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it does not matter when the term facsist was coined, what matters are the ideas. I could provide you with many quotations of nietzsche that have Nazi-appeal.
jacx, go read Zarathustra, it is defentily one of Nietzsche`s better works although I could not care less about the samsara fueling Uebermensch (superman)
Oh dear - mentions of fascism appearing on here too?
I have some very dear Heathen friends (followers of the Norse pantheon) who are pretty upset at the moment about extreme right wing groups trying to hi-jack their belief system for racist purposes. The connection with Wotan and white supremacy isn't exactly obvious to me, but never mind .... I wouldn't want to be on the other end of upset Heathens, they tend to be big fellas who wear lots of leather, drink massive amounts of mead and wield axes.
They're awfully nice when you get to know them but a bit intimidating if you don't.
I disagree. You might as well call Machiavelli a fascist. I would just about agree if you were to add the words "avant la lettre", otherwise you are left with the context problem. If all the thinkers and writers who influenced Gentile, Mussolini and the others have to be labeled as fascist, we would have to include Malthus and, I suppose, even Wolfram von Eschenbach!
Giving a writer a label which was only invented later, particularly one which is so freighted with 20th century significance, results in our being unable to read them within their historical, social and philosophical context. It is all too common not only in philosophy but also in literature. I recall that my teachers (who were French) would refer to Shakespeare as "Romantic", a device to dismiss his theatrical style which, to them, appeared chaotic, sentimental and disordered. No wonder they could not understand him.
Comments
it does not matter when the term facsist was coined, what matters are the ideas. I could provide you with many quotations of nietzsche that have Nazi-appeal.
jacx, go read Zarathustra, it is defentily one of Nietzsche`s better works although I could not care less about the samsara fueling Uebermensch (superman)
I have some very dear Heathen friends (followers of the Norse pantheon) who are pretty upset at the moment about extreme right wing groups trying to hi-jack their belief system for racist purposes. The connection with Wotan and white supremacy isn't exactly obvious to me, but never mind .... I wouldn't want to be on the other end of upset Heathens, they tend to be big fellas who wear lots of leather, drink massive amounts of mead and wield axes.
They're awfully nice when you get to know them but a bit intimidating if you don't.
I disagree. You might as well call Machiavelli a fascist. I would just about agree if you were to add the words "avant la lettre", otherwise you are left with the context problem. If all the thinkers and writers who influenced Gentile, Mussolini and the others have to be labeled as fascist, we would have to include Malthus and, I suppose, even Wolfram von Eschenbach!
Giving a writer a label which was only invented later, particularly one which is so freighted with 20th century significance, results in our being unable to read them within their historical, social and philosophical context. It is all too common not only in philosophy but also in literature. I recall that my teachers (who were French) would refer to Shakespeare as "Romantic", a device to dismiss his theatrical style which, to them, appeared chaotic, sentimental and disordered. No wonder they could not understand him.