&. Thus the +eautiful does in:ustice to :ustice and is ne)ertheless :ustified in doing so. 8n the +eautiful( the frail future offers its sacrifice to the Moloch of the contemporar&: +ecause there can +e nothing good in the latterBs realm( the

former ma-es itself +ad( in order to con)ict the :udge from the position of the )an<uished. The o+:ection of the +eautiful against the good is the seculari;ed( +ourgeois form of the delusion of the hero in classical traged&. 8n the immanence of societ&( the consciousness of its negati)e essence is loc-ed awa&( and onl& the concrete negation stands in for the truth. Anti6ethics( +& re:ecting what is unethical in ethics( as repression( simultaneousl& ma-es the latterBs innermost concern its own: that e)er& form of )iolence ought to )anish( along with e)er& restriction. That is wh& in fact the moti)es of uncompromising +ourgeois self6 criti<ue con)erge with the materialist -ind( which +rings the former to consciousness of itself.

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Since I sa! him. G The female character and the ideal of femininit& on which it is modeled are products of masculine societ&. The picture of undistorted nature originates first in distortion( as its opposite. There( where it claims to +e humane( masculine societ& so)ereignl& +reeds in women their own correcti)e and there+& shows itself through this restriction as the implaca+le master. The female character is the imprint of the positi)e one of domination. 4ut for that reason :ust as +ad as the latter. 2hat generall& passes for nature in the +ourgeois conte9t of delusion is merel& the scar tissue of mutilation. 8f the ps&choanal&tic theor& holds( that women percei)e their ph&sical constitution @+eschaffenheitA as the conse<uence of castration( then in their neurosis the& intuit the truth. Those who feel themsel)es to +e wounds when the& +leed( -now more a+out themsel)es than those who st&le themsel)es as flowers( +ecause thatBs what their hus+and li-es. The lie is not merel& that nature is affirmed( where it is merel& tolerated and +uilt in( +ut that what passes for nature in ci)ili;ation is according to its su+stance the most remo)ed from e)er&thing natural( the pure turning of oneself into an o+:ect. The -ind of femininit& which calls upon the instincts( is in)aria+l& the one to which e)er& woman must compel herself with all manner of )iolence G with masculine )iolence: the little women are little men. /ne need onl& ha)e e9perienced once( in the pangs of :ealous&( how such female women access their femininit&( deplo&ing it where necessar&( ma-ing their e&es flash( fueling their mood swings( in order to -now what the sheltered unconscious( unscathed +& the intellect( reall& amounts to. 8t is precisel& its pristineness and purit& which is the achie)ement of the ego( of censorship( of the intellect( and for that reason it ad:usts itself without an& conflict into the realit&6 principle of the rational social order. 2ithout a single e9ception( female natures conform. That Diet;scheBs insistence stopped at this point( +& adopting an une9amined and un)ersed picture of feminine nature from the %hristian ci)ili;ation which he otherwise so thoroughl& mistrusted( ultimatel& allowed +ourgeois societ& to su+:ugate the effort of his thought. Ce fell pre& to the fraud of sa&ing >woman(? @&eib: woman( wenchA when he spo-e of women @Frau: woman( wife( Mrs.A. Thus the perfidious ad)ice to not forget the whip: the woman @&eibA is alread& the effect of the whip. 8t would +e the emancipation of nature to a+olish its self6positing. The glorification of the female character implies the degradation of all who +ear it.

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' !ord for ethics. @Moral: ethics( moralit&A G The amoralism( with which Diet;sche dressed down the old untruths( has fallen pre& to the )erdict of histor&. 2ith the dissolution of religion and its tangi+le philosophical seculari;ations( the restricting prohi+itions ha)e lost their certified essence( their su+stantialit&. At one time howe)er material production was still so underde)eloped( that there were grounds for announcing that there wasnBt enough for e)er&one. 2hoe)er did not critici;e political econom& as such( was forced to cling to the limiting principle su+se<uentl& e9pressed as unrationali;ed appropriation at the cost of the wea-. The o+:ecti)e prere<uisites for this ha)e changed. 8n )iew of the immediate possi+ilit& of a+undance( this limitation must seem superfluous not :ust to social non6 conformists( +ut e)en to the limited minds of +ourgeois citi;ens. The implicit sense of the ethics of the rulers( that whoe)er wants to li)e has to gra+ what the& can( has meanwhile turned into e)en more of a wretched lie than when it was the pulpit wisdom of the 19th centur&. 8f in 0erman& the upstanding

citi;ens @Spiessb.rgerA ha)e pro)en themsel)es to +e +lond +easts( then this is not on account of national peculiarities( +ut due to the fact that in the face of open plenitude( the +lond +east itself( social ro++er&( has ta-en on the aspect of something +ac-woods&( of the deluded philistine( and e)en of the >short6end6 of6the6stic-? attitude( against which the ruling ethics was in)ented. 8f %esare 4orgia came +ac- to life toda&( he would resem+le #a)id Fredrich Strauss and he would +e named Adolf Citler. The preaching of amoralit& has +ecome the tas- of the same #arwinists who Diet;sche loathed( and who con)ulsi)el& proclaimed the +ar+aric struggle for e9istence as a ma9im( precisel& +ecause it is no longer needed. The )irtue of gentilit& has long since ceased to mean the ta-ing what is +etter from others( +ut means instead +ecoming satiated with ta-ing and reall& practicing the )irtue of gi)ing( something which occurs in Diet;sche solel& intellectuall&. The ascetic ideals comprise a greater degree of resistance against the madness of the profit econom& toda& than la)ish li)ing did si9t& &ears ago against li+eral repression. Amoralists ma& finall& permit themsel)es to +e as +ene)olent( -ind( unegoistic and open6minded as Diet;sche alread& was at that time. As a guarantee of their un&ielding resistance( the& will still remain as lonel& as in the da&s when he turned the mas- of e)il against the normal world( in order to teach the norm to fear its own wrongness.

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6ourt of appeal. G Diet;sche e9pressed in ,he 'ntichrist the strongest argument not merel& against theolog&( +ut also against metaph&sics: that it confuses hope with truth; that the impossi+ilit& of thin-ing( li)ing happil& or li)ing at all without something a+solute( does not testif& to the legitimac& of that thought. Ce re+uts the %hristian >proof +& efficac&(? that +elief is truth( +ecause it +rings +liss. For >isnBt +lessedness G technicall& e9pressed( pleasure G alwa&s a proof of efficac&Q So little( that it almost pro)es the contrar&( &ielding in an& case the highest suspicion against the WtruthB( if feelings of pleasure ha)e an&thing to sa& to the <uestion of Wwhat is trueB. The proof of WpleasureB is proof of WpleasureB G nothing more; how in the world can it +e esta+lished( that it is precisel& true :udgments which are more pleasura+le than false ones and( according to a pre6esta+lished harmon&( necessaril& draw pleasant feelings after themQ? *,he 'ntichrist( Aphorism 5".. 4ut Diet;sche himself taught amor fati @'atin: lo)e of fateA( >&ou should lo)e &our destin&.? This latter( according to the epilogue of the ,!ilight of the Gods( is his innermost nature. And it is worth as-ing the <uestion as to whether there is an& more reason to lo)e what one encounters( to e9tol that which e9ists( +ecause it is( than for considering as true what one hopes for. 8s it not the same fault& conclusion( which leads from the e9istence of >stu++orn facts? @in English in originalA to their installation as the highest )alue( which he reproaches in the transition from hope to truthQ 8f he dispatches >+lessedness through a fi9ed idea? to the insane as&lum( then one could see- out the origin of amor fati @'atin: lo)e of fateA in the prison. Those who no longer see or ha)e an&thing else to lo)e( fall )ictim to the lo)e of stone walls and +arred windows. 4oth instances are ruled +& the same ignomin& of adaptation( which( in order to +e a+le to endure the horror of the world( ascri+es the wish to realit& and meaning to nonsense of compulsion. Do less than in credo 4uia a+surdum @'atin: +elief unto a+surdit&A( renunciation crawls in amor fati @'atin: lo)e of fateA( the glorification of what is most a+surd of them all( from domination to the cross. 8n the end( hope( which eludes realit& +& negating it( is the sole shape in which the truth appears. 2ithout hope the idea of truth would scarcel& +e thin-a+le( and it is the cardinal untruth( to pass off the e9istence which is recogni;ed as +ad as the truth( if onl& +ecause it was once recogni;ed. Cere( rather than the opposite( is where the crime of theolog& lies( which Diet;sche prosecuted without e)er reaching the final court. 8n one of the most powerful moments of his criti<ue he accused %hristianit& of m&tholog&: >The sacrificial )ictim( and indeed in its most repulsi)e( +ar+aric form( the sacrifice of the innocent for the sins of the guilt&S 2hat ghastl& paganismS? *,he 'ntichrist( Aphorism 31.. Ret the lo)e of destin& is nothing other than the a+solute sanctioning of the infinit& of such sacrifice. M&thos separates Diet;scheBs criti<ue of m&th from the truth.

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Shorter dispatches @'usf.hrungen: e9ecutions( accomplishments( ordersA. G 8f one reads anew one of the meditati)e +oo-s of Anatole France( for instance the Garden of "picure( then one cannot a)oid( in the midst of all than-fulness for the proferred enlightenment( a feeling of em+arrassment( which is to +e ade<uatel& e9plained neither +& that o+solescence( which renegade French irrationalists enthusiasticall& endorse( nor +& personal )anit&. 4& ser)ing as a prete9t for en)&( +ecause a )ain moment necessaril& appears in all Spirit @GeistA as soon as it portra&s itself( the grounds for the em+arrassment +ecomes clear. 8t is due to what is contemplati)e( the gi)ing of time to oneself( the homil&( howe)er man& times interrupted( the indulgentl& raised forefinger. The critical content of the thought is denied +& the gesture of +and&ing oneself a+out( familiar to professors sinecured +& the state( and the iron&( with which the stage actor of 1oltaire confesses on his title page to his mem+ership in the AcadPmie Fran=aise @French Academ&A( recoils +ac- onto the comedian. 8n his essa&( something )iolent is concealed in all the freighted humanit&: one can afford to spea- so( +ecause no6one interrupts the master. Something of the usurpation which dwells within all lecturing and indeed all reading aloud( has permeated the lucid construction of the periods( which reser)e so much leisure for the most uncomforta+le things. An unmista-a+le sign of latent contempt for human +eings in the last ad)ocate of human dignit& is the dauntlessness with which he e9presses platitudes( as if no6one dared to notice them: >/=artist doit aimer la vie et nous montrer 4u=elle est belle. Sans lui) nous en douterions.? @French: Artists should lo)e life and show us that it is +eautiful. 2ithout them( we should dou+t it.A 2hat steps forwards in the archaicall& st&li;ed meditations of France( alread& secretl& mar-s e)er& meditation( which claims the prerogati)e of withdrawing from the immediac& of purpose. E<uanimit& as such turns into the same lie( which the haste of immediac& falls )ictim to an&wa&. 2hile thought( according to its content( stri)es against the irresisti+l& rising tide of horror( the ner)es( the sense6organ of historical consciousness( are capa+le of detecting the trace of understanding with the world( e)en if it is onl& that it is permissi+le to +e a thought( which one alread& concedes in the moment that one steps far enough +ac- from it( in order to turn it into a philosophical o+:ect. The so)ereignt&( without which no thin-ing could +e( hails the pri)ilege which permits one to do so. The a)ersion against this has well6nigh +ecome the most difficult o+stacle to theor&: if one follows up on it( then one would ha)e to fall silent( and if one does not follow up on it( then one +ecomes o+tuse and cretinous through trust in oneBs own culture. E)en the horrid di)ision of spea-ing into occupational con)ersations and strictl& con)entional ones &ields an in-ling of the impossi+ilit& of sa&ing something thought without arrogance( without )iolating the time of the other. 8t is the most urgent tas- of a mode of narration( which ought to hold true at a minimum( that it does not loo- awa& from such e9periences( +ut +rings them to e9pression through tempo( compactness( densit&( and &et also +& +eing non6+inding @:nverbindlich$eitA.

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(eath of immortality. G Flau+ert( who went on record sa&ing he loathed the fame to which he dedicated his life( had it as good in the consciousness of such a contradiction as the sedate +ourgeois who wrote Madame 4o)ar&. 8n regards to corrupt pu+lic opinion( the press( to which he reacted li-e Hraus( he thought he could rel& on posterit&( a +ourgeoisie emancipated from the +aleful spell of stupidit&( which would dul& honor its authentic critic. 4ut he underestimated stupidit&: the societ& which he represented cannot name itself( and with its de)elopment into a totalit&( intelligence has de)eloped a+solutel& along with stupidit&. This eats awa& at the power6centers of intellectuals. Ce ma& not e)en hope for posterit& without falling pre& to conformism( +e it merel& the agreement with great minds @GeisternA. Cowe)er as soon as he renounces such hope( an element of something delusional and pig6headed enters his wor-( +ordering on a recoil into c&nical capitulation. Fame( which had something accidental and stage& a+out it( and &et also a glimmer of :ustice and free choice( has +een li<uidated as the result of the o+:ecti)e processes of the mar-et societ&. 8t has entirel& +ecome a function of paid propaganda6+ureaus and is

measured in terms of the in)estment +eing wagered +& the name6+earer or interest6group which stands +ehind it. The paid flac-s( who still appeared to #aumier as an e9crescence( ha)e meanwhile shed their disreputa+ilit& and +ecome official appointees of the cultural s&stem. Authors who want a career spea- as openl& a+out their agents as their predecessors did a+out pu+lishers( who also -new a thing or two a+out ad)ertising. /ne ta-es control of the process of +ecoming famous and there+& to a certain degree also their after6life G for what has a chance of +eing remem+ered in a thoroughl& organi;ed societ&( which is not alread& familiar G and purchases the e9pectation of immortalit&( onl& no longer from the church( +ut henceforth from the lac-e&s of trusts. 4ut there is no +lessing therein. Lust as capricious memor& and utter o+li)ion alwa&s went together( so too does the planned disposition of fame and memoriali;ation lead irresisti+l& into nothingness( whose foretaste can alread& +e discerned in the hectic essence of all cele+rit&. The famous are not happ&. The& turn themsel)es into +rand6name articles( alien and incomprehensi+le to themsel)es; as li)ing pictures of themsel)es( the& are li-e the dead. 8n the pretentious concern for their aura the& waste the su+stanti)e energ&( which alone is capa+le of perpetuation. The inhuman indifference and contempt which is immediatel& meted out to the fallen giants of the culture6industr&( re)eals the truth a+out their fame( without gi)ing those who parta-e in scorning that fame an& +etter hope for posterit&. Thus intellectuals disco)er the frailt& of their secret moti)es( and the onl& help against such is to e9press this insight.

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"thics @MoralA and style. G Authors find that the more precisel&( painsta-ingl&( realisticall& and appropriatel& the& e9press themsel)es( the more the literar& result will +e regarded as difficult to understand( while as soon as the& formulate phrases in a la9 and irresponsi+le manner( the& are rewarded with a certain understanding. 8t does not help to asceticall& a)oid all elements of e9pert discourse( all references to no longer e9isting spheres of education. $ather( strictness and purit& of linguistic arrangement( e)en in the most e9treme simplicit&( creates a )acuum. Shoddiness( mo)ing along with the familiar currents of language( counts as a sign of +elonging and contact: one -nows what one wants( +ecause one -nows what the other wants. To focus on the thing in the e9pression rather than the communication( is considered suspicious: what is specific( not alread& hidden awa& in automatism( appears inconsiderate( a s&mptom of eccentricit&( almost of confusion. %ontemporar& logic( which puts so much store on its clarit&( has nai)el& a+sor+ed such per)ersion in the categor& of collo<uial speech. The )ague e9pression permits those who emplo& it to imagine more or less whate)er the& wish and what the& mean an&wa&. The strictl& enforced unam+iguousness @"indeutig$eit: directness( decidednessA of the construction( the effort of the concept( from which human +eings are consciousl& weaned( presumes the suspension of the pre)ailing :udgment +efore all content( and there+& a radical separation of oneself( something which the& react )iolentl& to. /nl& that which the& do not need to -now counts as understanda+le; onl& what is in truth alienated( the word molded +& commerce( stri-es them as trustworth&. There are few things which contri+ute more to the demorali;ation of intellectuals. 2hoe)er wishes to escape this( must see through e)er& piece of ad)ice which tells one to focus on communication as a +etra&al of what is +eing communicated.

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Famished. @3ohldampf: slang for +eing famished or ra)enousA G To pla& off the dialects of wor-ers against written speech is reactionar&. 'eisure( e)en pride and arrogance( endowed the speech of the upper crust with something of independence and self6discipline. 8t is there+& +rought into opposition to its own social realm. 8t turns against the masters( who misuse it to command( +& wishing to command them( and refuses to ser)e their interest. 8n the speech of the su+:ugated( howe)er( there is onl& the mar- of domination( ro++ing them e)en of the :ustice which the unmutilated( autonomous word means to all those who are free enough to sa& it without resentment. 5roletarian speech is dictated +& hunger. The poor chew

words( in order to feel full. From their o+:ecti)e Spirit @GeistA the& e9pect the powerful nourishment( which societ& has denied them; the& fill up their mouths +ecause the& ha)e nothing to +ite on. Thus the& ta-e re)enge on language. The& despoil the +od& of a language( which does not let them lo)e it( and repeat with powerless strength the shame which was done to them. E)en what is +est in the dialects of northern 4erlin or the @'ondonA %oc-ne&s( the street smarts and mother6wit( ails from the circumstance that in order to withstand desperate situations without despairing( one must laugh at oneself as well as the enem& and thus :ustif& the course of the world. 8f written speech codifies the alienation of the classes( then this latter is not to +e repealed +& regression to the spo-en -ind( +ut onl& in the conse<uentialit& @3onse4uen#: conse<uence( ramificationA of strictest linguistic o+:ecti)it&. /nl& the speech which su+lates writing into itself( would emancipate human speech from the lie that it is alread& human.

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Melange. G The usual argument of tolerance( that all human +eings( all races are e<ual( is a +oomerang. 8t opens itself up to eas& re+uttal +& the senses( and e)en the most compelling anthropological e)idence for the fact that Lews are not a race at all( will in the case of a pogrom hardl& change an&thing at all( since the totalitarians -now )er& well who the& want to -ill and who not. 8f one wished to proclaim the e<ualit& of all those who +ear human features as an ideal( instead of esta+lishing it as a fact( this would +e of little help. The a+stract utopia would +e all too easil& reconcila+le with the most de)ious tendencies of societ&. That all human +eings would resem+le each other( is e9actl& what suits this latter. 8t regards factual or imagined differences as mar-s of shame( which re)eal( that one has not +rought things far enough; that something somewhere has +een left free of the machine( is not totall& determined +& the totalit&. The technics of the concentration camps was designed to turn prisoners into guards( the murdered into murderers. $acial difference was a+solutel& su+lated( so that one could a+olish it a+solutel&( if onl& in the sense that nothing different sur)i)ed an&more. An emancipated societ& howe)er would +e no unitar& state( +ut the reali;ation of the generalit& in the reconciliation of differences. A politics which too- this seriousl& should therefore not propagate e)en the idea of the a+stract e<ualit& of human +eings. The& should rather point to the +ad e<ualit& of toda&( the identit& of film interests with weapons interests( and thin- of the +etter condition as the one in which one could +e different without fear. 8f one attested to +lac-s @2egerA( that the& are e9actl& li-e whites( while the& are ne)ertheless not so( then one would secretl& wrong them all o)er again. This humiliates them in a +ene)olent manner +& a standard which( under the pressure of the s&stem( the& cannot attain( and moreo)er whose attainment would +e a du+ious achie)ement. The spo-espersons of unitar& tolerance are alwa&s prepared to turn intolerantl& against an& group which does not fit in: the o+stinate enthusiasm for +lac-s meshes seamlessl& with the outrage o)er o+no9ious Lews. The >melting pot? @in English in originalA was an institution of free6wheeling industrial capitalism. The thought of landing in it con:ures up mart&rdom( not democrac&.

67
:nmeasure for unmeasure. G 2hat the 0ermans ha)e committed +e&ond comprehension( e)en the ps&chological -ind( gi)en that the horror seems to ha)e +een perpetrated more as +lindl& planned and alienated measures of terror than as spontaneous gratification. According to the reports of e&ewitnesses( the torture and murder were carried out without enthusiasm( and perhaps for that reason went so far +e&ond all +ounds. De)ertheless the consciousness which would li-e to withstand the unspea-a+le sees itself thrown +ac- again and again to the attempt to understand( so that it does not su+:ecti)el& fall pre& to the madness which o+:ecti)el& rules. The thought irresisti+l& o+trudes that the 0erman horror was something li-e a re)enge ta-en in ad)ance. The credit s&stem in which e)er&thing( e)en world con<uest( can +e ad)anced( determines also the actions which prepared its end and the end of the entire mar-et societ&( all the wa& to the suicide of the dictatorship. 8n the concentration camps and gas cham+ers the downfall of 0erman& is( as it were( +eing discounted. Do6one who o+ser)ed the first months of Da;i rule

in 1977 could o)erloo- the moment of deathl& sorrow( of the half6-nowing entrusting of oneself to something calamitous( which accompanied the whipped6up euphoria( the torchlight parades and fanfares. Cow hopeless was the sound of the 0erman fa)orite song of those months( >5eople @1ol-A to Arms(? in the street of Jnter den 'inden. The sal)ation of the fatherland arranged from one da& to the ne9t +ore the e9pression of catastrophe from the first moment( and this catastrophe was practiced in the concentration camps( while its premonition was drowned out +& the triumph in the streets. Such premonition need not +e e9plained +& the collecti)e unconscious( which to +e sure clearl& enough pla&ed a role. The 0erman position in the imperialist competition was( according to the measure of a)aila+le raw materials and industrial potential( desperate in war and peace. E)er&one and &et no6one was too dum+ to recogni;e this. To deli)er oneself to the final +attle of the competition( meant springing into the a+&ss( and the others were pushed into it( in the +elief that it could still +e warded off. The chance of the Da;i enterprise compensating for the disad)antage of the total )olume of production through record terror and temporal priorit& was tin&. The others had sooner +elie)ed in this than the 0ermans( who were not happ& e)en with the fall of 5aris. 2hile the& won e)er&thing( the& alread& raged li-e those who ha)e nothing left to lose. At the +eginning of 0erman imperialism stands 2agnerBs ,!ilight of the Gods( the rapturous prophec& of their own doom( whose composition was underta-en simultaneousl& with the )ictorious war of 1XY" @the Franco65russian 2ar( which sealed the unification of 0erman&A. 8n the same spirit( two &ears +efore 22 88 the 0erman pu+lic saw a film of the downfall of their ;eppelin in 'a-ehurst. %alm( poised( the ship went on its wa&( onl& to suddenl& plummet straight down. 8f there remains no wa& out( then the destructi)e dri)e +ecomes completel& indifferent as to what it ne)er firml& esta+lished: as to whether it is directed against others or against its own su+:ect.

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5uman beings loo$ at you. G The outrage o)er atrocities decreases( the more that the ones affected are unli-e normal readers( the more +runette( >dirt&(? dago6li-e. This sa&s :ust as much a+out the atrocit& as a+out the o+ser)ers. 5erhaps the social schematism of perception in anti6Semites is so altered( that the& cannot e)en see Lews as human +eings. The ceaselessl& recurrent e9pression that sa)ages( +lac-s( Lapanese resem+le animals( or something li-e apes( alread& contains the -e& to the pogrom. The possi+ilit& of this latter is contained in the moment that a mortall& wounded animal loo-s at a human +eing in the e&e. The defiance with which the& push awa& this ga;e G >itBs after all onl& an animal? G is repeated irresisti+l& in atrocities to human +eings( in which the perpetrators must constantl& reconfirm this >onl& an animal(? +ecause the& ne)er entirel& +elie)ed it e)en with animals. The concept of human +eings in repressi)e societ& is the parod& of the notion that human +eings were created in the image of 0od. The mechanism of >pathic pro:ection? functions in such a manner that the power6+ro-ers percei)e onl& their own mirror image as human +eings( instead of reflecting +ac- what is human as precisel& what is different. Murder is thus the attempt to displace( again and again( the madness of such false perception into reason( through greater madness: what is not seen as a human +eing and &et is a human +eing( is turned into a thing( so that it can no longer re+ut the manic ga;e through an& sort of impulse.

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/ittle people. G Those who den& o+:ecti)e historical forces find it all too eas& to argue that the course of the war could ha)e +een different. Actuall& the 0ermans should ha)e won: that the& failed was the fault of the FIhrerBs @'eaderBsA stupidit&. 4ut the decisi)e >stupidities? of Citler( his refusal in the middle of the conflict to wage war on England( his attac- on $ussia and America( ha)e their precise social meaning( which de)eloped irresisti+l& from each seemingl& reasona+le step to the ne9t until the catastrophe. E)en if it were( strictl& spea-ing( stupidit&( this remains historicall& determina+le: stupidit& is a+o)e all no natural <ualit&( +ut something sociall& produced and sociall& amplified. The ruling 0erman cli<ues rushed towards war( +ecause the& were e9cluded from the leading imperialist positions of power. 8n this

e9clusion howe)er la& also the reason for that pro)incialism( rusticit& and self6deception( which made the politics of Citler and $i++entrop uncompetiti)e and their war a gam+le. That the& were so +adl& informed a+out the +alance +etween the general economic and specificall& 4ritish interests of the Tories and the strength of the $ed Arm& as their own masses +ehind the cordon of the Third $eich( is not to +e separated from the historical constitution of Dational Socialism( indeed from its power. The window of opportunit& for a cunning first stri-e consisted solel& of the fact that the& themsel)es -new no +etter( and that was precisel& the reason for its failure. 0erman&Bs industrial +ac-wardness forced the politicians( who wanted to catch up at a single +ound and for that )er& reason were <ualified as ha)e6nots( +ac- on their own narrow e9perience( that of the political fa=ade. The& saw nothing in front of them e9cept cheering crowds and frightened negotiators; this o+scured their insight into the o+:ecti)e power of the greater mass of capital facing them. 8t is the immanent re)enge on Citler that he( the e9ecutioner of li+eral capitalist societ&( was according to its own inde9 of consciousness too >li+eral? to recogni;e that under the shell of li+eralism a+road an irresisti+le dominion of industrial potential had formed. Ce( who saw through the untruth of li+eralism li-e no other +ourgeois( ne)ertheless did not see through the power +ehind him( precisel& that social tendenc&( the drum+eat to which e)en Citler marched. Cis consciousness regressed +ac- to the standpoint of the inferior and short6sighted competitor( from which he started( in order to render a concern profita+le in the shortest time possi+le. The hour of the 0ermans necessaril& fell pre& to such stupidit&. For onl& those who were as ine9perienced in the world econom& as the& were narrow6 minded in world cultural and social trends could mo+ili;e these for war( and their stu++ornness for the sa-e of sheer acti)it& de)oid of an& reflection. CitlerBs stupidit& was a ruse of reason.

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pinion of the dilettante. G The Third $eich did not succeed in creating a single wor- of art( a single conceptual structure( which could ha)e satisfied e)en the thread+are li+eralistic demand of >ni)eau? @French: artistic le)elA. The demolition of humanit& and the conser)ation of spiritual goods were as little compati+le as air raid shelters and stor-Bs nests( and the culture renewed +& +attle loo-ed from the )er& first da& li-e the cities on the )er& last da&: a heap of ru++le. At least the population countered it with passi)e resistance. 4& no means howe)er were presuma+l& li+erated cultural energies soa-ed up in the technical( political and militar& realms. The whole thing is trul& +ar+arism and continues to triumph o)er its own Spirit @GeistA. /ne can o+ser)e this in strateg&. The Fascist era did not cause it to +lossom( +ut a+olished it. The great militar& conceptions were insepara+le from cunning( imagination: almost from pri)ate cle)erness and initiati)e. The& +elonged to a discipline which was relati)el& independent from the production6process. 2hat counted were speciali;ed inno)ations( li-e using the diagonal +attle formation or the accurac& of the artiller&( to decide the issue. Something of +ourgeois( free6standing( entrepreneurial )irtue was in all that. Canni+al came from a line of merchants( not heroes( and Dapoleon from the democratic re)olution. The moment of +ourgeois competition in the waging of war has +een derailed in Fascism. 8t raised the foundational idea of strateg& to an a+solute( the utili;ation of the temporar& disproportion +etween the elite of a nation organi;ed for murder( and the total potential of the other. Ret ha)ing in)ented total war as a conse<uence of this idea( and a+olishing the difference +etween the arm& and industr&( the& li<uidated strateg&. 8t is as outmoded as the sound of militar& +ands and pictures of +attleships. Citler sought world con<uest through concentrated terror. Cowe)er the means he used were alread& unstrategic( the massing of o)erpowering material in specific places( the crude frontal +rea-through( the mechanical encirclement of opponents left +ehind the gaps in the front. This principle( totall& and completel& <uantitati)e( positi)istic( with no surprises( and thus e)er&where >pu+lic? and fused with ad)ertising( no longer sufficed. The Allies( infinitel& wealthier in economic resources( needed onl& to trump 0erman tactics to defeat Citler. The stupor and listlessness of the war( the general defeatism( which e9tended the duration of the calamit&( were conditioned +& the deca& of strateg&. 2hen all actions are mathematicall& calculated( the& simultaneousl& ta-e on the aspect of something stupid. As if in moc-er& of the thought that an&one at random ought to +e a+le to run the state( the war was conducted( with the

help of radar and artificial har+ors( rather li-e how a school+o& stic-ing flags in a map might ha)e imagined it. Spengler hoped that the golden age of the engineers would succeed the downfall of the 2est. 8n the perspecti)e of the latter( howe)er( the downfall of technics @,echni$A itself is +ecoming )isi+le.

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Pseudomenos @0ree-: liarA. G The magnetic power which ideologies e9ert o)er human +eings( while the& ha)e +ecome entirel& thread+are( is to +e e9plained +e&ond ps&cholog&( in the o+:ecti)el& determined deca& of logical e)idence as such. 8t has come to the point that lies sound li-e truth( and truth li-e lies. E)er& statement( e)er& news report( e)er& thought is preformed +& the centers of the culture6industr&. 2hat does not +ear the trusted mar- of such preformation lac-s credi+ilit& in ad)ance( all the more so that the institutions of pu+lic opinion garnish what the& send out with a thousand factual proofs and all the power of con)iction which the total apparatus can +ring to +ear. The truth which would li-e to do something against this( +ears not merel& the character of something impro+a+le( +ut is moreo)er too poor to +rea- through in direct competition with the highl& concentrated apparatus of dissemination. The 0erman e9treme sheds light on the entire mechanism. 2hen the Da;is +egan to torture( the& did not merel& terrori;e people +oth inside and outside the countr&( +ut were at the same time the more secure against e9posure( the more sa)age the atrocities +ecame. 8ts sheer un+elie)a+ilit& made it eas& to dis+elie)e what( for the sa-e of peace( no6one wanted to +elie)e( while simultaneousl& capitulating +efore it. Those who trem+led in fear told themsel)es that things were much e9aggerated: well into the war( the details of the concentration camps were unwelcome in the English press. E)er& horror in the enlightened world turns necessaril& into a horror stor& @Greuelm%rchenA. For the untruth of the truth has a -ernel( to which the unconscious eagerl& @begierig ansprichtA turns. 8t does not onl& wish for horror. $ather Fascism is in fact less >ideological(? to the e9tent it immediatel& proclaimed the principle of domination( which was elsewhere hidden. 2hate)er humane principles the democracies marshaled to oppose it( were effortlessl& re+utted +& pointing out that these do not concern all of humanit&( +ut merel& its false image( which Fascism is man enough to di)est itself of. So desperate howe)er ha)e human +eings +ecome in their culture( that the& are read& to cast off the frail signs of a +etter state of affairs( if onl& the world does their worse side the fa)or of confessing how e)il it is. The political forces of opposition howe)er are compelled to ma-e use of the lie( if the& do not wish to +e completel& e9tinguished as completel& destructi)e. The deeper their difference from the e9istent( which ne)ertheless grants them shelter from a still worse future( the easier it is for the Fascists to nail them down as untruths. /nl& the a+solute lie still has the freedom to sa& an&thing of the truth. The confusion of truth with lies( which ma-es it nearl& impossi+le to maintain the difference +etween the two( and which ma-es holding on to the simplest cognition a la+or of Sis&phus( announces the )ictor& of the principle in logical organi;ation( e)en though its militar& +asis has +een crushed. 'ies ha)e long legs: the& are ahead of their time. The reconfiguration of all <uestions of truth into those of power( which truth itself cannot e)ade( if it does not wish to +e annihilated +& power( does not merel& suppress the truth( as in earlier despotisms( +ut has reached into the innermost core of the dis:unction of true and false( whose a+olition the hired mercenaries of logic are an&wa& fe)erishl& wor-ing towards. Thus Citler( who no6one can sa& if he died or escaped( li)es on.

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Second harvest. G Talent is a+o)e all perhaps nothing other than serendipitousl& @gl.c$lichA su+limated rage( the capacit& to transpose the incalcula+le energies once raised for the destruction of intracta+le o+:ects into the concentration of patient meditation( and refusing to let the secret of o+:ects slip awa&( )er& much as one refused to +e swa&ed until the s<uea-ing )oice was torn from the mishandled to&. 2ho has failed to o+ser)e on the face of someone sun- in thought( dissociated from practical o+:ects( the same aggression which is otherwise acti)ated in practiceQ #onBt those engaged in production feel +rutish( >wor-ing up a storm? in the midst of their fren;ied ardorQ 8ndeed isnBt such rage re<uired in order to

emancipate oneself from the feeling of +eing pre:udiced and from the rage of +eing pre:udicedQ 8snBt what is reconciling precisel& something wrested from what is destructi)eQ Toda& most people -ic- against the pric-s @i.e. ha)e running +attles with the authoritiesA. Cow so man& things are inscri+ed with gestures( and there+& with modes of conduct. %logs G >floppies(? slippers @in EnglishA G are made so that one can slip them on oneBs feet without using the hands. The& are monuments to the hatred of +ending o)er. The carefree gestures of adolescents testif& to the fact that in repressi)e societ& freedom and insolence are the same thing( the attitude of >it doesnBt cost me a dime(? so long as the& do not ha)e to sell their la+or. To show that the& donBt rel& on an&one else and for that reason donBt ha)e to show an& respect( the& stictheir hands into their poc-ets. The el+ows howe)er( which the& turn outwards( are alread& prepared to stri-e an&one who crosses their path. 0ermans are human +eings who canBt tell a lie without +elie)ing it themsel)es. The phrase( >ThatBs completel& out of the <uestion(? which ma& ha)e arisen in 4erlin in the 19!"s( is potentiall& alread& the @Da;iA sei;ure of power. For it pretends that the pri)ate will( founded at times on actual administrati)e rights( +ut mostl& on sheer impudence( would immediatel& represent the o+:ecti)e necessit&( which admits of no appeal. Fundamentall& it is the refusal of the +an-rupt negotiating partner to pa& the other a penn&( with the proud consciousness that thereBs nothing to +e gotten from them( an&wa&. The legal tric- of the shad& law&er harangues itself into heroic fortitude: the linguistic formula of usurpation. Such a +luff defines in e<ual measure the success and the fall of Da;ism. That the pra&er for our dail& +read has( in )iew of the e9istence of +read factories( +ecome a mere metaphor and simultaneousl& lucid despair( sa&s more against the possi+ilit& of %hristianit& than all the enlightened criti<ues of the life of Lesus. Anti6Semitism is the rumor a+out the Lews. Foreign loan6words are the Lews of language. #uring an e)ening of +ottomless sadness( 8 caught m&self using a ridiculousl& wrong con:uncti)e of a not <uite correct Cigh 0erman )er+( which +elonged to the dialect of m& home town. 8 had not e)en percei)ed( let alone used( this endearingl& wrong term since the first school6&ears. Melanchol&( irresisti+l& pulling me into the a+&ss of childhood( awa-ened the old( powerlessl& demanding sound out of the deep. 'anguage threw +ac- to me( li-e an echo( the humiliation which unhappiness had inflicted on me( +& forgetting what 8 am. The second part of @0oetheBsA Faust( decried as a+struse and allegorical( o)erflows with common citations( to a degree matched onl& +& @SchillerBsA &illiam ,ell. The transparenc& and simplicit& of a te9t has no direct relationship to the <uestion of whether it +ecomes part of the cultural tradition. 8t ma& precisel& +e what is hidden awa&( continuall& stimulating renewed interpretation( which certifies that a passage or a wor- is destined for posterit&. E)er& wor- of art is an une9ecuted @abgedungeneA crime.

The tragedies which -eep themsel)es the furthest awa& from mere e9istence through >st&le(? are simultaneousl& those which most accuratel& preser)e the memor& of the demonolog& of sa)ages( through collecti)e processions( mas-s and sacrifices. The po)ert& of the sunrise of $ichard StraussB 'lpine Symphony is caused not merel& +& +anal se<uences( +ut +& its )er& splendor. For no sunrise( not e)en the one in the high mountains( is pompous( triumphal( statel&( +ut each occurs faintl& and diffidentl&( li-e the hope that e)er&thing ma& &et turn out well( and precisel& in the inconspicuousness of the mightiest of all lights lies that which is so poignantl& o)erwhelming. The )oice of e)er& woman on the telephone signals whether the spea-er is prett& or not. The tone reflects all the glances of admiration and desire she e)er recei)ed +ac- as confidence( independence( self6 attenti)eness. 8t e9presses the 'atinate dou+le meaning of grace( gratitude and merc&. The ear percei)es what is meant for the e&e( +ecause +oth li)e from the e9perience of the one +eaut&. 8t is instantl& familiar from the )er& first: the familiar citation of what has ne)er +een seen. 8f one wa-es up in the middle of a dream( e)en the most trou+ling( one is disappointed and feels as if one had +een cheated of what is +est. Ret there are as few happ&( fulfilled dreams as( in Schu+ertBs words( happ& music. E)en the most +eautiful ones retain the +lemish of their difference from realit&( the consciousness of the mere appearance @ScheinA of what the& grant. That is wh& e)en the most +eautiful dreams are somehow damaged. This e9perience is unsurpassa+le in the description of the nature theater of /-lahoma in Haf-aBs 'merica. 8t is no different with happiness than with truth: one does not ha)e it( +ut is in it. 8ndeed( happiness is nothing other than +eing encompassed( an after6image of the warm securit& of the mother. That is wh& no6 one can -now that the& are happ&. 8n order to see happiness( the& would ha)e to step out of it: the& would +e li-e a new+orn. 2hoe)er sa&s( the& are happ&( lies( +& e)o-ing it and thus sinning against happiness. /nl& those who sa&: 8 was happ&( are true to it. The onl& relationship of consciousness to happiness is that of gratitude: this constitutes its incompara+le dignit&. To children returning from )acation( the home is new( fresh( festi)e. 4ut nothing has changed in it( since the& left. /nl& +ecause the duties were forgotten( of which e)er& piece of furniture( e)er& window( e)er& lamp is otherwise a reminder( does the Sa++ath peace once more repose( and for minutes one is at home in the multiplication ta+le of rooms( cham+ers and corridors( as it will appear for the rest of oneBs life onl& in lies. Dot otherwise will the world appear( nearl& unchanged( in the stead& light of its da& of cele+ration( when it no longer stands under the law of la+or( and the duties of those returning home are as light as )acation pla&. Since one can no longer pic- flowers to adorn oneBs +elo)ed( as a sacrifice which is reconciled( +& freel& ta-ing on itself the in:ustice to all in the ardor for the one( there is something malign a+out pic-ing flowers. 8t suffices onl& to eternali;e what is transient( +& ma-ing it thingli-e. Dothing howe)er is more pernicious: the scentless +ou<uet( the official memorial -ills what remains( precisel& +& conser)ing it. The fleeting moment is capa+le of li)ing in the murmur of forgetting( on which one da& the ra& of light falls( which ma-es it flash up; to want to possess the moment is alread& to ha)e lost it. The profuse +ou<uet( which the child lugs home at the +ehest of the mother( could stand +ehind the mirror li-e the artificial ones si9t& &ears ago( and in the end it is turned into the greedil& snapped photos of the trip( in which the landscape is littered +& those who saw nothing of it( gra++ing as a sou)enir( whate)er fell unremem+ered into nothingness. Ret whoe)er sends flowers( enraptured( will in)oluntaril& reach for those which appear mortal.

2e can than- our life to the difference +etween the economic framewor-( late industrialism( and the political facade. To theoretical criti<ue( the different is slight: e)er&where the superficial character @Scheinchara$terA of( sa&( pu+lic opinion( the primac& of the econom& in actual decisions( can +e displa&ed. For countless indi)iduals howe)er this thin and ephemeral hus- is the +asis of their entire e9istence. 5recisel& those who set store in their thin-ing and actions on change( as what is solel& essential( owe their e9istence to what is inessential( to appearance @ScheinA( indeed to what according to the measure of the great historical laws of de)elopment came a+out as mere accident. Ret doesnBt this affect the entire construction of essence and appearanceQ Measured +& the concept( what is indi)idual has in fact +ecome as )oid as CegelBs philosoph& anticipated: &et sub specie individuationis @'atin: in relation to the one eternal su+stanceA( a+solute contingenc& G as something permitted( a+normall& li)ing on( as it were G is itself what is essential. The world is a s&stem of horror( +ut that is wh& those who thin- of it entirel& as a s&stem do it too much honor( for its unif&ing principle is di)ision( and it reconciles( +& asserting the wholesale irreconcila+ilit& of the general and particular. 8ts essence @&esenA is mischief @:n!esenA; its appearance @ScheinA howe)er( the lie( +& )irtue of which it continues to e9ist( is the placeholder of truth.

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(eviation. G The official optimism of its adherents is a sign of the deca& of the wor-ersB mo)ement. 8t seems to grow with the iron consolidation of the capitalist world. The inaugurators ne)er considered success as guaranteed and for that reason said uncomforta+le things to the wor-ersB organi;ations their entire li)es. Toda&( now that the position of the opponent and its reach o)er the consciousness of the masses has +ecome infinitel& stronger( the attempt to a+ruptl& change this consciousness +& renouncing agreement with it is considered reactionar&. Those who lin- the criti<ue of capitalism to that of the proletariat G which itself more and more merel& reflects capitalist tendencies of de)elopment G are suspect. Across class +oundaries( the negati)e element of thought is denounced. The wisdom of Haiser 2illiam( >8 wonBt tolerate doomsa&ers(? has permeated the ran-s of those he wished to crush. 2hoe)er pointed out( for e9ample( the complete lac- of an& spontaneous resistance +& 0erman wor-ers( is told itBs all in flu9 right now( so itBs not possi+le to :udge; whoe)er wasnBt o)er there( amongst the poor 0erman )ictims of the air raids G )ictims who had no <ualms a+out air raids( as long as the& were directed at others G should shut up( and an&wa& agrarian reforms are impending in $omania and Rugosla)ia. The more howe)er that the rational e9pectation disappears that the doom of societ& has +een reall& a)erted( the more re)erentl& the& pra& to the old names: mass( solidarit&( part&( class struggle. 2hile no thought from the criti<ue of political econom& is upheld +& the adherents of the 'eft platform; while its newspapers dail& and nai)el& trumpet theses which trump all re)isionism( +ut mean a+solutel& nothing and could +e replaced on demand tomorrow +& e9actl& the opposite ones( the ears of those who follow the part& line displa& musical acuit&( as soon as there is the slightest hint of disrespect for slogans di)ested of theor&. 8nternational patriotism meshes seamlessl& with hurrah6optimism. Those who are lo&al are supposed pledge allegiance to a people( regardless of which one. 8n the dogmatic concept of a people( howe)er( the ac-nowledgment of the conte9t of destin& +etween human +eings as the authorit& for action( the idea of a societ& emancipated from the compulsion of nature is implicitl& repudiated. E)en hurrah6optimism is the per)ersion of a motif which has seen +etter da&s: of not +eing a+le to wait. 4& trusting in the condition of technics( change was thought of as immediatel& impending( as the ne9t possi+ilit&. %onceptions rooted in long6range time scales( precautions( comprehensi)e popular6 pedagogical measures( were suspected of sacrificing the goal the& professed. At that time the autonomous will e9pressed itself in an optimism which defied death. 2hat has remained of this is onl& the shell( the faith in the power and scope of organi;ation( without the readiness to pla& oneBs own part( indeed permeated with destructi)e con)iction that spontaneit& ma& indeed no longer +e possi+le( +ut the $ed Arm& will con<uer in the end. The insistent spot6chec-( that e)er&one should affirm that e)er&thing will turn out :ust fine( casts those who remain un&ielding under suspicion of +eing defeatists and turncoats. 8n

fair&6tales( the toad who came from the depths was alwa&s a har+inger of great happiness. Toda&( when the sacrifice of utopia loo-s as similar as its reali;ation as the Antichrist loo-s li-e the 5araclete @the $edeemerA( toad has +ecame an epithet among those who themsel)es remain in the depths. 'eft optimism repeats the pernicious +ourgeois superstition( one shouldnBt spea- of the de)il +ut should focus on the positi)e. >Rou are not satisfied with this worldQ Then &ou can go search for another one? G this is the collo<uial speech of socialist realism.

74
Mammoth. G Some &ears ago( the report circulated in American newspapers a+out the disco)er& of a well6 preser)ed dinosaur in the state of Jtah. 8t was emphasi;ed that the specimen in <uestion had outli)ed its species and was a million &ears &ounger than an& hitherto -nown. Such reports( li-e the repulsi)el& humorous cra;e for the 'och Dess monster and the Hing Hong film( are collecti)e pro:ections of the monstrous total state. /ne prepares for its horrors +& getting used to giant images. 8n the a+surd willingness to accept these( a humanit& mired in powerlessness ma-es the desperate attempt to grasp the e9perience of what ma-es a moc-er& of e)er& e9perience. 4ut this does not e9haust the notion that prehistoric animals are still ali)e or at least went e9tinct :ust a few million &ears ago. The hope e9cited +& the presence of what is most ancient( is that animal creation might sur)i)e the in:ustice done to them +& human +eings( if not humanit& itself( and +ring forth a +etter species( which finall& succeeds. Noological gardens originated from the same hope. The& are laid out on the model of DoahBs ar-( for e)er since the& ha)e e9isted( the +ourgeois class has +een waiting for the 4i+lical flood. The use of ;oos for entertainment and instruction seems to +e a thin prete9t. The& are allegories of the possi+ilit& that a specimen or a pair can def& the doom which +efalls the species as a species. That is wh& the all too richl& outfitted ;oological gardens of ma:or European cities seem li-e signs of decline: an&thing more than two elephants( two giraffes( and a hippopotamus is a +ad sign. Dor is there an& merc& in Cagen+ec-Bs la&out with trenches and without +ars( which +etra& the ar-( +& mas<uerading as the sal)ation called Ararat. The more in)isi+le the +oundaries +ecome( the more completel& the freedom of the creatures is repudiated( whose ga;e could +e ignited +& the longing for the wide distance. The& relate to proper ;oos what +otanical gardens are to palm leaf gardens. The more that ci)ili;ation preser)es and transplants unspoiled nature( the more implaca+l& the latter is controlled. /ne can afford to encompass e)er greater units of nature and to lea)e the interior of such tracts seemingl& intact( while pre)iousl& the selection and domestication of particular pieces still testified to the necessit& of con<uering nature. The tiger which paces to and fro in its cage( mirrors +ac- negati)el& through its confused state something of humanit&( +ut not howe)er those who frolic +ehind impassa+le trenches. The anti<uated +eaut& of @AlfredA 4rehmBs 'nimal /ife rests on this point( that it descri+es all animals as if the& were +ehind the +ars of a ;oo( e)en and precisel& when citing the reports of imaginati)e researchers on life in the wilderness. The fact howe)er that animals in cages reall& do suffer more than in open la&outs( that Cagen+ec- in fact represents the progress of humanit&( attests to the una)oida+ilit& of imprisonment. 8t is a conse<uence of histor&. Noological gardens in their authentic form are products of 19th centur& colonial imperialism. The& +lossomed following the opening up of the wild regions of Africa and %entral Asia( which paid s&m+olic tri+ute in the form of animals. The )alue of the tri+ute was measured in terms of its e9oticism( of its rarit&. The de)elopment of technics cleared this awa& and a+olished e9oticism. The lion +red on the farm is as domesticated as the horse( which has long since +ecome su+:ect to +irth6control. 4ut the millennium has not dawned. /nl& the irrationalit& of culture itself( the noo-s and crannies of the cit&( in which the walls( towers and +astions of ;oos are crammed( are capa+le of preser)ing nature. The rationali;ation of culture( which opens a window to nature( there+& completel& a+sor+s it and a+olishes along with difference also the principle of culture( the possi+ilit& of reconciliation.

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6old hostel. G /minousl&( in the song c&cle whose midpoint went >8Vm at the end of all m& dreams(? Schu+ertBs disillusioned $omanticism designated solel& the cemeter& for the name of the inn. The fata morgana @'atin: mirageA of the land of idleness and ease is afflicted +& rigor mortis. The guests and inn-eeper are under a spell. The former are in a hurr&. The& would prefer to -eep their hats on. Sitting on uncomforta+le seats( the& are +ehoo)ed( +& chec-s sho)ed at them and the moral pressure of those waiting in line +ehind them( to lea)e the place( which still +ears the moc-ing name of a cafP( as <uic-l& as possi+le. The inn-eeper howe)er( including all the assistants( is not who he or she is( +ut a salaried emplo&ee. 5ro+a+l& the decline of the hotel craft @5otel!esensA dates +ac- to the dissolution of the anti<ue unit& of hostel and +ordello( whose memor& li)es on nostalgicall& in e)er& glance at the smartl&6 dressed waitress and the tell6tale gestures of the maids. Since howe)er the last am+iguit& G e)en the one which still clings to the word >intercourse? G has +een dri)en out of guest ser)ice( the most honora+le sphere of circulation( things ha)e +ecome <uite grim. Step +& step( and alwa&s on irrefuta+le grounds( the means annihilate the ends. The di)ision of la+or( the s&stem of automatic performances( ensures that no6 one is reall& interested in the comfort of the customer. Do6one -nows how to read a customerBs face( for what the& might +e in the mood for( +ecause the waiter doesnBt -now the dishes an&more( and e)en if one suggested something oneself( one would +e repro)ed for o)erstepping oneBs competence. Do6one hurries to ser)e the patientl& waiting guest( if the one who is responsi+le for this is +us&: the concern for the institution which culminates in the prison( ta-es precedence G as in the clinic G o)er the su+:ect which is administered as an o+:ect. That the >restaurant? is separated +& a hostile a+&ss from the hotel( from the empt& hus- of the room( is self6e)ident( :ust as much as the time6limits on eating and in the un+eara+le >room ser)ice? @in English in originalA( from which one flees into the drugstore( to the pu+lic shop( +ehind whose unin)iting counter a :uggler with fried eggs( crisp& +acon and ice6cu+es pro)es to +e the last friend of the guest. 8n the hotel howe)er the porter +rushes awa& e)er& unforeseen <uestion with a surl& nod to another counter( usuall& closed. The o+:ection that all of this is nothing +ut a caterwauling laudatio temporis acti @'atin: praise for times pastA doesnBt hold water. 2ho would not prefer the 5rague 4lue Star or the Austrian %ourt in Sal;+urg( e)en if the& had to cross the hall to enter the +athroom and if the& were no longer awa-ened +& unfailing central heating in the earl& morningQ The nearer one mo)es to the sphere of immediate( +odil& e9istence( the more du+ious progress +ecomes( the 5&rrhic )ictor& of fetishi;ed production. Sometimes such progress +ecomes afraid of itself( and it see-s to :oin +ac- together the la+or6 functions which ha)e +een calculatingl& separated( if onl& s&m+olicall&. Therein arise figures such as the >hostess? @in English in originalA( a s&nthetic female inn-eeper. Lust as she in realit& ta-es care of nothing( has no real wherewithal to +ring together the di)ided and fro;en institutions( +ut is limited to the nugator& gesture of welcome and in an& case o)erseeing the emplo&ees( so does she loo- G pee)ishl& prett&( an upright( thin( strenuousl& &outhful and faded woman. Cer true purpose is to ensure that the entering guest does not e)en see- out the ta+le +& themsel)es( at which customers are processed. Cer amenit& is the re)erse6picture of the dignit& of the +ouncer.

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Gala dinner. G Cow progress and regression are intertwined toda&( can +e gleaned from the concept of technical possi+ilities. The mechanical processes of reproduction ha)e de)eloped independentl& of what is reproduced and ha)e +ecome autonomous. The& count as progressi)e( and an&thing which does not ta-e part in them( as reactionar& and narrow6minded. Such +eliefs are promoted all the more( +ecause the moment the super6gadgets remain unused( the& threaten to turn into unprofita+le in)estments. Since their de)elopment essentiall& concerns what under li+eralism was called >pac-aging(? and at the same time crushing the thing itself under its own weight( which an&wa& remains e9ternal to the apparatus( the adaptation of needs to this pac-aging has as its conse<uence the death of the o+:ecti)e claim. The fascinated eagerness to consume the newest procedure( does not onl& create indifference towards what is

transmitted( +ut comes to +enefit stationar& :un- and calculated idioc&. 8t confirms the old -itsch in e)er new paraphrases as haute nouveaut @French: high no)elt&A. The defiant and narrow6minded wish to respond to technical progress +& +u&ing nothing which isnBt a hit( to refuse to remain +ehind the production6process( irregardless of the meaning of what is produced. E)er&where( following the crowd( swarming around( and standing in lines su+stitutes for the somewhat rational need. The hatred of a radical( all too modern composition is scarcel& less than that of a film which is alread& three months old( to which the newest one is preferred at an& price( e)en though this last is not the slightest +it different. Lust as the customers of mass societ& wish to +e in on the scene( the& can lea)e nothing out. 8f 19th centur& connoisseurs sat down onl& for one act of an opera( with the +ar+aric aside that the& wouldnBt cut their dinner short for an& spectacle( then meanwhile the +ar+arism( which has cut off the possi+ilit& of escape to dinner( cannot stuff itself enough with its own culture. E)er& program must +e sat through to the end( e)er& >+est seller? @in English in originalA must +e read( e)er& film must +e seen during its first release in the mo)ie theater. The a+undance of what is consumed without choice +ecomes calamitous. 8t ma-es it impossi+le to find oneBs wa&( and :ust as one loo-s for a guide @FIhrer: literall& >leader? or >guide(? +ut a pun on CitlerBs official titleA in a monstrous department store( so too does the population( penned in +& attractions( wait for a leader of their own.

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'uction. G Jnfettered technics eliminates lu9ur&( not +& declaring pri)ilege as a human right( +ut +& se)ering the possi+ilit& of fulfillment in the midst of raising general li)ing standards. The e9press train which races through the continent in three nights and two da&s is a miracle( +ut the trip in it has nothing of the faded glor& of the train +leu @French: +lue trainA. 2hat comprised the )oluptuousness of tra)el( which +egan +& wa)ing farewell through the open window( the friendl& concern of those who accepted tips( the ceremonial meals( the unallo&ed feeling of +eing fa)ored( which does not ta-e an&thing awa& from an&one else( has disappeared along with the elegant people who were wont to promenade +efore the departure on old6fashioned platforms( and who will henceforth +e sought for in )ain in the halls of the most prestigious hotels. That the steps of the train are drawn in( signifies to tra)elers on e)en the most e9pensi)e e9press that the& must o+e& the terse instructions of the compan& li-e prisoners. The& are gi)en indeed the e9actl& calculated )alue for their mone&( +ut nothing which isnBt alread& included in the statisticall& a)erage claim. Hnowing such conditions( whoe)er would ha)e the idea of setting out with his +elo)ed( as formerl& was done from 5aris to DiceQ 4ut one cannot sha-e off the suspicion that e)en the de)iant lu9ur&( which noisil& proclaims itself as such( has an element of something capricious( of something artificiall& gotten up. As per 1e+lenBs theor&( it is more a+out permitting those who can pa&( to pro)e to themsel)es and others their status( than a+out meeting their in an& case increasingl& undifferentiated needs. 2hile the %adillac is surel& superior to the %he)rolet( since it costs more( this superiorit&( otherwise than in the old $olls $o&ce( is deri)ed from a total plan( which cle)erl& e<uips the first with +etter c&linders( +ra-es( and accessories the second with worse ones( without changing an&thing in the +asic schema of the mass product: one need onl& ma-e small changes in production to transform a %he)rolet into a %adillac. Thus lu9ur& is +eing hollowed out. For in the middle of general fungi+ilit&( happiness clings without e9ception to what is not fungi+le. Do e9ertion of humanit&( no formal reasoning can alter the fact that the clothing which shimmers li-e a fair&6tale is worn +& the one and onl&( not +& twent&6thousand others. Jnder capitalism( the utopia of the <ualitati)e G what +& )irtue of its difference and uni<ueness does not enter into the ruling e9change relationship G flees into the fetish character. 4ut this promise of happiness in lu9ur& presupposes once more pri)ilege( economic ine<ualit&( precisel& a societ& +ased on fungi+ilit&. That is wh& the <ualitati)e itself turns into a special case of <uantification( the not6fungi+le into the fungi+le( lu9ur& into comfort and in the end into senseless gadgets. 8n such a circle the principle of lu9ur& goes to pieces e)en without the le)eling tendenc& of mass societ&( o)er which the reactionaries sentimentall& fuss and fume. The inner composition of lu9ur& is not indifferent to what useless things( through their total em+edding in the realm of usefulness( e9perience. 8ts remainders( e)en o+:ects of the

greatest <ualit&( alread& loo- li-e :un-. The delicacies with which the super6rich fill up their homes( call out helplessl& for a museum( &et this latter would( as per 1aler&Bs insight( -ill the meaning of statues and paintings; onl& their mother( architecture( points to their proper place. Celd fast howe)er in the houses of those to which nothing +inds them( the& are a slap in the face of the mode of e9istence which pri)ate propert& has de)eloped into. 8f the anti<uities with which millionaires +efore the 22 8 surrounded themsel)es still mattered( +ecause the& raised the idea of the +ourgeois dwelling to a dream G the fearful dream G without e9ploding it( then the chinoisieries @French: tic-&6tac-& lu9uriesA which the& meanwhile ha)e turned to( sullenl& tolerate the pri)ate owner( who is onl& at ease in the light and air which are loc-ed awa& +& lu9ur&. Functionalist lu9ur& is a nonsense( on which false $ussian princes who wor- as interior decorators for Coll&wood ma& earn their -eep. The lines of ad)anced taste con)erge in asceticism. The child reading ' ,housand and ne 2ights( into9icated +& ru+ies and emeralds( as-ed the <uestion( what indeed is so wonderful a+out the possession of such stones( gi)en that the& are descri+ed not as a means of e9change( +ut as a hoard. The entire dialectic of enlightenment is at wor- in this <uestion. 8t is as reasona+le as unreasona+le: reasona+le( in +ecoming aware of idoli;ation( unreasona+le( in turning against its own end( which is present onl& there( where it is not held accounta+le to an& authorit&( or indeed to an& intention: no happiness without fetishism. 4& and +&( howe)er( the s-eptical childBs <uestion has spread to e)er& lu9ur&( and e)en na-ed sensual pleasure is not immune to it. To the aesthetic e&e( which represents what is not useful against utilit&( what is aesthetic G when )iolentl& cut off from purpose G turns into what is anti6aesthetic( +ecause it e9presses )iolence: lu9ur& turns into +rutalit&. 8n the end it +ecomes swallowed up +& drudger& or conser)ed as a caricature. 2hate)er of the +eautiful flourishes under horror( is a moc-er& and ugl& to itself. De)ertheless its ephemeral shape stands for the a)oida+ilit& of horror. Something of this parado9 lies in the +asis of all art; toda& it is e9pressed in the fact that art still e9ists at all. The firml& held idea of the +eautiful demands( that happiness +e cast off and at the same time maintained.

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ver the mountains. G Snow 2hite e9presses( more perfectl& than an& other fair&6tale( the idea of melanchol&. 8ts pure picture is the <ueen( who ga;es into the snow through the window and wishes for her daughter in terms of the lifeless( animated +eaut& of the snow6fla-es( the +lac- sorrow of the window6 frame( the sta+ of +leeding; and then d&ing in child+irth. The happ& ending ta-es awa& nothing from this. As the wished6for granting is reall& death( the sal)ation remains appearance @ScheinA. For the deeper perception does not +elie)e that she( who lies li-e someone sleeping in a glass coffin( was awa-ened. 8snBt the poison +ite of apple( dislodged from her throat +& the +umpiness of the :ourne&( rather than a means of murder( the remainder of the unreali;ed( e9iled life( from which onl& now she reco)ers( since no decei)ing emissaries lure her an& moreQ And how frail sounds the happ& end: >Then Snow 2hite found him good and went with him.? Cow it is repealed +& the wic-ed triumph o)er wic-edness. Thus when we hope for sal)ation( a )oice sa&s to us( that hope is in )ain( and &et it is a+o)e all this hope( powerless( alone( which permits us to draw another +reath. All contemplation can do no more( than patientl& delineate the am+iguit& of melanchol& in e)er new figures and approaches. The truth is not to +e separated from the delusion that one da&( out of the figures of appearance @ScheinA( there would nonetheless +e sal)ation.

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Intellectus sacrificium intellectus. @'atin: 8ntellectuals sacrifice to intellectualsA. To presume that thin-ing would profit from the decline of the emotions through increasing o+:ecti)it&( or that it would remain indifferent to such( is itself an e9pression of the process of dum+ing down. The social di)ision of la+or recoils on human +eings( howe)er much the former ma& facilitate the accomplishments re<uired of the latter. The faculties( which de)elop through reciprocal effect( shri)el once when the& are torn from each other. Diet;scheBs aphorism( >The degree and -ind of se9ualit& of human +eings reaches into the furthest

pea- of their Spirit @GeistesA? stri-es at more than :ust a ps&chological state of affairs. 4ecause e)en the most distant o+:ectifications of thought are nourished +& the dri)es( to destro& the latter is to destro& the formerBs own condition. 8snBt memor& insepara+le from the lo)e( which wants to preser)e( what ne)ertheless passes awa&Q #oesnBt e)er& impulse of the imagination arise from the wish( which transcends the e9istent in all fidelit&( +& displacing its elementsQ 8ndeed isnBt the simplest perception modeled on the fear of what is percei)ed( or the desire for suchQ 8t is true that the o+:ecti)e meaning of cognitions has( with the o+:ectification of the world( separated itself e)er further from the +asis of the dri)es; it is true that cognition fails( where its o+:ectified achie)ement remains under the +aleful spell of the wishes. Cowe)er if the dri)es are not at the same time su+lated in the thought( which escapes such a +aleful spell( then there can +e no cognition an&more( and the thought which -ills the wish( its father( will +e o)erta-en +& the re)enge of stupidit&. Memor& is ta+ooed as uncalcula+le( unrelia+le( irrational. The intellectual asthma which results from this( which culminates in the +rea-down of the historical dimension of consciousness( immediatel& de+ases the s&nthetic apperception which( according to Hant( is not to +e separated from the >reproduction in the imagination(? from commemoration. 8magination( toda& attri+uted to the realm of the unconscious and defamed in cognition as a childish( in:udicious rudiment( creates alone that indispensa+le relation +etween o+:ects( out of which all :udgment originates: if it is dri)en out( then the :udgment( the actual act of cognition( is e9orcised as well. The castration of perception( howe)er( +& a controlling authorit&( which refuses it an& desiring anticipation( there+& compels it into the schema of the powerless repetition of what is alread& familiar. That nothing more is actuall& allowed to +e seen( amounts to the sacrifice of the intellect. Lust as( under the unrestrained primac& of the production process( the wherefore of reason disappears( until it degenerates into the fetishism of itself and of e9ternali;ed power( so too does it reduce itself down to an instrument and comes to resem+le its functionaries( whose thought6 apparatus onl& ser)es the purpose( of hindering thought. /nce the final emotional trace is effaced( what solel& remains of thin-ing is a+solute tautolog&. The utterl& pure reason of those who ha)e completel& di)ested themself of the capacit& >to imagine an o+:ect e)en without its presence(? con)erges with pure unconsciousness( with idioc& in the most literal sense( for measured +& the o)erweening realistic ideal of a categor&6free actualit&( e)er& cognition is false( and true onl& if the <uestion of true or false is inapplica+le. That this is a <uestion of wide6ranging tendencies( is e)ident at e)er& step of the scientific enterprise( which is on the point of su+:ugating the rest of the world( li-e so man& defenseless ruins.

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(iagnosis. G That the world has meanwhile turned into the s&stem which the Da;is un:ustl& +erated as the la9 2eimar $epu+lic( is e)ident in the pre6esta+lished harmon& +etween institutions and those who the& ser)e. A humanit& is secretl& emerging( which hungers for the compulsion and restriction( which the nonsensical continuation of domination imposes. These human +eings howe)er ha)e( fa)ored +& the o+:ecti)e social arrangement( sei;ed hold of the functions which +& rights ought to generate dissonance against the pre6esta+lished harmon&. Among all the cashiered slogans( one stands out: >pressure produces counter6pressure? G &et if the former +ecomes powerful enough( then the latter disappears( and societ& appears to want to contri+ute considera+l& to entrop&( +& a deadl& e<uili+rium of tensions. The scientific enterprise has its e9act e<ui)alent in the -ind of minds @GeistesartA( which it harnesses: the& need hardl& do an& )iolence to themsel)es( pro)ing eager and willing administrators of their own sel)es. E)en when the& pro)e to +e <uite humane and reasona+le +eings outside of the enterprise( the& free;e into pathic stupidit& the moment the& thin- professionall&. Far from percei)ing such prohi+itions on thought as something hostile( the candidates G and all scientists are candidates G feel relie)ed. 4ecause thin-ing +urdens them with a su+:ecti)e responsi+ilit&( which their o+:ecti)e position in the production6process pre)ents them from fulfilling( the& renounce it( sha-e a +it and run o)er to the other side. The displeasure of thin-ing soon turns into the incapacit& to thin- at all: people who effortlessl& in)ent the most refined statistical o+:ections( when it is a <uestion of sa+otaging a cognition( are not capa+le of ma-ing the simplest predictions of content e9 cathedra @'atin: from the chair( e.g. 5apal decisionA. The& lash out at the

speculation and in it -ill common sense. The more intelligent of them ha)e an in-ling of what ails their mental faculties( +ecause the s&mptoms are not uni)ersal( +ut appear in the organs( whose ser)ice the& sell. Man& still wait in fear and shame( at +eing caught with their defect. All howe)er find it raised pu+licl& to a moral ser)ice and see themsel)es +eing recogni;ed for a scientific asceticism( which is nothing of the sort( +ut the secret contour of their wea-ness. Their resentment is sociall& rationali;ed under the formula: thin-ing is unscientific. Their intellectual energ& is there+& amplified in man& dimensions to the utmost +& the mechanism of control. The collecti)e stupidit& of research technicians is not simpl& the a+sence or regression of intellectual capacities( +ut an o)ergrowth of the capacit& of thought itself( which eats awa& at the latter with its own energ&. The masochistic malice @+osheitA of &oung intellectuals deri)es from the male)olence @+?sartig$eitA of their illness.

81
/arge and small. G /ne of the most disastrous transfers from the realm of economic planning into that of theor&( which is actuall& no longer distinguished from the architectonic of the whole( is the +elief that intellectual la+or can +e administered according to the criteria of whether what one is wor-ing on is necessar& or reasona+le. A ran-ing hierarch& of urgenc& is esta+lished. 4ut to ro+ thought of the moment of in)oluntariness( is precisel& to cashier its necessit&. 8t reduces itself to detacha+le( interchangea+le dispositions. Lust as in the war econom&( where priorities are decided in the distri+ution of raw materials( in the production of this or that t&pe of weapon( so too is a hierarch& of importance creeping into the construction of theor&( with a preference gi)en for especiall& up to date or especiall& rele)ant themes( and disregard or indulgent toleration for what is secondar&( which ma& pass merel& as padding of the +asic facts( as finesse. The notion of what is rele)ant is produced according to an organi;ational point of )iew( that of contemporaneit& measured +& the o+:ecti)el& most powerful tendenc& of the da&. The schemati;ation into important and su+sidiar& su+scri+es to the form of the )alue6order of ruling pra9is( e)en when it contradicts such as content. 8n the origins of progressi)e philosoph&( in 4acon and #escartes( the cult of the important is alread& at wor-. 8n the end( howe)er( this latter re)eals something unfree( something regressi)e. 8mportance is represented +& the dog on a wal-( which spends minutes sniffing at some random spot( un&ielding( earnest( reluctant( and then satisfies its +odil& needs( scrapes the ground with its feet and runs along( as if nothing had happened. 8n prehistoric times life and death ma& ha)e depended on this; after millennia of domestication it has turned into a nutt& ritual. 2ho is not reminded of this( when watching a serious committee determining the urgenc& of pro+lems( +efore the staff of cowor-ers is gi)en a carefull& designated and time6ta+led list of tas-s. E)er&thing of importance has something of such anachronistic o+stinac&( and as a criterium of thought( it is tantamount to the latterBs ensorceled fi9ation( to the renunciation of self6constitution. The great themes howe)er are nothing other than the primordial odors( which cause the animal to hold still( and where possi+le to produce them once more. This does not mean that the hierarch& of importance is to +e ignored. Lust as its philistiner& mirrors that of the s&stem( so too is it saturated with all the latterBs )iolence and stringenc&. Cowe)er thought should not repeat it( +ut dissol)e it through its completion. The di)ision of the world into primar& and su+sidiar& matters( which has alwa&s ser)ed onl& to neutrali;e the -e& phenomena of the most e9treme social in:ustice as mere e9ceptions( should +e followed to the point that it is con)icted of its own untruth. 8t( which turns e)er&thing into o+:ects( must itself +ecome the o+:ect of thought( instead of steering the latter. The great themes will also appear( though scarcel& in the traditional >thematic? sense( +ut rather refractedl& and eccentricall&. The +ar+arism of immediate magnitude @Gr?sseA remains philosoph&Bs legac& of its earlier alliance with administrators and mathematicians: what does not +ear the stamp of the o)erinflated world6historical +ustle( is consigned to the procedures of the positi)e sciences. 5hilosoph& +eha)es therein li-e +ad painting( which imagines that the dignit& of a wor- and the fame which it garners( depend on the dignit& of the painted o+:ect; a picture of the 4attle of 'eip;ig would +e worth more than a chair in o+li<ue perspecti)e. The difference +etween the conceptual medium and the artistic one changes nothing in this +ad naO)PtP. 8f the process of a+straction stri-es all conceptual formation with

the delusion of magnitude @Gr?sseA( then what is also preser)ed in this( through the distance of the action6 o+:ect( through reflection and transparenc&( is the antidote: the self6criti<ue of reason is its ownmost ethics @eigenste MoralA. 8ts opposite in the most recent phase of a thought which disposes o)er itself is nothing other than the a+olition of the su+:ect. The gesture of theoretical la+or( which arranges themes according to their importance( neglects those doing the la+oring. The de)elopment of an increasingl& smaller num+er of technical capacities is supposed to suffice( to ade<uatel& e<uip them to deal with e)er& assigned tas-. The thin-ing su+:ecti)it& is howe)er e9actl& what does not let itself +e fitted into a heteronomous set of tas-s arranged from a+o)e: it is ade<uate to the latter onl& insofar as it does not +elong to such( and its e9istence is there+& the prere<uisite of e)er& o+:ecti)el& +inding truth. The so)ereign matter6of6factness( which sacrifices the su+:ect to the in)estigation of truth( re:ects at once truth and o+:ecti)it& itself.

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,hree steps from the body. @collo<uial e9pression meaning( to -eep oneBs distanceA G 5ositi)ism disparages once more the distance of thought to a realit&( which realit& itself no longer tolerates. 4& not wanting the hushed6up thought to +e an&thing more than something pro)isional( a mere a++re)iation of what is factuall& grasped under it( its independence vis-1-vis realit& disappears( as well as the energ& to penetrate the latter. The thought which actuall& +rea-s into empirical life( can onl& happen at a distance from life. 2hile thought relates to facts and mo)es +& criti<uing them( it mo)es no less through firml& held difference. 8t there+& e9presses e9actl& what is( +ecause it is ne)er entirel& :ust what it e9presses. Essential to it is an element of e9aggeration( of shooting +e&ond things( of dissociation from the weight of what is factual( +& )irtue of which it completes the determination of +eing( at once strictl& and freel&( instead of merel& reproducing it. E)er& thought resem+les therein pla&( with which Cegel no less than Diet;sche compared with the wor- of the Spirit @GeistesA. 2hat is un+ar+aric in philosoph& rests on the tacit consciousness of that element of irresponsi+ilit&( of +lessedness( which stems from the fleetingness of thought( which continuall& escapes( what it :udges. Such e9cessi)eness is suspect to the positi)istic Spirit and handed o)er to foll&. The difference from facts turns into mere incorrectness( the moment of pla& into a lu9ur&( in a world where the intellectual functions must account for e)er& minute of their time with a stopwatch. Cowe)er as soon as thought denies its unsurmounta+le distance and wishes to pro)e its literal correctness with a thousand su+tle arguments( it trips itself up. 8f it falls out of the medium of the )irtual( of anticipation( which cannot +e fulfilled +& an& single actualit&( in short( if it see-s to +ecome a simple statement rather than a meaning( then e)er&thing which it states +ecomes in fact false. 8ts apologetics( inspired +& insecurit& and a +ad conscience( can +e re+utted at e)er& step +& recourse to that non6identit&( which it does not wish to ac-nowledge( and which ne)ertheless alone ma-es it thought. 8f it wanted to ma-e e9cuses for distance as if it was a pri)ilege( it would do no +etter( +ut would proclaim two sorts of truths( that of facts and that of concepts. That would dispel the truth and denounce thin-ing. #istance is no securit&6;one +ut a field of tension. 8t manifests itself not so much in slac-ening the truth6 claim of concepts( as in the tenderness and fragilit& of thin-ing. 2hat is called for in regards to positi)ism is neither cantan-erousness nor putting on airs( +ut rather the cogniti)e6critical proof of the impossi+ilit& of a coincidence +etween the concept and what fulfills it. The hunt for the account6+alancing @Ineinander'ufgehenA of what cannot +e reduced to the same denominator is not the perenniall& stri)ing toil( which +ec-ons to sal)ation( +ut nai)e and ine9perienced. 2hat positi)ism reproaches thin-ing for( thought has -nown and forgotten a thousand times o)er( and onl& in such -nowing and forgetting does it +ecome thin-ing. That distance of thought from realit& is itself nothing other than the precipitate of histor& in concepts. /perating with the latter without distance would +e( amidst all its resignation( or perhaps precisel& +ecause of such( the affair of children. For thought must aim +e&ond its o+:ect( precisel& +ecause it does not entirel& arri)e at such( and +& assuming that it does arri)e( positi)ism is uncritical( imagining that it tarries there out of mere conscientiousness. The transcending thought ta-es its own inade<uac& into account more thoroughl& than one steered +& the scientific control6apparatus. 8t e9trapolates( howe)er hopelessl&( in order to master what is una)oida+l& too little( +& )irtue of the o)erta9ed e9ertion of what is

too much. The illegitimate a+solutism which philosoph& is reproached for( the allegedl& conclusi)e stamp( originates precisel& in the a+&ss of relati)it&. The e9aggerations of speculati)e metaph&sics are scars of reflecting understanding( and solel& what is not &et pro)en un)eils proof as tautolog&. 4& contrast the immediate ca)eat of relati)it&( what confines itself( what remains in the same delimited conceptual realm( depri)es itself through such caution of precisel& the limit( which to thin- is( in CegelBs magnificent insight( the same as to cross. The relati)ists would accordingl& +e the true G the +ad G a+solutists and moreo)er the +ourgeoisie( who would li-e to insure their -nowledge @"r$enntis: cognitionA li-e propert&( onl& to lose it all the more thoroughl&. Solel& the claim of the unconditional( the spring o)er the shadow( does :ustice to what is relati)e. 4& ta-ing untruth on itself( it leads to the +order of truth in the concrete consciousness of the conditionalit& of human -nowledge @"r$enntis: cognitionA.

83
8ice-President. G Ad)ice to intellectuals: donBt let &oursel)es +e represented. The fungi+ilit& of all accomplishments and human +eings and the +elief deri)ed from this( that e)er&one should +e a+le to do e)er&thing( pro)e in the midst of the e9istent to +e a fetter. The egalitarian ideal of interchangea+ilit& @8ertretbar$eit: fungi+ilit&A is a fraud( if it is not supported +& the principle of re)oca+ilit& and accounta+ilit& to the >ran- and file? @in English in originalA. The ones who are most powerful are those who do the least themsel)es( while shifting as much of the +urden as the& can onto others( to who the& lend their name while poc-eting the ad)antage. 8t seems li-e collecti)ism and amounts onl& to ma-ing oneself seem too good( of +eing e9empt from la+or +& )irtue of access to its alienated form. To +e sure( interchangea+ilit& has an o+:ecti)e +asis in material production. The <uantification of la+or processes diminishes o)er time the difference +etween the general director and the ser)ice6emplo&ee in the gasoline station. 8t is a misera+le ideolog&( to claim that under present conditions the administration of a trust re<uires an& more intelligence( e9perience( and e)en training than reading a manometer. 2hile this ideolog& is tenaciousl& upheld in material production( the Spirit @GeistA is su+:ugated to its opposite. This is the doctrine( since gone to the dogs( of the universitas literarum @'atin: world of -nowledgeA( of the e<ualit& of all in the repu+lic of sciences( wherein e)er& person does not merel& chec- up on e)er&one else( +ut is supposed to +e <ualified to do what an&one else does( e<uall& well. 8nterchangea+ilit& su+:ugates thought to the same procedure :ust as e9change does to things. 2hat is incommensura+le is eliminated. Since howe)er thought must first of all criti<ue the comprehensi)e commensura+ilit& which stems from the e9change6relationship( this commensura+ilit&( as the intellectual @geistigesA relations of production( turns against the producti)e forces. 8n the material realm interchangea+ilit& is what is alread& possi+le( and non6interchangea+ilit& is the prete9t( which hinders it; in theor&( which ought to see through such a <uid pro <uo @'atin: something for something elseA( interchangea+ilit& allows the apparatus to proceed e)en where its o+:ecti)e opposite might +e located. Don6interchangea+ilit& alone could halt the integration of the Spirit @GeistesA into the ran-s of emplo&ees. The gratuitousl& self6e)ident demand( that e)er& intellectual achie)ement should +e mastered +& e)er& <ualified mem+er of the organi;ation( turns the most narrow6minded scientific technician into the standard of the Spirit @GeistesA: what precisel& gi)es the latter the capacit& to criti<ue their own technificationQ Thus does the econom& cause that process of e<uali;ation( which it elsewhere protests with the gesture >stop thief.? The <uestion of indi)idualit& must +e posed anew in the epoch of its li<uidation. 2hile the indi)iduated @IndividuumA( li-e all indi)idualistic production processes( remains +ehind the state of technics and is historicall& outmoded( what de)ol)es to it( as the condemned against the )ictor( is in turn the truth. For it alone preser)es( in howe)er a distorted manner( the trace of what gi)es all technification its authori;ation( the consciousness of which this technification ne)ertheless at once cuts itself off from. 4& pro)ing that unrestrained progress is not immediate identical with that of humanit&( its opposite is capa+le of granting progress as&lum. A pencil and eraser are of more use to thought than a staff of assistants. Those who wish neither to hand themsel)es o)er wholesale to the indi)idualism of intellectual production( nor to commit themsel)es headlong to the collecti)ism of an egalitarian interchangea+ilit& which is contemptuous of human +eings( must rel& on

free and solidaristic cooperati)e la+or under common responsi+ilit&. An&thing else would sell out the Spirit @GeistA to forms of +usiness and there+& ultimatel& to the latterBs interests.

84
,imetable. G Few things differentiate the mode of life appropriate to intellectuals so deepl& from that of the +ourgeoisie than the fact that the former do not recogni;e the alternati)e +etween la+or and pleasure. The la+or which need not( in order to cope with realit&( initiall& do all the e)il to its su+:ect( which it later does to others( is pleasure e)en in the desperate e9ertion. The freedom( which it means( is the same which +ourgeois societ& reser)es solel& for recuperation and through such regimentation at once ta-es +ac-. %on)ersel&( those who -now of freedom find e)er&thing a+out what this societ& tolerates as pleasure un+eara+le( and outside of their wor-( which to +e sure includes what the +ourgeoisie displace to the holida&s as >culture(? refuse to engage in su+stitute pleasures. >2or- while &ou wor-( pla& while &ou pla&? @in English in originalA G this counts as one of the founding principles of repressi)e self6discipline. The parents who wanted their children to +ring home good grades as a matter of prestige( could least +ear it when the latter read too long at night or( in the parentsB :udgment( intellectuall& o)ere9erted themsel)es. Ret out of their foolishness spo-e the genius of their class. The doctrine drilled in since Aristoteles( of moderation as the )irtue +efitting reason( is among other things an attempt( to esta+lish the sociall& necessar& di)ision of human +eings into functions independent of each other so firml& that none of these functions would get the idea of crossing o)er to others and calling to mind actual human +eings. /ne could no more imagine Diet;sche in an office( the secretar& answering the telephone in the fo&er( sitting at a des- until fi)e( than pla&ing golf after a full da&s wor-. Jnder the pressure of societ&( onl& the cunning intertwining of happiness and la+or would lea)e the door open for actual e9perience. 8t is constantl& less tolerated. E)en the so6called intellectual occupations are +eing utterl& di)ested of pleasure( +& their increasing resem+lance to +usiness. Atomi;ation ad)ances not onl& +etween human +eings( +ut also in the single indi)idual @Individuum: indi)iduatedA( in its life6spheres. Do fulfillment ma& +e attached to la+or( which would otherwise lose its functional o+scurit& in the totalit& of purpose( no spar- of sensi+ilit& @+esinnungA ma& fall in free time( +ecause it might spring into the wor-6world and set it aflame. 2hile la+or and pleasure are +ecoming more and more similar in their structure( the& are at the same time separated e)er more strictl& +& in)isi+le lines of demarcation. 5leasure and Spirit @GeistA are +eing dri)en out of +oth in e<ual measure. 8n one as the other( +rute seriousness and pseudo6acti)it& pre)ails.

85
Muster. 2hoe)er is engaged in pra9is( as it is called( is pursuing interests( is reali;ing plans( automaticall& turns the human +eings the& come into contact with into friends and enemies. 4& loo-ing at them as if deciding how the& fit into their intentions( one reduces them in ad)ance( as it were( to o+:ects: those ones are useful( the others are not. E)er& di)ergent opinion appears to the reference6s&stem of predetermined purposes( without which no pra9is could manage( as +urdensome resistance( sa+otage( intrigue; e)er& agreement( e)en if it came from the most despica+le interest( turns into support( something of use( a testimon& of alliance. Thus impo)erishment appears in relation to other human +eings: the capacit& to percei)e the other as such and not as a function of oneBs own will( a+o)e all howe)er that of fruitful opposition( the possi+ilit& of going +e&ond oneself through the im+rication @"inbegreifenA of what contradicts( withers awa&. 8t is replaced +& a :udgmental -nowledge of human +eings( for which e)en the +est are ultimatel& the lesser e)il( and the worst( are not the greatest. This manner of reaction howe)er( the schema of all administration and >personnel polic&(? alread& tends( +efore an& political formation of will and commitment of e9clusi)e political tic-ets( towards fascism. 2hoe)er has once made it their +usiness to :udge accepta+ilit&( )iews the person +eing :udged( to a certain e9tent out of technological necessit&( as an insider or outsider( one of oneBs own people or a foreigner( accomplice or )ictim. The stiffl& scrutini;ing( ensorceled and ensorceling ga;e( which is t&pical of all leaders of horror( has its model in the

appraising one of the manager( who tells the applicant to ta-e a seat and illuminating the latterBs face( so that it pitilessl& disintegrates into the light of usefulness and the dar- of what is o+:ectiona+le or un<ualified. The end is the medical in)estigation( according to the alternati)es: assignment in the la+or6 force or li<uidation. The Dew Testament sentence( >2hoe)er is not for me( is against me? was from time immemorial spo-en from the heart of anti6Semitism. 8t is a fundamental feature of domination( that e)er&one who does not identif& with such( is relegated for the sa-e of mere difference to the enem& camp: it is not for nothing that %atholicism is merel& the 0ree- word for the 'atin totalit&( which the Da;is ha)e reali;ed. 8t means the e<uali;ation of what is different( whether >de)iation? or another race( with the enem&. Da;ism has therein achie)ed the historical consciousness of itself: %arl Schmitt defined the essence of the political precisel& +& the categories of enem& and friend. 5rogress to such consciousness ma-es the regression to the childBs mode of +eha)ior G children either li-e things( or are afraid G to its own. The a priori reduction to the friend6enem& relationship is one of the Jr6phenomena of recent anthropolog&. Freedom would not +e choosing +etween +lac- and white( +ut stepping out of such a proscripti)e choice.

86
/ittle 5ans. G 8ntellectuals( and especiall& those inclined to philosoph&( are cut off from material pra9is: disgust for it dro)e them to deal with so6called intellectual things. 4ut material pra9is is not onl& the prere<uisite of their own e9istence( +ut also rests on the +asis of the world( with whose criti<ue their la+or coincides. 8f the& -now nothing of the +asis( then the& end up in the )oid. The& stand +efore the choice( of +eing informed or of turning their +ac-s on what the& detest. 8f the& inform themsel)es( then the& do )iolence to themsel)es( thin-ing against their impulses and( on top of e)er&thing else( are in danger of +ecoming as sordid as what the& are dealing with( for the econom& is no :o-e( and whoe)er wishes e)en to understand it( must >thin- economicall&.? 8f the& howe)er do not in)ol)e themsel)es( the& h&postati;e their Spirit @GeistA( which was a+o)e all formed on economic realit&( on the a+stract e9change6relation( as something a+solute( while this latter could +ecome Spirit @GeistA solel& in the sensi+ilit& of its own conditionalit&. The intellectual is there+& seduced into )ainl& and disconnectedl& su+stituting the refle9 for the thing. The fatuous6decepti)e importance( which the pu+lic cultural enterprise assigns to intellectual products( adds stones to the wall( which loc-s cognition awa& from economic +rutalit&. The isolation of the Spirit @GeistA from +usiness helps the intellectual +usiness to +ecome a comforta+le ideolog&. The dilemma reaches deep into the most su+tle reactions of the intellectual mode of conduct. /nl& those who remain pure to a certain e9tent( ha)e enough hate( ner)es( freedom and mo+ilit& to withstand the world( +ut precisel& +& )irtue of the illusion of purit& G for the& li)e in the >third person? G the& allow it to triumph not merel& the world outside( +ut in the innermost cells of their thought. 2hoe)er howe)er -nows the +usiness all too well( there+& unlearns @verlernen: to forget( unlearnA to recogni;e it; the capacit& of distinction )anishes from them( and the& are threatened +& the relapse into +ar+arism( :ust as others are threatened +& the fetishism of culture. That intellectuals are at the same time +eneficiaries of the +ad societ& and &et those( on whose sociall& unnecessar& la+or it largel& depends( as to whether a societ& emancipated from utilit& succeeds G this is +& no means a contradiction which is once and for all accepta+le and thus irrele)ant. 8t gnaws unceasingl& at its o+:ecti)e <ualit&. 2hate)er intellectuals do( is wrong. The& e9perience drasticall&( as a life and death issue( the ignominious alternati)e( which late capitalism secretl& poses to all of its mem+ers: to +ecome :ust another adult or to remain a child.

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Fight club. @7ingverein: wrestling6clu+A G There is a t&pe of intellectual( who is all the more thoroughl& to +e distrusted( the more the& curr& fa)or through honest& of toil( >intellectual seriousness(? and e)en modest so+riet&. These are the fighters( who are in a permanent struggle with themsel)es( who cast their decisions in terms of the militar& mo+ili;ation of the entire person. 4ut things arenBt so terri+le as that.

Their radical stance( of putting e)er&thing on the line( has ne)ertheless a relia+le armature at its disposal( whose de9terous deplo&ment in the +attle with the angel punishes the former as a lie: one need onl& page through the +oo-s of pu+lishers li-e Eugene #iederich or in those of a certain -ind of cringingl& emancipated theologians. The +arrel6chested )oca+ular& casts dou+t on the >fairness? @in English in originalA of the fight match arranged and fought out +& inwardness. The e9pressions all refer to war( life6 threatening danger( actual annihilation( +ut the& descri+e mere procedures of reflection( which indeed ma& ha)e +een lin-ed to a fatal outcome for Hier-egaard and Diet;sche( who the fighters li-e to <uote( +ut certainl& not howe)er their unelected followers( who claim to +e at ris-. 2hile the& credit the su+limation of the struggle for e9istence G that of spirituali;ation and that of courage G to their redou+led honor( the moment of danger is simultaneousl& neutrali;ed +& internali;ation( de+asing it to an ingredient of a smugl& rooted( hale and heart& world6)iew. The e9ternal world is regarded from an indifferent6superior )antage point( +ecause due to the seriousness of the decision( it doesnBt e)en enter into the e<uation; it is left as it is( and in the end e)en ac-nowledged. The sa)age e9pressions are arts&6crafts& decoration li-e the cowr&6shells of the female g&mnasts( whose compan& the fighters are so partial to. The sword6dance is decided in ad)ance. 8t doesnBt matter if the categorical imperati)e has the )ictor& or the right of the indi)idual G if the candidate succeeds in freeing themsel)es from personal +elief in 0od or reco)ers it again( if the& withstand the a+&ss of +eing or the harrowing e9perience of the senses( the& fall on their feet. For the power which directs the conflicts( the ethos of responsi+ilit& and integrit&( is alwa&s cast in an authoritarian mold( a mas- of the state. As long as the& choose the appropriate goods( then e)er&thing is :ust fine. 8f the& come to re+ellious conclusions( then the& cater to and trump the demand for powerful( independent men. 8n e)er& case the& certif& li-e good sons the office( which could hold them to account( and in whose name ne)ertheless the entire internali;ed trial was actuall& conducted: the ga;e( under which the& seem to +e +rawling li-e two ill6mannered school6+o&s( is from the start the one which punishes. Do fight match without referees: the entire +rawl is staged +& a societ&( which has migrated into the indi)iduated @IndividuumA( simultaneousl& super)ising the +attle and participating in it. 8t triumphs all the more fatall&( the more oppositional the results are: priests and senior school6masters( whose conscience compels them to confess to world6)iews which get them in trou+le with the authorities( alwa&s s&mpathi;e with persecution and counter6re)olution. Lust as self6confirming conflicts ha)e an illusor& element in them( so too is the +ogusl& staged d&namic of self6torment reall& repression on the fl&. The& de)eloped the entire spiritual enterprise onl& +ecause the& are not permitted to discharge their illusion and rage outside( and are prepared to transform the +attle with the inner enem& once more into the deed( which according to them was there in the +eginning. Their protot&pe is 'uther( the in)entor of inwardness( who threw his +ottle of in- at the +od& of the de)il( who does not e9ist( alread& meaning the peasants and Lews. /nl& the crippled Spirit @GeistA needs self6hatred in order to demonstrate its spiritual essence( which is untruth( with ph&sical )iolence.

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Simple Simon. G That the indi)idual is +eing li<uidated loc-( stoc- and +arrel( is still too optimistic a thought. The sal)ation of the indi)idual +eing @"in#el!esenA would lie in the a+olition of the monad through solidarit&( in its +inding negation( for onl& in its relation to the generalit& would the former +ecome something specific. The contemporar& condition is far distant from this. The calamit& occurs not as the radical e9tirpation of what has +een( +ut rather +& ignominiousl& pulling down what is historicall& condemned and dragging it along powerlessl& as dead( neutrali;ed. 8n the middle of standardi;ed and administered human units the indi)iduated @IndividuumA continues to e9ist. 8t is e)en protected and wins monopol&6)alue. 4ut it is in truth still merel& the function of its own uni<ueness( an e9hi+ition piece li-e the fetuses in :ars( at which children once stared and grinned. Since it no longer leads an independent economic e9istence( its character ends up in contradiction with its o+:ecti)e social role. 5recisel& +ecause of this contradiction( it is sheltered in nature6par-s( en:o&ed in idle contemplation. The indi)idualities imported into America( which through importation are alread& no longer such( are called >colorful

personalit&? @in English in originalA. Their eager uninhi+ited moods( their wac-& ideas( their >originalit&(? e)en if this was onl& a special ugliness( e)en their mangled accent de)alues what is human as the costume of a clown. Since the& are rendered as su+alterns in the uni)ersal mechanism of competition( and can onl& adapt themsel)es to the mar-et and sur)i)e )ia their paral&;ed otherness( the& fall passionatel& into the pri)ilege of their self and e9aggerate themsel)es( to the point of completel& uprooting what the& stood for. The& cle)erl& flaunt on their na@vt( which( as the& <uic-l& disco)er( endear them to the powers that +e. The& sell themsel)es as heart6warmers in the commercial cold( flatter through aggressi)e :o-es( which are masochisticall& en:o&ed +& their protectors( and confirm through their comic lac- of dignit&( the solemn dignit& of the host6nation. The graeculi @'atin: 0ree- e9patriate teachers of 'atinA ma& ha)e +eha)ed similarl& in the $oman Empire. Those who put their indi)idualit& on sale( pass the sentence of :udgment which societ& has pronounced on them G as their own )oluntar& :udges G as their own. Thus the& also o+:ecti)el& :ustif& the in:ustice( which the& e9perience. The& under+id the general regression as pri)ate contractors of the regressi)e( and e)en their loud resistance is mostl& onl& a more de)ious means of adaptation to wea-ness.

89
+lac$mail. G 2hoe)er wonBt ta-e an& ad)ice( canBt +e helped( said the +ourgeoisie( with ad)ice which cost nothing( wishing to +u& themsel)es out of helping while at the same time winning power o)er the need& person who came to them. 4ut contained therein was at least the appeal to reason( which was thought of in the same wa& +& the supplicant and the one who declined to help( and which at a distance recalled :ustice: whoe)er followed cle)er ad)ice( might occasionall& find a wa& out. ThatBs all o)er. Those who cannot help( should therefore not gi)e ad)ice: in a social order( in which all mouse6holes are stopped up( mere ad)ice turns immediatel& into condemnation. 8t is ine)ita+l& tantamount to telling the supplicant to do e9actl& whate)er is left of their ego most )iolentl& re:ects. 2iser for a thousand pre)ious situations( the& -now all too well what sort of ad)ice the& will recei)e( and come onl& when ingenuit& has failed and something must happen. The& are not impro)ed +& this. 2hoe)er once sought ad)ice and finds no help an&more( a+o)e all those who are wea-er( appear in ad)ance to +e e9tortionists( whose mode of conduct is spreading irresisti+l& along with the great trusts. /ne can o+ser)e this most clearl& in a certain t&pe of person who is committed to help( who loo-s out for the interests of need& and powerless friends( and &et who ta-es on the aspect of something dar-l& ominous in their ;eal. E)en their finest )irtue( selflessness( is am+iguous. 2hile the& are right to inter)ene for those who should not fall into ruin( +ehind the insistent >&ou must help? stands the tacit appeal to the hegemon& of collecti)es and groups( which no6one can afford an& longer to slight. 4& not dissociating themsel)es from those who are unmerciful( the merciful +ecome emissaries of mercilessness.

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Institute for deaf-mutes. G 2hile the schools drill human +eings in speech as in first aid for the )ictims of traffic accidents and in the construction of gliders( the schooled ones +ecome e)er more silent. The& can gi)e speeches( e)er& sentence <ualifies them for the microphone( +efore which the& can +e placed as representati)es of the a)erage( +ut the capacit& to spea- with each other is +eing suffocated. 8t presupposes an e9perience worth& of +eing communicated( freedom of e9pression( and independence as much as social relations. 8n the all6encompassing s&stem con)ersation turns into )entrilo<uism. E)er&one is their own %harlie Mc%arth&: thus the latterBs popularit&. 2ords are turning altogether into the formulas( which were pre)iousl& reser)ed for greetings and farewells. For e9ample( a &oung lad& successfull& raised according to the latest desiderata should +e a+le to sa&( at e)er& moment( what is appropriate in a >situation(? according to tried and true guidelines. Cowe)er such determinism of speech through adaptation is its end: the relation +etween the thing and the e9pression is se)ered( and :ust as the concepts of the positi)ists are supposed to +e nothing more than placeholders( those of positi)istic humanit& are

literall& turned into coins. 2hat is happening in the )oices of the spea-ers( is what( according to the insight of ps&cholog&( happened to that of the conscience( from whose resonance all speech li)es: it is replaced down to the most refined cadence +& a sociall& prepared mechanism. As soon as this last stops functioning( creating pauses( unforeseen +& unwritten statutes of law( panic ensures. This has led to the rise of intricate games and other free6time acti)ities( which are supposed to dispense with the +urden of conscience of speech. The shadow of fear howe)er falls ominousl& on the speech which remains. 8mpartialit& and o+:ecti)it& in the discussion of o+:ects are disappearing e)en in the most intimate circles( :ust as in politics( where the discussion was long since dispelled +& the word of power. Spea-ing is ta-ing on a malign gesture. 8t is +ecoming sportified. /ne tries to score as man& points as possi+le: there is no con)ersation which the opportunit& for competition does not worm itself into( li-e a poison. The emotions generated +& the su+:ects +eing discussed( in con)ersations worth& of human +eings( attach themsel)es pigheadedl& to the narrow issue of who is right( outside of an& relationship to the rele)ance of the statement. As a pure means of power( howe)er( the disenchanted word e9erts a magical power o)er those who use it. 8t can +e o+ser)ed time and time again how something once uttered( no matter how a+surd( accidental or incorrect( precisel& +ecause it was once said( t&ranni;es the spea-er li-e a possession the& cannot +rea- awa& from. 2ords( num+ers( and meetings( once concocted and e9pressed( +ecome independent and +ring all manner of calamit& to those in their )icinit&. The& form a ;one of paranoid infection( and it re<uires the ma9imum reason to +rea- their +aleful spell. The magicali;ation of the great and inconse<uential political slogans is repeated pri)atel&( in the seemingl& most neutral of o+:ects: the rigor mortis of societ& is o)erta-ing e)en the cells of intimac&( which thought themsel)es protected from it. Dothing is +eing done to humanit& from the outside onl&: dum+ness is the o+:ecti)e Spirit @GeistA.

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8andals. G The haste( ner)ousness and discontinuit& o+ser)a+le since the rise of the great cities( is spreading epidemicall&( as plague and cholera did +efore. 5owers are arising therein( which the scurr&ing passers+& of the 19th centur& could not ha)e dreamed of. E)er&one must alwa&s +e planning something. Free6time is re<uired to +e e9hausted. 8t is planned( emplo&ed for underta-ings( filled up with the )isit of e)er& possi+le institution or through the fastest possi+le locomotion. The shadow of this falls on intellectual la+or. 8t ta-es place with a +ad conscience( as if it were moonlighting from some sort of urgent( al+eit purel& imaginar& occupation. 8n order to :ustif& its own acti)it& to itself( it adopts the gestures of what is hectic( under high pressure( of the enterprise racing against the cloc-( of e)er& sensi+ilit& G including itself G which stands in its wa&. /ften it seems as if intellectuals reser)ed for their own production onl& the hours left o)er from o+ligations( e9cursions( appointments and una)oida+le pleasures. The accumulation of prestige +& those who can present themsel)es as so important( that the& must +e e)er&where( is repulsi)e( and &et to some e9tent rational. The& st&li;e their life with intentionall& hammed6up dissatisfaction as a single acte de prsence @French: act of presenceA. The :o& with which the& re:ect an in)itation +& referring to a prior engagement( announces a triumph in the competition. Similarl&( the forms of the production6process are repeated more generall& in pri)ate life or in the forms e9cluded from realms of la+or. /neBs entire life is supposed to loo- li-e an occupation( and to hide( through this similarit&( an&thing not &et immediatel& dedicated to commerce. Ret the fear there+& e9pressed( onl& reflects a much deeper one. The unconscious inner)ations which harmoni;e the indi)idual e9istence to the historical rh&thm( +e&ond thought6processes( ha)e an in-ling of the dawning collecti)i;ation of the world. Since howe)er the integral societ& does not su+late indi)iduals positi)el& in itself( +ut rather s<uee;es them into an amorphous and plia+le mass( e)er& indi)idual dreads this as the process of +eing a+sor+ed( something e9perienced as ine)ita+le. >#oing things and going places? @in English in originalA is the sensoriumBs attempt to create a -ind of protecti)e stimulus against a threatening collecti)i;ation( to get used to the latter( +& schooling oneself in the hours apparentl& left in freedom to +e a mem+er of the masses. The strateg& therein is to outdo the danger. /ne li)es to a certain e9tent e)en worse( that is with still less of an ego( than one can e9pect to li)e. At the same time one learns( through the pla&ful e9cess of

gi)ing up the self( that for someone who in all seriousness li)es without an ego( things can +e easier instead of harder. 8t all goes )er& fast( +ecause there is no alarm for earth<ua-es. Those who do not pla& along( and thatBs as much to sa&( those who do not swim +odil& in the stream of human +eings( +ecome afraid of missing the +us and drawing the re)enge of the collecti)e down on themsel)es( rather li-e entering a totalitarian part& all too late. 5seudoacti)it& is a re6insurance @7.c$versicherung: reinsurance( a secondar& insurance co)ering a set of original insurance policiesA( the e9pression of preparation for self6 sacrifice( in which alone one has an in-ling of a guarantee of self6preser)ation. Securit& +ec-ons in the adaptation to the most e9treme insecurit&. 8t is concei)ed of as a flight charter( which +rings one as <uic-l& as possi+le someplace else. 8n the fanatical lo)e of autos( the feeling of ph&sical homelessness resonates. 8t is the foundation of what the +ourgeoisie inaccuratel& called the flight from oneself( from the inner )oid. 2hoe)er wants to come along( ma& not +e different. The ps&chological )oid is itself onl& the result of false social a+sorption. The +oredom from which human +eings flee( merel& mirrors the process of running awa&( in which the& ha)e long +een caught. For that reason alone the monstrous apparatus of pleasure sta&s ali)e and swells larger and larger( without a single person getting pleasure from such. 8t canali;es the compulsion to +e at the scene( which would otherwise gra+ the collecti)e +& the throat( indiscriminatel&( anarchicall&( as promiscuit& or wild aggression G a collecti)e which( at the same time( ne)ertheless consists of no6one else than those who are underwa&. The& are most closel& related to the addict. Their impulse reacts e9actl& to the dislocation of humanit&( which leads from the mur-& +lurring of the difference +etween cit& and countr&( the a+olition of the house( )ia the mo)ement of millions of unemplo&ed( all the wa& to the deportations and mass uprooting of peoples in the destro&ed European continent. The nullit& and lac- of content of all collecti)e rituals since the &outh6mo)ement represents retrospecti)el& the groping anticipation of o)erpowering historical hammer6+lows. The m&riads who suddenl& fall pre& to their own a+stract <uantit& and mo+ilit&( to hitting the road in swarms( li-e a drug( are recruits of the mo)ement of peoples( in whose feral realms +ourgeois histor& is getting read& to end.

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Picture-boo$ !ithout pictures. G The o+:ecti)e tendenc& of the enlightenment( to a+olish the power of all images o)er human +eings( does not correspond to an& su+:ecti)e progress of enlightened thought towards imagelessness. After the idols were cast down( and metaph&sical ideas irresisti+l& demolished concepts pre)ious understood as rational and authenticall& thought( the thin-ing unleashed +& the enlightenment and immuni;ed against thin-ing is passing o)er into a second representati)eness @+ildlich$eitA( an imageless and +iased one. Amidst a net of relationships in which human +eings ha)e +ecome entirel& a+stract to each other and to things( the capacit& of a+straction disappears. The alienation of schemata and classifications from the data su+sumed under them( indeed the pure <uantit& of processed materials( which has +ecome incommensura+le to the circumference of indi)idual human e9perience( constantl& necessitates the archaic retranslation into sensuous signs. The little stic- figures and houses( scattered in statistical te9ts li-e hierogl&phics( ma& appear in e)er& specific case to +e accidental( a mere means of assistance. 4ut it is not for nothing that the& loo- so similar to countless ad)ertisements( newspaper stereot&pes( and to&s. 8n them the representation is )ictorious o)er what is represented. 8ts outsi;ed( simplistic and thus false comprehensi+ilit& reinforces the incomprehensi+ilit& of the intellectual processes( from which their falseness G the +lind( non6conceptual su+sumption G cannot +e separated. J+i<uitous pictures are nothing of the sort( +ecause the& simultaneousl& present the entire generalit&( the a)erage( the standard model as something uni<ue( something particular( while ridiculing such. E)en the a+olition of the particular is derisi)el& turned into something particular. The demand for this has alread& sedimented itself as a need( and is reproduced e)er&where +& the mass culture( after the model of the >funnies? @in English in originalA. 2hat was once called Spirit @GeistA( is dispelled +& the illustration. 8t is not merel& that human +eings no longer ha)e the capacit& to imagine what has not +een drilled into them and shown in a++re)iated form. E)en the :o-e( in which at one time the freedom of the Spirit @GeistA crashed into the facts and caused the latter to e9plode( has passed o)er into illustration. The pictorial :o-es which fill the

maga;ines( are for the most part pointless( empt& of meaning. The& consist of nothing other than a challenge to the e&e of a competition with the situation. Schooled +& innumera+le prior cases( one is supposed to see >whatBs happening? faster than the significant moments of the situation are de)eloping. 2hat such pictures act out( in anticipation of their completion +& the well6)ersed o+ser)er( is the throwing of all meaning o)er+oard li-e +allast in the snapshot of the situation( in the unresisting su+:ugation to the empt& hegemon& of things. The state6of6the6art :o-e is the suicide of intention. 2hoe)er commits it( is rewarded +& acceptance in the collecti)it& of laughter( which has horrif&ing things on its side. E)en if one wanted to tr& to understand such :o-es +& thin-ing( one would remain helplessl& +ehind the tempo of unleashed things( which race ahead e)en in the simplest caricature( li-e the concluding chase at the end of animated films. Sagacit& turns immediatel& into stupidit& in the face of regressi)e progress. Do other understanding is left to thought than the horror of what is incomprehensi+le. Lust as the so+er6minded ga;e( which meets the +ill+oard smile of a toothpaste +eaut&( percei)es the miser& of torture in her manufactured grin( so too does the death6sentence of the su+:ect( implicit in the uni)ersal )ictor& of su+:ecti)e reason( +ristle from e)er& :o-e and trul& e)er& )isual representation.

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Intention and copy @'bbildA. G The pseudorealism of the culture6industr&( its st&le( is not to +e e9plained +& the slea;& shenanigans of film magnates and their lac-e&s( +ut was necessitated( under the ruling conditions of production( +& the st&listic principle of naturalism itself. 8f one wished to +lindl& consecrate the film to the representation of dail& life( for e9ample on the model of Nola( something which would in fact +e possi+le with the means of mo+ile photograph& and a sound6trac-( then the resulting entit& @GebildeA would +e diffuse( e9ternall& unarticulated( foreign to a pu+lic accustomed to )isual spectacles. $adical naturalism( which the techni<ue of film strongl& suggests( would dissol)e e)er& conte9t of surface meaning and end up as the e9treme opposite of familiar realism. The film would pass o)er into the associati)e stream of images and recei)e its form solel& as in their pure( immanent construction. Ret if instead of this( one attempted to choose words and gestures which could +e related to an idea endowing them with meaning G either on commercial grounds( or for the sa-e of o+:ecti)e intention G the perhaps una)oida+le attempt would end up in an e<uall& una)oida+le contradiction with the prere<uisites of naturalism. The lesser densit& of reproduci+ilit& @'bbildlich$eitA in naturalistic literature still left room for intention: in the seamless mesh of the duplication of realit& through the technical apparatus of film( e)er& intention( e)en if it were itself the truth( turns into a lie. 2hen compared with the literal fidelit& of the cop& @'bbildA( the word which is supposed to +eat the character of the spea-er or the meaning of the whole into the audienceBs head sounds >unnatural.? 8t :ustifies the world as +eing as meaningful as itself( e)en +efore the first planned fraud( the first actual distortion is committed. Do6one tal-s that wa&( no6one mo)es that wa&( while the film urges o)er and o)er again( thatBs how e)er&one does it. /ne is trapped: conformism is caused a priori +& meaning @+edeuten: noun form of the )er+ >+edeuten(? to meanA in itself( regardless of what the concrete significance @+edeutung: noun form of >meaningMA ma& +e( while it is nonetheless onl& through meaning @+edeutenA that conformism( the respecta+le repetition of what is factual( could +e sha-en. True intentions would +e possi+le onl& through the renunciation of intention. That this latter and realism are incompati+le( that the s&nthesis turned into a lie( is rooted in the concept of meaningness @(eutig$eit: meaning( significanceA. 8t is am+iguous @#!eideutigA. 8t relates without distinction to the organi;ation of the thing as such and to its transmission to the audience. This am+iguit& howe)er is no accident. Meaningness @(eutig$eitA indicates the point of indifference +etween o+:ecti)e reason and communication. 8t is right( insofar as the o+:ecti)e form( the reali;ed e9pression( spea-s( turning itself outwards out of itself( and wrong( insofar as it damages the form through calculations aimed at the audience. E)er& single artistic and also theoretical wor- must show itself e<ual to the urgent necessit& of such am+iguit& @(oppelsinnA. The e9plicit @deutlicheA form( howe)er esoteric( &ields to consumerism; the ine9plicit -ind is dilettantish according to its immanent criteria. Uualit& is decided +& the depth( at which the entit& @GebildeA ta-es up the alternati)es within itself and so masters them.

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5ue and cry @Staatsa$tion: great fussA. G The increasing impossi+ilit& of the representation of what is historical spea-s to the e9tinction of art. That there is no ade<uate drama on fascism( is due not to a lac- of talent( rather talent is withering awa& due to the insolu+ilit& of the most urgent tas- facing writers. The& ha)e to choose +etween two principles( which are e<uall& inappropriate to the su+:ect6matter: ps&cholog& and infantilism. The former( which has meanwhile +ecome aestheticall& o+solete( has +een handled +& significant artists as a tric- and with a +ad conscience( e)er since modern drama learned to see its o+:ect in politics. SchillerBs prologue to Fiesco states: >8f it is true( that onl& sentiment awa-ens sentiment( then the political hero is not( 8 thin-( an appropriate su+:ect for the theater( to the e9tent that he must set aside the human +eing( in order to +e the political hero. 8t was not m& intent to +reathe that li)ing glow into m& tale( which rules through the )ocal product of enthusiasm( +ut to spin the cold( unfruitful hue and cr& @Staatsa$tionA out of the human heart( and precisel& there+& to reattach it to the human heart G to in)ol)e the man through the head( which -nows the affairs of the state G to +orrow situations for humanit& from in)enti)e intrigues G that was m& intent. 8n addition( m& relationship with the +ourgeois world made me more familiar with the heart( than with the ca+inet of state( and perhaps this precise political wea-ness has +ecome a poetic strength.? Cardl&. The lin- +etween alienated histor& and the human heart was alread& a prete9t in Schiller( to :ustif& the inhumanit& of histor& as humanl& comprehensi+le( and was gi)en the theatrical lie( whene)er the techni<ue e<uated the >man? to the >head( which -nows the affairs of the state? G for e9ample( in the +uffoonish6accidental murder of 'eonore +& the +etra&er of his own conspirac&. The tendenc& to aesthetic repri)ati;ation pulls the rug from underneath the feet of art( while it attempts to conser)e humanism. The ca+als of the all too well constructed pla&s of Schiller are powerless intermediar& constructions +etween the passions of human +eings and a social and political realit& which is alread& incommensura+le with such( and for that reason no longer graspa+le in human moti)ations. The most recent sign of this is the cra;e for second6rate +iographies( which +ring famous people closer as non6 famousl& human. The same pressure for false humani;ation emerges in the calculated reintroduction of >plots? @in English in originalA( of the action as a harmonious( logicall& consistent conte9t of meaning. Jnder the prere<uisites of photographic realism( this would +e untena+le in film. To capricious restore it( is to fall +ehind the e9periences of the great no)els( on which film parasiticall& li)es; the& o+tained their meaning precisel& as the dissolution of the conte9t of meaning. 8f one wished to clear the ta+le of all this and see- to represent the political sphere in its a+straction and e9tra6humanit&( e9cluding the decepti)e mediations of what is internali;ed( then things would go no +etter. For it is precisel& the essential a+straction of what trul& happened( which simpl& refutes the aesthetic picture. 8n order to ma-e it capa+le of an& -ind of e9pression( the writer is compelled to translate it into a -ind of childrenBs speech( into archet&pes and thus to >+ring it nearer? a second time around G no longer to feeling( +ut to that authorit& of comprehending reflection which still lies +efore the constitution of language( which e)en epic theater cannot e)ade. The appeal to these authorities alread& formall& sanctions the dissolution of the su+:ect in collecti)e societ&. The o+:ect howe)er is scarcel& less falsified +& such a la+or of translation than the deduction of a religious war to the erotic needs of a <ueen. Cuman +eings toda& ha)e +ecome as infantile as the simplistic drama( which a+:ures the formerBs representation. 8n lieu of this( the political econom& which the latter charges itself with representing( though in principle unchanged( is ne)ertheless so differentiated and ad)anced in each of its moments( that it e)ades schematic para+les. To paint the decision6ma-ing inside large6scale industr& as the wheeling and dealing of croo-ed )egeta+le6grocers suffices for a monetar& shoc-( +ut not howe)er for dialectical theater. The illustration of late capitalism through pictures from the agrarian or criminal storehouse does not allow the mischief of toda&Bs societ& to emerge from its wrapping in complicated phenomena. $ather( the lac- of concern for the phenomena( which themsel)es would need to +e de)eloped out of the essence( distorts the essence. 8t interprets the con<uest of power +& the mightiest harmlessl&( as machination of rac-ets outside of societ&( not as the coming6to6itself of societ& in its own right. The unrepresenta+ilit& of fascism howe)er stems

from the fact that there is as little freedom of the su+:ect an&more in such( as there is in the reflection on it. %onsummated unfreedom can +e recogni;ed( not represented. 2here freedom appears as a moti)e in political stories toda&( as for e9ample in the praise of heroic resistance( it has the shameful <ualit& of a powerless reassurance. The outcome alwa&s ends up +eing determined +& world politics( and freedom itself emerges as ideological( as a speech a+out freedom( with stereot&pical declamations( not in humanl& commensura+le actions. After the dissolution of the su+:ect( art is least of all to +e sa)ed +& +eing stuffed +& a ta9idermist( and the o+:ect which toda& would alone +e worth& of it( namel& what is purel& inhuman( escapes it through +oth a lac- of measure and inhumanit&. 95 (amper and drum. Taste is the truest seismograph of historical e9perience. 'i-e scarcel& an& other facult&( it is capa+le of indicating e)en its own +eha)ior. 8t reacts against itself and recogni;es itself as tasteless. Artists( who repel( who shoc-( spo-espersons of unmitigated cruelt&( are steered in their idios&ncras& +& taste: the genre of the finer things in life( the domain of neo6$omantic ner)ous t&pes( the culti)ation of sensi+ilit&( is G e)en to their protagonists G as coarse and clueless nowada&s as the $il-e )erse( >For po)ert& is a great luminosit& from within...? The delicate shudder( the pathos of +eing different are onl& normali;ed mas-s in the cult of oppression. 8t is precisel& the aestheticall& ad)anced ner)es which find what is self6righteousl& aesthetic to +e un+eara+le. The indi)idual @IndividuumA is so through and through historical( that it is capa+le of re+elling against the fine threads of its late6+ourgeois organi;ation with the fine threads of late6+ourgeois organi;ation. 8n the antipath& towards all artistic su+:ecti)ism( towards e9pression and soulfulness( the flesh creeps at the lac- of historical tact( no differentl& from how su+:ecti)ism once drew +ac- from +ourgeois con)ention. E)en the re:ection of mimesis( the innermost concern of functionalism( is mimetic. The :udgment on the su+:ecti)e e9pression does not fall from outside( in political6social reflection( +ut in immediate impulses( e)er& one of which turns its countenance from the image in the mirror( compelled in )iew of the culture6industr& to shame. $ight at the top is the defamation of erotic pathos( which the displacement of l&ric accents testifies to not less than the se9ualit& in the wor-s of Haf-a( which stands under a collecti)e +aleful spell. 8n art since e9pressionism( the whore has +ecome a -e& figure( while she is d&ing out in realit&( +ecause it is solel& in what is shameless that se9ualit& can +e depicted without aesthetic shame. Such displacements of the deepest modes of reaction ha)e reached the point( that art in its indi)idualistic form has deca&ed( without ma-ing its collecti)e form possi+le. 8t is not a <uestion of the fidelit& and independence of indi)idual artists( to unflinchingl& hold fast to the sphere of the e9pressi)e and to oppose the +rutal compulsion of collecti)i;ation( it is rather that the& must feel this compulsion e)en in the most secret cells of their isolation( e)en against their will( if the& do not wish to helplessl& and untruthfull& remain( through an anachronistic humanit&( +ehind what is inhuman. E)en intransigent literar& e9pressionism( the l&rics of Stramm( the dramas of Ho-osch-a( ha)e a nai)e( li+eral6trustful aspect as the flip side of their genuine radicalism. The ad)ance +e&ond them howe)er is no less du+ious. 2or-s of art which consciousl& wish to remo)e the harmlessness of a+solute su+:ecti)it&( there+& raise the claim of a positi)e communit&( which is not present in themsel)es( +ut which is ar+itraril& cited. That turns them into mere mouthpieces of doom and to the pre& of the final na@vt( which su+lates them G of still +eing art at all. The aporia of the responsi+le wor- comes to +enefit irresponsi+le ones. 8f there comes a time that the ner)es are entirel& a+olished( then there will +e no cure against the renaissance of the springtime of song( and nothing will stand in the wa& of the popular front stretching from +ar+aric futurism to the ideolog& of the film.

96
0anus palace. G 8f one were so inclined as to put the s&stem of the culture6industr& in a grand( world6 historical perspecti)e( then it would +e defined as the planned e9ploitation of the age6old di)ide +etween human +eings and their culture. The dou+le character of progress( which constantl& de)eloped the

potential of freedom simultaneousl& with the realit& of oppression( has created a situation where the )arious peoples are e)er more completel& su+orned into the control of nature and social organi;ation( &et are at the same time incapa+le of understanding how culture goes +e&ond such integration( due to the compulsion which culture inflicts on them. 2hat is human in culture G what is nearest of all( which represents their own affair against the world G has +ecome alien to human +eings. The& ma-e common cause with the world against themsel)es( and what is most alienated of all G the u+i<uit& of goods( their own reconfiguration into appendages of machiner& G turns into the decepti)e image of nearness. The great wor-s of art and philosophical constructions ha)e remained uncomprehended not +ecause of their all too great distance from the core of human e9perience( +ut for the opposite( and it is eas& enough to trace the incomprehension +ac- to an all too great understanding: the shame of participation in uni)ersal in:ustice( which would +ecome o)erpowering( as soon as one permitted oneself to understand it. Thus the& cling to what moc-s them( +& confirming the mutilated form of their essence through the smoothness of its own appearance. #uring all periods of ur+an ci)ili;ation( the lac-e&s of the e9istent ha)e made a parasitic li)ing off such una)oida+le delusion: the later Attic comed&( the Cellenistic arts and crafts are alread& -itsch( although the& did not &et ha)e the technics of mechanical reproduci+ilit& and that industrial apparatus at their disposal( whose Jr6picture seems to +e con:ured up +& the ruins of 5ompeii. 8f one reads hundred6&ear6old entertainment no)els li-e those of %ooper( then one finds therein in rudimentar& form the entire Coll&wood schema. The stagnation of the culture industr& is pro+a+l& not the result of its monopoli;ation( +ut was innate to so6called entertainment from the )er& +eginning. Hitsch is that mesh of in)ariants( which the philosophical lie ascri+es to its solemn designs. Dothing therein ma& fundamentall& change( +ecause the entire nonsense drills it into humanit&( that nothing is allowed to change. So long howe)er the course of ci)ili;ation proceeded planlessl& and anon&mousl&( the o+:ecti)e Spirit @GeistA has not +een conscious of that +ar+aric element( as something which necessaril& dwells within it. Jnder the illusion of immediatel& aiding freedom( where it mediated domination( it has at least disdained to immediatel& contri+ute to its reproduction. 8t defamed the -itsch which accompanied it li-e a shadow( with an enthusiasm which to +e sure e9presses the +ad conscience of high culture G a high culture which suspects that under domination it is nothing of the sort( and which is reminded +& -itsch of its own mischief. Toda&( since the consciousness of the rulers is +eginning to con)erge with the total tendenc& of societ&( the tension +etween culture and -itsch is falling apart. %ulture no longer drags its despised opponent +ehind it powerlessl&( +ut ta-es it under direction. 4& administering the whole of humanit&( it administers too the +rea- +etween humanit& and culture. E)en the crudit&( pig6headedness and narrowness( which are o+:ecti)el& inflicted on the dominated( are accessed with su+:ecti)e so)ereignt& as humor. Dothing indicates the simultaneousl& integral and antagonistic condition more e9actl& than such em+edding of +ar+arism. Therein howe)er the will of the administrators can call upon the will of the world. Their mass societ& did not first produce :un- for customers( +ut the customers themsel)es. These latter hungered for films( radio and maga;ines; whate)er in them remained unsatisfied +& the social order( which ta-es from them without gi)ing +ac- what it promises( ha)e pined onl& for the master of the dungeon to remem+er them and finall& offer with the left hand a stone for the hunger( from which the right hand withholds the +read. Jnresistingl&( for a <uarter centur&( elderl& +ourgeois who ought to -now +etter ha)e +een running o)er to the culture6industr&( which has so precisel& calculated their star)ing hearts. The& ha)e no reason to +e outraged o)er the &oung people who were corrupted to the marrow +& Fascism. Those who are su+:ectless( those who are culturall& depri)ed of their heritage are the true inheritors of culture.

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Monad. G The indi)idual @IndividuumA owes its cr&stalli;ation to the forms of political econom&( especiall& the ur+an mar-etplace @Mar$t!esenA. E)en as an opponent of the pressure of sociali;ation( it remains the latterBs own product and similar to it. 2hat endows it with resistance( with e)er& trait of independence( originates in the monadological indi)idual interest and its precipitate as character. The

indi)idual @IndividuumA mirrors precisel& in its indi)iduation the preordained social law of e9ploitation( +e it e)er so mediated. This testifies howe)er also to the fact that its deca& in the contemporar& phase must not +e deri)ed indi)idualisticall&( +ut out of a social tendenc&( as something which succeeds +& )irtue of indi)iduation and not as its mere enem&. Therein di)erges the reactionar& criti<ue of culture from the other -inds. /ften enough( the reactionar& -ind achie)es a certain insight into the deca& of indi)idualit& and the crisis of societ&( +ut puts the ontological responsi+ilit& for that on the indi)iduated @IndividuumA in itself( as something detached and inward: the o+:ection of superficialit&( lac- of +elie)a+ilit&( lac- of su+stance are the last words the& ha)e to sa&( and turning +ac- is their onl& consolation. 8ndi)idualists li-e Cu9le& and Laspers condemn the indi)idual @IndividuumA for its mechanical emptiness and neurotic wea-ness( +ut the upshot of their condemnation is to sacrifice it rather than to criti<ue the social principium individuationis @'atin: principle of indi)iduationA. Their polemic is( as a half truth( alread& the entire untruth. Societ& is regarded therein as the immediate coe9istence of human +eings( out of whose attitude follows the whole( as it were( instead of as a s&stem( which does not merel& em+race and deform them( +ut reaches e)en into that humanit&( which once ordained them as indi)iduals. Through the uni)ersall&6human interpretation of conditions( as the& are( the crude materialit& which +inds human e9istence to inhumanit& is certified( e)en in the complaint against such. 8n its +etter da&s( the +ourgeoisie( where it reflected historicall&( was <uite conscious of such interwo)enness( and onl& since its doctrine degenerated to the stu++orn apologetics against socialism( ha)e the& forgotten a+out them. Dot the least of the achie)ements of La-o+ 4urc-hardtBs 0ree- cultural histor& is that to ha)e lin-ed the erosion of Cellenistic indi)idualit& not merel& to the o+:ecti)e deca& of the polis( +ut precisel& to the cult of the indi)idual @IndividuumA: >Following the deaths of #emosthenes and 5ho-ion( the cit& @AthensA was astonishingl& poor in political personalities( and not merel& in political ones( for Epicurus( +orn in 73! to an Attic cleruch famil& in Samos( was the last world6historical Athenian of them all.? *La-o+ 4urc-hardt( 1ol. 3.7. Ed.( Stuttgart 19"9( pg 515.. The condition( in which the indi)idual @IndividuumA disappeared( is simultaneousl& one of unfettered indi)idualism( in which >e)er&thing is possi+le?: >A+o)e all( indi)iduals are cele+rated instead of gods.? *8+id.( pg 51Z.. That the freeing of the indi)idual @IndividuumA +& the hollowed out polis did not strengthen its resistance( +ut eliminated it and indeed indi)idualit& itself( as transpired in the dictator6states( is the model of one of the central contradictions which dro)e from the 19th centur& towards fascism. 4eetho)enBs music( whose setting consists of sociall& communicated forms( and which( asceticall& opposed to the pri)ate e9pression of feeling( resonates with the determinatel& guided echo of struggle( drawing precisel& out of such asceticism all the richness and might @Ge!altA of the indi)idual. Those of $ichard Strauss( entirel& at the ser)ice of indi)idual claim and directed towards the glorification of the self6sufficient indi)idual @IndividuumA( de+ases such to the mere reception6organ of the mar-et( to the emulator of ideas and st&les selected will&6nill&. 8nside repressi)e societ&( the emancipation of the indi)idual @IndividuumA does not merel& +enefit such( +ut also reduces it to an entr&. Freedom from societ& ro+s it of the energ& for freedom. For as real as its relations to others ma& +e( it is( considered as something a+solute( a mere a+straction. 8t does not ha)e an& sort of content which is not sociall& constituted( nor an& impulse which goes +e&ond societ&( which would not +e aimed at getting the social condition to go +e&ond itself. E)en the %hristian doctrine of death and immortalit&( in which the notion of a+solute indi)idualit& is grounded( would +e entirel& )oid( if it did not include humanit&. The indi)idual who hoped for immortalit& a+solutel& and for themsel)es alone( would in such limitation onl& enlarge the principle of self6preser)ation into the a+surdit&( on which the wisdom >one must lose( in order to win? is the correcti)e. Sociall& the a+soluti;ation of the indi)idual @IndividuumA mar-s the transition from the uni)ersal mediation of social relationships( which as e9change also constantl& demands the simultaneous limitation of the interests reali;ed in such( to immediate domination( where the strongest rules. Through this dissolution of e)er&thing mediating in the indi)idual @IndividuumA itself( +& )irtue of which it was still a piece of a social su+:ect( it is impo)erished( +rutali;ed and regresses to the condition of a mere social o+:ect. The indi)idual @IndividuumA su+lates itself( as in the Cegelian sense( in something a+stractl& reali;ed: the m&riads who -now nothing an& more e9cept their na-ed( ram+ling interest( are the same ones who capitulate as soon as organi;ation and terror rope them in. 8f toda& the trace of what is

human seems to cling solel& to the indi)idual @IndividuumA as something which is perishing( then it is a warning to put an end to that fatalit&( which indi)iduates human +eings solel& in order to +e a+le to completel& +rea- them in their separation. The sa)ing principle is su+lated solel& in its opposite.

98
/egacy. G #ialectical thin-ing is the attempt to +rea- through the compulsor& character of logic with its own means. 4ut insofar as it must emplo& these means( it is at e)er& moment in danger of falling pre& to the compulsor& character itself: the ruse of reason would still li-e to pre)ail against dialectics. The e9istent @+estehendeA cannot surpass itself in an& other wa& than +& )irtue of the general( which the e9istent itself has +orrowed. The general triumphs o)er the e9istent +& means of its own concept( and that is wh& the power of the merel& e9isting @SeiendenA threatens to reproduce itself in such triumph( out of the same )iolence( which it +ro-e. Through the solitar& dominion of the negation( the mo)ement of thought( li-e that of histor&( is led une<ui)ocall& and e9clusi)el& according to the schemata of the immanent contradiction( with implaca+le positi)it&. E)er&thing is su+sumed +& the historicall& appropriate ma:or economic phases of the entire societ& and their de)elopment: the entire thin-ing process has something of what the 5arisian artists called the genre chef d=oeuvre @French: genre of the masterpieceA. That the calamit& is caused precisel& +& the stringenc& of such de)elopment( that this latter is lin-ed to domination( is at an& rate not e9plicit in critical theor& @i.e. Mar9A( which( li-e the traditional one @i.e. CegelA( e9pected sal)ation from linear progression. 8n fact stringenc& and totalit&( the +ourgeois thought6ideals of necessit& and generalit&( circumscri+e the formulation of histor&( &et for that )er& reason reflect the constitution of societ& in the fi9ed( statel&( grand concepts( against which dialectical criti<ue and pra9is are aimed. 8f 4en:amin o+ser)ed that histor& had +een hitherto written from the standpoint of the )ictor and needed to +e written from that of the )an<uished( then it should +e added that while -nowledge @"r$enntnisA must indeed represent the +aleful linearit& of the succession of )ictor& and defeat( it must at the same time turn to whate)er does not )anish in such a d&namic( and remains +& the wa&side G to a certain degree( the cast6 off materials and +lind spots( which escaped dialectics. 8t is the essence of what is )an<uished to appear inessential( dispensa+le( whimsical in its powerlessness. 2hat transcends the ruling societ& is not merel& the potentialit& de)eloped +& the latter( +ut e<uall& that which does not fit into the historical laws of mo)ement. Theor& is oriented to what is as-ew( what is impenetra+le( what is not &et encompassed( which as such admittedl& alread& +ears something anachronistic in itself( +ut does not e9haust itself in what is o+solete( +ecause it contains a dash of the historical d&namic. This is most easil& seen in art. %hildrenBs +oo-s such as 'lice in &onderland or the Stru!!elpeter( which re+u-e an& attempt to classif& them as progressi)e or reactionar& as a+surd( contain incompara+l& more su+tle ciphers( e)en of histor&( than the grand dramas of Ce++el( with their official thematics of tragic guilt( the change of the times( the course of the world and the indi)iduated @IndividuumA; and the disdainful and sill& piano pieces of Satie e)o-e flashes of e9perience which the stringenc& of the Sch[n+erg school( despite +eing +ac-ed +& the entire pathos of musical de)elopment( cannot dream of. 5recisel& the magnificence of logical conclusions ma& unwittingl& assume the character of what is pro)incial. 4en:aminBs writings are the attempt( in an e)er new approach( to ma-e that which is not alread& determined +& grandiose intentions philosophicall& fruitful. Cis legac& consists of the tas- of refusing to consign such an attempt to the alienated pu;;le6 pictures of thought( +ut to recuperate what is de)oid of intention )ia the concept: the necessit&( to thinsimultaneousl& dialecticall& and undialecticall&.

99
Gold test. G Among the concepts to which +ourgeois moralit& has shrun-( following the dissolution of its religious norms and the formali;ation of its autonomous ones( genuineness @"chtheitA ran-s at the top. 8f nothing else can +e stringentl& demanded from human +eings( then at least( the& should +e entirel& and wholl& what the& are. 8n the identit& of each indi)idual with itself( the postulate of incorrupti+le truth as

well as the glorification of what is factual are transferred from the enlightened cognition to ethics @"thi$A. 8t is precisel& the criticall& independent thin-ers of the late +ourgeoisie( fed up with traditional :udgments and idealistic phrases( who agree with this. 8+senBs admittedl& refractor& )erdict on the lifelong lie( Hier-egaardBs doctrine of e9istence ha)e made the ideal of genuineness @"chtheitA into a touchstone of metaph&sics. 8n Diet;scheBs anal&sis( the word >genuine? alread& stands as something un<uestiona+le( something e9empt from the la+or of the concept. To the con)erted and uncon)erted philosophers of Fascism( )alues such as authenticit&( heroic endurance of the >thrownness? of indi)idual e9istence( the +order situation( ultimatel& +ecome a means of usurping religious6authoritarian pathos without an& sort of religious content. This dri)es towards the denunciation of e)er&thing which is not sound enough( which is not made out of corn and gristle( therefore the Lews: $ichard 2agner hat alread& pla&ed off genuine 0erman art against foreign @!elsche: medie)al 0erman term for foreignA +ric6a6+rac and there+& misused the criti<ue of the culture mar-et as an apolog& for +ar+arism. Such misuse is howe)er not e9trinsic to the concept of genuineness @"chtheitA. #uring the sale of its faded li)er&( seams and damaged patches are coming out( which were alread& in)isi+l& present in the great da&s of opposition. The untruth lur-s in the su+strate of genuineness @"chtheitA itself( the indi)idual @IndividuumA. 8f the law of the course of the world is concealed in the principium individuationis @'atin: principle of indi)iduationA( as the antipodes of Cegel and Schopenhauer +oth recogni;ed( then the intuition of the final and a+solute su+stantialit& of the ego +ecomes the )ictim of an appearance @ScheinA( which protects the e9isting social order( while its essence is alread& deca&ing. To e<uate genuineness @"chtheitA with truth is not tena+le. 8t is precisel& the unflinching self6constitution G that mode of conduct( which Diet;sche called ps&cholog& G and thus the insistence on the truth a+out oneself( which pro)es again and again( alread& in the first e9periences of childhood( that the impulses on which one reflects are not entirel& >genuine.? The& constantl& contained something of imitation( pla&( wanting to +e different. 8n pressing towards what is unconditionall& fi9ed( towards the +eing @SeinA of the e9istent @SeiendesA( the will( which immerses itself in its own selfsame indi)idualit& instead of its social cognition( leads to precisel& the +ad infinit& which since Hier-egaard the concept of genuineness @"chtheitA was supposed to e9orci;e. Do6one e9pressed this more forthrightl& than Schopenhauer. The <uerulous fore+ear of e9istential philosoph& and malicious inheritor of great speculation trul& -new the hollows and ra)ines of indi)idual a+solutism inside out. Cis insight is attached to the speculati)e thesis( that the indi)idual @IndividuumA would +e onl& the appearance( not the thing in itself. >E)er& indi)idual @IndividuumA(? goes a footnote in the fourth +oo- of ,he &orld as &ill and Idea( >is on the one hand the su+:ect of cognition( that is( the complementar& condition of possi+ilit& of the entire o+:ecti)e world( and on the other hand( the specific appearance @"rscheinungA of the will( of the same one which o+:ectifies itself in each thing. 4ut this duplicit& of our essence does not rest on a unit& e9isting for itself: otherwise we would +e a+le to +e aware of oursel)es in oursel)es( independentl& from the o+:ects of cognition and of will @&ollenA: this howe)er we simpl& cannot do( or rather as soon as we tr& to enter oursel)es and( +& directing our cognition inwards( wish to full& constitute oursel)es( we lose oursel)es in a +ottomless )oid( finding oursel)es li-e the cr&stal +all( out of whose depths a )oice spea-s( whose cause howe)er is not found there( and +& wishing to grasp oursel)es( we catch( with a shudder( nothing +ut a wandering ghost. *Schopenhauer( %ollected 2or-s( 0rand #u-e 2ilhelm6Ernst Edition( 4oo- 1: ,he &orld as &ill and Idea. 8. 8ntroduction +& Eduard 0rise+ach. 'eip;ig. 19!"( pg 7Y1.. Ce there+& called the m&thical deception of the pure self +& its name( as nugator&. 8t is an a+straction. 2hat steps forward as an original entit&( as a monad( results first from a social separation from the social process. 5recisel& as something a+solute( the indi)idual @IndividuumA is a mere reflection6form of propert&6relations. 8n it the ficti)e claim is raised that what is +iologicall& one would precede( according to its own lights( the social whole( from which onl& )iolence isolates it( and its contingenc& is upheld as a measure of truth. 8t is not merel& that the ego is enmeshed in societ&( +ut that the former owes the latter its e9istence in the most literal sense. All of its content comes from the latter( or in an& case out of the relation to the o+:ect. 8t +ecomes all the richer( the more freel& it de)elops the latter in itself and reflects it( while con)ersel& its delimitation and hardening( which reclaims it as an origin( there+& cause it to +e limited( impo)erished and reduced. 8t is not for nothing that attempts to grasp the plenitude of the

indi)idual in its withdrawal into itself( such as Hier-egaardBs( are tantamount to the sacrifice of the indi)idual and to the selfsame a+straction( which Hier-egaard maligned in the idealistic s&stems. 0enuineness @"chtheitA is nothing other than the defiant and o+stinate persistence on the monadological form( which social oppression stamps on human +eings. 2hat does not wish to wither awa&( should rather ta-e the stigma of the non6genuine on itself. 8t feeds on the mimetic legac&. 2hat is human is attached to imitation: a human +eing turns into a human +eing first +& imitating other human +eings. 8n such +eha)ior( the Jr6form of lo)e( the priests of genuineness scent traces of that utopia( which could sha-e the apparatus of domination. That Diet;sche( whose reflection dro)e all the wa& into the concept of truth( dogmaticall& drew +ac- from genuineness @"chtheitA( ma-es him into what he ultimatel& wanted to +e( a 'utheran( and his out+ursts against pla&6acting are cut from the same cloth as the anti6Semitism which so outraged him in the arch6actor 2agner. Ce should not ha)e reproached 2agner with pla&6acting G for all art( and music especiall&( is related to acting( and in e)er& period of Diet;sche there rings the thousand6&ear echo of the rhetorical )oices from the $oman senate G +ut the denial of pla&6acting +& the actor. 8ndeed it is not onl& what is non6genuine( which pla&s at retaining +eing @seinshaltigA( which is to +e con)icted a lie( +ut rather what is genuine itself turns into a lie the moment it +ecomes something genuine( that is to sa& in the reflection on itself( in its positing as something genuine( such that it alread& steps +e&ond the identit& which in the same +reath it claims. The self cannot +e spo-en of as the ontological ground( +ut solel& in an& case theologicall&( in the name of what is cast in 0odBs image @Gottesebenbildlich$eitA. 2hoe)er holds fast to the self and sha-es off theological concepts( contri+utes to the :ustification of the de)ilish positi)e( of cold6cut interest. 8t +orrows from this last the aura of significance and turns the power of command of self6preser)ing reason into a high6flown superstructure( while the real self has alread& +ecome in the world( what Schopenhauer recogni;ed it as in introspection( a ghost. 8ts character of appearance @Scheinchara$terA can +e understood from the historical implications of the concept of genuineness @"chtheitA as such. 8n it hides the idea of the supremac& of the origin o)er what is deri)ed. This is howe)er alread& connected with social legitimism. All ruling elites claim to +e the eldest of all( autochthonous. The entire philosoph& of inwardness( with the claim of ha)ing contempt for the world( is the final su+limation of the +ar+aric +rutalit&( that whoe)er was there first( has the greatest rights( and the priorit& of the self is as untrue as the priorit& of all who feel at home right where the& are. Dothing changes( if genuineness @"chtheitA falls +ac- on the opposition of physei @'atin: what is ph&sicalA and thesei @'atin: what is artificialA( that what e9ists without the addition of human acti)it&( would +e +etter than what is artificial. The tighter the net of what human +eings ha)e made is drawn o)er the world( the more spasmodicall& do those who are doing the tightening( highlight their own primiti)it& and rootedness in nature. The disco)er& of genuineness @"chtheitA as the last +ulwar- of indi)idualistic ethics @"thi$A is a refle9 of industrial mass production. /nl& when countless standardi;ed goods pretend( for the sa-e of profit( to +e something uni<ue( does the idea cr&stalli;e G as its antithesis( and &et according to the same criteria G that what is not to +e reproduced is what is authenticall& genuine. 5re)iousl&( the <uestion of genuineness @"chtheitA was no more applied to intellectual entities @GebildeA than the <uestion of originalit&( which was un-nown e)en in the era of 4ach. The deception of genuineness @"chtheitA goes +ac- to +ourgeois delusion regarding the e9change6process. 2hat appears genuine( is what commodities and other means of e9change can +e reduced to G a+o)e all( gold. The genuineness @"chtheitA a+stracted li-e a proportion of a fine metal turns( li-e gold( into a fetish. 4oth are treated as it the& were the su+strate( which is ne)ertheless in truth a social relationship( while gold and genuineness @"chtheitA e9press onl& the fungi+ilit&( the compara+ilit& of things: the& are precisel& not in themsel)es( +ut for others. The non6 genuineness of the genuine rests on the fact that it must pretend( in the societ& ruled +& e9change( to +e what it stands for( without e)er +eing trul& a+le to +e such. The apostles of genuineness @"chtheitA of power( who dress down circulation( perform the dance of the mone&6)eil at this latterBs wa-e.

100
Sur l=eau @French: at seaA. To the <uestion of the goal of an emancipated societ&( one recei)es answers such as the fulfillment of human possi+ilities or the richness of life. As illegitimate as the ine)ita+le <uestion ma& +e( so ine)ita+le is the repulsi)e( out6trumping response( which recalls to mind the social democratic personalit&6ideal of the hea)il& +earded naturalists of the 1X9"s( who wanted to li)e it up. Tenderness would +e solel& what is most crude: that no6one should star)e an& longer. An&thing else would appl&( to a condition which ought to +e determined +& human needs( a human +eha)ior which is formed on the model of production as its own purpose. The utopian image of the unrestricted( energetic( creati)e human +eing has +een infiltrated +& the commodit& fetishism( which in +ourgeois societ& +rings with it inhi+ition( powerlessness( the sterilit& of monoton&. The concept of d&namics( which complements +ourgeois >ahistoricit&(? is raised to something a+solute( while it ne)ertheless( as the anthropological refle9 of the laws of production( must +e criticall& confronted in the emancipated societ& with need. The idea of unfettered doing( of uninterrupted creating( of chu++&6chee-ed insatia+ilit&( of freedom as intense acti)it&( feeds on the +ourgeois concept of nature( which from time immemorial has ser)ed to proclaim social )iolence as irre)oca+le( as a piece of health& eternit&. 8t was due to this and not an& presumed e<uali;ation that the positi)e designs of socialism( against which Mar9 +ristled( remained in +ar+arism. 2hat is to +e feared is not the slac-ening of humanit& in a life of lu9ur&( +ut rather the dessicated e9pansion of what( in the guise of the all6natural( is social G the collecti)it& as the +lind rage of ma-ing. The nai)el& mandated unam+iguit& of the tendenc& of de)elopment towards the raising of production is itself a piece of that +ourgeois nature @+.rgerlich$eitA( which permits de)elopment onl& in one direction( +ecause( integrated into the totalit&( ruled +& <uantification( it is hostile to the <ualitati)e difference. 8f one thin-s of the emancipated societ& as one emancipated precisel& from such a totalit&( then alignments +ecome )isi+le( which ha)e little in common with the raising of production and its human mirror6images. 8f uninhi+ited people are +& no means the most pleasant( and are not e)en the freest( then the societ& which freed itself of its fetters( could arri)e at the thought that e)en the producti)e forces are not the final su+strate of human +eings( +ut are rather the historicall& specific form of these last under commodit& production. 5erhaps the true societ& would +ecome +ored with de)elopment( and would out of freedom lea)e possi+ilities unused( instead of storming alien stars under a confused compulsion. 2hat would +egin to dawn on a humanit&( which no longer -new urgent necessit& @Dot: necessit&( pri)ationA( is :ust how delusor& and futile all the arrangements hitherto created to escape pri)ation @DotA ha)e +een G arrangements which used wealth to reproduce pri)ation @DotA on an e9panded scale. En:o&ment itself would +e touched +& this( :ust as its contemporar& schema cannot +e separated from industriousness( planning( imposing oneBs will( su+:ugation. 7ien faire comme une bAte @French: #oing nothing( li-e an animalA( l&ing on the water and loo- peacefull& into the hea)ens( >+eing( nothing else( without an& further determination and fulfillment? might step in place of process( doing( fulfilling( and so trul& deli)er the promise of dialectical logic( of culminating in its origin. Done of the a+stract concepts comes closer to the fulfilled utopia than that of eternal peace. /nloo-ers of progress such as Maupassant and Sternheim ha)e helped to e9press this intention( sh&l&( in the onl& manner the fragilit& of the latter permits.

Part #hree 194$%4&

'valanche) veu*-tu m=emporter dans ta chuteQ French: A)alanche( wonBt &ou carr& me awa& in &our fallQ +audelaire

101
5othouse plant. G The tal- of earl& or late de)elopment( seldom free of the death6wish for the former( is not +inding. 2hoe)er de)elops earl&( li)es in anticipation. Their e9perience is an a prioristic( intuiti)e sensi+ilit&( which gropes in pictures and words for what is later redeemed in things and human +eings. Such anticipation( satiated in itself( as it were( turns awa& from the e9ternal world and lends the color of something neuroticall& pla&ful to the relationship to the latter. 8f earl& de)elopers are more than :ust the possessors of s-ills( the& are thus compelled to catch up( a compulsion which normal people are fond of dressing up as a moral commandment. /ne who de)elops earl& must painfull& con<uer the space of the relation to the o+:ects( which is encompassed +& oneBs ideation @8orstellungA: the& must e)en learn to suffer. The feel for the not6ego( which hardl& e)er +others supposed late de)elopers from within( +ecomes an urgent necessit& for earl& de)elopers. The narcissistic direction of the dri)es( indicated +& the preponderance of imagination in its e9perience( is precisel& what dela&s their de)elopment. The& ma-e their wa& retrospecti)el&( with crass )iolence( through the situations( fears( and passions which were softened in their anticipation( and these latter transform themsel)es( in conflict with the narcissism of the former( into something sic-l& and consuming. Thus earl& de)elopers fall pre& to what is childish( which the& once mastered all too slight e9ertion and which now demands its price; the& +ecome immature and e)en sill&( while the others( who were at e)er& stage precisel& what the& were e9pected to +e( are mature( and these now find unpardona+le( what o)erwhelms formerl& earl& de)elopers outside of all proportion. Earl& de)elopers are stric-en +& passion; sheltered all too long in the securit& of autar-&( now the& reel helplessl&( where the& once +uilt castles in the air. 8t is not for nothing that the handwriting of earl& de)elopers warns +& its infantile traits. The& are an em+arrassment to the natural social order( and malicious good health feeds on the danger which threatens them( :ust as societ& mistrusts them as the )isi+le negation of the e<uali;ation of success and e9ertion. 2hat is fulfilled in their internali;ed econom&( is the unconscious &et implaca+le punishment which was alwa&s in store for them. 2hat was once proffered to them with illusor& good will( is now cancelled out. E)en in ps&chological destin&( an authorit& watches o)er to ensure that e)er&thing is paid for. The indi)idual law is a pu;;le6picture of the e9change of e<ui)alents.

102
'l!ays more slo!ly ahead. $unning on the street has the e9pression of terror. The fall of the )ictim is imitated in the )er& attempt to escape the fall. The posture of the head( which would li-e to remained raised( is that of someone who is drowning( the tense face resem+les the grimace of torture. The& must loo- straight ahead( cannot e)en glance +ac-( without stum+ling( as if the pursuer @8erfolger: follower(

persecutorA whose sight would cause them to free;e were +reathing down their nec-s. /nce one ran from dangers which were too desperate to stand and face( and those who are running after a +us speeding awa& still testif& to this( without -nowing it. The flow of traffic no longer has to rec-on with wild animals( +ut at the same time it has not pacified running. This last estranges the +ourgeois wal-. The truth +ecomes apparent( that something is not right a+out securit&( that one must constantl& e)ade the unrestrained powers of life( e)en if these are onl& )ehicles. The +od&Bs ha+it of wal-ing as something normal stems from the good old da&s. 8t was the +ourgeois manner of getting somewhere: ph&sical dem&thologi;ation( free from the +ane of the hieratic step( the homeless fellowship of the road( the +reathless flight. Cuman dignit& insisted on the right to the gait( a rh&thm not drilled into the +od& +& command or terror. 0oing on promenades( +eing a flaneur were pri)ate wa&s of spending time( the legac& of the feudal pleasure6:aunts of the 19th centur&. 2al-ing is d&ing out along with the li+eral epoch( e)en where autos are not +eing dri)en. The &outh mo)ement( which groped for such tendencies with unmista-a+le masochism( challenged the parental Sunda& e9cursion and replaced it with the )oluntar& march of power( which the& christened with the medie)al name of trip @Fahrt: :ourne&( tra)elA( while the Ford model <uic-l& +ecame a)aila+le to the latter. 5erhaps the cult of technical speediness( :ust as in sports( conceals the impulse of mastering the terror of running( +& turning it awa& from oneBs own +od& and at the same time high6handedl& out+idding it: the triumph of the increasing mile6mar-er rituall& attests to the fear of +eing pursued. 2hene)er howe)er human +eings are told: >run(? ranging from the children( who are supposed to fetch the mother a forgotten hand+ag from upstairs( all the wa& to the prisoners( who are commanded +& their escorts to flee( in order to ha)e a prete9t for murdering them( then the archaic )iolence +ecomes audi+le( which otherwise inaudi+l& directs e)er& step.

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+oy from the heath. G 2hat one most fears for no real reason( apparentl& o+sessed +& a fi9ed idea( has the unner)ing ha+it of occurring. The <uestion which one would at no price li-e to hear( is as-ed +& an assistant in a perfidiousl& friendl& manner; the person( who one most wishes to -eep distant from oneBs +elo)ed( will end in)iting the latter( e)en if the former is three thousand miles awa&( than-s to a well6 meaning recommendation( leading to precisel& the circle of ac<uaintances( from which the danger threatens. 8t is an open <uestion as to what e9tent one in)ites such terrors oneself; if one perhaps elicits that <uestion from the malicious one +& an all too eager silence; if one pro)o-es the fatal contact( +& re<uesting the mediator( out of a foolishl& destructi)e trust( not to mediate. 5s&cholog& -nows( that whoe)er en)isions the calamit&( also somehow wishes for it. 4ut wh& does the latter seem to eager to meet themQ Something appeals( in the realit&( to the paranoid fantas& which distorts such. The latent sadism of all unerringl& guesses the latent wea-ness of all. And the persecution fantas& is infectious: whoe)er encounters it as a spectator is irresisti+l& dri)en to imitate it. This succeeds most easil&( when one gi)es it :ustifia+le grounds( +& doing what the other fears. >/ne fool ma-es man&? G the a+&ssal loneliness of delusion has a tendenc& towards collecti)i;ation( which cites the picture of delusion into life. This pathic mechanism harmoni;es with the sociall& determining one of toda&( wherein those who are sociali;ed into desperate isolation hunger for togetherness and +and together in cold clumps. Thus foll& +ecomes epidemic: )agrant sects grow with the same rh&thm as large organi;ations. 8t is that of total destruction. The fulfillment of persecution manias stems from its affinit& to +lood& +eing @&esen: nature( essence( characterA. 1iolence( on which ci)ili;ation is +ased( means the persecution of all +& all( and those with persecution manias miss the +oat solel&( +& displacing what is wrought +& the whole onto their neigh+ors( in the helpless attempt to ma-e incommensura+ilit& commensura+le. The& +urn( +ecause the& wish to immediatel& grasp( with their +are hands( as it were( the o+:ecti)e illusion which the& resem+le( while the a+surdit& consists precisel& of the perfected mediac& @Mittelbar$eitA. The& fall as )ictims to the perpetuation of the conte9t of delusion. E)en the worst and most senseless conception of e)ents( the wildest pro:ections( contain the unconscious effort of consciousness( to recogni;e the fatal law( +& )irtue of which societ& perpetuates its life. The a+erration is actuall& onl& the short6circuit of adaptation: the

open foolishness of the one mista-enl& calls( in others( the foolishness of the whole +& its correct name( and the paranoid are the moc-ing image of the right life( +& choosing on their own initiati)e to ma-e it similar to the wrong one. Lust as spar-s fl& in a short6circuit( so too does delusion communicate with delusion trul& li-e lightning. 5oints of communication are the o)erpowering confirmations of persecution manias( which moc- the one who is ill for +eing right( and there+& onl& push them in deeper. The surface of e9istence immediatel& closes up again and pro)es to them( that things are not that +ad and that the& must +e mad. The& anticipate su+:ecti)el& the condition( in which o+:ecti)e madness and the powerlessness of the indi)idual pass( unmediated( into each other( as in Fascism( where the dictatorship of those who are persecution maniacs reali;es the fears of persecution of its )ictims. The <uestion of whether an e9aggerated suspicion is paranoid or realistic( the faint pri)ate echo of the tumult of histor&( can thus +e solel& determined retrospecti)el&. 5s&cholog& does not reach into horror.

104
Golden Gate @in EnglishA. G 2hat dawns on those who are em+arrassed or spurned( illuminates as harshl& as the )iolent pain which wrac-s the +od&. The& recogni;e( that in the innermost core of deluded lo)e( which -nows nothing of this and ma& -now nothing( li)es the demand of what is undeluded. The& ha)e +een wronged; the& deri)e their claim of :ustice from this and must at the same time re:ect it( for what the& wish( can onl& come out of freedom. 8n such urgent necessit&( those who are re:ected +ecome human +eings. Lust as lo)e inaliena+l& +etra&s the generalit& to the particular( +& which alone the generalit& is honored( so too does the generalit& now turn fatall& against lo)e( as the autonom& of those who are nearest. 5recisel& the re:ection( +& which the generalit& asserts itself( appears to the indi)idual @IndividuumA as +eing e9cluded from the generalit&; whoe)er loses lo)e( feels deserted +& all( which is wh& the& despise consolation. 8n the senselessness of the withdrawal the& come to feel what is untrue of all merel& indi)idual fulfillment. There+& howe)er the& awa-en to the parado9ical consciousness of the generalit&: of the inaliena+le and unimpeacha+le human right( to +e lo)ed +& the +elo)ed. 2ith their petition( founded on no title or claim( the& appeal to an un-nown court( which out of merc& accords to them what +elongs to them and &et does not +elong to them. The secret of :ustice in lo)e is the su+lation of rights( to which lo)e points with speechless gestures. >So must lo)e( decei)ed / sill& &et e)er&where +e.? @lines +& C[lderlin from ,r%nen( >TearsMA

105
nly a 4uarter of an hour left. G Sleepless night: there is a formula for this( agoni;ing hours( stretching without prospect of end or dawn( in the )ain effort to forget the empt& duration. Corrif&ing( howe)er( are the sleepless nights( in which time shrin-s and runs fruitlessl& through oneBs fingers. /ne turns the light out in the hope for long hours of rest( which would assist one. 4ut while one cannot still oneBs thoughts( the healing nourishment of the night is s<uandered( and when one is finall& read&( to see no more under the +urning e&elids( one -nows that it is too late( that soon the terrif&ing morning will arri)e. The final hours of those who are condemned to death ma& elapse the same wa&( irresisti+l&( unused. 2hat howe)er is re)ealed +& such a contraction of hours( is the counterpoint @GegenbildA of fulfilled time. 8f in the latter the power of e9perience +rea-s the +aleful spell of duration and gathers what is past and what is future into the present( then duration creates un+eara+le horror in the hurried( sleepless night. Cuman life +ecomes a moment( not +& su+lating duration( +ut +& deca&ing to nothing( awa-ening to its futilit& in face of the +ad infinit& of time itself. 8n the o)erl& loud tic-s of the cloc-( one percei)es the moc-er& of the eons for the span of oneBs own e9istence. The hours( which are alread& past li-e seconds( +efore the inner senses ha)e grasped them( and sweep the latter awa& in their fall( register( how one including all of memor& is ordained to forgetting in the cosmic night. Cuman +eings are made compulsoril& aware of this toda&. 8n the condition of complete powerlessness( what life6span remains to the indi)idual @IndividuumA appears as little more than a +rief reprie)e from the gallows. /ne no longer e9pects to li)e out oneBs life to

the end. The prospect of )iolent death and mart&rdom( present to e)er&one( perpetuates itself in the fear that the da&s are num+ered( that the length of oneBs own life stands under the swa& of statistics; that +ecoming old has +ecome an unspo-en ad)antage( as it were( deri)ed +& +eating the a)erages. 5erhaps the life6<uota pro)ided for +& societ&( re)oca+le at an& time( has +een used up. The +od& registers such fear in the flight of hours. Time flies.

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'll the little flo!ers. G The sentence( most li-el& from Lean65aul( that memories are the onl& propert& which cannot +e ta-en from us( +elongs in the storehouse of a powerlessl& sentimental consolation( which would li-e to thin- that the self6renouncing withdrawal of the su+:ect into interiorit& is precisel& the fulfillment( from which the consolation turns awa&. 4& esta+lishing the archi)e of oneself( the su+:ect commandeers its own stoc- of e9perience as propert& and there+& turns it once more into something entirel& e9ternal to the su+:ect. The past inner life turns into furniture( :ust as( con)ersel&( e)er& piece of 4iedermeier furniture was memor& made wood. The intrieur @French: interiorA( in which the soul stores its collection of curiosities and memora+ilia( is in)alid. Memories cannot +e preser)ed in drawers and file ca+inets( +ut rather in them is indissolu+l& interwo)en what is past with what is present. Do6one has them at their disposal in the freedom and ar+itrariness( whose praise resounds in the swollen sentences of Lean6 5aul. 5recisel& where the& +ecomes controlla+le and o+:ecti)e( where the su+:ect thin-s of them as wholl& secure( memories fade li-e soft wall6papers under harsh sunlight. 2here howe)er the& retain their energ&( protected +& what is forgotten( the& are endangered li-e an&thing which is ali)e. The conception of 4ergson and 5roust( aimed against reification( according to which what is contemporar&( what is immediac&( constitutes itself onl& through memor&( the reciprocit& of what is now and what is then( has for that reason not merel& a pro)idential +ut also an infernal aspect. Lust as no earlier e9perience trul& e9ists( which was not detached from the rigor mortis of its isolated e9istence +& in)oluntar& memoriali;ation( so too is the con)erse true( that no memor& is guaranteed( as e9isting in itself( indifferent towards the future of the one who har+ors it; nothing which is past is safe from the curse of the empirical present( through the transition into mere representation @8orstellungA. The most +lissful memor& of a human +eing can( according to its su+stance( +e repealed +& a later e9perience. 2hoe)er lo)ed and +etra&ed lo)e( does something awful not onl& to the picture of what has +een( +ut to this last itself. 2ith incontro)erti+le e)idence( an unwilling gesture while awa-ening( a hollow cadence( a faint h&pocris& of pleasure( in)eigles itself into the memor&( ma-ing the nearness of &esterda& alread& into the alienation( which it toda& has +ecome. #espair has the e9pression of what is irre)oca+le not +ecause things couldnBt go +etter ne9t time( +ut +ecause it draws the pre)ious time into its maw. That is wh& it is foolish and sentimental( to wish to preser)e what is past as pure in the midst of the dirt& flood of what is contemporar&. This latter( deli)ered unprotected to calamit&( is left with no other hope than to emerge once more from this latter as something else. To those howe)er who die in despair( their whole life was in )ain.

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2e cherche# plus mon coeur. @French: #onBt search for m& heart( line from 4audelaireBs poem 6auserieA. G The heir of 4al;acBs o+session( 5roust( to who e)er& mundane in)itation seemed to +e the >open sesame? of the reconstituted life( leads into the la+&rinths( where prehistoric gossip con)e&s to him the shadow& secrets of e)er&thing which gleams( until this latter +ecomes o+tuse and crac-ed under the all too near and longing e&es. 4ut the placet futile @French: useless petitionA( the concerns of a historicall& condemned lu9ur& class( which e)er& +ourgeois could calculate as superfluous( the a+surd energ&( which is wasted on the wasters( finds itself more thoroughl& rewarded than the impartial ga;e for what is rele)ant. The schema of disassem+l& @Zerfalls: disintegration( disincorporationA( according to which 5roust cites the picture of his >societ&? @in English in originalA( pro)es to +e one of the great social

tendencies of de)elopment. 2hat goes to pieces in %harlus( Saint6'oup and Swann( is the same thing( which the entire generation +orn afterwards lac-ed( who no longer e)en -new the name of the latest poet. The eccentric ps&cholog& of dcadence @French: decadenceA outlines the negati)e anthropolog& of mass societ&: 5roust gi)es an allergic accounting of what was later done to all lo)e. The e9change relationship( which this last partiall& contradicted during the +ourgeois epoch( has entirel& a+sor+ed it; the last immediac& falls )ictim to the distance of all ad)ersaries to all others. 'o)e free;es from the )alue( which the ego ascri+es to itself. 8ts lo)e appears to it as a lo)ing more( and whoe)er lo)es more( does wrong. The& incur the suspicions of the +elo)ed( and are thrown +ac- on themsel)es( falling ill due to their inclination to possessi)e cruelt& and self6destructi)e imagination. >The relation to the +elo)ed(? goes a passage in ,emps retrouv @French: time reco)ered( multi)olume wor- +& 5roustA( >ma& remain platonic out of entirel& different reasons than the chastit& of the woman and also not for the sa-e of the sensual character of lo)e( which she inspires. 5erhaps the lo)er is incapa+le( in the +oundlessness of his lo)e( of waiting for the moment of fulfillment with ade<uate dissimulation or indifference. Ce meets her incessantl&( does not cease to write to her( attempts to )isit her; she refuses( and he despairs. From this moment on she understands that if she onl& grants him her compan& or friendship( such a fa)or will appear( to someone who had alread& gi)en up all hope( so great that she can spare herself the trou+le of gi)ing him an& more concessions( so that she can securel& wait( until he finds himself prepared( +ecause he is incapa+le of going without seeing her an& longer( to end the war at an& price: then she can dictate the terms of the peace( whose first condition is the platonic nature of the relationship... All this the woman guesses instincti)el& and -nows that she can afford the lu9ur& of ne)er gi)ing herself to the man whose un<uencha+le desire she feels( if he is too well6+red to hide it from her from the )er& +eginning.? The &oung male prostitute Morel is stronger than his high6fl&ing lo)er. >Ce alwa&s retained the upper hand( +& onl& refusing himself( and in order to refuse himself( it pro+a+l& sufficed for him to -now he was lo)ed.? The pri)ate moti)e of 4al;acBs #uchess 'angeais has spread uni)ersall&. The <ualit& of each one of the innumera+le autos( which turn e)er& Sunda& e)ening +ac- to Dew Ror-( corresponds e9actl& to the prettiness of the girl sitting inside. G The o+:ecti)e dissolution of societ& manifests itself su+:ecti)el&( +& the fact that the erotic dri)e has +ecome too wea-( to +ind self6preser)ing monads( as if humanit& were imitating the ph&sics theor& of the e9ploding cosmos. The frigid unattaina+ilit& of the +elo)edBs nature @&esensA( meanwhile an ac-nowledged institution of the mass6culture( is answered +& the >un<uencha+le desire? of the lo)er. 2hen %asano)a named a woman unpre:udiced( he meant that no religious con)ention hindered her from gi)ing herself; toda& the unpre:udiced woman is one who no longer +elie)es in lo)e( who doesnBt let herself +e ta-en for a ride( +& in)esting an& more than she can e9pect +ac-. Se9ualit&( for whose sa-e ne)ertheless the whole fuss is presuma+l& a+out( has turned into the delusion( which consisted earlier in renunciation. 4& lea)ing no time an&more in the arrangements of life for a pleasure conscious of itself( and replacing it with ph&siological e9ercises( uninhi+ited se9ualit& is itself dese9uali;ed. Actuall& the& no longer want the euphoria an&more( +ut merel& the compensation( which stands for the effort( which the& would li-e most of all to spare themsel)es as superfluous.

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Princess /i#ard. G The imagination is inflamed precisel& +& the women whose imagination has worn awa&. Those who glow with the most colorful nim+us( turned unremittingl& to the outside( are entirel& so+er. Their attraction stems from their lac- of consciousness of themsel)es( indeed the lac- of a self at all: /scar 2ilde in)ented the name of the unenigmatic sphin9 for them. The& resem+le their designated pictures: the purer their appearance @ScheinA is( undistur+ed +& an& sort of impulse( the more similar the& are to archet&pes( 5re;iosa( 5eregrina( Al+ertine( who hint that all indi)iduation is precisel& mere appearance @ScheinA and who ne)ertheless must alwa&s disappoint again through that( which the& are. Their life is understood as am illustration or an e)erlasting childrenBs festi)al( and such perception does in:ustice to their need& empirical e9istence. Storm has dealt with this in the deepl& s&m+olic childrenBs stor& >5ole 5oppenspaeler.? The Friesian +o& falls in lo)e with the little girl( who is tra)eling with a group

from 4a)aria. >2hen 8 finall& turned around( 8 saw a red dress appear +efore me; and trul&( and trul&( it was the little puppet6pla&er; in spite of her tattered clothing she seemed to me to +e surrounded +& a fair&6 tale glow. 8 gathered up courage and spo-e to her: W2ould &ou li-e to ta-e a wal-( 'isaQB She loo-ed at me mistrustfull& with her +lac- e&es. WTa-e a wal-QB she repeated at length. WAh( &ou G &ouVre the limitSB W2here do &ou want to goQB G W8 wanna to go to the draperBs shopSB WRou want to +u& a new dressQB 8 as-ed foolishl& enough. She laughed out loud. W0et out of hereS G Do( onl& a little ragSB W'ittle rag( 'isaQB G WSure thingS Lust some scraps to dress up the doll; costs onl& a little +itSB 5o)ert& forces 'isa to limit herself to what is sha++& G >rags? G although she herself would +e happ& if things were otherwise. Misunderstanding( she must mistrust e)er&thing as e9aggerated( which is not practicall& :ustified. 8magination steps too close to po)ert&. For what is sha++& has magic onl& for the o+ser)er. And ne)ertheless imagination needs po)ert&( to which it does )iolence: the happiness( which it clings to( is inscri+ed with the traits of suffering. Thus Sade names Lustine( who falls into one trap of torture after another( notre intressante hroine @French: our interesting heroineA( and e)en Mignon( in the moment in which she is +eaten( the interesting child. The dream princess and the whipping6girl are the same( and the& suspect nothing of this. Traces of this are still e)ident in the relationship of the northern peoples to the southern: the well6heeled puritan see-s in )ain from the +runette from foreign lands( what the course of the world( which the former commands( se)ers not merel& from themsel)es +ut a+o)e all from the )agrants. Those who are rooted en)& the nomads( the search for fresh pastures( and the green wagon is the house on wheels( whose path is accompanied +& stars. 8nfantilit&( ensorceled in unplanned mo)ement( the unhappil& inconstant( momentar& pressure to continue to li)e( stands for something undistorted( for fulfillment( and &et ne)ertheless e9cludes it( similar to the innermost core of self6preser)ation( from which it pretends to redeem itself from. That is the circle of +ourgeois longing for what is nai)e. 2hat is soulless in those who( at the +orders of culture( are dail& for+idden self6determination( charm and torture at the same time( turns into a phantasmagoria of the soul for the well6heeled( who ha)e learned from culture( to +e ashamed of the soul. 'o)e loses itself in what is soulless as in the cipher of what has soul( +ecause the li)ing are the arena of the desperate desire for sal)ation( which has its o+:ect onl& in what is lost: lo)e arises in the soul first in its a+sence. 8t is precisel& the e9pression of the e&es( which is closest to those of an animal G the creaturel& e9pression G which is human( distant from the reflection of the ego. 8n the end the soul is itself the longing of the soulless for sal)ation.

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/=inutile beaut. @French: useless +eaut&A. G 2omen of especial +eaut& are condemned to unhappiness. E)en those to ha)e all the ad)antages( who ha)e +irth( wealth( and talent on their side( seem as if pursued or o+sessed with the pressure to destro& of themsel)es and all human relationships( in which the& enter. An oracle puts +efore them the choice of dooms. Either the& cle)erl& e9change +eaut& for success. Then the& pa& with happiness for its condition; since the& can no longer lo)e( the& poison lo)e to others and remain empt&6handed. /r the pri)ilege of +eaut& gi)es them the courage and securit&( to def& the e9change6contract. The& ta-e the happiness seriousl&( which is promised in them( and do not limit themsel)es( thus confirmed +& the attraction of all( that do not at first ha)e to pro)e their worth. 8n their &outh the& ha)e the choice. This ma-es them indiscriminate: nothing is definiti)e( e)er&thing can +e replaced. Uuite earl&( without much consideration( the& marr& and dedicate themsel)es to pedestrian conditions( relin<uishing @ent%ussern: to relin<uish( disclose( reali;eA to a certain e9tent the pri)ilege of infinite possi+ilit&( degrading themsel)es to human +eings. At the same time howe)er the& hold fast to their childhood dream of hegemon&( which their life flashes +efore them( and do not cease G therein un+ourgeois G to throw awa& what( tomorrow( could +e something +etter. That is their t&pe of destructi)e character. 5recisel& +ecause the& were once hors de concours @French: outside of the competitionA( the& are rendered su+alterns in the competition( which the& now manicall& pursue. Solel& the gesture of irresisti+ilit& remains( while the latter alread& disintegrates @#erf%lltA; magic disintegrates @#erf%lltA( as soon as e9presses itself as domesticated( instead of portra&ing itself as hope. She who resists howe)er is

simultaneousl& the sacrifice: she ends up under the social order( which she once flew o)er. Cer generosit& is gi)en punishment. The fallen woman as well as the o+sessi)e one are mart&rs of happiness. 8ncorporated +eaut& has in the meanwhile turned into a calcula+le element of e9istence( a mere replacement for the non6e9isting life( without reaching +e&ond the latter in the slightest. She has +ro-en her promise of happiness to herself and others. She howe)er( who stands for this happiness( ta-es on the aura of calamit& and is herself o)erta-en +& calamit&. Therein the enlightened world has completel& and utterl& a+sor+ed m&thos. The en)& of the gods has outli)ed them.

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6onstance. E)er&where +ourgeois societ& insists on the e9ertion of the will; onl& lo)e is supposed to +e in)oluntar&( the pure immediac& of the feelings. 8n the longing for this( which means the dispensation from la+or( the +ourgeois idea of lo)e transcends +ourgeois societ&. Cowe)er +& unmediatedl& putting up what is true as what is uni)ersall& untrue( it in)erts the former into the latter. 8t is not merel& that pure feelings( as far as the& are still possi+le in the economicall& determined s&stem( sociall& turn there+& into the ali+i for the domination of interest and testifies to a humanit&( which does not e9ist. 4ut rather the in)oluntariness of lo)e itself( e)en where it is not arranged <uite practicall& in ad)ance( contri+utes to that whole( as soon as it esta+lishes itself as a principle. 8f lo)e is supposed to portra& in societ& a +etter one( then it is capa+le of doing so not as a peaceful encla)e( +ut onl& in conscious resistance. That howe)er re<uires :ust that moment of caprice( which the +ourgeois( to who lo)e can ne)er +e natural enough( for+ids it. 'o)e means the capacit& to not allow immediac& to wither from the u+i<uitous pressure of mediation( of the econom&( and in such fidelit& it is mediated in itself( as tenacious counter6pressure. Those who lo)e are onl& those who ha)e the energ& to hold fast to lo)e. 8f social ad)antage( su+limated( still preforms the se9ual dri)e6impulse( causes( through a thousand shadings of what is confirmed +& the social order( now this person and now that one to appear spontaneousl& attracti)e( then the attraction which has once ta-en root contradicts this( +& persisting where the gra)it& of societ&( a+o)e all in the intrigue which is regularl& ta-en into societ&Bs ser)ice( does not wish it to +e. The test of the feelings is whether the& endure +e&ond the feeling through duration( e)en if it were onl& o+session. The -ind which( under the appearance @ScheinA of unreflecti)e spontaneit& and proud of its presumed uprightness( rel& completel& and utterl& on what it considers to +e the )oice of the heart( and runs awa&( as soon as it no longer thin-s it percei)es those )oices( is in such so)ereign independence precisel& the tool of societ&. 5assi)el&( without -nowing it( it registers the num+ers( which roll out of the roulette wheel of their interests. 4& +etra&ing the +elo)ed( it +etra&s itself. The command of fidelit&( which societ& legislates( is the means of unfreedom( +ut onl& through fidelit& does freedom reali;e its insu+ordination against the command of societ&.

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Philemon and +aucis. @0ree- m&tholog&:A G The household t&rant has his wife help him into his coat. She eagerl& does the ser)ice of lo)e and accompanies him with a glance( which sa&s: what am 8 supposed to do( let him ha)e his little :o&s( thatBs the wa& he is( onl& a man. 5atriarchal marriage re)enges itself on the man through the indulgence( which the woman practices and which has turned into a formula in the ironic lament of male )ulnera+ilit& and dependence. 8nside of the l&ing ideolog&( which posits the man as superior( lies a secret( not less untrue one( which reduces him to something inferior( to the )ictim of manipulation( maneu)ers( deception. The hen6pec-ed hus+and is the shadow of the one who must )enture out into hostile life. %hildren si;e up adults with the same narrow6minded perspicacit& as the wife vis-1vis the hus+and. 8n the disproportion +etween his authoritarian claim and his helplessness( which necessaril& comes to light in the pri)ate sphere( something ridiculous is concealed. E)er& married couple appearing together is comic( and this is what the patient understanding of the wife attempts to +alance out. There is scarcel& an& long6married woman( who does not disa)ow their spouse +& whispering a+out small

wea-nesses. False nearness stimulates malice( and in the realm of consumption( those who ha)e their hands on things are stronger. CegelBs dialectic of master and sla)e is as )alid then as now in the archaic social order of the house and is strengthened( +ecause the wife tenaciousl& holds fast to the anachronism. As suppressed matriarch she +ecomes the master there( where she must ser)e( and the patriarch need onl& appear as such( in order to +ecome a caricature. Such a simultaneous dialectic of the epoch has presented itself to the indi)idualistic ga;e as the >+attle of the se9es.? 4oth opponents are wrong. 8n the disenchantment of the man( whose power rests on the earning of mone& which pretends to +e human ran-( the woman e9presses at the same time the untruth of the marriage( in which she see-s her entire truth. Do emancipation without that of societ&.

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"t dona ferentes. @'atin: fragment of >Timeo #anaos et dona ferentes(? >8 fear the 0ree-s though +earing gifts.MA G The 0erman philistines of freedom ha)e alwa&s put great store in the @0oetheanA poem of God and the +ayadere @+a&adere: Cindu temple dancing6girlA( with the closing fanfare that immortals raise lost children in their fier& arms to hea)en. The appro)ed warm6heartedness is not to +e trusted. 8t thoroughl& appropriates the +ourgeois :udgment on +ought lo)e; it attains the effect of all6fatherl& understanding and forgi)eness onl& +& impugning the lo)el& one to +e sa)ed with shuddering delight as someone who is lost. The act of merc& is +ound up with reser)ations( which ma-e it illusor&. 8n order to earn redemption G as if an earned redemption could +e an&thing of the sort G the girl ma& herself participate in the >+edBs pleasant festi)al(? >neither for pleasure nor gain.? 2ell( then wh& elseQ #oesnBt the pure lo)e e9pected of her clumsil& touch the magic( which 0oetheBs dance6rh&thm winds around her figure and which then indeed is no longer to +e cancelled out +& the tal- of deep perditionQ 4ut she is supposed to +ecome the sort of good soul throughout( who forgets herself onl& once. 8n order to +e admitted to the enclosure of humanit&( the paramour( whose toleration humanit& +rags a+out( must first cease to +e one. The deit& of penitent sinners re:oices @<uotation from 0oetheBs poemA. The entire e9pedition to where the last houses are( is a -ind of metaph&sical >slumming part&? @in English in originalA( an e)ent of patriarchal meanness( inflating itself twice o)er( +& first raising the distance +etween the male Spirit @GeistA and female nature into something immeasura+le and then draping the supreme power( which ta-es +ac- e)en its self6created distinction( as the highest +ene)olence. The +ourgeoisie needs the +a&adere( not merel& for the sa-e of pleasure( which the& simultaneousl& +egrudge her for( +ut in order to feel li-e a god. The closer the& approach the edge of their realm and forget their dignit&( the crasser the ritual of )iolence. The night has its pleasure( +ut the whore is ne)ertheless +urnt. The rest is the idea.

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Spoilsport. G The affinit& +etween asceticism and euphoria( noted +& the humdrum wisdom of ps&cholog&( the lo)e6hate +etween saints and whores( has the o+:ecti)el& )alid ground( that asceticism accords to fulfillment more of its rights than cultural installment6pa&ments. The hostilit& to pleasure is certainl& not to +e separated from the consensus with the discipline of a societ&( which has its essence @&esenA in demanding more than it grants in return. 4ut there is also a mistrust against pleasure which comes from the intuition( that the latter is in this world nothing of the sort. A construction of Schopenhauer unconsciousl& e9pressed something of this intuition. The transition from the affirmation to the repudiation of the will to life occurs in the de)elopment of the thought( that in e)er& delimitation of the will +& a +arrier >which is placed... +etween it and its former goal? there is suffering; in contrast( >its attainment of the goal? would +e >satisfaction( well6+eing( happiness.? 2hile such >suffering(? according to SchopenhauerBs intransigent cognition( could easil& enough grow to the point that death itself would +e prefera+le( the condition of >satisfaction? is itself unsatisf&ing( +ecause >as soon as a shelter is granted to human +eings from urgent necessit& and suffering( +oredom is so close at hand( that it re<uires the -illing of time. 2hat occupies all li)ing +eings and -eeps them in motion( is the stri)ing for e9istence @(aseinA.

The& donBt -now what to do with e9istence( howe)er( what it is assured: thus the second thing( which the& set into motion( is the stri)ing to +e free of the +urden of e9istence( to ma-e it impercepti+le( Wto -ill timeB( that is( to escape +oredom.? *Schopenhauer( %ollected 2or-s( 0rand #u-e 2ilhelm6Ernst Edition( 1olume 8: The 2orld as 2ill and 8dea. 8. 8ntroduction +& Eduard 0rise+ach. 'eip;ig 19!"( pg 315.. 4ut the concept of this +oredom which is su+lated to such unsuspected dignit&( is something which SchopenhauerBs sensi+ilit&( which is hostile to histor&( would least li-e to admit G +ourgeois through and through. 8t is( as the e9perience of antithetical >free time(? the complement of alienated la+or( whether this free time is supposed to merel& reproduce e9pended energ&( or whether it is +urdened +& the e9traction of alien la+or as a mortgage. Free time remains the refle9 of the rh&thm of production as something imposed heteronomousl&( to which the former is compulsoril& held fast e)en in periods of weariness. The consciousness of the unfreedom of all e9istence( which the pressure of the demands of commerce( and thus unfreedom itself( does not allow to appear( emerges first in the interme;;o of freedom. The nostalgie du dimanche @French: Sunda& nostalgiaA is not homesic-ness for the wor-wee-( +ut for the condition which is emancipated from this; Sunda&s are unsatisf&ing( not +ecause the& are o+ser)ed( +ut +ecause its own promise immediatel& represents itself at the same time as something unfulfilled; li-e the English one( e)er& Sunda& is too little Sunda&. Those for who time painfull& e9tends itself( who wait in )ain( are disappointed that it failed to happen( that tomorrow goes past once more :ust li-e &esterda&. The +oredom of those howe)er who do not need to wor-( is not fundamentall& different from this. Societ& as a totalit& imposes( on those with administrati)e power( what the& do to others( and what these latter ma& not do( the former will scarcel& permit themsel)es. The +ourgeoisie ha)e turned satiet&( which ought to +e the close relation of ecstas&( into an epithet. 4ecause others go hungr&( ideolog& demands that the a+sence of hunger should count as )ulgar. Thus the +ourgeoisie indict the +ourgeoisie. Their own e9istence( as e9empt from la+or( pre)ents an& praise of la;iness: the latter would +e +oring. The hectic +ustle( which Schopenhauer refers to( is due less to the un+eara+le nature of the pri)ileged condition than to its ostentation( which according to the historical situation either enlarges the social distance or seemingl& reduces such through presuma+l& important e)ents and ceremonies( which are supposed to emphasi;e the usefulness of the masters. 8f those at the top trul& felt +ored( this stems not from too much happiness( +ut from the fact that the& are mar-ed +& the general unhappiness; +& the commodit& character( which consigns the pleasures to idioc&( +& the +rutalit& of command( whose terrif&ing echo resounds in the high spirits of the rulers( finall& +& their fear of their own superfluousness. Doone who profits from the profit6 s&stem is capa+le of e9isting therein without shame( and it distorts e)en undistorted pleasure( although the e9cesses( which the philosophers en)&( ma& +& no means +e so +oring as the& assure us. That +oredom would disappear in reali;ed freedom( is something )ouchsafed +& man& e9periences stolen from ci)ili;ation. The sa&ing omne animal post coitum triste @'atin: all animals are sad after matingA was de)ised +& +ourgeois contempt for humanit&: nowhere more than here does what is human distinguish itself from creaturel& sorrow. Dot euphoria +ut sociall& appro)ed lo)e elicits disgust: the latter is( in 8+senBs word( stic-&. Those who are deepl& mo)ed +& erotic sentiment transform fatigue into the plea for tenderness( and momentar& se9ual incapacit& is understood as accidental( entirel& e9ternal to passion. 8t is not for nothing that 4audelaire thought the +ondage of erotic o+session together with the illuminating spirituali;ation( naming -iss( scent and con)ersation e<uall& immortal. The transience of pleasure( on which asceticism sta-es its claim( stands for the fact that e9cept in the minutes heureuses @French: happ& minutesA( in which the forgotten life of the lo)er radiates from the arms and lim+s of the +elo)ed( there is no pleasure &et at all. E)en the %hristian denunciation of se9 in Tolsto&Bs 3reut#er Sonata cannot entirel& cancel out the memor& of this in the middle of all the %apucin6st&le preaching. 2hat he reproaches sensuous lo)e for( is not onl& the grandiosel& o)erweening theological motif of self6denial( that no human +eing ma& turn another into an o+:ect G actuall& thus a protest against patriarchal control G +ut at the same time the memoriali;ation of the +ourgeois malformation of se9( in its mur-& entanglement with e)er& material interest( in marriage as a humiliating compromise( howe)er much of an undercurrent of $ousseauBs resentment against pleasure raised to reflection runs in this. The attac- on the period of the engagement is aimed at the famil& photograph( which resem+lance the word >+ridegroom.? WAnd

moreo)er there was that ridiculous custom of gi)ing sweets( of coarse gormandi;ing on sweets( and all those a+omina+le preparations for the wedding: remar-s a+out the house( the +edroom( +eds( wraps( dressing6gowns( underclothing( costumes.B @,he 3reut#er Sonata( trans. $. 0ustafson( /9ford J5: 199Y( pg 1"YA Ce similarl& moc-s the hone&moon( which is compared to the disappointment after )isiting an We9tremel& uninterestingB fairground +ooth( e9tolled +& a haw-er. The e9hausted senses are less to +lame for this dgoBt @French: disgustA than what is institutionali;ed( ordained( prefa+ricated in pleasure( its false immanence in the social order which ad:usts it and turns it into something deathl& sad( in the moment it is decreed. Such contrariness ma& grow to the point that all euphoria ultimatel& prefers to cease( inside renunciation( rather than )iolating the concept of euphoria through its reali;ation.

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5eliotrope. G Those awaiting the )isit of the parentsB guests( find their hearts +eating with greater e9pectation than +efore %hristmas. 8t is not due to the presents( +ut to a transformed life. The perfume( which the lad& guest places on the +ureau( while one is permitted to watch the unpac-ing( has a scent li-e memor&( e)en when it is inhaled for the first time. The luggage with the stic-ers from the Cotel Su)retta @famous hotel in St. Morit;( Swit;erlandA and Madonna di %ampiglio @famous hotel in #omolite mountains of 8tal&( near TrentinoA are chests( in which the precious gems of Aladdin and Ali 4a+a( wrapped in e9pensi)e cloth( the -imonos of guests( are +orne out of the cara)anserais of Swit;erland and south T&rol on sleeping6wagon cushions for sated o+ser)ation. And :ust as fairies tal- to children in fair&6 tales( so too does the guest tal- earnestl&( without condescension( to the children of the house. The& as-nowledgea+l& a+out lands and peoples( and the guest( not ac<uainted with their dail& ha+its and seeing nothing +ut the fascination in their e&es( answers with profound statements a+out the fee+le6mindedness of a +rother6in6law and the marital spats of the nephews. Thus the children feel accepted at a stro-e into the might& and secret alliance of adults( the magic circle of reasona+le people. The rules of the da& are suspended G perhaps tomorrow the& ma& e)en +e allowed to s-ip school G along with the +orders +etween the generations( and whoe)er has not +een sent to +ed +& ele)en oVcloc- has an in-ling of true promiscuit&. The single )isit ordains Thursda& as a festi)al( in whose euphoria all of humanit& seems to +e in)ited. For the guest comes from far awa&. The guestBs appearance promises the children something +e&ond the famil& and reminds them that this latter is not the onl& thing. The longing for inchoate happiness( in the pond of salamanders and stor-s( which the child painfull& learned to restrain and which is distorted +& the +oge&man of the +lac- man( of the )illain who wishes to -idnap them G here the children find that longing again( without fear. Amidst the nearest and dearest( there appears the figure of what is different. The fortune6telling g&ps&( who is let into the front door( is a+sol)ed in the lad& )isitor and transfigured into a rescuing angel. She dispels the curse on the happiness of what is nearest of all( +& wedding it to what is most distant. The entire +eing @#aseinA of the child waits for this( and whoe)er does not forget the +est part of childhood( must still +e a+le to wait li-e this. 'o)e counts the hours until the moment the parentsB guests step o)er the threshold and once again reconstruct the washed6out life through something impercepti+le: >Cere 8 am again / +ac- from the wide world.? @lines from M[ri-eBs PeregrinaA

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Pure !ine @part of figurati)e 0erman e9pression( >to gi)e someone pure wine(? i.e. to tell someone the un)arnished truthA. G There is an almost foolproof criterium for determining whether a human +eing means &ou well: how the& pass on unfriendl& or hostile comments a+out &ou. Such reports are mostl& superfluous( nothing +ut prete9ts for e9pressing ill6wishes without responsi+ilit&( e)en in the name of what is good. Lust as all ac<uaintances feel the inclination( to occasionall& sa& something +ad a+out someone( pro+a+l& +ecause the& re+el against the gre&ness of the ac<uaintance( so is e)er&one simultaneousl& sensiti)e to the )iews of e)er&one else and secretl& wish that the& were lo)ed( e)en where the& do not lo)e: the alienation +etween human +eings is no less indiscriminate and uni)ersal than the

longing to +rea- through it. The news6haw-er +lossoms in this climate( for there is ne)er an& lac- of material or calamities( and the& can alwa&s count on the fact that those who wish to +e li-ed +& all( are agog to hear news of the opposite. /ne should rela& derogator& remar-s onl& when the& immediatel& and transparentl& influence common decisions( to :udgments of human +eings one must rel& upon( or with whom one has to wor-. The more disinterested the report( the mur-ier the interest( the suppressed pleasure( in inflicting pain. 8t is still harmless( if stor&6tellers simpl& wish to set two parties against each other while simultaneousl& putting their own <ualities in the spotlight. More often the& represent themsel)es as the unelected ar+iters of pu+lic opinion and there+& impress( precisel& through their affectless o+:ecti)it&( the entire )iolence of anon&mit& upon the )ictim( +efore which this last is supposed to +ow. The lie +ecomes )isi+le in the unnecessar& concern for the honor of the one in:ured( who -nows nothing of the in:ur&( for clear relationships( for inner purit&: upholding these latter in the entangled world onl& encourages( on the model of 0regers 2erle @character in 8+senBs &ild (uc$A( entanglement. 4& )irtue of moral fer)or( the well6meaning turn into destro&ers.

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'nd Cust hear) ho! evil he !as. Those who ha)e une9pectedl& ended up facing life6threatening dangers( sheer catastrophes( often report that the& were to a surprising e9tent free of fear. The general terror does not turn specificall& against them( +ut stri-es them as mere inha+itants of a cit&( mem+ers of a larger association. The& adapt to what is accidental( what is inanimate( as it were( as if it didnBt reall& concern them. The lac- of fear has its ps&chological e9planation in the lac- of readiness to +e afraid vis-1-vis the o)erpowering +low. The freedom of e&ewitnesses has something damaged a+out it( something related to apath&. The ps&chic organism( li-e the +od&( is compati+le with e9periences of an order of magnitude similar to itself. 8f the o+:ect of e9perience is raised out of proportion to the indi)idual @IndividuumA( then the latter actuall& doesnBt e9perience it an&more( +ut registers the former unmediatedl&( through the non6 intuiti)e concept( as something e9ternal to itself( something incommensura+le( to which the latter relates as coldl& as to the catastrophic shoc-. There is an analog& to this in what is moral. 2hoe)er commits acts( which are egregiousl& un:ust according to ac-nowledged norms( such as ta-ing re)enge on enemies( or refusing to +e s&mpathetic( is scarcel& conscious of their guilt and comes to reali;e this onl& with painful effort. The doctrine of reasons of state( the separation of ethics @MoralA and politics is not untouched +& this state of affairs. 8ts meaning stems from the e9treme opposition +etween pu+lic essence @&esenA and indi)idual e9istence. The ma:or crime presents itself to the indi)idual @IndividuumA in large part as a mere misdemeanor against con)ention( not merel& +ecause the norms which it in:ures are themsel)es something con)entional( fro;en( un+inding on the li)ing su+:ect( +ut +ecause their o+:ectification as such( e)en where the& are founded on su+stance( e)ades the moral inner)ation( the realm of the conscience. The thought of specific acts of tactlessness howe)er( the microorganisms of in:ustice( which perhaps no6one else noticed G that someone sits down too earl& in compan&( or put the guestsB name6tags down during tea6time( rather than at dinner( as is customar& G such tri)ialities ma& fill the delin<uent one with irreproacha+le remorse and a passionatel& +ad conscience( at times with such a +urning shame( that the& cannot allow themsel)es to +e pardoned +& an& other human +eing and prefera+l& not e)en +& themsel)es. The& are therein +& no means as no+le as all that( for the& -now( that the societ& which has no o+:ections against inhumanit&( o+:ects all the more strongl& to misconduct( and that a man who sends awa& his lo)er and )ouches for himself as an upright man( can +e sure of social appro)al( while the man who respectfull& -isses the hand of an o)erl& &oung girl from a good famil&( earns himself ridicule. Cowe)er these lu9uriousl& narcissistic concerns afford a second aspect: that of the refuge of e9perience( which re+ounds from the o+:ectified social order. The su+:ect reaches into the smallest features of what is correct or incorrect and is capa+le of )ouching for itself therein as acting rightl& or wrongl&; its indifference towards moral guilt( howe)er( is tinged with the consciousness that the powerlessness of oneBs own decision grows with the dimension of their o+:ect. 8f one esta+lished in retrospect( that +& failing to call oneBs girlfriend after an ugl& <uarrel( this in fact ended the relationship( then there is something faintl& comic in the conception of this; it sounds

li-e the mute girl in 5ortici @character in #aniel Au+erBs 1X!X opera ,he Mute Girl of PorticiA. >Murder(? goes an Eller& Uueen detecti)e no)el( >is so... newspaper&. 8t doesnBt happen to &ou. Rou read a+out it in a paper( or in a detecti)e stor&( and it ma-es &ou wriggle with disgust( or s&mpath&. 4ut it doesnBt mean an&thing.? @Uuote in English in originalA That is wh& authors li-e Thomas Mann ha)e descri+ed the catastrophes +roadcast in the newspapers( ranging from train accidents to crimes of passion( grotes<uel& G ensorceling( as it were( the irresisti+le laughter which the solemn pomp of a +urial would otherwise pro)o-e( +& ma-ing it the affair @SacheA of the poetic su+:ect. 8n contrast to this( minimal )iolations are for that reason rele)ant( +ecause we can see good and e)il in them( without smiling( e)en if our earnestness is a +it delusor&. 8n them we learn to deal with what is ethical @MoralischenA( feeling it in our s-in G as +lushing G ma-ing it the su+:ectBs own( the su+:ect which glances as helplessl& at the gigantic moral6law in itself as at the star6studded hea)ens( which the former is +adl& modeled after. That these occurrences would +e amoral in themsel)es( while ne)ertheless spontaneousl& good impulses( human s&mpath& without the pathos of ma9ims( also occurs( does not de)alue the infatuation in what is proper. For +& e9pressing the generalit& straightawa&( without +othering a+out alienation( the good impulse easil& enough permits the su+:ect to appear as something alienated from itself( as a mere agent of commandments( with which that su+:ect imagines itself to +e as one: as a splendid human +eing. %on)ersel&( those whose ethical impulse is oriented to what is e9ternal( fetishistic con)ention( is capa+le of grasping the generalit&( in the suffering of the unsurpassa+le di)ergence of inner and outer G indeed +& holding fast to this di)ergence in its hardening G without sacrificing themsel)es and the truth of their e9perience to such. Their o)er6)oltage @DberspannungA of all distance intends reconciliation. That is wh& the +eha)ior of monomaniacs is not without some :ustification in the o+:ect. 8n the sphere of dail& interactions( on which the& insist( all aporias of the false life return( and what their +lind alle& has to do with the whole( is that onl& there can the& carr& out the paradigmatic conflict in strictness and freedom( which otherwise escapes their reach. 8n contrast( whoe)er conforms in their mode of reaction with social realit&( finds their pri)ate life conducting itself as formlessl&( as the estimation of power6relations which compels its form on them. The& ha)e the inclination( where)er the& escape the super)ision of the e9ternal world( where)er the& feel at home in the e9panded realm in their own ego( to re)eal themsel)es to +e inconsiderate and +rutal. The& re)enge themsel)es on those who are near to them( for all the discipline and all the renunciation of the immediate e9pression of aggression( which was imposed on the former from a distance. The& +eha)e politel& and with courtes& on the outside( towards o+:ecti)e enemies( +ut with coldness and hostilit& in friendl& circles. 2here ci)ili;ation as self6preser)ation does not compel them towards humanit&( the& gi)e free reign to their rage against such and re+ut their own ideolog& of home( famil& and communit&. 8t is against this which ethics @MoralA( howe)er micrologicall& deluded( is aimed. 8t detects in the rela9ed familiarit&( in what is formless( the mere prete9t for )iolence( the appeal to +e good to each other( in order to +e as male)olent as one wants to +e. 8t su+:ugates what is intimate to the critical claim( +ecause intimacies alienate( grope towards the inconcei)a+l& fine aura of the other( which first crowns them to a su+:ect. Solel& the ac-nowledgment of distance in who or what is most near @2%chsteA mitigates foreignness: accepted into consciousness. Cowe)er the claim of undiminished( alread& achie)ed nearness( the flat denial of foreignness( does the utmost in:ustice to the other( )irtuall& negating them as particular human +eings and there+& what is human in them( >adds them up(? incorporates them into the in)entor& of propert&. 2here)er what is unmediated posits and ensconces itself( the +ad mediac& of societ& is there+& insidiousl& affirmed. The issue @SacheA of immediac& can +e ta-en up onl& +& the most cautious of reflections. The test of this is made in the smallest of all things.

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Il servo padrone. @8talian: the master as ser)antA G 8n regards to the dull6witted tas-s( which are demanded +& the ruling culture from su+ordinate classes( these latter +ecome capa+le of such solel& through permanent regression. 5recisel& what is unformed in them is the product of social form. The creation of +ar+arians through culture is howe)er constantl& deplo&ed +& this latter( in order to preser)e its own

+ar+aric essence. #omination delegates the ph&sical )iolence( on which it rests( to the dominated. 2hile these latter are gi)en the opportunit& of letting off steam with their warped instincts in what is collecti)el& :ustified and proper( the& learn to practice what the no+le ones re<uire( so that the& ha)e what it ta-es to let the no+le ones remain no+le. The self6education of the ruling cli<ue( with all of the discipline( throttling of e)er& immediate impulse( c&nical s-epticism and +lind pleasure in command it demands( would not e9ist if the oppressor did not inflict( through those who are oppressed( a piece of the oppression on themsel)es( which the& inflict on others. That is wh& the ps&chological differences +etween the classes are so much slighter than the o+:ecti)e6economic ones. The harmon& of what is irreconcila+le comes to +enefit the continuation of the +ad totalit&. The nastiness of the higher6ups and the gutsiness of the low6 +orn understand each other. From the ser)ants and go)ernors( who +ull& the children of good households to teach them a lesson a+out life( to the teachers from 2esterwald( who dri)e the usage of foreign words as well as all pleasure in language out of them( to the officials and cler-s( who ma-e them stand in line( the pett& officers( who step on them( things go straight as a rail to the torturers of the 0estapo and the +ureaucrats of the gas cham+ers. The impulses of the upper classes themsel)es spea- earl& in fa)or of the delegation of )iolence to the lower ones. 2hoe)er fears the good +reeding of the parents( flees into the -itchen and warms themsel)es on the energetic e9pressions of the coo-( which are secretl& gi)en o)er to the principle of parental good6+reeding. The fine people are drawn to the unrefined ones( whose +rutalit& decepti)el& augurs( what the culture of the former is supposed to +ring. The& do not -now( that what is unrefined( which appears to them as anarchic nature( is nothing +ut the refle9 of the compulsion( against which the& stiffen themsel)es. 2hat mediates +etween the class solidarit& of the upper classes and their ingratiation towards the delegates of the lower classes is their :ustified feeling of guilt towards the poor. 2hoe)er who doesnBt fit in( who learns howe)er to fit in( who is saturated +& >thatBs how things are done here? into the innermost core( ultimatel& turns into one themsel)es. 4ettelheimBs o+ser)ation on the identification of the )ictims with the e9ecutioners of the Da;i camps contains a :udgment on the higher seeding6grounds of culture( the English >pu+lic school? @in English in originalA( the 0erman officer academ&. The a+surdit& perpetuates itself: domination reproduces itself all the wa& through the dominated.

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(o!n!ards and ever further. @<uote from Schu+ert songA G The pri)ate relations +etween human +eings seem to form themsel)es according to the model of the industrial >+ottlenec-? @in English in originalA. E)en in the smallest communit&( the le)el is determined +& the most su+altern of its mem+ers. 2hoe)er sa&s something in a con)ersation which is +e&ond the grasp of a single person( +ecomes tactless. For the sa-e of humanit&( the con)ersation is restricted to what is nearest( most dull6witted and +anal( e)en if onl& one inhuman )isage is present. Since the world has stolen speech from human +eings( those who cannot +e tal-ed to are in the right. The& need onl& stu++ornl& insist on their interest and their constitution( in order to pre)ail. The fact that the other( tr&ing in )ain to esta+lish contact( ends up using a pleading or soliciting cadence( ma-es them wea-er. Since the >+ottlenec-? @in English in originalA -nows no authorit&( which would +e higher than what is factual( while thought and speech necessaril& refer to such an authorit&( intelligence turns into na@vt( and this is what the -nuc-leheads irrefuta+l& percei)e. The official fealt& to what is positi)e acts li-e gra)it&( drawing e)er&one down. 8t shows its superiorit& to the opposing impulse( +& refusing to e)en deal with the latter. Those who are more differentiated( who do not wish to perish( remain strictl& constrained +& the consideration of e)er&one who is inconsiderate. These latter need no longer +e plagued +& the dis<uiet of consciousness. 8ntellectual wea-ness( confirmed as a uni)ersal principle( appears as the energ& to li)e. Formalistic6administrati)e tas- management( the des-6 drawer separation of e)er&thing which onl& has meaning as something insepara+le( the +ull6headed insistence on ar+itrar& opinions in the a+sence of an& foundation( in short the practice of reif&ing e)er& stage of the failed ego6formation( withdrawing the latter from the process of e9perience and then maintaining it as a final >thatBs :ust how 8 am(? suffices to con<uer impregna+le positions. /ne ma& +e as

certain of the understanding of others( who are similarl& malformed( as of oneBs own ad)antage. 8n the c&nical self6trumpeting of oneBs own defect lur-s the intuition( that the o+:ecti)e Spirit @GeistA is li<uidating the su+:ecti)e one at the contemporar& stage. The& are >down to earth? @in English in originalA li-e the ;oological fore+ears( +efore these latter stood erect on their hind legs.

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Model virtue. G 8t is well6-nown how oppression and ethics @MoralA con)erge in the renunciation of the dri)es. 4ut the ethical ideas do not merel& oppress other ones( +ut are immediatel& deri)ed from the e9istence of the oppressor. Since Comer( the concepts of good and wealth are intertwined in the 0reelanguage. The -alo-agathie @0ree-: perfectionA( which was upheld +& the humanists of modern societ& as a model of aesthetic6ethical harmon&( has alwa&s put a hea)& emphasis on propert&( and AristoteleBs Politics openl& confessed the fusion of inner )alue with status in the determination of no+ilit&( as >inherited wealth( which is connected with e9cellence.? The concept of the polis @0ree-: cit&6stateA in classical anti<uit&( which upheld internali;ed and e9ternali;ed nature @&esenA( the )alidit& of the indi)idual @IndividuumA in the cit&6state and the indi)idualBs self as a unit&( permitted it to ascri+e moral ran- to wealth( without inciting the crude suspicion( which the doctrine alread& at that time courted. 8f the )isi+le effect on an e9istent state esta+lishes the measure of a human +eing( then it is nothing +ut consistenc& to )ouchsafe the material wealth( which tangi+l& confirms that effect( as the characteristic of the person( since the latterBs moral su+stance G :ust as later in CegelBs philosoph& G is supposed to +e constituted on nothing other than their participation in the o+:ecti)e( social su+stance. %hristianit& first negated that identification( in the phrase that it would +e easier to pass a camel through the e&e of a needle than for a rich person to enter hea)en. 4ut the particular theological premise on )oluntar& chosen po)ert& indicates how deepl& the general consciousness is stamped +& the ethos @Moralit%tA of propert&. Fi9ed propert& is to +e distinguished from the nomadic disorder( against which all norms are directed; to +e good and to ha)e goods( coincided from the +eginning. 0ood people are those who control themsel)es as their own possessions: their autonomous nature @&esenA is modeled on material disposition. The rich are therefore not to +e accused of +eing unethical G that reproach has e)er +elonged to the armature of political oppression G +ut gi)en to understand( that the& represent ethics @MoralA to others. 8n this latter is reflected ha)ing @5abeA. 2ealth as goodliness @0utsein: ha)ing goods/+eing goodA is an element of the mortar of the world: the hard6+itten appearance @ScheinA of such identit& hinders the confrontation of the moral idea with the social order( in which the rich are right( while at the same time determinations of what is ethical different than those deri)ed from wealth cannot +e conceptuali;ed. The more that the indi)idual @IndividuumA and societ& later di)erged in the competition of interests( and the more the former is thrown +ac- on itself( the more stu++ornl& do indi)iduals hold onto the conception of moral nature @&esenA as wealth. 8t is supposed to )ouch for the possi+ilit& of reunif&ing what has +een di)ided in two( into inside and outside. That is the secret of the inner6worldl& asceticism( which Ma9 2e+er wrongl& h&postati;ed as the limitless e9ertion of the +usinessman ad maCorem dei gloriam @'atin: to the greater glor& of 0odA. Material success +inds indi)idual @IndividuumA and societ& not merel& in the comforta+le and meanwhile du+ious sense( that the rich can escape loneliness( +ut in a far more radical sense: if the +lind( isolated self6interest is dri)en onl& far enough( then it passes o)er( along with the economic one( into social power and re)eals itself to +e the incarnation of a uni)ersall& +inding principle. 2hoe)er is rich or ac<uires wealth( e9periences what is attained +& the ego( >+& oneBs own initiati)e(? as what the o+:ecti)e Spirit @GeistA( the trul& irrational predestination of a societ& held together +& +rutal economic ine<ualit&( has willed. Thus the rich ma& rec-on as +ene)olence( what testifies onl& to its a+sence. To themsel)es and to others( the& e9perience themsel)es as the reali;ation of the general principle. 4ecause this latter is in:ustice( that is wh& the un:ust turn regularl& into the :ust( and not as mere illusion( +ut +orne out of the hegemon& of the law( according to which societ& reproduces itself. The wealth of the indi)idual is insepara+le from progress in societ& as >prehistor&.? The rich dispose o)er the means of production. %onse<uentl& the technical progress( in which the entire societ& participates( is accounted for primaril& as

>their? progress( toda& that of industr&( and the Fords necessaril& appear to +e +enefactors( to the same degree which the& in fact are( gi)en the framewor- of the e9isting relations of production. Their pri)ilege( alread& esta+lished in ad)ance( ma-es it seem as if the& were gi)ing up what is theirs G namel& the increase on the side of use6)alue G while those who are recei)ing their administered +lessings are getting +ac- onl& part of the profit. That is the ground of the character of delusion of ethical hierarch&. 5o)ert& has indeed alwa&s +een glorified as asceticism( the social condition for the ac<uisition of precisel& the wealth in which moralit& @Sittlich$eitA is manifested( +ut ne)ertheless >what a man is worth? @in English in originalA signifies( as e)er&one -nows( the +an- account G in the :argon of the 0erman merchants( >the man is good(? i.e. the& can pa&. 2hat howe)er the reasons of state of the almight& econom& so c&nicall& confesses( reaches unac-nowledged into the mode of conduct of indi)iduals. The generosit& in pri)ate intercourse( which the rich can presuma+l& allow themsel)es( the reflected glow of happiness( which rests on them( and something of this falls on e)er&one who the& consort with( all this )eils them. The& remain nice( >the right people? @in English in originalA( the +etter t&pes( the good. 2ealth distances itself from immediate in:ustice. The guard +eats stri-ers with a +ill& clu+( the son of the factor&6owner ma& occasionall& drin- a whis-& with the progressi)e author. According to all desiderata of pri)ate ethics @MoralA( e)en the most ad)anced -ind( the rich could( if the& onl& could( in fact alwa&s +etter +e than the poor. This possi+ilit&( while trul& indeed left unused( pla&s its role in the ideolog& of those who do not ha)e it: e)en the con)icted con artist( who ma& an&wa& +e prefera+le to the legitimate +oss of the trusts( is famous for ha)ing such a +eautiful house( and the highl& paid e9ecuti)e turns into a warm human +eing( the moment the& ser)e an opulent dinner. Toda&Bs +ar+aric religion of success is accordingl& not simpl& counter6ethical @!idermoralischA( rather it is the home6coming of the 2est to the )enera+le morals @SittenA of the fathers. E)en the norms( which condemn the arrangement of the world( owe their e9istence to the latterBs own mischief @Jn!esenA. All ethics @MoralA is formed on the model of what is unethical @:nmoralA( and to this da& reproduces the latter at e)er& stage. Sla)e6ethics @S$lavenmoralA is in fact +ad: it is still onl& master6ethics @5errenmoralA.

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3night of the rose. @/pera +& $ichard StraussA G Elegant people are attracti)e due to the e9pectation that the& are free in pri)ate from the greed for the ad)antages( which flow to them from their position( and from the stu++orn pre:udice in the closest relationships( which is caused +& the narrowness of these last. /ne has confidence in their pleasure of ad)enture in thought( so)ereignt& vis-1-vis the state of their own interests( and refinement of forms of reaction( thin-ing that their sensiti)it& would turn at least in Spirit @GeistA against the +rutalit& on which their pri)ilege depends( while the )ictims scarcel& ha)e the possi+ilit& to recogni;e what ma-es them such. 8f howe)er the separation of production and the pri)ate6 sphere ultimatel& pro)es to +e a piece of necessar& social appearance @ScheinsA( then this e9pectation of un+ound spiritualit& must +e disappointed. E)en the most su+tle sno++er& has nothing of dgoBt @French: disgustA vis-1-vis its o+:ecti)e prere<uisite( +ut rather seals itself off from its cognition. 8t is an open <uestion as to what e9tent the French aristocrac& of the 1Xth centur& too- part( pla&full&6suicidall&( in the enlightenment and the preparation for the re)olution( a participation which the antipath& against the terrorists of )irtue was so glad to imagine. The +ourgeoisie in an& case has -ept itself free in its later phase from such inclinations. Do6one dances an&more on the )olcano( otherwise the& would +e declassed. Su+:ecti)el&( too( the >societ&? @in English in originalA is so thoroughl& stamped +& the economic principle( whose manner of rationalit& concerns the whole( that the emancipation from interests G e)en merel& as intellectual lu9ur& G is for+idden. Lust as the& are not capa+le of en:o&ing their immeasura+l& e9panded wealth( the& are e<uall& incapa+le of thin-ing against themsel)es. The search for fri)olit& is in )ain. 2hat helps to eternali;e the real distinction +etween the upper and lower strata( is the fact that the distinction +etween the modes of consciousness( +oth here and there( is )anishing more and more. The poor are pre)ented from thin-ing +& the discipline of others( the rich from that of their own. The consciousness of the rulers is inscri+ing in all Spirit @GeistA( what pre)iousl& religion endured. %ulture

turns for the high +ourgeoisie into an element of representation. That one is cle)er or educated( is ran-ed under the <ualities which ma-e one worth& of in)itation or marriage( li-e horse6riding s-ills( lo)e of nature( charm or a faultlessl& tailored suit. The& are not curious a+out cognition. Free of cares( the& mostl& +us& themsel)es with mundane details( :ust li-e the small +ourgeoisie. The& furnish houses( throw parties( ma-e hotel and airplane reser)ations with )irtuosit&. /therwise the& nourish themsel)es on the refuse of European irrationalism. The& +luntl& :ustif& their own hostilit& to the intellect @GeistfeindschaftA( alread& suspecting G and not un:ustl& G something su+)ersi)e in thin-ing itself( in the independence from an&thing which is alread& gi)en or alread& e9isting. Lust as in Diet;scheBs time( when educated philistines +elie)ed in progress( the uniforml& higher de)elopment of the masses and the greatest possi+le happiness of the greatest possi+le num+er( so too do the& +elie)e toda&( without <uite -nowing it( in the opposite: the re)ocation of 1YX9( the incorrigi+ilit& of human nature( the anthropological impossi+ilit& of happiness G actuall& onl& that things are all too good for the wor-ers. The profundit& of &ester&ear has recoiled into the most e9treme +analit&. /f Diet;sche and 4ergson( the last canoni;ed philosophers( nothing remains +ut the mur-iest anti6intellectualism in the name of the nature( which its apologists mutilate. >Dothing is more anno&ing to me a+out the Third $eich(? said in 1977 the Lewish woman of a general director( who was later murdered in 5oland( >than the fact that we can no longer use the word earthl&( +ecause the Da;is ha)e impounded it(? and e)en after the downfall of the Fascists( the attracti)e Austrian lad& of a wealth& house( on meeting a la+or union leader at a coc-tail part& with a reputation as a radical( -new no +etter wa& to e9press her enthusiasm for his personalit& than the +estial e9pression: >and moreo)er he is totall& unintellectual( totall& unintellectual.? 8 remem+er m& own shoc-( when an aristocratic girl of shadow& origins( who could +arel& spea- 0erman to me with a thic- foreign accent( e9pressed her s&mpath& for Citler( with whose picture her own seemed incompati+le. At that time 8 thought( sheer idioc& pre)ents her from seeing who she is. 4ut she was more cle)er than 8( for what she represented( no longer e9isted( and +& cancelling out her indi)idual determination( her class consciousness helped her +eing6in6herself( her social character( to +rea- through. Those at the top are integrating with such iron force( that the possi+ilit& of su+:ecti)e de)iation falls awa& and nowhere can difference +e sought an&more than in the distinguished cut of an e)ening gown.

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7e4uiem for dette. @female character in 5roustBs S!ann>s &ayA G The Anglomania of the upper classes of continental Europe is +ased on the fact that feudal practices are rituali;ed on the 4ritish isle( which are supposed to suffice in themsel)es. %ulture is maintained there not as the di)ided sphere of o+:ecti)e Spirit @GeistesA( as participation in art or philosoph&( +ut rather as a form of empirical e9istence. The >high life? @in English in originalA wishes to +e the +eautiful life. 8t +rings those( who parta-e in it( ideological pleasure6winnings. 4& turning the shaping of e9istence into a tas-( in which one follows guidelines( preser)es artificial st&les( and -eeps the delicate e<uili+rium of correctness and independence( e9istence itself appears as meaningful and calms the +ad conscience of those who are sociall& superfluous. The incessant demand( to sa& and do that which is e9actl& appropriate to oneBs status and situation( demands a -ind of moral effort. 8t +ecomes difficult( to +e who &ou are( and this is +elie)ed to +e sufficient for the patriarchal no+lesse o+lige @French: o+ligation of the high6+ornA. At the same time the displacement of culture from its o+:ecti)e manifestations into the immediate life dissol)es the ris- that oneBs own immediac& will +e sha-en +& the Spirit @GeistA. This last is reproached for distur+ing assured st&les( for +eing tasteless( although not with the em+arrassing +rutalit& of the East 5russian Lun-er( +ut rather according to a spiritual criterion( as it were G the aesthetici;ation of e)er&da& life. This gi)es rise to the flattering illusion( that one has +een spared the split +etween superstructure and infrastructure( culture and corporeal realit&. 4ut rituals fall( in all their aristocratic trappings( into the late +ourgeois ha+it of h&postati;ing the attainment of something meaningless in itself as meaningful( degrading the Spirit @GeistA to the dou+ling of that which e9ists an&wa&. The norm which one follows is ficti)e( its social prere<uisites ha)e )anished along with its model( the court ceremon&( and it is ac-nowledged not +ecause it is

e9perienced as +inding( +ut for the sa-e of legitimating the social order( from whose illegitimac& one +enefits. 5roust thus o+ser)ed( with the incorrupti+ilit& of someone suscepti+le to seduction( that Anglomania and the cult of a form6dri)en mode of li)ing are to +e found less in aristocrats than in those who wish to ascend into the heights: it is onl& a step from sno+ to par)enu. Thus the affinit& of sno++er& and Lugendstil @Art Dou)eauA( the attempt +& a class defined +& e9change( to pro:ect themsel)es into a picture of )egeta+le +eaut&( as it were( purified of e9change. That the life which organi;es its own e)ents is not an& more of a life( +ecomes apparent in the +oredom of the coc-tail parties and the wee-end in)itations to the countr&side( in the golf( s&m+olic of the entire sphere( and in the organi;ation of >social affairs? @in English in originalA G pri)ileges( where no6one has an& real fun and with which the pri)ileged onl& decei)e themsel)es( a+out how little opportunit& for :o& in the unhapp& whole e9ists e)en for them. 8n the latest phase( the +eautiful life is reduced to what 1e+len characteri;ed it as throughout the ages( ostentation( the mere +eing6selected( and the par- offers no other pleasure an&more than that of the wall( against which those outside can press their noses. 2hat can +e crassl& o+ser)ed in the upper classes( whose malice is in an& case +eing irresisti+l& democrati;ed( is what has long +een true for societ&: life has turned into the ideolog& of its own a+sence.

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Monograms. G di profanum vulgus et arceo @8 hate the )ulgar ra++le and shun itA( said the son of the freed sla)e. 2hen it comes to trul& e)il people( one cannot reall& imagine them d&ing. To sa& >we? and to mean >8? is one of the choicest of all slights. 4etween >8 dreamt? @es tr%umte mirA and >8 dreamed? @ich tr%umteA lie ages of the world. 4ut which is truerQ So little do spirits send dreams( so little is it the ego which dreams. 4efore the eight&6fifth +irthda& of an in all respects well cared6for man( 8 dreamed that 8 as-ed m&self the <uestion( what could 8 gi)e him which would ma-e him trul& happ&( and immediatel& recei)ed the answer: a guide through the realm of the dead. That 'eporello complained a+out insufficient pro)isions and too little mone&( is a reason to dou+t the e9istence of #on Luan. 8n earl& childhood 8 saw the first snow6sho)elers in thin sha++& clothes. 8n answer to m& <uestion: those are men without wor-( who were gi)en this :o+ so the& can earn their +read. Ser)es them right( that the& ha)e to sho)el snow( 8 cried out angril&( +ursting into uncontrolla+le tears. 'o)e is the a+ilit&( to percei)e what is similar in what is dissimilar. 5arisian circus ad)ertisement +efore 22 88: Plus sport 4ue le thEtre) plus vivant 4ue le cinma @French: more sporting than the theater( more li)ing than the cinemaA. A film which followed the code of the Ca&s /ffice to the strictest letter might succeed in +eing a great wor- of art( +ut not in a world in which a Ca&s /ffice e9ists. 1erlaine: the pardona+le unpardona+le sin @literall&: the )enial mortal sinA. +rideshead 7evisited +& E)el&n 2augh: sociali;ed sno++ism. Nille gi)es miser& a slap on the +utt. Scheler: the +edroom in philosoph& @in French in originalA. A poem of 'iliencron descri+es a militar& fanfare. First it goes: >And around the corner crashing +ra&s( li-e thumping tu+as on Ludgment #a&(? and it closes: >#id a +right +utterfl& dart / ching6ching +oom( around the cornerQ? A poetic philosoph& of histor& of )iolence( with Ludgment #a& at the +eginning and the +utterfl& at the end. 8n Tra-lBs 'long there is the )erse: >Sa& how long we ha)e +een dead?; in #Ku+lerBs Golden Sonnet: >Cow true( that we ha)e all long since died.? The unit& of e9pressionism consisted of e9pressing the fact that the human +eings into which life has withdrawn( wholl& alienated from each other( are turned there+& into the dead. Among the forms which 4orchardt tested( there is no lac- of rewor-ings of fol- songs. Ce a)oided sa&ing >8n peoplesB tone(? and wrote instead: >8n the tone of the people.? This sounds howe)er :ust li-e >in the name of the law.? The restorati)e poet recoils into the 5russian police officer. Dot the least of the tas-s which stands +efore thought( is putting all the reactionar& arguments against 2estern culture into the ser)ice of ad)ancing enlightenment. The onl& true thoughts are those( which do not understand themsel)es. 2hen the little old woman dragged wood to the stac- of -indling( Cus called: sancta simplicitas @'atin: oh hol& simplicit&A. 4ut what a+out the reason for his sacrifice( the 'ast Supper in +oth

its formsQ E)er& reflection seems nai)e +eside the higher one( and nothing is simple( +ecause e)er&thing +ecomes simple in the disconsolate flight6path of forgetting. Rou are lo)ed( solel& where &ou ma& show &ourself as wea-( without pro)o-ing strength.

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,he bad comrade. G Actuall& 8 should ha)e +een a+le to deduce Fascism from the memor& of m& childhood. 8t sent its emissaries there in ad)ance( li-e a con<ueror into the most distant pro)ince( long +efore it arri)ed: m& school comrades. 8f the +ourgeois class har+ored since time immemorial the dream of the wild popular communit&( the oppression of all +& all( then children with first names li-e Corst and LIrgen and last names li-e 4ergenroth( 4o:unga and Ec-hardt( theatricall& staged the dream( +efore the adults were historicall& ripe enough to reali;e it. 8 felt the )iolence of the image of horror the& were stri)ing for so clearl&( that all happiness afterwards seemed to +e re)oca+le and +orrowed. The out+reaof the Third $eich did indeed surprise m& political :udgment( &et not m& fearful premonitions. So closel& had all the motifs of the permanent catastrophe +rushed against me( so ine9tinguisha+l& were the warning signs of the 0erman awa-ening +urned into me( that 8 recogni;ed each one all o)er again in the features of the Citler dictatorship: and often it appeared to m& foolish horror( as if the total state had +een in)ented solel& against me( in order to inflict on me what 8 had +een hitherto spared in m& childhood( that stateBs prehistor&. The fi)e patriots who attac-ed a single schoolmate( +eat him up and( when he complained to the teacher( defamed him as a classroom snitch G arenBt the& the same ones( who tortured prisoners( in order to pro)e the foreigners wrong( who said that torture was occurringQ 2hose hulla+oo -new no end( when the smartest student made a mista-e G didnBt the& surround the Lewish camp prisoner( grinning and em+arrassed( ma-ing fun of him( after he all too clumsil& sought to hang himselfQ 2ho couldnBt write a single decent sentence( +ut found e)er& one of mine too long G didnBt the& a+olish 0erman literature and replace it through their scri+ing @SchrifttumAQ Man& co)ered their chests with m&sterious insignia and wanted to +ecome na)al officers in a landloc-ed countr&: the& declared themsel)es leaders of storm troopers and detachments( the legitimi;ers of illegitimation. The in)oluted intelligent ones( who had as little success in class as the gifted tin-erer without connections under li+eralism; who for that reason curried fa)or with their parents with woodsaw wor-( or indeed drew for their own pleasure on drawing6 +oards with colored in-s during long afternoon da&s( helped the Third $eich to its cruel efficienc& and are +eing +etra&ed once again. Those howe)er who alwa&s defiantl& stirred up trou+le against the teacher and( as one called it( distur+ed the lesson( the da& G indeed( the hour G the& graduated from high school( the& sat down with the same teachers at the same ta+le with the same +eer( as a confederation of men( who were +orn followers( re+els( whose impatient +lows of the fist on the ta+le alread& drummed the worship of the masters. The& need onl& sta& put( to catch up with those who were promoted to the ne9t class( and re)enge themsel)es on them. Since the&( officials and candidates for death sentences( ha)e stepped )isi+l& out of m& dreams and ha)e e9propriated m& past life and m& language( 8 donBt need to dream of them an& longer. 8n Fascism( the nightmare of childhood has reali;ed itself.

['ritten in] 19("

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Pu##le-picture. G 2h&( in spite of a historical de)elopment which has dri)en towards oligarch&( wor-ers are e)er less a+le to -now that the& are such( can +e gleaned from man& o+ser)ations. 2hile the relationship of propert&6owners and producers is o+:ecti)el& congealing e)er more rigidl&( su+:ecti)e class6mem+ership is fluctuating more and more. This is a+etted +& economic de)elopment itself. The organic composition of capital demands( as has often +een noted( control +& technical managers rather than factor& owners. These latter were the counter6part&( as it were( to li)ing la+or( the former corresponded to the share of machiner& in capital. The <uantification of technical processes( howe)er( its

compartmentali;ation in the smallest operations( for the most part independent of e9perience and education( turns the e9pert status of the new6st&led directors to a considera+le e9tent into a mere illusion( +ehind which is concealed the pri)ilege of +eing appointed. That technical de)elopment has reached a state( that all functions would actuall& +e accessi+le to all G this immanent6socialistic element of progress is tra)estied +& late industrialism. Mem+ership in an elite appears achie)a+le for e)er&one. /ne waits onl& for the cooptation. Eligi+ilit& consists in affinit&( ranging from the li+idinous cathe9is of all wheeling and dealing( to sound technocratic sensi+ilit&( to freshl&6cured realpoliti$. The& are e9perts onl& of control. That an&one can do such( has not led to its end( +ut onl& that e)er&one ma& +e called upon to do such. 5reference is gi)en to those who fit in most e9actl&. 2hile the chosen ones certainl& remain a )anishing minorit&( the structural possi+ilit& suffices to successfull& preser)e the appearance @ScheinA of an e<ual chance under the s&stem( which has eliminated the free competition which li)ed on that appearance @ScheinA. That the technical forces would permit a non6pri)ileged condition( is credited +& all( e)en those in the shadows( to the social relationships( which hinder it. 8n general( su+:ecti)e class6mem+ership toda& shows a mo+ilit&( which causes the fi9it& of economic social order to +e forgotten: what is rigid is also what can +e mo)ed a+out. E)en the powerlessness of the indi)idual( to calculate out its economic destin&( contri+utes to such a consoling mo+ilit&. 2hat decides on the fall is not lac- of proficienc&( +ut an opa<ue hierarchal we+( in which no6one( not e)en at the )er& top( ma& feel safe: the egalitarianism of the condition of +eing threatened. 2hen the heroic fl&ing captain returns home( in the most successful +loc-+uster film of the &ear( to +e +ullied +& petit +ourgeois caricatures as a >soda :er-? @in English in originalA( he does not onl& satisf& the schadenfreude of the spectators( +ut e)en strengthens them moreo)er in the consciousness( that all human +eings are trul& +rothers @reference to the 193Z ,he +est 9ears of ur /ivesA. The most e9treme in:ustice turns into the decepti)e image of :ustice( the dis<ualification of human +eings into their e<ualit&. Sociologists howe)er are confronted with the griml& :o-ing <uestion: where is the proletariatQ

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let. @'atin: pecunia non olet( >mone& does not stin-MA6 8n Europe( the pre6+ourgeois past has sur)i)ed in the shame of ha)ing personal ser)ices or fa)ors paid for. The new continent -nows nothing of this an&more. E)en in the old one( no6one did an&thing for nothing( +ut this was felt as a wound. To +e sure( e9clusi)eness( which stems from nothing +etter than a ground6monopol&( is ideolog&. 4ut it was ne)ertheless imprinted deepl& enough into the character( to stiffen its nec- against the mar-et. The 0erman ruling class disparaged an& wa& of earning mone& outside of pri)ileges or control of production well into the !"th centur&. 2hat was considered disreputa+le a+out artists or the educated( was what these latter most re+elled against( remuneration( and the pri)ate tutor C[lderlin as well as the pianist 'is;t( had therein precisel& those e9periences( which set them in opposition to the ruling consciousness. 2ell into our da&( the mem+ership of human +eings in the upper or lower classes has +een crudel& determined +& whether the& too- mone& or not. At times the +ad arrogance recoiled into conscious criti<ue. E)er& child of the European upper crust +lushed at the gifts of mone&( which relati)es ga)e them( and although the primac& of +ourgeois utilit& <uelled such reactions and o)ercompensated for them( dou+ts remained nonetheless as to whether human +eings were made merel& for e9change. The remnants of what was older were( in the European consciousness( the ferment of what was new. 8n America +& contrast no child of similarl& well6off parents has an& <ualms a+out earning a few cents through newspaper deli)eries( and such thoughtlessness is e9pressed in the ha+itus of adults. That is wh& Americans appear to untutored Europeans on the whole as a people without dignit&( read& for paid ser)ices( :ust as con)ersel& the former are inclined to consider the latter )aga+onds and card+oard ro&alt&. The self6e)idence of the ma9im( that thereBs no shame in wor-ing( the guileless a+sence of an& sno++er& vis-1-vis what in the feudal sense is dishonora+le in mar-et relationships( the democrac& of the principle of commerce contri+utes to the continuation of what is utterl& anti6democratic( of economic in:ustice( of human degradation. 8t occurs to no6one( that there might +e certain ser)ices which would not +e e9pressi+le in e9change6)alue. That is the

real prere<uisite for the triumph of that su+:ecti)e reason( which is not e)en capa+le of thin-ing something which is true and o+ligated to itself( percei)ing it solel& as something which e9ists for others( something e9changea+le. 8f pride was the ideolog& o)er there @i.e. EuropeA( here it is deli)ering to customers. This applies as well to the creations of the o+:ecti)e Spirit @GeistesA. The immediate self6ad)antage inherent in the act of e9change( thus what is su+:ecti)el& most limited( prohi+its the su+:ecti)e e9pression. 1alori;a+ilit& @8er!ertbar$eitA( the a priori of production consistentl& oriented to the mar-et( does not permit the spontaneous need for such( for the thing itself( to arise. E)en the cultural products produced and distri+uted throughout the world with the greatest of e9penditures( repeat the gestures G e)en if onl& +& )irtue of an opa<ue machiner& G of tra)eling musicians( who -eep an e&e peeled on the plate +& the piano( while hammering out the fa)orite melodies of their patrons. The +udgets of the culture industr& run into the +illions( +ut the law of form of their productions is the tip. 2hat is e9cessi)el& +lan-( h&gienicall& clean in industriali;ed culture( is the sole rudiment of that shame( an ad:urator& picture( compara+le to the suits of the highest hotel managers( who( in order not to loo- li-e head waiters( outclass the aristocrats in elegance and there+& ma-e themsel)es recogni;a+le as head waiters.

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I.F. G The modes of conduct appropriate to the most progressi)e technical state of de)elopment are not limited to the sectors( in which the& are actuall& promoted. Thus thin-ing su+mits to the social super)ision of its ser)ices not onl& where it is forced to do so +& its occupation( +ut comes to resem+les such in its entire comple9ion. 4ecause thought has +een well6nigh in)erted into the solution of tas-s assigned to it( what is not assigned is also dealt with according to the schema of the tas-. Thought( ha)ing lost its autonom&( no longer trusts itself to comprehend something real for its own sa-e( in freedom. This it lea)es( with respectful illusion( to the highest6paid( and ma-es itself measura+le for this. 8t tends to +eha)e( for its own part( as if it had to unceasingl& portra& its usefulness. E)en where there is no nutshell to crac-( thin-ing turns into training @in English in originalA for some sort of e9ercise or other. 8t relates to its o+:ects as mere hurdles( as a permanent test of its own +eing in form. %onsiderations( which would li-e to +e responsi+le for the relation to the material @SacheA and there+& for themsel)es( in)ite the suspicion that the& are )ain( o)er+lown( asocial self6satisfaction. Lust as the neo6positi)ists split cognition into the scrap6heaps of empiricism and logical formalism( the intellectual acti)it& of the t&pes( who regard the unit& of the sciences as written on their foreheads( is polari;ed in the in)entor& of the -nown and the test sample of the capacit& for thought: to them( e)er& thought turns into a <ui; of whether the& are informed or of their <ualifications. Somewhere the correct answers must alread& +e posted. 8nstrumentalism( the latest )ersion of pragmatism( has long since +ecome not merel& an affair of the application of thin-ing( +ut rather the a priori of its own form. 2hen oppositional intellectuals caught in such a spell wish to approach the content of societ& differentl&( the& are crippled +& the shape of their own consciousness( which is modeled in ad)ance on the needs of this societ&. 2hile their thought has forgotten how to thin- for itself( it has simultaneousl& turned into the a+solute e9am6authorit& of itself. Thin-ing means nothing other than chec-ing at e)er& moment( as to whether one can thin-. Thus the asph&9iating <ualit& of e)er& seemingl& independent intellectual production( the theoretical ones no less than the artistic ones. The sociali;ation of the Spirit @GeistesA holds it( roofed o)er( ensorceled( under a glass( as long as societ& is itself trapped. 2here thin-ing pre)iousl& internali;ed o+ligations imposed from outside( toda& it toda& incorporates its integration into the all6em+racing apparatus( and goes to pieces( e)en +efore its economic and political )erdict can o)erta-e it.

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&ishful thin$ing. @8n English in originalA G 8ntelligence is a moral categor&. The separation of feeling and understanding( which ma-es it possi+le to sa&( free and +lessed are the -nuc-leheads( h&postati;es the historicall& achie)ed splintering of human +eings into functions. The praise of simplicit& @"infaltA

resonates with the an9iet& that whate)er has +een separated might reunite and thus put an end to the mischief. >8f &ou ha)e understanding and a heart(? goes a couplet +& C[lderlin( >show onl& one of each / 4oth condemn &ou( if &ou displa& them together.? @from C[lderlinBs poem Good 'dviceA The denigration of restricted understanding in comparison with infinite reason which echoes in philosoph&( a reason which( as infinite( is at the same time undisco)era+le +& the ultimatel& finite su+:ect( echoes in spite of its critical :ustification the old saw: >4e e)er true and faithful? @<uotation from Mo;art songA. 2hen Cegel demonstrated to reason its stupidit&( he not onl& +rought the isolated determination of reflection( the positi)ism of e)er& name( to its measure of untruth( +ut +ecame complicit in the +an on thought( se)ering the negati)e la+or of the concept( which the method claimed to achie)e( and swears +& the highest height of speculation li-e the 5rotestant priest( who recommended to his floc- to remain one( instead of rel&ing on their own wea- light. $ather( it is up to philosoph& to see- out the unit& +etween feeling and understanding precisel& in their contrast: in the moral unit&. 8ntelligence( as the power of :udgment( opposes in its carr&ing out what is alread& gi)en( +& simultaneousl& e9pressing it. The capacit& of :udgment( which seals itself off from the dri)e6impulse( does :ustice to this last precisel& +& a moment of counter6pressure against the social one. The power of :udgment is measured +& the staunchness of the ego. There+&( howe)er( also in that d&namics of the dri)es( which is handed o)er +& the di)ision of la+or of the soul to the feelings. 8nstinct( the will to stand fast( is an implication of the meaning of logic. 4& forgetting itself( showing itself incorrupti+le( the :udging su+:ect wins its )ictor&. 4& contrast( :ust as the narrowest circle of human +eings dum+ themsel)es down( where their interests +egin( and then turn their resentment against what the& do not wish to understand( precisel& +ecause the& could understand it all too well( so too is the planetar& stupidit&( which pre)ents the contemporar& world from seeing the a+surdit& of its own arrangement( the product of the unsu+limated( unsu+lated interest of the rulers. Short6term and &et irresisti+le( it hardens itself into the anon&mous schemata of the historical tra:ector&. This corresponds to the stupidit& and o+stinac& of the indi)idual; the incapacit&( to consciousl& unite the power of +ias and +ustle. 8t is regularl& found in con:unction with moral defects( a lac- of autonom& and responsi+ilit&( while so much is true in Socratic rationalism( that a cle)er person( whose thoughts are directed at o+:ects and do not circle formalisticall& around themsel)es( can scarcel& +e concei)ed of as e)il. For the moti)ation of e)il( +lind pre:udice in the contingenc& of what is oneBs own( tends to dissipate in the medium of thought. SchelerBs comment( that all cognition is founded in lo)e( was a lie( +ecause he demanded that lo)e +e something immediatel& )iewed. 4ut it would +ecome the truth( if lo)e pressed for the dissolution of all appearance @ScheinsA of immediac& and there+&( to +e sure( +ecame irreconcila+le with the o+:ect of cognition. Deither the s&nthesis of ps&chic compartments( alienated from each other( nor the therapeutic displacement of the ratio with irrational ferments( is an& help against the splitting of thought( +ut rather the self6constitution of the element of the wish( which antitheticall& constitutes thin-ing as thin-ing. /nl& when that element is completel& dissol)ed( without an& heteronomous remnant in the o+:ecti)it& of thought( does it dri)e towards utopia.

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7egressions. G M& earliest memor& of 4rahms( and certain not onl& mine( is 6radle Song. A complete misunderstanding of the te9t: 8 didnBt -now that DKglein @flowersA was a word for lilacs or in man& districts for pin- flowers( +ut imagined the word meant little nail( the numerous pins +& which the curtain around the hea)enl& +ed( m& own( was fastened( so that the child( protected in its dar-ness from e)er& trace of light( could sleep endlessl& long( without fear G >until the cows come home(? as the& sa& in Cessen. Cow distant the +lossoms remain from the tenderness of such curtains. For us( nothing stands for undiminished +rightness other than the unconscious dar-; nothing for what we once could +e( other than the dream( that we had ne)er +een +orn. >Sleep in peace( sleep / close &our little e&es so sweet / listen to the rainfall drip / hear the neigh+orsB dogg& &ip / #ogg& +it the +eggar man / tore a hole in his pants / past the gate( the +eggar flees / sleep in

peace( sleep.? The first line of Tau+ertBs lulla+& is terrif&ing. And &et +oth its final lines +less sleep with the promise of peace. This is not entirel& due to +ourgeois hardness( the comforting thought( that the intruder was scared off. The sleepil& listening child has alread& half6forgotten the e9ile of the foreigner( who loo-s in SchottBs song +oo- li-e a Lew( and intuits in the )erse >past the gate( the +eggar flees? peace without the miser& of others. So long as there is e)en a single +eggar( goes a fragment in 4en:amin( there is m&thos; onl& with the disappearance of the latter would m&thos +e reconciled. 2ould not )iolence itself +e forgotten as in the onrushing wa)e of the childBs sleepQ 2ould not in the end the disappearance of the +eggar ne)ertheless entirel& compensate( for what was done to him and which could not +e compensated forQ #oesnBt there lur- in all persecution +& human +eings( who( along with the little dog( incite the whole of nature against the wea-( the hope that the last trace of persecution would +e e9tirpated( which is itself the share of what is naturalQ 2ould not the +eggar( who is forced out of the gates of ci)ili;ation( find refuge in his homeland( which is emancipated from the +ane @4annA of the EarthQ >Dow rest and let &our worries pass( the +eggar comes home at last.? For as long as 8 can thin-( 8V)e +een happ& with the song( >4etween mountain and deep( deep )alle&?: +& the two ra++its who were stuffing themsel)es with grass( who were shot at +& hunters( and upon reali;ing the& were still ali)e( ran off. 4ut 8 onl& understood the lesson <uite late: reason can endure onl& in despair and crisis; it re<uires the a+surd( in order to not +e o)ercome +& o+:ecti)e madness. /ne should act e9actl& li-e the ra++its; when the shot rings out( fall foolishl& to the ground as if dead( collect oneself and oneBs senses( and if one still has an& +reath( run li-e +la;es. The energ& to fear and that for happiness are the same( the limitless state of open6mindedness for e9perience( raised to self6sacrifice( in which the one who is o)ercome can find themsel)es again. 2hat would an& happiness +e( which did not measure itself according to the immeasura+le sorrow of what isQ For the course of the world is deepl& unsettled. 2hoe)er cautiousl& adapts to it( parta-es of its madness( while onl& the eccentric holds fast and commands the a+surdit& to halt. /nl& the latter ma& na)igate the appearance @ScheinA of calamit&( the >unrealit& of despair(? and inner)ate from this( not merel& that one still li)es( +ut that there is still life. The cunning of the powerless hares redeems( along with themsel)es( e)en the hunters( whose guilt the& pilfer.

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6ustomer service. G The culture industr& sanctimoniousl& claims to follow its consumers and to deli)er what the& want. 4ut while it refle9i)el& denigrates e)er& thought of its own autonom& and proclaims its )ictims as :udges( its )eiled high6handedness out+ids all the e9cesses of autonomous art. 8t is not so much that the culture industr& adapts to the reactions of its customers( as that it feigns these latter. 8t rehearses them( +& +eha)ing as if it itself was a customer. /ne could almost suspect( the entire >ad:ustment? @in English in originalA( which it claims to o+e&( is ideolog&; that the more human +eings tr&( through e9aggerated e<ualit&( through the oath of fealt& to social powerlessness( to participate in power and to dri)e out e<ualit&( the more the& attempt to ma-e themsel)es resem+le others and the whole. >The music listens for the listeners(? and the film practices on the scale of a trust the despica+le tric- of adults( who( when spea-ing down to a child( fall o)er the gift with the language which suits onl& them( and then present the usuall& du+ious gift with precisel& the e9pression of lip6smac-ing :o&( that is supposed to +e elicited. The culture industr& is tailored according to mimetic regression( to the manipulation of suppressed imitation6impulses. Therein it a)ails itself of the method( of anticipating its own imitation +& its )iewers( and sealing the consensus that it wishes to esta+lish( +& ma-ing it appear as if it alread& e9isted. 2hat ma-es this all the easier( is that it can count on such a consensus in a sta+le s&stem and can rituall& repeat it( rather than actuall& ha)ing to produce it. 8ts product is +& no means a stimulus( +ut a model for modes of reaction of none9istent stimuli. Thus the enthusiastic music titles on the sil)er screen( the moronic childrenBs speech( the e&e6win-ing fol-siness; e)en the close6up of the start calls out >Cow +eautifulS(? as it were. 2ith this procedure the cultural machine goes so far as to dress down )iewers li-e the frontall& photographed e9press train in a moment of tension. The cadence of e)er& film howe)er is that of the witch( who ser)es soup to the little ones she wants to ensorcel or de)our( with the hideous

murmur( >Rumm& soup( &umm& soupQ RouVll en:o& it( &ouVll en:o& it...? 8n art( this -itchen fire6magic was disco)ered +& 2agner( whose linguistic intimacies and musical spices are alwa&s tasting themsel)es( and who simultaneousl& demonstrated the entire procedure( with the geniusB compulsion of confession( in the scene of the 7ing( where Mime offers Siegfried the poisoned potion. 2ho howe)er is supposed to chop off the monsterBs head( now that its +lond loc-s ha)e lain for a long time under the linden treeQ @Jnter den 'inden: famous +oule)ard in 4erlinA

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Grey and grey. G Dot e)en its +ad conscience can help the culture industr&. 8ts Spirit @GeistA is so o+:ecti)e( that it slaps all its su+:ects in the face( and so the latter( agents all( -now what the stor& is and see- to distance themsel)es through mental reser)ations from the nonsense which the& create. The ac-nowledgment( that films +roadcast ideolog&( is itself a +roadcast ideolog&. 8t is dealt with administrati)el& +& the rigid distinction +etween s&nthetic da&6dreams on the one hand( )ehicles of flight from dail& life( >escape? @English in originalA; and well6meaning products on the other hand( which promote correct social +eha)iors( pro)iding information( >con)e&ing a message? @in English in originalA. The prompt su+sumption under >escape? @in English in originalA and >message? @in English in originalA e9presses the untruth of +oth t&pes. The moc-er& against >escape? @in English in originalA( the standardi;ed outrage against superficialit&( is nothing +ut the pathetic echo of the old6fashioned ethos( which denounces gam+ling( +ecause it cannot pla& along with such in the pre)ailing pra9is. The escape6 films are so dreadful not +ecause the& turn their +ac- on an e9istence s<uee;ed dr&( +ut +ecause the& do not do so energeticall& enough( +ecause the& are s<uee;ed :ust as dr&( +ecause the satisfactions which the& pretend to gi)e( con)erge with the humiliation of realit&( with renunciation. The dreams ha)e no dream. Lust as the technicolor heroes donBt allow us to forget for a second that the& are normal human +eings( t&pecast prominent faces and in)estments( what is unmista-a+l& re)ealed under the thin flutter of schematicall& produced fantas& is the s-eleton of cinema6ontolog&( the entire prescri+ed hierarch& of )alues( the canon of what is unwanted and what is to +e imitated. Dothing is more practical than >escape? @in English in originalA( nothing is more wedded to +ustle: one is -idnapped into the distance onl& to ha)e it hammered into oneBs consciousness( that e)en at a distance( the laws of the empirical mode of life are undistur+ed +& empirical de)iations. The >escape? @in English in originalA is full of >message? @in English in originalA. That is how the >message? @in English in originalA( the opposite( loo-s( which wishes to flee from flight. 8t reifies the resistance against reification. /ne need onl& hear e9perts tal- a+out how a splendid wor- of the sil)er screen has( ne9t to other merits( also a constitution( in the same tone of )oice that a prett& actress is descri+ed as e)en ha)ing >personalit&? @in English in originalA. The e9ecuti)e can easil& decide at the conference( that the escape6film must +e gi)en( ne9t to more e9pensi)e additions( an ideal such as: human +eings should +e no+le( helpful and good. Separated from the immanent logic of the entit&( from the thing( the ideal turns into something produced on tap( the reform of ameliora+le grie)ances( transfigured charit&( there+& simultaneousl& tangi+le and )oid. The& prefer most of all to +roadcast the reha+ilitation of drun-s( whose impo)erished euphoria the& en)&. 4& representing a societ& hardened in itself( according to anon&mous laws( as if good will alone were enough to help matters( that societ& is defended e)en where it is honestl& attac-ed. 2hat is reflected is a -ind of popular front of all proper and right6thin-ing people. The practical Spirit @GeistA of the >message? @in English in originalA( the tangi+le demonstration of how things can +e done +etter( allies itself with the s&stem in the fiction( that a total social su+:ect( which does not e9ist at present( can ma-e e)er&thing o-a&( if one could onl& assem+le all the pieces and clear up the root of the e)il. 8t is <uite pleasant( to +e a+le to )ouch for oneBs efficienc&. >Message? @in English in originalA turns into >escape? @in English in originalA: those swept up in cleaning the house in which the& li)e( forget the ground on which it was +uilt. 2hat >escape? @in English in originalA would reall& +e( the antipath&( turned into a picture( against the whole( all the wa& into what is formall& constituted( could recoil into a >message? @in English in originalA( without e9pressing it( indeed precisel& through tenacious asceticism against the suggestion.

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&olf as grandmother. G The strongest argument of the apologists for film is the crudest( its massi)e consumption. The& declare the drastic medium of the culture industr& to +e popular art. The independence of norms of the autonomous wor- is supposed to discharge it from aesthetic responsi+ilit&( a responsi+ilit& whose standards pro)e to +e reactionar& in relation to film( :ust as in fact all intentions of the artistic enno+lement of film ha)e something awr&( something +adl& ele)ated( something lac-ing in form G something of the import for the connoisseur. The more that film pretends to +e art( the more fraudulent it +ecomes. 8ts protagonists can point to this and e)en( as critics of the meanwhile -itsch& interiorit&( appear a)ant6garde ne9t to its crude material -itsch. 8f one grants this as a ground( then the& +ecome( strengthened +& technical e9perience and facilit& with the material( nearl& irresisti+le. The film is not a mass art( +ut is merel& manipulated for the deception of the massesQ 4ut the wishes of the masses ma-e themsel)es felt incessantl& through the mar-et; its collecti)e production alone would guarantee its collecti)e essence @&esenA; onl& someone completel& outside of realit& would presume to see cle)er manipulators in the producers; most are talentless( certainl&( +ut where the right talents coincide( it can succeed in spite of all the restrictions of the s&stem. The mass taste which the film o+e&s( is +& no means that of the masses themsel)es( +ut foisted on themQ 4ut to spea- of a different mass taste than the one the& ha)e now( would +e foolish( and what is called popular art( has alwa&s reflected domination. According to such logic( it is onl& in the competent adaptation of production to gi)en needs( not in consideration of a utopian audience( that the nameless general will can ta-e shape. Films are full of l&ing stereot&pesQ 4ut stereot&ping is the essence of popular art( fair&6tales -now the rescuing prince and the de)il :ust as films ha)e the hero and )illain( and e)en the +ar+aric cruelt&( which di)ided the world into good and e)il( is something film has in common with the greatest fair&6tales( which ha)e the stepmother dance to death in red6hot iron shoes. All this is can +e countered( onl& +& consideration of the fundamental concepts presupposed +& the apologists. 4ad films are not to +e charged with incompetence: the most gifted are refracted +& the +ustle( and the fact that the ungifted stream towards them( is due to the electi)e affinit& +etween lies and swindlers. The idioc& is o+:ecti)e; impro)ements in personnel could not create a popular art. The latterBs idea was formed in agrarian relationships or simple commodit& economies. Such relationships and their character of e9pression are those of lords and serfs( profiteers and disad)antaged( +ut in an immediate( not entirel& o+:ectified form. The& are to +e sure not less furrowed +& class differences than late industrial societ&( +ut their mem+ers are not &et encompassed +& the total structure( which reduces indi)idual su+:ects to mere moments( in order to unite them( as those who are powerless and isolated( into the collecti)e. That there are no longer fol- does not howe)er mean that( as $omanticism propagated( the masses are worse. /n the contrar&( what is re)ealed precisel& now in the new( radical alienated form of societ& is the untruth of the older one. E)en the traits( which the culture industr& reclaims as the legac& of popular art( +ecome there+& suspect. The film has a retroacti)e energ&: its optimistic horror +rings to light what alwa&s ser)ed in:ustice in the fair&6tale( and e)o-es in the parade of )illains the countenances of those( which the integral societ& condemns and whose condemnation was e)er the dream of sociali;ation. That is wh& the e9tinction of indi)idual art is no :ustification for one which acts as if it its su+:ect( which reacts archaicall&( were the natural one( while this last is the s&ndicate( al+eit unconscious( of a pair of giant firms. 8f the masses themsel)es( as customers( ha)e an influence on the film( this remains as a+stract as the tic-et stu+( which steps into the place of nuanced applause: the mere choice +etween &es and no to something offered( strung +etween the discrepanc& of concentrated power and scattered powerlessness. Finall&( the fact that numerous e9perts( also simple technicians( participate in the ma-ing of a film( no more guarantees its humanit& than the decisions of competent scientific +odies vis-1-vis +om+s and poison gas. The high6flown tal- of film art stands indeed to +enefit scri++lers( who wish to get ahead; the conscious appeal to na@vt( howe)er( to the +loc-6headedness of the su+alterns( long since permeated +& the thoughts of the master( will not do. Film( which toda& clings as una)oida+l& to human +eings( as if it

was a piece of themsel)es( is simultaneousl& that which is most distant from their human determination( which is reali;ed from one da& to the ne9t( and its apologetics li)e on the resistance against thin-ing through this antinom&. That the people who ma-e films are +& no means intriguers( sa&s nothing against this. The o+:ecti)e Spirit @GeistA of manipulation pre)ails through rules of e9perience( estimations of situations( technical criteria( economicall& una)oida+le calculations( the entire deadweight of the industrial apparatus( without e)en ha)ing to censor itself( and e)en those who <uestioned the masses( would find the u+i<uit& of the s&stem reflected +ac- at them. The producers function as little as su+:ects as their wor-ers and +u&ers( +ut solel& as parts of an independent machiner&. The Cegelian6sounding commandment( howe)er( that mass art must respect the real taste of the masses and not that of negati)istic intellectuals( is usurpation. The opposition of film( as an all6encompassing ideolog&( to the o+:ecti)e interests of human +eings( its entanglement with the status <uo of the profit6s&stem( its +ad conscience and deception can +e succinctl& cogni;ed. Do appeal to a factuall& accessi+le state of consciousness would ha)e the right of )eto against the insight( which reaches +e&ond this state of consciousness( +& disclosing its contradiction to itself and to o+:ecti)e relationships. 8t is possi+le( that the Fascist professor was right and that e)en the fol- songs( as the& were( li)ed from the degraded cultural heritage of the upper class. 8t is not for nothing that all popular art is crum+l& and( li-e films( not >organic.? 4ut +etween the old in:ustice( in whose )oice a lament is still audi+le( e)en where it transfigures itself( and the alienation which upholds itself as connectedness( which cunningl& creates the appearance @ScheinA of human intimac& with loudspea-ers and ad)ertising ps&cholog&( there is a distinction similar to the one +etween the mother( who soothes the child who is afraid of demons with a fair&6tale in which the good are rewarded and the e)il are punished( and the cinema product( which dri)es the :ustice of each world order into the e&es and ears of audiences of e)er& land harshl&( threateningl&( in order to teach them anew( and more thoroughl&( the old fear. The fair&6tale dreams which call so eagerl& for the child in the adult( are nothing +ut regression( organi;ed +& total enlightenment( and where the& tap the audience on the shoulder most intimatel&( the& +etra& them most thoroughl&. 8mmediac&( the communit& produced +& films( is tantamount to the mediation without a remainder( which degrades human +eings and e)er&thing human so completel& to things( that their contrast to things( indeed e)en the +ane @4annA of reification itself( cannot +e percei)ed an&more. Film has succeeded in transforming su+:ects into social functions so indiscriminatel&( that those who are entirel& in its grasp( unaware of an& conflicts( en:o& their own dehumani;ation as human( as the happiness of warmth. The total conte9t of the culture industr&( which lea)es nothing out( is one with total social delusion. That is wh& it so easil& dispatches counter6arguments.

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Expensive reproduction. [Piperdruck] Socie ! i" in e#ral$ %e&ore i e'er %ecome" ruled a" o ali arian. ( " or#ani)a ion encompa""e" e'en *o"e +*o &eud a#ain" i $ and normali)e" *eir con"ciou"ne"". ,'en in ellec ual" +*o *a'e all *e poli ical ar#umen " a#ain" %our#eoi" ideolo#! *and!$ are "u%-ec ed o a proce"" o& " andardi)a ion +*ic*$ +*e *er in cra""l! con ra" in# con en or *rou#* *e readine"" on *eir par o %e com&or a%le$ %rin#" *em clo"er o *e pre'ailin# Spiri [Geist]$ "uc* *a *eir " andpoin o%-ec i'el! %ecome" al+a!" more ar%i rar!$ dependen on &lim"! pre&erence" or *eir e" ima ion o& *eir o+n c*ance". .*a appear" o *em a" "u%-ec i'el! radical$ o%-ec i'el! %elon#" *rou#* and *rou#* o *e compar men o& a "c*ema$ re"er'ed &or *em and *eir kind$ "o *a radicali"m i" de#raded o a%" rac pre" i#e$ *e le#i ima ion o& *o"e +*o kno+ +*a oda!/" in ellec ual" "*ould %e &or and a#ain" . 0*e #ood *in#"$ &or +*ic* *e! op $ *a'e lon# "ince %een ackno+led#ed$ *eir num%er" accordin#l! limi ed$ a" &i1ed in *e 'alue2*ierarc*! a" *o"e in *e " uden &ra erni ie". .*ile *e! denounce o&&icial ki "c*$ *eir "en"i%ili ! i" dependen $ like o%edien c*ildren$ on nouri"*men alread! "ou#* ou in ad'ance$ on *e clic*e" o& *o" ili ! o clic*e". 0*e d+ellin#" o& !oun# %o*emian" re"em%le *eir "piri ual *ou"e*old. 3n *e +all$ decep i'el! ori#inal color prin " o& &amou" ar i" "$ "uc* a" 4an 5o#*/" Sunflowers or *e Caf at Arles$ on *e %ook"*el& deri'a i'e +ork" on "ociali"m and p"!c*oanal!"i" and a li le "e12re"earc* &or *e unin*i%i ed +i * in*i%i ion". (n addi ion$ *e 6andom 7ou"e edi ion o& Prou" Sco Moncrie&&/" ran"la ion de"er'ed a %e er &a e e1clu"i'i ! a reduced price"$ +*o"e e1 erior alone$ *e compac 2economic &orm o& *e omni%u"$ i" a mocker! o& *e au *or$ +*o"e e'er! "en ence knock" a recei'ed opinion ou o& ac ion$ +*ile *e no+ pla!"$ a" a pri)e2+innin# *omo"e1ual$ *e "ame role +i * !ou * a" %ook" on animal" o& *e &ore" and *e 8or * Pole e1pedi ion in *e 5erman *ome. 9l"o$ *e record pla!er +i * *e :incoln can a a o& a %ra'e "oul$ +*ic* deal" e""en iall! +i * railroad " a ion"$ ne1 o *e o%li#a or! e!e2ca c*in# &olklore &rom 3kla*oma and a pair o& %ra""! -a)) record"$ +*ic* make one &eel "imul aneou"l! collec i'e$ %old and com&or a%le. ,'er! -ud#men i" appro'ed %! &riend"$ *e! kno+ all *e ar#umen " in ad'ance. 0*a all cul ural produc "$ e'en *e non2con&ormi" one"$ are incorpora ed in o *e mec*ani"m o& di" ri%u ion o& lar#e2"cale capi al$ *a in *e mo" de'eloped land" a crea ion +*ic* doe" no %ear *e imprima ur o& ma"" produc ion can "carcel! reac* an! reader"$ o%"er'er"$ or li" ener"$ re&u"e" *e ma erial in ad'ance &or *e de'ia in# lon#in#. ,'en ;a&ka i" urned in o a piece o& in'en or! in *e ren ed apar men . (n ellec ual" *em"el'e" are alread! "o &irml! e" a%li"*ed$ in *eir i"ola ed "p*ere"$ in +*a i" con&irmed$ *a *e! can no lon#er de"ire an! *in# +*ic* i" no "er'ed o *em under *e %rand o& <*i#*%ro+= [in ,n#li"* in ori#inal]. 0*eir "ole am%i ion con"i" " o& &indin# *eir +a! in *e accep ed canon$ o& "a!in# *e ri#* *in#. 0*e ou "ider " a u" o& *e ini ia e" i" an illu"ion and mere +ai in#2 ime. ( +ould %e #i'in# *em oo muc* credi o call *em rene#ade"> *e! +ear o'erlar#e *orn2rimmed #la""e" on *eir mediocre &ace"$ "olel! o %e er pa""

*em"el'e" o&& a" <%rillian = o *em"el'e" and o o *er" in *e #eneral compe i ion. 0*e! are alread! e1ac l! like *em. 0*e "u%-ec i'e precondi ion o& oppo"i ion$ *e non2normali)ed -ud#men $ #oe" e1 inc $ +*ile i " rappin#" con inue o %e carried ou a" a #roup ri ual. S alin need onl! clear *i" *roa $ and *e! *ro+ ;a&ka and 4an 5o#* on *e ra"*2*eap. 133
6ontribution to intellectual history. G 8n the +ac- of m& cop& of Narathrustra( dated 191"( there are pu+lisherBs notices. The& are all tailored to that clan of Diet;sche readers( as imagined +& Alfred H[rner in 'eip;ig( someone who ought to -now. >Ideal /ife-goals +& Adal+ert S)o+oda. S)o+oda has ignited a +rightl& shining +eacon in his wor-s( which cast light on all pro+lems of the in)estigati)e Spirit of human +eings @MenschengeistA and re)eal +efore our e&es the true ideals of reason( art and culture. This magnificentl& concei)ed and splendidl& reali;ed +oo- is gripping from +eginning to end( enchanting( stimulating( instructi)e and has the same effect on all trul& free Spirits @0eisterA as a ner)e6steeling +ath and fresh mountain air.? Signed: Cumanit&( and almost as recommenda+le as #a)id Friedrich Strauss. > n Zarathrustra +& Ma9 Ernst. There are two Diet;sches. /ne is the world6famous fashiona+le philosopher( the da;;ling poet and phenomenall& gifted master of st&le( who is now the tal- of all the world( from whose wor-s a few misunderstood slogans ha)e +ecome the intellectual +aggage of the educated. The other Diet;sche is the unfathoma+le( ine9hausti+le thin-er and ps&chologist( the great discerner of human +eings and )aluer of life of unsurpassa+le spiritual energ& and power of thought( to who the most distant future +elongs. To +ring this other Diet;sche to the most imaginati)e and serious6 minded of contemporar& human +eings is the intent of the following two essa&s contained in this short +oo-.? 8n that case 8 would still prefer the former. The other goes: >' Philosopher and a 2oble 5uman +eing) a 6ontribution to the 6haracteristics of Friedrich 2iet#sche( +& Meta )on Salis6Marschlins. The +oo- gra+s out attention +& the faithful reproduction of all the sensations which Diet;scheBs personalit& e)o-ed in the self6conscious soul of a woman.? #onBt forget the whip( instructed Narathrustra. 8nstead of this( is offered: >,he Philosophy of 0oy +& Ma9 Ner+st. #r. Ma9 Ner+st starts out from Diet;sche( +ut stri)es to o)ercome a certain one6sidedness in Diet;sche... The author is not gi)en to cool a+stractions( it is rather a h&mn( a philosophical h&mn to :o&( which he deli)ers in spades.? 'i-e a student spree. /nl& no one6sidedness. 4etter to run straight to the hea)en of the atheists: >,he Four Gospels( 0erman( with introduction and commentar& +& #r. Ceinrich Schmidt. 8n contrast to the corrupted( hea)il& edited form( in which the gospels ha)e +een deli)ered to us as literature( this new edition goes +ac- to the source and ma& +e of high )alue not onl& for trul& religious human +eings( +ut also for those Wanti6%hristsB( who press for social action.? The choice is difficult( +ut one can ta-e comfort from the fact that +oth elites will +e as agreea+le as the s&nopticists: >,he Gospel of Modern 5umanity G' SynthesisH 2iet#sche and 6hristI +& %arl Martin. An astounding treatise of edification. E)er&thing which is ta-en up in the science and art of the present has ta-en up the struggle with the Spirits @0eisternA of the past( all of this has ta-en root and +lossomed ( in this mature and &et so &oung mind @Gem.tA. And mar- well: this WmodernB( entirel& new human +eing creates for itself and us the most re)i)if&ing potion from an age6old spring: that other message of redemption( whose purest sounds resonate in the Sermon on the Mount... E)en in the form of the simplicit& and grandeur of those wordsS? Signed: Ethical %ulture. The miracle passed awa& nearl& fort& &ears ago( plus twent& more or so( since the genius in Diet;sche :ustifia+l& decided to +rea- off communication with the world. 8t didnBt help G e9hilarated( un+elie)ing priests and e9ponents of that organi;ed ethical culture( which later dro)e formerl& well6to6do ladies to emigrate and get +& as waitresses in Dew Ror-( ha)e thri)ed on the posthumous legac& of someone who once worried whether someone was listening to him sing >a secret +arcarole.? E)en then( the hope of lea)ing +ehind a message in a +ottle amidst the rising tide of +ar+arism was a friendl& )ision: the desperate letters ha)e +een left in the mud of the age6old spring( and ha)e +een rewor-ed +& a +and of no+le6minded people and other scoundrels to highl& artistic +ut low6priced wall decorations. /nl& since then has the progress of

communication trul& gotten into gear. 2ho are we to cast aspersion on the freest spirits @GeisterA of them all( whose trustworthiness possi+l& e)en out+ids those of their contemporaries( if the& no longer write for an imaginar& posterit&( +ut solel& for the dead 0odQ

134
0uvenal>s error. G 8tBs difficult to write satire. 8t is not merel& +ecause of a condition( which needs the latter more than e)er( which moc-s all moc-er&. The means of iron& ha)e ended up in contradiction with the truth. 8ron& con)icts the o+:ect( +& ta-ing it for what it claims to +e( and without :udgment( +& +loc-ing out( as it were( the reflecting su+:ect( measuring it +& its +eing6in6itself. 8t points out the negati)e +& confronting the positi)e with its own claim to positi)it&. 8t su+lates itself( as soon as it adds the interpreting word. 8t thus presupposes the idea of what is self6e)ident( originall& of social resonance. /nl& where a compelling consensus of su+:ects is assumed( is su+:ecti)e reflection( the fulfillment of the conceptual act( superfluous. Those who ha)e laughter on their side( donBt need proof. Cistoricall&( o)er the millennia( all the wa& to the age of 1oltaire( satire has +een happ& to consort with those who are stronger and could +e relied upon( with authorit&. T&picall& it agitated for older strata( threatened +& the newer stages of the enlightenment( which sought to support their traditionalism with enlightened means: its immemorial o+:ect was the decline of morals @SittenA. That is wh& what once flashed li-e a rapier( appears to those +orn to later generations li-e a thic- truncheon. The dou+le6tongued spirituali;ation of the appearance @"rscheinungA alwa&s wishes to show the satirist as amusing( as the height of progress; the metric howe)er is that which is endangered +& progress( which remains ne)ertheless so widel& disseminated as a )alid ideolog&( that the phenomenon singled out for denunciation is dismissed( without e)en +eing granted a fair trial. The comedies of Aristophanes( in which o+scene tales are supposed to e9pose fornication( functioned as the modernistic laudatio temporis acti @'atin: praise for times pastA for the ra++le( which it defamed. 2ith the )ictor& of the +ourgeois class in the %hristian era( the function of iron& loosened up. 8t has at times run o)er to the side of the oppressed( especiall& where these latter were in truth no longer an&thing of the sort. Admittedl&( as something imprisoned in its own form( it has an authoritarian legac&( which ne)er totall& di)ested itself of an unprotesting nastiness. /nl& with the decline of the +ourgeoisie did it su+limate itself into the appeal of an idea of humanit&( which no longer permitted an& reconciliation with the e9istent and its consciousness. 4ut e)en to these ideas( self6e)idence was what counted: no dou+t in the o+:ecti)e6immediate e)idence arose; no witticism of Harl Hraus hesitates to decide who is responsi+le and who is a scoundrel( what is Spirit @GeistA and what is stupidit&( what is language and what is a newspaper. The )ehemence @Ge!alt: )iolence( powerA of his sa&ings is due to his <uic-6wittedness. Lust as the& stop at no <uestion( in the lightning6<uic- consciousness of the matter6at6 hand @SachverhaltsA( so too do the& lea)e no <uestion open. The more emphaticall& howe)er the prose of Hraus posits its humanism as an in)ariant( the more it ta-es on restorati)e <ualities. 8t condemns corruption and decadence( the literati and the Futurists( without ha)ing an&thing to commend itself o)er the ;ealots of the natural condition other than the cognition of their awfulness. That in the end the intransigence against Citler showed itself to +e &ielding in the case of Schuschnigg( does not attest to a lac- of courage( +ut the antinom& of satire. This latter needs something to hold on to( and he( who called himself the grouch @2?rglerA( +ent to its positi)it&. E)en the denunciation of Schmoc- @stereot&pical hac:ournalistA contains( +eside its truth( its critical element( something of the >common sense? @in English in originalA( which cannot stand the fact that someone tal-s in such wind& terms. The hatred of those who would li-e to seem more than what the& are( holds them fast with the facts of their constitution. The incorrupti+ilit& vis-1-vis what is artificial( for the simultaneousl& unredeemed and commerciall& oriented pretension of the Spirit @0eistesA( unmas-s those who failed to measure up to what stands +efore their e&es as something ele)ated. This ele)ation is power and success and stands re)ealed( through the +otched identification( as itself a lie. 4ut the faiseur @French: miracle6wor-erA alwa&s em+odies at the same time utopia: e)en false :ewels radiate with a powerless childhood dream( and this latter is condemned( +ecause it failed( adducing itself( as it were( +efore the forum of success. All satire is +lind to the forces( which are

released during disassem+l& @Zerfall: disintegrationA. That is wh& terminal decline has a+sor+ed the powers of satire. The scorn of the leaders of the Third $eich for emigres and li+eral state officials was the latest )ersion of this( a scorn whose power consisted solel& in muscle6fle9ing. The impossi+ilit& of satire toda& is not to +e +lamed( as sentimentalit& would ha)e it( on the relati)ism of )alues( on the a+sence of +inding norms. $ather( consensus itself( the formal a priori of iron&( has turned into the content6+ased uni)ersal consensus. As such( it would +e the sole worth& o+:ect of iron& and simultaneousl& pulls the rug from underneath it. 8ts medium( the difference +etween ideolog& and truth( has )anished. The former is resigned to the confirmation of realit& through its mere duplication. 8ron& once e9pressed: this is what it claims to +e( +ut that is what it is; toda& howe)er the world alleges that things are :ust so( e)en in the radical lie( and that such a simple finding coincides with what is good. There is no crac- in the sheer cliff of the e9istent( to which the grasp of the ironist ma& cling. Those who fall are regaled +& the hellish laughter of the treacherous o+:ect( which disempowers them. The gesture of the non6conceptual >thatBs that? is e9actl& the one which the world turns against each of its )ictims( and the transcendental consensus( which dwells in iron&( +ecomes ludicrous +efore the real consensus of those which it should attac-. Against the +lood6drenched seriousness of the total societ&( which has a+sor+ed its counter6 authorit& as the helpless o+:ection which iron& formerl& struc- down( there stands solel& +lood6drenched seriousness( the understood truth.

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Sacrificial lamb. G #ictating is not merel& more comforta+le( and is not merel& a spur to the concentration( +ut has in addition an o+:ecti)e ad)antage. #ictation ma-es it possi+le for the author to slide into the position of the critic during the earliest phases of the production process. 2hat one puts down is non6+inding( pro)isional( mere material for rewor-ing; once transcri+ed( howe)er( it appears as something alienated and to a certain e9tent o+:ecti)e. /ne need not fear esta+lishing an&thing( which ought not to remain( for one does not ha)e to write: one ta-es responsi+ilit& +& pla&ing a practical :o-e on responsi+ilit&. The ris- of formulation ta-es the harmless initial form of effortlessl& presented memos( then wor- on something which alread& e9ists( so that one can no longer e)en percei)e oneBs own temerit&. 8n )iew of the difficult&( which has increased to desperate le)els( of an& theoretical e9pression( such tric-s are a +lessing. The& are a technical means of assistance of dialectical procedure( which ma-es statements( in order to ta-e them +ac- and ne)ertheless hold them fast. Than-s howe)er are due to those who ta-e dictation( when the& flush out the author at the right moment through contradiction( iron&( ner)ousness( impatience and lac- of respect. The& draw rage to themsel)es. This rage is channeled from the storehouse of the +ad conscience( with which authors otherwise mistrust their own te9ts and which the author would +e that much more stu++orn a+out lea)ing in the presuma+l& hol& te9t. The emotional affect( which ungratefull& turns against the +urdensome helper( +ene)olentl& purifies the relation to the matter @SacheA.

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"*hibitionist. @in English in originalA6 Artists do not su+limate. 8t is a ps&choanal&tic illusion to thin- that the& neither satisf& their desires nor repress them( +ut transform them into sociall& accepta+le achie)ements( into their entities @GebildeA; incidentall&( legitimate wor-s of art are toda& without e9ception sociall& unaccepta+le. /n the contrar&( artists displa& )iolent( free6floating instincts( which simultaneousl& collide with realit& and are mar-ed +& neurosis. E)en the pett& +ourgeois stereot&pe of the dramatist or )iolinist as a s&nthesis of ner)e6+undles and heart6+rea-ing is closer to the mar- than the no less pett& +ourgeois dri)e6econom&( according to which the Sunda&Bs children of renunciation are let loose in s&mphonies and no)els. Their part is rather a h&stericall& e9aggerated lac- of inhi+ition vis-1-vis all humanl& concei)a+le fears; a narcissism dri)en to the +orders of paranoia. Against what is su+limated( the& ha)e idios&ncrasies. The& are irreconcila+le to the aesthetes( indifferent to culti)ated milieus( and the& recogni;e in the tasteful mode of life the inferior reaction6formation towards the propensit& for what

is inferior( as surel& as the ps&chologists who misunderstand them. The& ha)e +een attracted( e)er&where from the letters of Mo;art to his &oung Augs+urg cousin to the word6:o-es of the em+ittered tutor( to what is off6color( foolish( improper. The& do not fit into Freudian theor&( +ecause it lac-s an ade<uate concept of e9pression( in spite of all its insight into the functioning of s&m+olism of dreams and neuroses. 8t is certainl& illuminating( that an uncensored dri)e6impulse( once e9pressed( cannot +e called repressed( e)en when it no longer wishes to demand a goal which it does not find. /n the other hand( the anal&tic distinction +etween locomotor G >real? G and hallucinator& satisfaction points in the direction of the difference of satisfaction and undistorted e9pression. 4ut e9pression is not hallucination. 8t is appearance @ScheinA( measured +& the realit&6principle( and would li-e to +&pass this latter. 2hat is su+:ecti)e ne)er see-s( howe)er( to su+stitute itself through the appearance @ScheinA in delusi)e fashion( as through a s&mptom( in place of realit&. E9pression negates the realit&( +& holding up to it( what does not resem+le it( +ut it does not den& it; it loo-s at the conflict straight in the e&e G the conflict which otherwise results in the +lind s&mptom. 2hat the e9pression has in common with repression( is that the impulse finds itself +loc-ed +& realit&. That impulse( and the entire conte9t of e9perience which +elongs to it( is denied immediate communication with the o+:ect. As e9pression it comes to the unfalsified phenomenon @"rscheinungA of itself and there+& of resistance( in sensuous imitation. 8t is so strong( that it e9periences its modification to a mere picture( the price of sur)i)al( without +eing mutilated on its wa& outside. 8nstead of setting the goal of its own su+:ecti)e6censoring >processing(? it sets something o+:ecti)e: its polemical re)elation @ ffenbarungA. This distinguishes it from su+limation: e)er& successful e9pression of the su+:ect( one might sa&( is a small )ictor& o)er the pla& of forces of its own ps&cholog&. The pathos of art stems from the fact that precisel& +& withdrawing into the imagination( it gi)es the hegemon& of realit& what is its due( and ne)ertheless does not resign itself to adaptation( does not perpetuate the )iolence of what is e9ternali;ed in the deformation of what is internali;ed. For that reason( those who achie)e this must without e9ception pa& dearl& as indi)iduals( +ecause the& are left helplessl& +ehind their own e9pression( which outpaces their ps&cholog&. There+& howe)er the& awa-en( no less than their products( dou+ts in the ran-ing of wor-s of art under cultural achie)ements e* definitione @'atin: +& definitionA. Do wor- of art can( in the social organi;ation( e)ade its mem+ership in culture( +ut none( which is more than arts6and6crafts( e9ists which does not turn to culture with a dismissi)e gesture: that it +ecame a wor- of art. Art is as hostile to art as artists. 8n the renunciation of the dri)e6goal it -eeps faith with this dri)e6goal( unmas-ing what is sociall& desira+le( which Freud nai)el& glorified as su+limation( which in all li-elihood does not e9ist.

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Small pains) great songs. G %ontemporar& mass culture is historicall& necessar& not merel& as the conse<uence of the em+race of the entire life +& monster enterprises( +ut as the conse<uence of what toda& seems most utterl& opposed to the pre)ailing standardi;ation of consciousness( aesthetic su+:ectification. 8ndeed the more that artists went towards the inner( the more the& learned to renounce the infantile fun of imitating of what is e9ternal. 4ut at the same time( the& learned( +& )irtue of reflecting on the soul( to control themsel)es more and more. The progress of its technics( which constantl& +rought greater freedom and independence from what is heterogenous( resulted in a -ind of reification( the technification of inwardness as such. The greater the )irtuosit& +& which artists e9press themsel)es( the less must the& >+e? what the& e9press( and the more what is to +e e9pressed( indeed the content of su+:ecti)it& itself( +ecomes a mere function of the production process. Diet;sche sensed this( when he accused 2agner( the tamer of e9pression( of h&pocris&( without recogni;ing that it was not a <uestion of ps&cholog&( +ut of a historical tendenc&. The transformation of e9pressi)e content from an unguided impulse into a material for manipulation ma-es it howe)er simultaneousl& tangi+le( presenta+le( sala+le. The l&ric su+:ectification in Ceine( for e9ample( does not stand in a simple contradiction to his commercial traits( rather what is sala+le is itself a su+:ecti)it& administered +& su+:ecti)it&. The )irtuoso usage of the >scale(? which has defined artists since the 19th centur&( crosses o)er out of its own dri)e6energ& into :ournalism( spectacle( and

calculation( not primaril& through +etra&al. The law of mo)ement of art( which amounts to the control and there+& the o+:ectification of the su+:ect +& itself( means its downfall: the hostilit& to art of film( which administrati)el& loo-s o)er all materials and emotions( in order to deli)er them to the customer( the second e9teriorit&( originates in art as the increasing domination o)er inner nature. The oft6cited pla&6 acting of the modern artists( howe)er( their e9hi+itionism( is the gesture( through which the& put themsel)es as goods on the mar-et.

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&ho is !ho. @in English in originalA G The self6flattering con)iction of the nai)et& and purit& of artists or professors li)es on in its inclination( to e9plain awa& difficulties +& the cunning interestedness( the practicall& calculating Spirit @GeistA of the counter6parties. 4ut :ust as e)er& construction( in which one is :ustified and the world is un:ustified( e)er& insistence on oneBs own title( tends to :ustif& the world in oneself( so too do things stand with the antithesis of pure will and sl&ness. The intellectual outsider( who -nows what to e9pect( +eha)es reflecti)el& toda&( steered +& a thousand political tactical considerations( cautious and suspicious. The ones who understand each other( howe)er( whose realm has long since con)erged across part& lines on the wa& to li)ing6space @'e+ensraum: notorious term of Da;i propagandaA( no longer consider the calculations necessar&( which the& were once capa+le of. The& are so relia+l& committed to the rules of reason( their state of interests ha)e sedimented themsel)es so transparentl& into their thought( that the& ha)e once again +ecome innocuous. 8f one in)estigates their shadow& plans( their :udgments are metaph&sicall& true( +ecause the& are related to the gloom& course of the world( +ut ps&chologicall& false: the& end up in the o+:ecti)el& increasing persecution6mania. Those who commit +etra&al and ini<uit& according to their function and sell themsel)es and their friends to power( re<uire no cunning or ulterior moti)ation for this( no planning institution of the ego( +ut con)ersel& need onl& rel& on their reactions and the unthin-ing satisfaction of the demands of the moment( in order to easil& fulfill( what others could achie)e solel& through tortuousl& comple9 machinations. The& inspire trust( +& proclaiming it. The& watch to see how things fall out for them( li)e hand to mouth( and recommend themsel)es as simultaneousl& unegoistic and as su+scri+ers to a condition( which ensures that the& will lac- for nothing. 4ecause all of them solel& pursue their particular interest( without conflict( this interest appears once more as general and disinterested( as it were. Their gestures are open( spontaneous( disarming. The& are nice and their critics are e)il. 4ecause the& are not e)en left with the independence of action( which would oppose the interest( the& depend on the good will of others and are themsel)es of good will. The a+stract interest( as something entirel& mediated( creates a second immediac&( while those who are not &et completel& encompassed are unnaturall& compromised. 8n order to not +e ground +eneath the wheel( these latter must thoroughl& out+id the world in worldiness and are easil& con)icted of clums& o)ercompensation. Suspicion( lust for power( lac- of camaraderie( falsit&( )anit& and lac- of seriousness are what the& are compulsi)el& reproached for. Social enchantment una)oida+l& turns those who do not pla& along into self6see-ing t&pes( while those without a self( who li)e according the realit& principle( are called selfless.

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'ddress un$no!n. %ulti)ated philistines are wont to demand that the wor- of art should gi)e them something. The& are no longer outraged at what is radical( +ut draw +ac- with the shamelessl& modest assertion( that the& :ust donBt understand. This latter clears awa& the resistance( the last negati)e relation to the truth( and the offending o+:ect is catalogued with a smile under its own( under consumer goods( +etween which one has a choice and which one can re:ect( without incurring an& responsi+ilit&. /ne is :ust too dum+( too outmoded( one :ust canBt -eep up( and the smaller one ma-es oneself out to +e( the more relia+l& do the& participate in the might& unison of the vo* inhumana populi @'atin: inhuman )oice of the peopleA( in the guiding force @Ge!altA of the petrified spirit of the age @ZeitgeistA. 2hat is not

comprehensi+le( from which no6one gets an&thing( turns from an outraging crime into mere foolishness( deser)ing of pit&. The& displace the temptation along with the spi-e. That someone is supposed to +e gi)en something( +& all appearances the postulate of su+stantialit& and fullness( cuts off these latter and impo)erishes the gi)ing. Therein howe)er the relationship of human +eings comes to resem+le the aesthetic one. The reproach that someone gi)es nothing( is e9ecra+le. 8f the relation is sterile( then one should dissol)e it. Those howe)er who hold fast to it and ne)ertheless complain( alwa&s lac- the organ of sensation: imagination. 4oth must gi)e something( happiness as precisel& what is not e9changea+le( what cannot +e complained a+out( +ut such gi)ing is insepara+le from ta-ing. 8t is all o)er( if the other is no longer reacha+le +& what one finds for them. There is no lo)e( that would not +e an echo. 8n m&ths( the guarantor of merc& was the acceptance of sacrifice; lo)e( howe)er( the after6image of the sacrificial act( pleads for the sa-e of this acceptance( if it is not to feel itself to +e under a curse. The decline of gift6 gi)ing toda& goes hand in hand with the hardening against ta-ing. 8t is tantamount howe)er to that denial of happiness( which alone permits human +eings to hold fast to their manner of happiness. The wall would +e +reached( where the& recei)ed from others( what the& themsel)es must re:ect with a sour grimace. That howe)er is difficult for them due to the e9ertion which ta-ing re<uires of them. 8solated in technics( the& transfer the hatred of the superfluous e9ertion of their e9istence onto the energ& e9penditure( which pleasure re<uires as a moment of its +eing @&esenA all the wa& into its su+limations. 8n spite of countless small moments of relief( their pra9is remains an a+surd toil; the s<uandering of energ& in happiness( howe)er( the latterBs secret( the& do not tolerate. That is wh& things must go according to the English e9pression( >rela9 and ta-e it eas&? @in English in originalA( which comes from the language of nurses( not the one of e9u+erance. Cappiness is outmoded: uneconomic. For its idea( se9ual unification( is the opposite of +eing at loose ends( namel& ecstatic tension( :ust as that of all su+:ugated la+or is disastrous tension.

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6onsecutio temporum. @'atin: se<uence of tensesA G 2hen m& first composition instructor tried to dri)e the atonal nonsense out of me and failed to persuade me through tales of the erotic scandals of the atonal composers( he fell +ac- on tr&ing to pin me down( where he thought m& wea-ness la&( in the wish to +e up6to6date. The ultra6modern( so ran his argument( was alread& no longer modern( the stimulus 8 sought had alread& faded awa&( the figures of e9pression( which e9cited me( +elonged to an outmoded sentimentalit&( and the new &outh had( as he li-ed to call it( more red +lood cells in them. Cis own pieces( where orientalist themes were regularl& e9tended through the chromatic scale( pro)ed such h&per6su+tle considerations to +e the maneu)ering of a concert director with a +ad conscience. 4ut 8 was soon to disco)er( that the fashion which he upheld against m& modernit&( did in fact resem+le( in the Jr6homeland of the great salons( what he had coo-ed up in the pro)inces. Deoclassicism( that t&pe of reaction which does not ac-nowledge itself to +e such( +ut goes so far as to portra& the reactionar& moment as ad)anced( was the leading indicator of a massi)e tendenc&( which under fascism and in mass6culture <uic-l& learned to deal with the tender considerations of the artistes( who were alwa&s h&persensiti)e an&wa&( and to unite the spirit @GeistA of %ourths6Mahler with that of technical progress. 2hat is modern has trul& +ecome unmodern. Modernit& is a <ualitati)e categor&( not a chronological one. The less it can +e reduced to an a+stract form( the more necessar& is its re:ection of the con)entional superficial conte9t( of the appearance @ScheinA of harmon&( of the social order( which is reinforced +& mere duplication. The Fascist street thugs( who clamored furiousl& against Futurism( understood more in their rage than the Moscow censors( who put %u+ism on the inde9 of +anned wor-s( +ecause it remained +ehind the Spirit @GeistA of the collecti)e times in pri)ate impropriet&( or the impudent theater critics( who find a pla& +& Strind+erg or 2ede-ind passP @French: o+soleteA( +ut find an underground news report >up6to6date? @in English in originalA. De)ertheless the smug +analit& e9presses a dreadful truth: that in the wa-e of the train of the entire societ&( which would li-e to dragoon all e9pressions into its organi;ation( what remains +ehind is what opposes the wa)e of the future( as the wife of 'ind+ergh called it G the critical construction of essence

@&esenA. This latter is +& no means merel& ostraci;ed +& a corrupted pu+lic opinion( +ut the a+surdit& affects the matter @SacheA. The hegemon& of the e9istent( which constrains the Spirit @GeistA to do e9actl& what it does( is so o)erpowering( that e)en the unassimilated e9pression of protest assumes the aspect of something tac-ed together( disoriented( clueless vis-1-vis the former( and recalls that pro)incialism( which once propheticall& suspected modernit& of +eing retrograde. The ps&chological regression of indi)iduals( who e9ist without an ego( goes hand in hand with a regression of the o+:ecti)e Spirit @0eistesA( in which dull6wittedness( primiti)it& and the sell6out push through what has long since historicall& deca&ed as the most modern historical power and there+& consign e)er&thing which does not enthusiasticall& :oin the train of regression to the )erdict of &ester&ear. Such a <uid pro <uo of progress and reaction ma-es orientating oneself vis-1-vis contemporar& art nearl& as difficult as vis-1-vis politics( and moreo)er cripples production itself( such that whoe)er holds fast to e9treme intentions is made to feel li-e a +ac-woods hic-( while the conformists no longer sit sh&l& in their ar+ors @Gartenlaube: ar+or( also the name of 19th centur& famil& maga;ineA( +ut +arrel ahead li-e roc-ets into the pluperfect tense.

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/a nuance J encorB. @French: >nuance / once more?; <uotation from 1erlaineBs Poetic 'rtA The demand that thin-ing and -nowing should renounce nuances is not to +e summaril& dismissed( as merel& gi)ing in to the pre)ailing dull6wittedness. 8f the linguistic nuance could no longer +e percei)ed( then that would concern it itself and not merel& reception. 'anguage is( according to its own o+:ecti)e su+stance( social e9pression( e)en where it separated itself as something +rus<uel& indi)idual from societ&. The changes which it encounters in communication( reach into the non6communicati)e material of the author. 2hat is spoiled in the words and speech6forms of common usage( arri)es in the se<uestered wor-shop as damaged. Cowe)er the historical damage cannot +e repaired there. Cistor& does not merel& influence language( +ut also occurs in the midst of it. 2hat continues to +e used in spite of customar& usage( presents itself as fatuousl& pro)incial or unhurriedl& restorati)e. All nuances are so thoroughl& attac-ed and in)erted into >fla)or? @in English in originalA( that e)en ad)anced literar& su+tleties recall degraded words li-e gleaming( thoughtful( snug( aromatic. The institutions against -itsch +ecome -itsch&( arts&6 crafts&( with an o)ertone of something idioticall& consoling from the world of women( whose soulfulness( replete with flutes and fol-6costumes( +ecame standard issue in 0erman&. 8n the o+ligator& le)el of :un-( with which happil& sur)i)ing intellectuals appl& to the )acant posts of culture( what &esterda& still st&li;ed itself as consciousl& linguistic and hostile to con)ention reads toda& li-e /ld Fran-ish fopper&. 0erman culture seems to +e faced with the alternati)e of a dreadful second 4iedermeier or paper6administrati)e +analit&. The simplification( howe)er( which is suggested not merel& +& mar-et interest( +ut from e9cellent political moti)es and finall& from the historical consciousness of language itself( does not so much o)ercome the nuance( as t&rannicall& promote its deca&. 8t offers the sacrifice to the omnipotence of societ&. 4ut this latter is( precisel& for the sa-e of its omnipotence( as incommensura+le with the su+:ect of cognition and foreign as it was in more innocuous times( when it a)oided dail& language. That human +eings are +eing a+sor+ed into the totalit&( without the totalit& +eing mastered +& human +eings( ma-es institutionali;ed speech forms as )oid as the nai)el& indi)idual )aleurs @French: standardsA( and the attempt to refunction such +& accepting them into the literar& medium remains :ust as fruitless: the engineering pose of those who cannot read a diagram. The collecti)e language( which lures authors( who mistrust their isolation as $omanticism( is no less $omantic: the& usurp the )oices of those for whom the& cannot at all immediatel& spea-( as one of them( +ecause their language( through reification( is so separated from them as e)er&one is from e)er&one else; +ecause the contemporar& shape of the collecti)e is in itself speechless. Do collecti)e toda&( which is entrusted with the e9pression of the su+:ect( is alread& a su+:ect. 2hoe)er does not follow the dictates of the official h&mn6tone to festi)als of li+eration( which are super)ised +& totalitarians( +ut means in earnest what $oger %aillois am+iguousl& enough recommended as aridit @French: aridit&A( e9periences the o+:ecti)e discipline solel& as pri)ation( without getting +ac- a concrete generalit& for this. The contradiction +etween the a+straction of that language(

which wishes to clean house with what is the +ourgeois6su+:ecti)e( and its e9pressl& concrete o+:ects( lies not in the incapacit& of the author( +ut in a historical antinom&. That su+:ect wishes to cede itself to the collecti)e( without +eing su+lated in it. That is wh& precisel& its renunciation of the pri)ate maintains something pri)ate( something chimerical. 8ts language mimics( on its own initiati)e( the strict construction of societ& and imagines that it could ma-e the )er& cement spea-. As punishment( the unconfirmed common language incessantl& commits fau9 pas @French: misstep( mista-eA of materialit& @Sachlich$eitA at the e9pense of the material @SacheA( not so different from the +ourgeoisie( when the& wa9 rhetorical. The logical conse<uence of the deca& of nuance is neither to o+stinatel& hold fast to what is deca&ing( nor to e9tirpate e)er& single one( +ut where)er possi+le to out+id the )er& <ualit& of +eing nuanced( to dri)e it so far( until it recoils from su+:ecti)e shading into the purel& specific determination of the o+:ect. The writer must ta-e the greatest care to ensure that the word means the thing and onl& this thing( without sidelong glances( in connection with the chiseling of e)er& turn of phrase( listening with patient effort for what +ears the linguistic( in itself( and what does not. Those who are afraid( howe)er( of falling in spite of e)er&thing +ehind the spirit of the times @NeitgeistA and of +eing thrown on the trash6heap of discarded su+:ecti)it&( are to +e reminded that what is newl& arri)ed and what is( according to its content( progressi)e( are no longer as one. 8n a social order( which li<uidates the modern as retrograde( then what ma& +efall what is retrograde( if it is o)erta-en +& the :udgment( is the truth o)er which the historical process rolls. 4ecause no truth can +e e9pressed( than the one which is capa+le of filling the su+:ect( the anachronism +ecomes the refuge of what is modern.

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&hich follo!s German song. @conclusion of C[lderlinBs 5atmosA G Artists li-e 0eorge ha)e re:ected free )erse as an inferior form( as a h&+rid of meter and prose. The& are re+utted +& 0oethe and C[lderlinBs late h&mns. Their technical ga;e ta-es free )erse( for what it considers itself. The& are deaf to the histor&( which stamps its e9pression. /nl& in the epoch of its deca& are free rh&thms nothing +ut intermittent prose sections( set in an ele)ated tone. 2here free )erse pro)es itself to +e a form of its own essence @&esensA( it has emerged from the metrical strophe( pressing +e&ond su+:ecti)it&. 8t turns the pathos of the meter against its own claim( the strict negation of what is most strict( :ust as musical prose( emancipated from the s&mmetr& of the eight6+eat meter( is due to the implaca+le principles of construction( which matured in the articulation of what is tonall& regular. 8n free rh&thm( the ru++le of artisticall& rh&meless anti<ue strophes finds its )oice. These latter( foreign( e9tend into modern languages and ser)e( +& )irtue of such foreignness( to e9press what is not e9hausted in communication. 4ut the& gi)e wa&( unsal)agea+l&( to the flood of language in which the& were raised. The& signif&( with +rittleness( in the midst of the realm of communication and not to +e separated from the latter +& an& caprice( distance and st&li;ation G incognito( as it were G and without pri)ilege( until the wa)e of dreams washes o)er the helpless )erses( as in Tra-ls l&rics. 8t is not for nothing that the epoch of free )erse was the French re)olution( the de+ut of human dignit& and human e<ualit&. 4ut isnBt the conscious procedure of such )erse similar to the law( which language a+o)e all o+e&s in its unconscious histor&Q 8snBt all wor-ed prose actuall& a s&stem of free rh&thms( the attempt to pro)ide co)er for the magic +ane @4annA of what is a+solute and the negation of its appearance @ScheinsA( an e9ertion of the Spirit @0eistesA( to rescue the metaph&sical force @Ge!altA of the e9pression +& )irtue of its own seculari;ationQ 8f this were so( then a ra& of light would fall on the la+or of Sis&phus( which e)er& prose author has ta-en on themsel)es( since dem&thologi;ation has passed o)er into the destruction of language itself. 'inguistic <ui9otr& has +ecome a commandment( +ecause e)er& sentence structure contri+utes to the decision as to whether language as such( am+iguous from Jr6times to the present( falls pre& to the +ustle and the dedicated lies( which +elong to such( or whether it +ecomes a sacred te9t( +& ma-ing itself demure towards the sacred element( from which it li)es. The ascetic sealing off of prose against )erse is tantamount to an oath of fealt& to song.

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In nuce. @'atin: in the -ernelA G The tas- of art toda& is to +ring chaos into order @ rdnung: social orderA. Artistic producti)it& is the capacit& of )olition in in)olition. Art is magic( emancipated from the lie of +eing the truth. Since wor-s of art were at one time deri)ed from the fetishes G can one +lame the artists( when the& +eha)e :ust a little fetishisticall& towards their productsQ The art6form which since time immemorial raised the representation of the idea to the highest pitch of spirituali;ation @8ergeistigungA( drama( is simultaneousl& according to its innermost prere<uisites oriented towards an audience. 2hen 4en:amin remar-ed( that the dum+ language of things is translated in painting and sculpture into a higher( &et related one( then one can assume in the case of music that it rescues the name as pure sound G +ut at the price of its separation from things. 5erhaps the strict and pure concept of art is to +e deri)ed onl& from music( while great poetr& and great painting G precisel& the greatest G necessaril& carr& along with them something material( something which strides +e&ond the aesthetic ensorcelment( something not dissol)ed into the autonom& of form. The deeper and more conse<uential aesthetics +ecomes( the more inappropriate it is to( sa&( the significant no)els of the 19th centur&. Cegel percei)ed this interest in his polemic against Hant. The +elief disseminated +& aesthetes( that the wor- of art( as an o+:ect of immediate intuition @'nschauungA( is to +e understood purel& out of itself( is not )alid. The wor- of art has its +oundar& +& no means merel& in the cultural prere<uisites of an entit&( its >language(? which onl& the initiated can follow. $ather( e)en where there are no such difficulties in the wa&( the artwor- demands more( than :ust a+andoning oneself to it. 2hoe)er wishes to find the Fledermaus +eautiful( must -now( that it is the Fledermaus: their mother must e9plain to them( that it is not a+out an animal with wings +ut a+out a costume mas-; the& must remem+er( that someone said: tomorrow &ou ma& go to the Fledermaus. To stand in the tradition meant: to e9perience the wor- of art as something confirming( affirming; in it( one ta-es part in the reactions of all those who e)er saw it +efore. 8f that once falls awa&( then the wor- is e9posed in its +areness and falli+ilit&. The production turns from a ritual into idioc&( the music turns from a canon of meaningful phrases into stale and worn6out ones. 8t is trul& no longer so +eautiful. Mass culture draws from this its right to adaptations. The wea-ness of all traditional culture outside of its tradition deli)ers the prete9t( to impro)e it and there+& to +ar+aricall& )iolate it. 2hat is consoling in the great artwor-s lies less in what the& e9press( than the fact that the& succeeded in def&ing e9istence @(aseinA. Cope is closest of all to those who are inconsola+le. Haf-a: the solipsist without ipse @'atin: somethingA Haf-a was an enthusiastic reader of Hier-egaard( +ut he is connected to the e9istential philosopher onl& insofar as one can spea- of >annihilated e9istences.? Surrealism +rea-s the promesse du bonheur @French: promise of happinessA. 8t sacrifices the appearance @ScheinA of happiness( which mediated e)er& integral form( to the thought of its truth.

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Magic flute. That culturall& conser)ati)e ideolog&( which casts enlightenment and art as a simple opposition( is untrue insofar as it fails to recogni;e the moment of enlightenment in the genesis of what is +eautiful. Enlightenment does not merel& dissol)e all the <ualities( which adhere to what is +eautiful( +ut simultaneousl& posits the <ualit& of what is +eautiful in the first place. The disinterested pleasure which wor-s of art e9cite according to Hant( can onl& +e understood +& )irtue of a historical antithesis( which trem+les in e)er& aesthetic o+:ect. 2hat is considered with disinterest is pleasura+le( +ecause it once claimed the most e9treme interest and e9actl& there+& cancels out contemplation. This latter is a triumph of enlightened self6discipline. 0old and precious gems( in whose perception +eaut& and lu9ur& are still mi9ed up in each other( were )enerated as magical. The light which the& reflected( counted as their selfsame essence @&esenA. 2hat was struc- +& that light( fell swa& to their +ane @4annA. That +ane ser)ed earl& attempts to control nature. The& saw in them instruments to su+:ugate the course of the world with its own energ&( cunningl& wrested from such. The magic adheres to the appearance @ScheinA of

omnipotence. Such appearance @ScheinA fell apart with the self6enlightenment of the Spirit @0eistesA( +ut the magic li)ed on as the power of luminous things o)er human +eings( who once trem+led in awe of them( and whose e&es remained ensorceled +& such a )iew( e)en where its statel& claim was seen through. %ontemplation( as the remainder of the stoc- of fetishistic worship( is simultaneousl& a stage of its o)ercoming. 4& gi)ing up its magical claim( +& renouncing the )iolence( as it were( with which the su+:ect endowed it and thought to practice with its help( luminous things transform themsel)es into pictures of something free of )iolence( into the promise of a happiness cured of the domination o)er nature. That is the Jr6histor& of lu9ur&( which has migrated into the meaning of all art. 8n the magic of what re)eals itself in a+solute powerlessness( of what is +eautiful( complete and )oid in one( the appearance @ScheinA of omnipotence is negati)el& reflected +ac- as hope. 8t has escaped e)er& test of strength. Total purposelessness denies the totalit& of what is purposeful in the world of domination( and onl& +& )irtue of such repudiation( which the e9istent fulfills in its own principle of reason out of the latterBs conse<uentialit&( has the e9isting societ&( to this da&( +ecome conscious of a possi+le one. The +liss of contemplation consists of disenchanted magic. 2hat radiates( is the reconciliation of m&thos.

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'rt-figure. G To the unprepared( the heaped up atrocities of household ornaments are shoc-ing due to their affinit& with art6wor-s. E)en the hemispherical paperweights( which show a fir6tree landscape under glass with the title( greetings from 4ad 2ildungen( somehow recalls to mind StifterBs green Fichtau( and the pol&chrome garden gnome recalls a wight out of 4al;ac or #ic-ens. Deither the su+:ects nor the a+stract similarit& of all aesthetic appearances @ScheinsA are at fault here. /n the contrar&( the e9istence of foolish and +latant :un- e9presses the triumph( that human +eings managed to produce out of themsel)es a piece of what otherwise ensorcels them as toilers( and s&m+olicall& +rea- the compulsion of adaptation( +& themsel)es creating what the& feared; and the echoes of the same triumph resonate from the mightiest wor-s( e)en though the& renounce that triumph and st&le themsel)es as pure sel)es without relation to something imitated. 8n +oth cases( freedom from nature is cele+rated and remains there+& m&thicall& entangled. 2hat human +eings were in awe of( turns into their own disposa+le thing. 2hat pictures and postcards ha)e in common( is that the& ma-e the Jr6pictures tangi+le. The illustration >/=automne? @French: autumnA in the reading6+oo- is a dP:\ )u @French: alread& seenA( the Eroica @4eetho)enBs Third S&mphon&A( li-e great philosoph&( represents the idea as total process( &et as if this latter were immediatel&( sensuousl& present. 8n the end the outrage o)er -itsch is the rage( that it wallows shamelessl& in the happiness of imitation( which has meanwhile +een o)erta-en +& a ta+oo( while the power of art6 wor-s is still secretl& +eing fed from imitation. 2hat escapes the +ane @4annA of e9istence( its purposes( is not onl& what is +etter and protests( +ut also what relates to self6preser)ation as what is less capa+le and dum+er. This stupidit& grows the more that autonomous art idoli;es its di)ided( allegedl& innocent self6 preser)ation( instead of the real( guiltil& imperial one. 4& presenting the su+:ecti)e institution as a successful rescue of o+:ecti)e meaning( it +ecomes untrue. 2hat con)icts it of this is -itsch; the latterBs lie does not e)en feign the truth. 8t draws hostilit& to itself( +ecause it spills the +eans a+out the secret of art and the affinit& of culture to what is sa)age. E)er& wor- of art has its indissolu+le contradiction in the >purposefulness without purpose(? +& which Hant defined the aesthetic; +& representing an apotheosis of ma-ing( the capacit& to control nature( which posits itself as the creation of second nature G a+solute( free of purpose( e9isting6in6itself G while nonetheless the ma-ing of things( and indeed the radiance of the artifact( is insepara+le from precisel& the purposeful rationalit& which art wishes to +rea- out of. The contradiction +etween the ma-ing of things and the e9istent is the life6element of art and circumscri+es its law of de)elopment( +ut it is also its shame: +& following( howe)er mediatedl&( the pree9isting schema of material production and >ma-ing? its o+:ects( it cannot for its part escape the <uestion of the >what for(? whose negation is precisel& its purpose. The closer the mode of production of the artifact stands to material mass production( the more nai)el&( as it were( does it pro)o-e that fatal <uestion. 2or-s of art howe)er see- to silence the <uestion. >2hat is perfect(? in Diet;scheBs words( >should not +e something

which has +ecome.? *5uman) 'll ,oo 5uman( 1ol. 8( Aphorism 135.( namel& it should not appear as something made. The more conse<uentiall& howe)er it distanced itself +& perfection from the ma-ing of things( the more +rittle its own e9istence( as something made( necessaril& and simultaneousl& +ecomes: the endless pains ta-en to wipe awa& the trace of the ma-ing of things( damages artwor-s and condemns them to something fragmentar&. After the disassem+l& @Zerfall: disintegrationA of magic( art has underta-en to preser)e pictures for posterit&. 8n this wor- howe)er it a)ails itself of the same principle which destro&ed pictures: the root of its 0ree- name is the same as that of technics. 8ts parado9ical interwea)ing in the process of ci)ili;ation +rings it into conflict with its own idea. The archet&pes of toda&( s&ntheticall& prepared +& film and hit6songs for the desolate intuition of the late6industrial era( do not merel& li<uidate art( +ut +last the delusion into e9istence( through flagrant idioc&( which is alread& immured in the oldest wor-s of art and which lends power to e)en the most mature. The horror of the end casts a harsh light on the deception of the origin. G 8t is the chance and limitation of French art( that it ne)er completel& uprooted the pride in the ma-ing of small pictures( :ust as it differentiates itself most stri-ingl& from the 0erman -ind( in the fact that it does not ac-nowledge the categor& of -itsch. 8n countless significant manifestations it throws a reconciling ga;e on what is pleasing( +ecause it was s-illfull& produced: what is su+limel& artistic holds on to sensuous life through a moment of harmless pleasure in the bien fait @French: well doneA. 2hile this renounces the dialectic of truth and appearance @ScheinA( and there+& the a+solute claim of what has not &et +ecome perfection( the untruth of those who Cad&n called the grand moguls is also a)oided G those who would utterl& re:ect the fun of little dolls or postcards and fall pre& to fetishism precisel& +& dri)ing out the fetish. Taste is the capacit& to +alance in art the contradiction +etween what is made( and the appearance @ScheinA of what has not &et +ecome; the true art6wor-s howe)er( ne)er as one with taste( are those which de)elop that contradiction to the e9treme and come to themsel)es( +& going to pieces on such.

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,rader>s shop. G Ce++el raises the <uestion( in a surprising diar& entr&( as to what >would ta-e the magic from life in oneBs later &ears.? >4ecause we see in all the +rightl& colored( :er-il& mo)ing puppets( the rotor which sets them in motion( and +ecause :ust for that reason the enticing multiplicit& of the world dissol)es into a wooden monoton&. 2hen a child sees the acro+ats singing( the musicians pla&ing( the girl carr&ing water( the coachmen dri)ing( it thin-s to itself( all this is happening due to pleasure and :o& in the matter; it cannot e)en +egin to imagine that these people also eat and drin-( go to +ed and get up again. 2e howe)er -now( what itBs all a+out.? Damel&( a+out ac<uisition( which commandeers all those acti)ities as mere means( reducing them to a+stract la+or6time( as something e9changea+le. The <ualit& of things turns from their essence @&esenA into the ar+itrar& phenomenon @"rscheinung: appearanceA of their )alue. The >e<ui)alent6form? disfigures all perceptions: what is no longer illuminated +& light of oneBs own determination as >pleasure in the thing(? pales +efore the e&es. The organs do not grasp an&thing sensual in isolation( +ut o+ser)e whether the color( tone and mo)ement is there for itself or for something else; the& grow wear& of the false di)ersit& and su+merge e)er&thing in gre&( disappointed +& the decepti)e claim of <ualities that the& still e9ist at all( while the& are guided +& the purpose of appropriation( to which the& for the most part owe their e9istence. The disenchantment of the world of intuition is the reaction of the sensorium to its o+:ecti)e determination as a >world of commodities.? /nl& things cleansed of appropriation would +e simultaneousl& colorful and useful: neither can +e reconciled under uni)ersal compulsion. %hildren howe)er are not so much entangled in illusions a+out the >enticing multiplicit&? as Ce++el thin-s( rather it is that their spontaneous perception still comprehends the contradiction +etween the phenomenon and fungi+ilit&( which the resigned one of adults no longer e)en dares to reach( and see-s to escape it. 5la& is their counterstri-e @Gegen!ehr: counter( resistanceA. 2hat stri-es incorrupti+le children is the >peculiarit& of the form of e<ui)alence?: >Jse6)alue turns into the form of appearance of its opposite( )alue.? *Mar9( 6apital I( 1ienna 197!( page Z1.. 8n their non6 purposi)e doing the& deplo& a feint on the side of the use6)alue against e9change6)alue. 5recisel& +&

di)esting the things which the& handle of their mediated utilit&( the& see- to rescue in their interaction with them whate)er has good will towards human +eings( rather than towards the e9change relationship which deforms human +eings and things in e<ual measure. The little wagons on wheels lead nowhere( and the tin& +arrels on them are empt&; +ut the& -eep faith with its destination @+estimmung: determinationA( +& neither practicing nor ta-ing part in the process of the a+stractions which le)el out that destination @+estimmung: determinationA( +ut rather preser)e them as allegories of what the& are specificall& are. The& wait( scattered to the winds and ne)ertheless unentangled( to see if societ& finall& cancels out the social stigma on them; to see whether pra9is( the life6process +etween the human +eing and the thing( will cease to +e practical. The unrealit& of games announces that what is real( is not &et real. The& are unconscious practice e9ercises of the right life. The relationship of children to animals rests entirel& on the fact that in the latter( which Mar9 e)en +egrudged the surplus )alue the& deli)er to wor-ers( utopia is cloa-ed. 4ecause animals e9ist without an& mission recogni;a+le to human +eings( the& represent their own names as e9pression( as it were G as what is utterl& not e9changea+le. This endears them to children and ma-es their contemplation a :o&. 8 am a rhinoceros( signifies the form of the rhinoceros. Fair&6tales and operettas -now such pictures( and the ludicrous <uestion of the woman( who as-ed how we -now that /rion is reall& called /rion( rises to the stars.

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2ovissumum rganum. @The newest organon: reference to 4aconBs 2ovum rganum( the new organonA G 'ong ago it was shown that wage6la+or formed the modern masses( and indeed has produced the wor-ers themsel)es. The indi)idual @IndividuumA is uni)ersal not merel& as the +iological su+strate( +ut simultaneousl& as the form of reflection of the social process( and its consciousness of itself as something e9isting in itself( as the appearance @ScheinA which it re<uires to raise its capacit& of achie)ement( whereas indi)iduals function in the modern econom& as mere agents of the law of )alue. The inner composition of the indi)idual @IndividuumA is to +e deri)ed in itself( not merel& out of its social role. 2hat is decisi)e in the contemporar& phase is the categor& of the organic composition of capital. 2hat this meant in the theor& of accumulation was( >the growth in the mass of means of production( compared with the mass of la+or6power which +rings it to life? *Mar9( 6apital I( 1ienna 197!( page Z55.. 2hen the integration of societ&( especiall& in the totalitarian states( determines su+:ects e)er more e9clusi)el& as partial moments in the framewor- of material production( then the >transformation in the technical composition of capital? perpetuates itself through the technological demands of the production process in those it not onl& encompasses( +ut indeed first constitutes. The organic composition of human +eings is increasing. That through which su+:ects are determined in themsel)es as means of production and not as li)ing purposes( rises :ust li-e the share of machiner& vis-1-vis )aria+le capital. The pre)alent tal- of the >mechani;ation? of human +eings is misleading( +ecause it thin-s these latter as something static( which undergoes certain deformations due to an >outside influence(? as am adaptation to conditions of production e9ternal to them. 4ut there is no su+strate of such >deformations(? nothing which is onticall& interiori;ed( on which social mechanisms merel& act from outside: the deformation is not the illness of human +eings( +ut the illness of the societ&( which raises its children as >hereditaril& disad)antaged(? :ust as +iologism pro:ects onto nature. 8t is onl& +& means of the process( which initiates the transformation of la+or6power into a commodit&( permeating human +eings utterl& and completel& and ma-ing e)er& one of their impulses simultaneousl& commensura+le and o+:ectified into an a priori )ariet& of the e9change6relationship( is it possi+le for life to reproduce itself under the dominating relations of production. 8ts organi;ational follow6 through @(urchorganisationA demands the amalgamation of what is dead. The will to li)e sees itself referred to the repudiation of the will to li)e: self6preser)ation annuls life in su+:ecti)it&. 8t follows that all the achie)ements of adaptation( all the acts of conforming descri+ed +& social ps&cholog& and cultural anthropolog&( are mere epiphenomena. The organic composition of human +eings refers +& no means onl& to speciali;ed technical capa+ilities( +ut G and this is something the usual cultural criti<ue wishes at no price to re)eal G e<uall& to their opposite( the moment of what is natural( which indeed for its part alread&

originated in the social dialectic and now falls pre& to it. 2hat still differs in human +eings from technics( is incorporated as a -ind of lu+rication of technics. 5s&chological differentiation( as it originall& emerged in freedom and out of the di)ision of la+or and the compartmentali;ation of human +eings according to sectors of the production process( itself steps in the end into the ser)ice of production. >The speciali;ed )irtuoso(? wrote a dialectician thirt& &ears ago( >the seller of their o+:ectified and su+stantiali;ed @versachlichtenA intellectual capacities... ends up in a contemplati)e attitude towards the functioning of their own o+:ectified and su+stantiali;ed @versachlichtenA capacities. This structure shows itself most grotes<uel& in the case of :ournalism( where it is precisel& su+:ecti)it& itself G -nowing things( moods( the capacit& to e9press G which turns into something a+stract( as independent from the personalit& of the WownerB as from the material6concrete essence of the o+:ects( which are dealt with independentl& and nomotheticall& @eigengeset#lichA as if +& a mo)ing mechanism. The Wlac- of sensi+ilit&B of :ournalists( the prostitution of their e9periences and con)ictions( is onl& comprehensi+le as the pea- of capitalist reification.? @citation from 0&[rg& 'u-]cs( 5istory and 6lass 6onsciousness( 'ondon: 19Y1( page 1""A 2hat was here esta+lished as the >phenomena of degeneration? of the +ourgeoisie( which it itself still denounced( has meanwhile emerged as the social norm( as the character of full6fledged e9istence under late industrialism. 8t has long since ceased to +e merel& a <uestion of the sale of what is li)ing. Jnder the a priori of sala+ilit&( what is li)ing ma-es itself( as the li)ing( into a thing( into e<uipage. The ego consciousl& ta-es the entire human +eing into ser)ice as its apparatus. 8n this reorgani;ation( the ego gi)es( as a -ind of enterprise director( so much of itself to the ego as a means of directing the enterprise( that it +ecomes wholl& a+stract( a mere reference6point: self6preser)ation loses its self. 5ersonal characteristics( from genuine friendliness to h&sterical out+rea-s of rage( +ecome ser)icea+le( until the& finall& slide perfectl& into their situation6specific assignment. 2ith their mo+ili;ation( the& transform themsel)es. The& remain onl& as light( fi9ed and empt& shells of impulses( as material transporta+le at will( de)oid of personal traits. The& are no longer su+:ects( +ut the su+:ect directs itself at them as its internali;ed o+:ect. 8n their +oundless accessi+ilit& toward the ego( the& are simultaneousl& alienated from the latter: entirel& passi)e( the& no longer nourish it. That is the social parthogenesis of schi;ophrenia. The separation of personal characteristics as much from the +asis of the dri)es as from the self( which commands them where it pre)iousl& merel& held them together( causes human +eings to pa& for their increasing inner organi;ation with growing disintegration. The di)ision of la+or which is fulfilled in the indi)idual @IndividuumA( its radical o+:ectification( ends up as its diseased splitting. Thus the >ps&chotic character(? the anthropological prere<uisite for all totalitarian mass mo)ements. 5recisel& the transition from fi9ed characteristics to push+utton modes of +eha)ior G seemingl& enli)ening G is the e9pression of the rising organic composition of human +eings. Uuic- reactions( free of an& mediation through constituted +eing( do not restore spontaneit&( +ut esta+lish the person as a measuring instrument( at the disposal of and read +& the center. The more immediate their signal( the deeper in truth is mediation reflected in them: in promptl& answering( non6resisting refle9es( the su+:ect is entirel& dissol)ed. So too with the +iological refle9es( models of the contemporar& social ones( which measured +& su+:ecti)it& are something o+:ectified( something foreign: it is not for nothing the& are often called >mechanical.? The closer organisms come to death( the more the& regress to :er-iness. 8t follows that the destructi)e tendencies of the masses( which e9plode in the totalitarian states of +oth -inds( are not so much death6 wishes as manifestations of what the& ha)e alread& +ecome. The& murder( so that whate)er seems li)ing to them( resem+les them.

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3nac$er>s yard. G The metaph&sical categories are not merel& the )eiling ideolog& of the social s&stem( +ut simultaneousl& e9press its essence @2esensA( the truth a+out it( and in its transformations are precipitated those of the most central e9periences. Thus death falls into histor&( and con)ersel& this latter con)ersel& is understood through the former. 8ts dignit& resem+led that of the indi)idual @IndividuumsA. The autonom& of such( which originated in the econom&( fulfilled itself in the conception of its

a+soluteness( as soon as the theological hope of its immortalit&( which empiricall& relati)i;ed it( faded awa&. This corresponded to the emphatic picture of death( which entirel& wiped out the indi)iduated @IndividuumA( the su+strate of all +ourgeois conduct and thin-ing. #eath was the a+solute price of a+solute )alue. Dow it falls( along with the sociall& dissol)ed indi)iduated @IndividuumA. 2here it is clothed with the old dignit&( it chatters awa& with the lie( which alread& stood read& in its concept: to name what is impenetra+le( to predicate what is su+:ectless( to prefa+ricate what falls out. 8n the administered consciousness( howe)er( the truth and untruth of its dignit& are done for( not +& )irtue of an otherworldl& hope( +ut in )iew of the hopeless lac- of energ& of the secular world. >'e monde moderne(? noted the radical %atholic %harles 5Pgu& alread& in 19"Y( >a russi 1 avilir ce 4u=il y a peut-Atre de plus difficile 1 avilir au monde) parce 4ue c=est 4uel4ue chose 4ui a en soi) comme dans sa te*ture) une sorte particuliKre de dignit) comme une incapacit singuliKre d=Atre aviliH il avilit la mort. @French: The modern world has succeeded in de+asing something which perhaps is the most difficult thing to de+ase in the world( +ecause it is something which in itself( as its te9ture( has a peculiar sort of dignit&( a singular incapacit& to +e de+ased: it de+ases death.A *Men and Saints( Dew Ror- 1933( page 9X.. 8f the indi)iduated @IndividuumA which death annihilates is null( de)oid of self6control and of oneBs own +eing( then the annihilating power also +ecomes null( as if in :est at the Ceideggerian formula of the nihilating @nichtendenA nothingness. The radical replacea+ilit& of the indi)idual practicall& ma-es its death G in complete contempt G to something re)oca+le( as it was once conceptuali;ed in %hristianit& with parado9ical pathos. #eath howe)er +ecomes totall& incorporated as a 4uantit ngligeable @French: negligi+le <uantit&( minute smidgeonA. For e)er& human +eing( with all their functions( societ& stands read& with a waiting replacement( who regards the former from the )er& +eginning as the +othersome holder of the :o+( as a candidate for death. The e9perience of death is accordingl& transformed into the e9change of functionaries( and what does not completel& go from the natural relationship of death into the social one( is consigned to h&giene. 4ecause death is no longer percei)ed as an&thing more than as the dropping out of a natural life6form from the social clu+ of societ&( this has finall& domesticated it: d&ing merel& confirms the a+solute irrele)ance of the natural life6form in relation to what is sociall& a+solute. 8f the culture industr& an&where testifies to the transformations in the organic composition of societ&( then it is through the scarcel& concealed confession of this state of affairs. Jnder its lens( death +egins to +ecome comic. The laughter which greets it in a certain genre of production is in all li-elihood am+iguous. 8t still registers the fear of something amorphous under the net which the societ& has spun o)er the entiret& of nature. 4ut the )eil is so )ast and tightl&6-nit( that the memor& of what is not co)ered seems foolish( sentimental. Since the decline of the detecti)e no)el in the wor-s of Edgar 2allace( which seemed to moc- their readers through increasingl& less rational constructions( unsol)ed m&steries and crass e9aggerations( and ne)ertheless magnificentl& anticipated therein the collecti)e imago of the totalitarian horror( the genre of the murder6comed& has formed. 2hile it continues to po-e fun at the false shudder( it demolishes the pictures of death. 8t represents the corpse as what it has turned into( as a stage prop. 8t still resem+les human +eings and is ne)ertheless onl& a thing( as in the film ' Slight 6ase of Murder( where corpses are incessantl& transported to and fro( allegories of what the& alread& pre)iousl& were. %omed& sa)ors the false a+olition of death( which Haf-a descri+ed long ago in the histor& of the 5unter Gracchus with panic: for the same reason( music is also +eginning to +e comic. 2hat the Da;is perpetrated on millions of human +eings( the modeling of the li)ing on the dead( then the mass production and cheapening of death( threw its shadow in ad)ance on those who are spurred to laugh at corpses. 2hat is decisi)e is the assimilation of +iological destruction in the conscious social will. /nl& a humanit&( which is as indifferent to death as to its mem+ers G one which itself has died G can administrati)el& inflict death on m&riads. $il-eBs pra&er for oneBs own death is the pitiful deception of the fact that human +eings still onl& croa-.

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6ome off it. G The criti<ue of the tendencies of contemporar& societ& is automaticall& countered( +efore it is full& e9pressed( +& sa&ing that things ha)e e)er +een so. The e9citement there+& so promptl& a+:ured(

testifies merel& to the lac- of insight into the in)ariance of histor& G to an unreason( which proudl& diagnoses e)er&one as h&sterical. Moreo)er( the criticBs attac-s are said to +e merel& hamming it up for the galler&( a means of claiming special pri)ileges( while whate)er the& are nonetheless upset a+out is well -nown and tri)ial( so that no6one can +e e9pected to waste their attention on such. The e)idence of the calamit& comes to +enefit its apologists: +ecause e)er&one -nows e)er&thing( no6one is supposed to sa& an&thing( and it ma& then continue unchallenged( hidden +& silence. 2hat is affirmed is what philosophies of all political stripes ha)e trumpeted into the heads of human +eings: that whate)er has the persistent gra)it& of e9istence on its side( is there+& right. /ne need onl& +e dissatisfied to +e alread& suspected of +eing a glo+al dreamer @&eltverbessererA. The consensus emplo&s the tric- of ascri+ing to opponents a reactionar& thesis of deca&( which is untena+le G for is not horror in fact perennialQ G +& discrediting the concrete insight into the negati)e through its alleged failure of thought( and those who rise up against the shadow( are maligned as agents of the shadow. 4ut e)en if things were e)er so( although nonetheless neither Timur nor 0enghis Hhan nor the 4ritish colonial administration of 8ndia deli+eratel& +urst the lungs of millions of human +eings with poison gas( then the eternit& of horror is re)ealed +& the fact that each of its new forms out+ids the older ones. 2hat endures is no in)ariant <uantum of suffering( +ut of its progress towards hell: that is the meaning of the tal- a+out the growth of antagonisms. An& other -ind would +e innocuous and would pass o)er into mediating phrases( the renunciation of the <ualitati)e leap. Those who register the death6camps as a minor accident in the )ictor& procession of ci)ili;ation( the mart&rdom of the Lews as world6historicall& insignificant( do not merel& fall +ehind the dialectical insight( +ut in)ert the meaning of oneBs own politics: of stopping the e9tremit&. Uuantit& recoils into <ualit&( not onl& in the de)elopment of the producti)e forces( +ut also in the increase of the pressure of domination. 8f the Lews are e9terminated as a group( while the societ& continues to reproduce the life of wor-ers( then the comment that these former are +ourgeois and their destin& unimportant to the larger d&namic( turns into economic spleen( e)en insofar as mass murder is in fact e9plica+le +& the decline of the profit6rate. The horror consists of the fact that it alwa&s remains the same G the continuation of >prehistor&? G +ut unremittingl& reali;es itself as something different( something unforeseen( o)erwhelming all e9pectations( the faithful shadow of the de)eloping producti)e forces. The same dualit& applies to )iolence( which the criti<ue of political econom& pointed out in material production: >There are determinations common to all stages of production( which are generall& fi9ed +& thought( +ut the so6called uni)ersal conditions of all production are nothing +ut... a+stract moments( +& which no real stage of production can +e understood.? @Mar9( Grundrisse( page XXA 8n other words( to a+stract out what is historicall& unchanged is not neutral towards the matter @SacheA( +& )irtue of its scientific o+:ecti)it&( +ut ser)es( e)en where it is on target( as a fog in which what is tangi+le and assaila+le disappear. This latter is precisel& what the apologists do not wish to concede. /n the one hand the& are o+sessed +& the derniKre nouveaut @French: latest no)elt&A and on the other hand the& den& the infernal machine( which is histor&. /ne cannot +ring Auschwit; into analog& with the destruction of the 0ree- cit&6states in terms of a mere gradual increase of horror( regarding which one preser)es oneBs peace of mind. %ertainl&( the mart&rdom and degradation suffered +& those in the cattle6cars( completel& without precedent( casts a harsh( deathl& light on the most distant past( in whose o+tuse and unplanned )iolence the scientificall& organi;ed -ind was alread& teleologicall& at wor-. The identit& lies in the non6identit&( in what has not &et +een( which denounces what has +een. The statement that itBs alwa&s +een the same( is untrue in its immediac&( true onl& through the d&namic of the totalit&. 2hoe)er allows the cognition of the increase of horror to escape them( does not merel& fall pre& to cold6hearted contemplation( +ut fails to recogni;e( along with the specific difference of what is newest from what has gone +efore( simultaneousl& the true identit& of the whole( of horror without end.

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"*tra edition. G %entral passages in 5oe and 4audelaire set up the concept of what is new. 8n the former( in the description of the maelstrom( whose shudder is e<uated with >the no)el? @in English in originalA( which none of the traditional reports is supposed to ade<uatel& gi)e an& idea of; in the latter( in the last

lines of the c&cle /a Mort @French: deathA( which chooses the plunge into the a+&ss( indifferent as to whether it is hea)en or hell( >au fond de l=inconnu pour trouver du nouveau? @French: to the +ottom of the un-nown to find the newA. 4oth times it is an un-nown threat( which the su+:ect entrusts itself to( and which in a di;;&ing recoil promises pleasure. 2hat is new( a +lan- spot of consciousness( which one awaits with closed e&es( as it were( seems to +e the formula +& which pleasure can +e ta-en in horror and despair( as stimulus6)alue. 8t causes e)il to flower. 4ut its star- outline is a cr&ptogram of the most unam+iguous reaction. 8t circumscri+es the precise information( which is communicated +& the su+:ect to a world +ecome a+stract( the industrial epoch. 2hat is re+elled against in the cult of the new and there+& in the idea of what is modern( is the fact that there is no longer an&thing new. The unchanging uniformit& @ImmergleichheitA of machine6produced goods( the net of sociali;ation( which in e<ual measure catches and assimilates o+:ects and the ga;e at those o+:ects( transforms e)er&thing which is encountered into something which has alread& +een( to the accidental e9emplar of a species( to the modelBs doppelganger. The la&er of what has not &et +een thought( what is without intention( in which alone intention flourishes( seems to +e consumed. The idea of the new dreams of this la&er. 8tself unattaina+le( it puts itself in place of the fallen god in )iew of the first consciousness of the decline of e9perience. 4ut its concept remains under the +ane @4annA of its illness( and its a+straction testifies to this( turning powerlessl& to the concretion which glides awa& from it. Much could +e learned a+out the >Jr6histor& of what is modern? @concept from 2alter 4en:aminA +& anal&;ing the change in the meaning of the word >sensation? G the e9otic s&non&m for 4audelaireBs nou)eau @French: newA. The word +ecame uni)ersali;ed in European education through epistemolog&. 8n 'oc-e( it mean the simple( immediate perception( the opposite of reflection. 8t later +ecame the great un-nown and finall&( what is e9citing on a mass scale( destructi)el& into9icating( the shoc- as consumer good. To still +e a+le to percei)e an&thing at all( regardless of <ualit&( replaces happiness( +ecause omnipotent <uantification has ta-en awa& the possi+ilit& of perception itself. 8nstead of the fulfilled relation of e9perience to the thing( something what emerges is something at once merel& su+:ecti)e and ph&sicall& isolated( sensation( which e9hausts itself in the reading of a manometer. Thus the historic emancipation of +eing6in6itself is reconfigured into the form of the intuition( a process which the sense6ps&cholog& of the 19th centur& allowed for( +& reducing the su+strate of e9perience to a mere >+asal stimulus(? from whose particular constituted nature the specific energies of the senses were supposedl& independent. 4audelaireBs poetr& howe)er is filled with that flash of light( which the closed e&e sees when struc- +& a +low. As phantasmagoric as this light( so phantasmagoric is the idea of the new itself. 2hat flashes( while sedate perception still onl& achie)es the sociall& preformed mold of things( is itself repetition. The new( sought for its own sa-e( to a certain e9tent reproduced in the la+orator&( hardened to a conceptual schema( turns in the a+rupt appearance @"rscheinenA into the compulsor& return of what is old( not so dissimilar to the traumatic neuroses. To the da;;led( the )eil of temporal succession tears awa& from the archet&pes of unchanging uniformit& @ImmergleichheitA: that is wh& the disco)er& of the new is satanic( eternal return as damnation. 5oeBs allegor& of the no)el consists of the +reathlessl& circling mo)ement( nonetheless at a standstill( as it were( of the +oat spinning in the whirlpool. The sensations( in which masochists a+andon themsel)es to the new( are as much regressions. This much is true of ps&choanal&sis( that the ontolog& of 4audelaireBs modernit&( li-e e)er& other one which followed it( answers to the infantile partial dri)e. 8ts pluralism is the colorful fata morgana @'atin: mirageA( in which what the monism of +ourgeois reason glosses as allegorical hope( is that reasonBs self6destruction. This promise comprises the idea of what is modern( and for the sa-e of its core( for unchanging uniformit& @ImmergleichheitA( e)er&thing which is modern ta-es on( once it is +arel& aged( the e9pression of something archaic. ,ristan( which rises in the 19th centur& as an o+elis- of modernit&( is at the same time the towering monument to the repetition6compulsion. The new has +een am+iguous since its enthronement. 2hile it lin-s e)er&thing which presses +e&ond the unit& @"inheitA of the e)er more fi9ed e9istent( it is at the same time the a+sorption +& the new( which( under the pressure of that unit&( decisi)el& promotes the disassem+l& @ZerfallA of the su+:ect into con)ulsi)e moments in which the su+:ect decei)es itself that it is still ali)e( and there+& ultimatel& promotes the entire societ&( which dri)es out the new in state6of6the6art st&le. 4audelaireBs poem of the female mart&r of se9( the murder )ictim(

allegoricall& cele+rates the sanctit& of pleasure in the terrif&ingl& emancipating still6life of crime( +ut the into9ication in )iew of the na-ed headless +od& is alread& similar to that which dro)e the prospecti)e )ictims of the Citler regime to +u& newspapers( greedil& and powerlessl&( in which the measures were announced portending their doom. Fascism was the a+solute sensation: in a declaration during the time of the first pogroms( 0oe++els +oasted that at least the Da;is werenBt +oring. The a+stract terror of news and rumors was en:o&ed in the Third $eich as the onl& stimulation( which sufficed to momentaril& heat the wea-ened sensorium of the masses white6hot. 2ithout the nearl& irresisti+le )iolence of the desire for headlines( which caused the heart to sei;e as if thrust +ac- into prime)al times( the unspea-a+le could not ha)e +een +orne +& the onloo-ers( let alone the perpetrators. 8n the course of the war( e)entuall& the most terrif&ing news was spread among the 0ermans and the slow militar& collapse was not hushed up. %oncepts li-e sadism and masochism no longer suffice. 8n the mass societ& of technical dissemination the& are mediated +& sensation( +& the comet6li-e( far remo)ed( to6the6e9treme new. 8t o)erwhelms the pu+lic( which s<uirms under the shoc- and forgets who the monstrosit& is +eing perpetrated on( oneself or others. The content of the shoc- +ecomes trul& indifferent vis-1-vis its stimulus )alue( :ust as it ideall& was in the in)ocations of the poets; it is e)en possi+le that the horror sa)ored +& 5oe and 4audelaire( once reali;ed +& dictators( loses its sensational <ualit&( +urns out. The )iolent rescue of <ualities in the new was de)oid of <ualities. E)er&thing can( as the new( di)ested of itself( +e en:o&ed( :ust as the num+ed morphine addict finall& reaches indiscriminatel& for an& drug( e)en atropine. E)er& :udgment perishes in sensation( along with the distinction of <ualities: that is what actuall& allows sensation to +ecome an agent of catastrophic retrogression. 8n the terror of regressi)e dictators( what is modern( the dialectical picture of progress( culminates in an e9plosion. The new in its collecti)e form( something alread& hinted at +& the :ournalistic traits in 4audelaire as much the noise of drums in 2agner( is in fact e9ternal life( coo-ed up as a stimulating and ener)ating drug: it is not for nothing that 5oe( 4audelaire and 2agner were addicti)e personalities. The new turns into the merel& e)il first through totalitarian guidance( wherein that tension of the indi)idual @IndividuumsA to societ&( which once reali;ed the categor& of the new( is canceled out. Toda& the appeal to the new G regardless of what -ind( pro)ided onl& it is archaic enough G has +ecome uni)ersal( the u+i<uitous medium of false mimesis. The decomposition of the su+:ect is completed +& handing itself o)er to a constantl& different( unchanging uniformit& @ImmergleichheitA. This suc-s e)er&thing fi9ed out of personal character. 2hat 4audelaire was capa+le of achie)ing +& )irtue of the picture( de)ol)es to fascination de)oid of will. 4reach of faith and un6identit&( the pathic catering to the situation( are acti)ated +& the stimulus of something new( which as a stimulus is alread& no longer stimulating. 5erhaps humanit&Bs refusal to ha)e children is there+& e9plained( +ecause e)er&one can prophes& the worst: what is new is the secret figure of e)er&one not &et +orn. Malthus +elongs to the Jr6 fathers of the 19th centur&( and 4audelaire had reason to e9alt what is infertile. Cumanit&( which despairs of its reproduction( unconsciousl& casts the wish to sur)i)e onto the chimera of ne)er -nown things( +ut these latter resem+le death. The& point to the downfall of an entire constitution( which )irtuall& no longer needs its mem+ers.

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,heses against the occult. G 8. The penchant for the occult is a s&mptom of the regression of consciousness. 8t has lost the energ& to thin- what is unconditional and to withstand the conditional. 8nstead of determining +oth( in unit& and difference( in the la+or of the concept( it heedlessl& mi9es them up. 2hat is unconditional turns into a fact( what is conditional +ecomes immediatel& essential @!esenhaftA. Monotheism crum+les into a second m&tholog&. >8 +elie)e in astrolog&( +ecause 8 donBt +elie)e in 0od(? responded an inter)iewee in an American social ps&chological stud&. The :uridicall&6 minded @rechtsprechendenA reason( which raised itself to the concept of a god( seems to +e caught up in the latterBs fall. The Spirit @GeistA dissociates itself into spirits @Geister: spirits( ghostsA and there+& forfeits the capacit& to recogni;e( that the latter no longer e9ist. The )eiled tendenc& of calamit& of societ& cons its )ictims in the false re)elation( in the hallucinator& phenomenon. The& hope( in )ain( that its

fragmentar& o+)iousness will ena+le them to loo- at the total doom in the e&e and withstand it. 5anic +rea-s out once again after millennia of enlightenment on a humanit&( whose domination o)er nature as domination o)er human +eings surpasses in horror whate)er human +eings had to fear from nature. 88. The second m&tholog& is e)en more untrue than the first. The latter was the precipitate of the state of cognition of its epochs( each of which showed its consciousness of the +lind natural conte9t to +e somewhat freer than the pre)ious one. The former( distur+ed and entangled( throws awa& the cognition it once achie)ed of itself in the middle of a societ&( which eliminates through the all6em+racing e9change relationship e)en what is most elementar&( which the occultists claim to control. The ga;e of the mariner at the #ioscuri @twin guardian deities of sea6)o&agers in ancient 0reece( rendered as statues on the shipBs prowA( the animism of trees and streams( in all the delusor& +eda;;lement at what is ine9plica+le( were appropriate to the historical e9periences of the su+:ect vis-1-vis its action6o+:ects. As a rationall& utili;ed reaction towards the rationali;ed societ&( howe)er( in which the +ooths and consultation rooms of the spirit6seers of all grades( the re+orn animism denies the alienation to which it testifies and on which it li)es( and surrogates a none9istent e9perience. The occultist draws the most e9treme conclusion from the fetish6character of the commodit&: threateningl& o+:ectified la+or springs at them from o+:ects in the guise of countless demons. 2hat is forgotten in a world which has turned into products( its producedness @Produ#iertseinA +& human +eings( is recalled in di)ided( in)erted form( as something e9isting in itself which is added to and e<uated with the in6themsel)es of o+:ects @'n sich der bCe$teA. 4ecause these latter ha)e fro;en under the light of reason( losing the appearance @ScheinA of +eing animated( that which animates them( its social <ualit&( ma-es itself something naturall&6supernaturall& independent( a thing among things. 888. The regression to magical thin-ing under late capitalism assimilates thought to late6capitalist forms. The du+ious6asocial marginal phenomena of the s&stem( the ramshac-le institutions which s<uint through the crac-s in its walls( indeed re)eal nothing of what would +e outside( +ut manifest the energies of disassem+l& @ZerfallsA in the interior that much more. The small6time sages( who terrori;e their clients in front of a cr&stal +all( are to& models of the +ig6time ones( who hold the destin& of humanit& in their hands. The o+scurantists +ehind >5s&chic $esearch? @in English in originalA are as <uarrelsome and conspiratorial as societ& itself. The h&pnosis e9erted +& occult things resem+les totalitarian terror: in contemporar& processes( +oth con)erge with each other. The smile of the augur& has o)ergrown itself into the scornful laughter of societ&; it feeds on the immediate material e9ploitation of souls. The horoscope corresponds to the directi)es of +ureaus on nationalities @8?l$er: literall& peoples or nations( +ut meaning a homogenous ethnic groupA( and num+er6m&sticism is preparation for administrati)e statistics and cartel prices. 8ntegration pro)es in the end to +e the ideolog& of the disintegration into power6groups( which e9terminate each other. 2hoe)er casts their lot with them( is lost. 81. The occult is a refle96mo)ement of the su+:ectification of all meaning( the complement of reification. 2hen the o+:ecti)e realit& seems more deaf to the li)ing than e)er +efore( the& see- to worm out its meaning through an a+racada+ra. Meaning is indiscriminatel& ascri+ed to the ne9t worse thing: the rationalit& of what is real( which is no longer <uite con)incing( is replaced with dancing ta+les and ra&s from heaps of earth. The refuse of the world of phenomena @"rscheinungs!eltA turns into the mundus intelligibilis @'atin: world of intelligi+le realitiesA of the ailing consciousness. 8t comes close to +eing the speculati)e truth( :ust as Haf-aBs /drade- would almost +e an angel( and is ne)ertheless( in a positi)it& which lea)es out the medium of thought( onl& +ar+aric error( the su+:ecti)it& which has relin<uished @ent%usserteA itself and there+& fails to recogni;e itself in the o+:ect. The more complete the disdainfulness of what is passed off as >Spirit? @GeistA G and in an&thing more animated the enlightened su+:ect would of course recogni;e itself G the more the meaning sensed there( which in fact is totall& a+sent( turns into the unconscious( compulsor& pro:ect of the historicall& G if not necessaril& clinicall& G disintegrating @#erfallendenA su+:ect. 8t would li-e to ma-e the world similar its own disassem+l& @ZerfallA: that is wh& it

deals with stage6props and malicious wishes. >The third reads out of m& hand / 8t wants to read m& misfortuneS? 8n the occult( the Spirit @GeistA groans under its own +ane @4annA li-e those caught in a +ad dream( whose torment increases with the feeling( that the& are dreaming( without +eing a+le to wa-e up. 1. The )iolence of the occult( :ust li-e Fascism( to which it is lin-ed +& thought6schemata of the sort which pur)e& anti6Semitism( is not onl& pathic. 8t consists rather of the fact that in the lesser panaceas( co)er6pictures( as it were( the consciousness hungr& for truth thin-s it can grasp the diml& present cognition( which official progress of e)er& t&pe assiduousl& withholds. 8t is that societ&( +& )irtuall& e9cluding the possi+ilit& of the spontaneous recoil( gra)itates towards total catastrophe. The real a+surdit& is the model for the astrological one( which puts forward the impenetra+le conte9t of alienated elements G nothing is more foreign than the stars G as -nowledge a+out the su+:ect. The threat which is read out of the constellations( resem+les the historical one( which rolls on in unconsciousness( in what is su+:ectless. The& can +ear the thought that e)er&one is a prospecti)e )ictim of a whole( which is merel& formed from themsel)es( onl& +& transferring that whole awa& from themsel)es onto something similar( something e9ternal to it. 8n the misera+le idioc& which the& propagate( the empt& horror( the& allow themsel)es to let out the clums& miser&( the crass fear of death and ne)ertheless to continue to repress it( as the& must if the& wish to continue to li)e. The +rea- in the life6line which indicates a hidden cancer is a fraud onl& in the place where it is asserted( in the hand of the indi)idual @IndividuumsA; where it would not gi)e a diagnosis( in the collecti)e( it would +e correct. /ccultists rightl& feel drawn to childishl& monstrous natural6scientific fantasies. The confusion the& create +etween their emanations and the isotopes of uranium( is ultimate clarit&. The m&stic ra&s are modest anticipations of the technical ones. Superstition is cognition( +ecause it sees all of the ciphers of destruction together( which are scattered on the social surface; it is foolish( +ecause in still clings to illusions( in all of its death6dri)e: glossing the answer( from the transfigured form of societ&( displaced into the hea)ens( which can onl& +e pro)ided +& the real transfiguration of societ&. 18. The occult is the metaph&sics of -nuc-leheads. The su+alternit& of mediums is no more accidental than the apocr&phal nature and tri)ialit& of what is re)ealed. Since the earl& da&s of spiritism( the +e&ond has announced nothing more portentous than a greeting from a dead grandmother ne9t to a prediction( that a :ourne& is in the offing. The e9cuse that the spirit6world cannot communicate to fee+le human reason an& more than this latter is a+le to ta-e in( is :ust as sill&( the au9iliar& h&pothesis of the paranoid s&stem: the lumen naturale @'atin: >natural light(? in the sense of e)er&da& human reasoningA achie)ed greater things than the trip to the grandmother( and if the spirits do not wish to ac-nowledge this( then the& are mannerless -o+olds( with whom one had +etter +rea- off all contact. The o+tusel& natural content of the supernatural message +etra&s its untruth. 2hile it hunts outside for what is lost( what it runs into there is onl& its own nothingness. 8n order not to fall out of the gre& prosaicness( in which the& feel right at home as incorrigi+le realists( the& ad:ust the meaning( on which the& refresh themsel)es( into what is meaningless( +efore which the& flee. The phone& magic is nothing other than the phone& e9istence( which the former illuminates. That is wh& it ma-es itself at home with what is down to earth. Facts( which differ from what is the case( onl& in that the& are nothing of the sort( are wor-ed up into the fourth dimension. Their 4ualitas occulta @'atin: hidden <ualit&A is solel& their non6+eing. The& deli)er the world6)iew of idioc&. A+ruptl&( drasticall&( the astrologists and spiritists issue a response to e)er& <uestion( which does not e)en sol)e the latter( +ut cancels an& possi+le solution through crude suppositions. Their su+lime realm( concei)ed as analogous to space( no more needs to +e thought than chairs and flower6)ases. 8t there+& reinforces conformism. Dothing pleases the e9istent more( than the position that e9istence( as such( is supposed to +e meaning. 188. The great religions ha)e either( as in the Lewish one( -ept in mind the sal)ation of the dead( after the +an on gra)en images( with silence( or taught the resurrection of the flesh. The& ha)e their gra)it& in the insepara+ilit& of what is spiritual @GeistigenA and what is corporeal. There is no intention( there is nothing

>intellectual? @MgeistigesMA( which would not somehow +e grounded in corporeal perception and demand corporeal fulfillment. To the occultists( who consider themsel)es a+o)e the thought of resurrection and do not at all wish for actual sal)ation( this is too crude. Their metaph&sics( which e)en Cu9le& can no longer distinguish from metaph&sics( rests on the a9iom: >The soul swings high into the air / the +od& rests on the couch o)er there.? The feistier the spiritualit&( the more mechanistic: not e)en #escartes separated it so cleanl&. The di)ision of la+or and reification are dri)en to the e9treme: +od& and soul are cut from each other in a perennial )i)isection( as it were. The soul is supposed to dust itself off( in order to continue( in lighter regions( its eager acti)it& right at the point it was interrupted. 8n such a declaration of independence( howe)er( the soul turns into the cheap imitation of what it was falsel& emancipated from. 8n place of the reciprocit&( which e)en the most rigid philosoph& upheld( the astral +od& sets up shop( the ignominious concession of the h&postati;ed Spirit @GeistA to its opponent. /nl& in the allegor& of the +od& is the concept of the pure Spirit @GeistsA is to +e grasped at all( and the former simultaneousl& su+lates the latter. 2ith the reification of the spirits( the spirits are alread& negated. 1888. /ccultists fulminate against materialism. 4ut the& want to weigh the astral +od&. The o+:ects of their interest are supposed to simultaneousl& surpass the possi+ilit& of e9perience and +e e9perienced. E)er&thing is supposed to +e done strictl& scientificall&; the greater the hum+ug( the more carefull& controlled the test arrangement. The pomposit& of scientific controls is ta-en ad absurdum @'atin: to the point of a+surdit&A( where there is nothing to control for. The same rationalistic and empiristic apparatus which put an end to the spirits( is emplo&ed to mandatoril& foist them off on those who no longer trust in their own ratio. As if an& elementar& spirit would flee from the trap of the control o)er nature( which is posited +& their fleeting essence @&esenA. 4ut e)en this the occultists ma-e use of. 4ecause the spirits donBt li-e controls( a door must +e held open to them in the middle of securit& precautions( so that the& can ma-e their appearance undistur+ed. For the occultists are practical t&pes. The& arenBt dri)en +& idle curiosit&( the& see- tips. Things go in a :iff& from the stars to futures trading @,ermingesch%ft: future transactions( futures( optionsA. Mostl& the information amounts to ill tidings for some ac<uaintance( who was hoping for something. 8^. The cardinal sin of the occult is the contamination of Spirit @GeistA and e9istence( the latter of which turns into an attri+ute of the Spirit @GeistesA. This last originated in e9istence( as an organ designed to preser)e life. Since e9istence is reflected in the Spirit @GeistA( this latter turns at the same time into something else. 2hat e9ists negates itself as the memoriali;ation @"ingeden$enA of itself. Such negation is the element of the Spirit @GeistesA. To ascri+e it once more to positi)e e9istence( e)en if it were that of a higher social order( would deli)er it to that which it stands against. 'ater +ourgeois ideolog& had made it once more into what it was in pre6animism( something e9isting6in6itself according to the measure of the social di)ision of la+or( of the +rea- +etween ph&sical and intellectual la+or( and of the planned domination o)er the former. 8n the concept of the Spirit @GeistesA which e9ists in itself( the consciousness ontologicall& :ustifies and eternali;es pri)ilege( +& ma-ing it independent of the social principle( which constitutes it. Such ideolog& e9plodes into occultism: the latter is an idealism which has come into itself( as it were. 5recisel& +& )irtue of the rigid antithesis of +eing and Spirit @GeistA( this latter turns into a department of +eing. 8f idealism had promoted the idea solel& for the whole( that +eing would +e Spirit @GeistA and this latter would e9ist( then the occult draws the a+surd conse<uence from this( that e9istence means determinate +eing: >E9istence is( according to its +ecoming( a+o)e all +eing with something non6 +eing( so that this non6+eing is ta-en up in simple unit& with +eing. The non6+eing thus ta-en up in +eing( the fact that the concrete whole is in the form of +eing( of immediac&( comprises the determination as such. > *Cegel( Science of /ogic I( ed. 0loc-ner( Stutgart 19!X( page 1!7.. The occultists ta-e not6+eing as a >simple unit& with +eing? literall&( and their -ind of concreit& is a fraudulent a++re)iation of the path from the whole to the determinate( which can claim that the whole( as something once determined( is there+& nothing of the sort an&more. The& call to metaph&sics( hic 7hodus hic salta @'atin: here is $hodes( here is where &ou :umpA: if the philosophical in)estment of Spirit @GeistA with e9istence can +e

determined( then( the& feel( an& random( scattered e9istence must ultimatel& :ustif& itself as a particular Spirit @GeistA. %onse<uentl&( the doctrine of the e9istence of the Spirit @GeistA( the most e9treme e9altation of +ourgeois consciousness( would alread& teleologicall& +ear the +elief in spirits( its utmost denigration. The transition to e9istence( alwa&s >positi)e? and :ustification for the world( implies at the same time the thesis of positi)it& of the Spirit @GeistA( its arrest as a thing @(ingfestmachungA( the transposition of what is a+solute into the phenomenon @"rscheinungA. 2hether the entire tangi+le world( as >product(? is supposed to +e Spirit @GeistA or an& sort of thing an& sort of Spirit @GeistA( +ecomes irrele)ant and the world6spirit turns into the highest spirit @GeistA( to the guardian angel of what e9ists( of what is de6spirituali;ed. The occultists li)e on this: their m&sticism is the enfant terri+le @French: scandalous &oung guardA of the m&stical moment in Cegel. The& dri)e the speculation to defrauding +an-ruptc&. 4& passing off the determinate +eing as Spirit @GeistA( the& su+:ect the o+:ectified Spirit @GeistA to the test of e9istence( and it must turn out negati)el&. Do Spirit @GeistA is there.

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2ot to be misused. G #ialectics originated in sophistr&( a procedure of discussion designed to sha-e dogmatic assertions( and( as pu+lic prosecutors and comics call it( to ma-e the wea-er word into the stronger. 8t formed as a conse<uence of the perennial method of criti<ue which opposed philosophia perennis @'atin: age6old philosoph&A( the as&lum of all thoughts of the oppressed( e)en what the& themsel)es could ne)er thin-. 4ut as a means of +eing right( it was from the )er& +eginning also a means of domination( the formal technics of apologetics with no concern for content( ser)icea+le to those who could pa&: the principle( of alwa&s and successfull& turning the ta+les. That is wh& truth or untruth does not stand in the method as such( +ut in its intention in the historical process. The split of the Cegelian school into a left and right wing was grounded in the am+iguit& of the theor& no less than in the political situation of the immediate pre61X3X period. #ialectics encompasses not :ust the Mar9ian doctrine( that the proletariat +ecomes( as the a+solute o+:ect of histor&( its first social su+:ect( capa+le of reali;ing the conscious self6determination of humanit&( +ut also the :o-e( which 0usta)e #orP put into the mouth of a parliamentar& representation of the ancien rgime @French: feudal orderA: that without 'ouis ^18 the re)olution would ne)er ha)e happened( therefore this latter is to +e than-s for human rights. Degati)e philosoph&( uni)ersal dissolution( constantl& dissol)es too that which dissol)es. 4ut the new form( in which +oth what is dissol)ed and dissol)ing claim to +e su+lated( can ne)er step forwards purel& in antagonistic societ&. For as long as domination reproduces itself( so too will the old <ualit& recrudesce in the dissolution of what dissol)es: in a radical sense( there is no pure leap. That would first of all +e the emancipator& e)ent( which actuall& happens. 4ecause the dialectical determination of the new <ualit& sees itself referred +ac- to the )iolence of the o+:ecti)e tendenc&( which hands down the +ane @4annA of domination( it stands under the almost una)oida+le compulsion( whene)er it achie)es the negation through the la+or of the negation( to su+stitute what is +ad a+out the old for the non6e9istent other. The profundit&( with which it plum+s the depths of o+:ecti)it&( is +ought at the price of participating in the lie( that o+:ecti)it& would alread& +e the truth. 4& strictl& delimiting itself to e9trapolating the non6pri)ileged condition( from what owes to the process the pri)ilege of e9isting( it +ows to restoration. This is registered +& pri)ate e9istence. Cegel o+:ected to the latter for its nullit&. Mere su+:ecti)it&( insisting on the purit& of its own principle( would entangle itself in antinomies. 8t would go to pieces on its mischief @:n!esenA( h&pocris& and male)olence( to the e9tent it does not o+:ectif& itself in societ& and the state. Ethics @MoralA( autonom& posited on pure self6certaint&( and e)en the conscience are mere appearance @ScheinA. 8f >there is nothing ethicall& real? *Cegel( Phenomenology of the Spirit( ed. 'asson( !nd 5rinting( 'eip;ig 19!1( page 79Y.( then it logicall& follows in the Philosophy of /a! that marriage is placed higher than the conscience( and that this latter is said( e)en on its own grounds G which Cegel( along with $omanticism( designates as iron& G to +e >su+:ecti)e )anit&? in a dou+le understanding of the term. This motif of dialectics( which operates through all la&ers of the s&stem( is simultaneousl& true and untrue. True( +ecause it un)eils the particular as necessar& appearance @ScheinA( the false consciousness of what is split

off( of +eing onl& itself and not a moment of the whole; and it causes this false consciousness to melt awa& through the energ& of the whole. Jntrue( +ecause the motif of o+:ectification( >disclosure? @"nt%usserung: relin<uishment( disclosure( reali;ationA( is degraded into a mere rationali;ation( into a prete9t for precisel& the +ourgeois self6preser)ation of the su+:ect( as long as the o+:ecti)it&( which thought upholds in opposition to what is +adl& su+:ecti)e( is unfree( regressing +ehind the critical la+or of the su+:ect. The word disclosure @"nt%usserungA( which e9pects the redemption of pri)ate caprice from the o+edience of the pri)ate will( ac-nowledges( +& e9pressl& holding fast to what is e9ternal as what is institutionall& opposed to the su+:ect( in spite of all protestations of reconciliation( the enduring irreconcila+ilit& of su+:ect and o+:ect( which for its part comprises the theme of dialectical criti<ue. The act of self6disclosure @Selbstent%usserungA is tantamount to renunciation( which 0oethe descri+ed as sal)ational( and there+& :ustification for the status <uo( then as now. /ut of the insight( for e9ample( into the mutilation of women through patriarchal societ&( in the impossi+ilit& of wiping awa& the anthropological deformation without its prere<uisite( it is precisel& implaca+le dialecticians( without illusions( who ma& deduce the standpoint of the master6in6the6house( spea-ing on +ehalf of the remaining stoc- of the patriarchal relationship. 8n this the& lac- neither for good reasons( such as the impossi+ilit& of relations of a different nature @&esenA under contemporar& conditions( nor e)en humanit& towards the oppressed( who ha)e to pa& the +ill for false emancipation; +ut all this. though true( would turn into ideolog& in the hands of masculine interest. #ialecticians -now the unhappiness and the a+andonment of the unmarried spinster( of what is murderous in separations. 4& anti6romanticall& awarding priorit& to the o+:ectified marriage o)er the ephemeral passion( not su+lated into the common life( the& would turn themsel)es into the representati)es of those who propagate marriage at the cost of affection( who lo)e what the& are married to( therefore the a+stract propert&6relationship. The final step of such wisdom would +e( that the person reall& doesnBt matter so much( if the& would onl& adapt to the gi)en constellation and do their dut&. To protect itself from such temptations( an enlightened dialectics re<uires the unceasing suspicion against e)er& apologetic( restorati)e element( which ne)ertheless comprises a part of what is unnaO)e. The threatening relapse of reflection into what is unreflected is +etra&ed +& the superiorit&( which switches on the dialectical procedure and holds forth( as if it were itself that immediate -nowledge of the whole( which is e9cluded precisel& +& the principle of dialectics. The standpoint of the totalit& is assumed( in order to slap down e)er& determinate negati)e :udgment +& the opponent with the sign of the cautionar& >thatBs not what was meant(? and simultaneousl& to )iolentl& +rea- off the mo)ement of the concept( suspending dialectics with reference to the insurmounta+le gra)it& of facts. The calamit& occurs through the thema probandum @'atin: self6e)ident suppositionA one ma-es use of the dialectic instead of losing oneself in it. Then the so)ereignl& dialectical thought would regress +ac- to the pre6dialectical stage: the sedate e9position( that e)er& thing has its two sides.

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't the end. G The onl& philosoph& which would still +e accounta+le in the face of despair( would +e the attempt to consider all things( as the& would +e portra&ed from the standpoint of redemption. %ognition has no other light than that which shines from redemption out upon the world; all else e9hausts itself in post6construction and remains a piece of technics. 5erspecti)es must +e produced which set the world +eside itself( alienated from itself( re)ealing its crac-s and fissures( as need& and distorted as it will one da& la& there in the messianic light. To win such perspecti)es without caprice or )iolence( wholl& +& the feel for o+:ects( this alone is what thin-ing is all a+out. 8t is the simplest of all things( +ecause the condition irrefuta+l& call for such cognitions( indeed +ecause completed negati)it&( once it comes full& into )iew( shoots @#usammenschiesstA into the mirror6writing of its opposite. 4ut it is also that which is totall& impossi+le( +ecause it presupposes a standpoint at a remo)e( were it e)en the tiniest +it( from the +ane @+ann$reisA of the e9istent; meanwhile e)er& possi+le cognition must not onl& +e wrested from that which is( in order to +e +inding( +ut for that )er& reason is stric-en with the same distortedness and neediness which it intends to escape. The more passionatel& thought seals itself off from its conditional

+eing for the sa-e of what is unconditional( the more unconsciousl&( and there+& catastrophicall&( it falls into the world. 8t must comprehend e)en its own impossi+ilit& for the sa-e of possi+ilit&. 8n relation to the demand there+& imposed on it( the <uestion concerning the realit& or non6realit& of redemption is howe)er almost inconse<uential.