Nationalism and Identity; Authenticity against the will-to-truth. BENJAMIN GUY TICKNER Oslo University Abstract. The revitalization of both civic and political nationalism draws a powerful parallel to the concerns held by Friedrich Nietzsche writing at the end of the nineteenth century. In light of these concerns a detailed analysis of the proliferation of these tendencies seems highly warranted ― one which I am undertaking as part of a much larger project ― yet aside from the question of how Nietzsche’s thoughts can perhaps illuminate a better understanding of contemporary issues, the question of why the genealogical approach is best suited to this task becomes an important stepping stone in pursuit of this larger project. …show more content…
The moral ambiguity of nationalism, which pitches diverse socio-political and ethno-cultural struggles for self-determination and political independence – to name just two dimensions - against the more-often-than-not harsh reality of ultra-violence and oppression to those not included or uncooperative towards nationalist sentiment paints a complex picture of the wants and fears of society at a particular time. In a moral context, this spectra of consequences reflects a deep tension between solidarity with oppressed national groups vis-à-vis repulsion in the face of crimes perpetrated in the name of such movements (Nenad, 2014). Therefore the resurgence of the ultra-right wing within the political theatre and the preceding excavation of long thought antiquated civic and ethnic nationalist sentiments sits – arguably as a consequence or cause – in direct confrontation to increasing number of refugees, migrants, economic-immigrants and a plethora of other displaced and/or persecuted peoples seeking refuge in the so-called “developed” world and has therefore catapulted nationalist agendas to the very forefront of domestic concerns. As Nenad (2014) notes in relation to the wider context of problems related to the treatment of ethnic …show more content…
Why Nietzsche now? An analysis of becoming. As David Owen asks in his book “Nietzsche, politics and modernity” (1995), “Why Nietzsche now?” (Owen, 1995, p. ix), there has recently been a growing support behind the idea that Nietzsche’s writings on nationalism shouldn’t be accepted as anything more than postulating on a subject that is so far removed from the context of his day as to render it useless. The position agues, that because of the nature of Nietzsche’s writings, which are often antithetical – seeming to often support contradictory positions – written in aphoristic style and in many cases un-systematic, proponents such an Christian Emden and Simon Glendinning are right in characterizing two inter-related critical positions regarding the competence of the genealogical method to present an effective understanding of modern phenomena. In relation to the question why Nietzsche now… I think these positions are worth exploring both as a critical response to Owens, and with the intent of situating Nietzsche’s genealogy of nationalism in the orientation it was first intended to be
“Why the Nazi’s Loved America” by James Whitman is an article highlighting what Nazism means to the U.S. and how in some ways Nazism was drawn from the American Model. Whitman uses facts and statistics (logos), emotion (pathos), and credibility (ethos) build his argument that the Nazi’s loved America. Whitman’s appeal to logic (logos) are his strongest arguments. Logos appeals to the readers’ common sense, beliefs or values.
Critically Analyze an Excerpt from Main Kampf (Volume 1, Chapter 11) by Adolph Hitler In (Volume 1, Chapter 11) of Main Kampf, Adolf Hitler discusses “Nation and Race” in attempts to distinguish the Aryan race from the inferior race, the Jewish. He presents his claim by using anti-Semitic imagery, which is a form of discrimination against Jewish people (anti-Semitic, 2016). He also uses propaganda to convince the masses to follow his sophism. This paper will review (Volume 1, Chapter 11) titled “Nation and Race”, and will evaluate the persuasive techniques used by Adolf Hitler while applying rhetorical analysis.
Many people of the general public had the mindset that to be proud and patriotic, they had to stand for their country. In a newspaper article by the leader of the Black Hand, a Serbian military intelligence that worked against Austria as an opponent. It states “This war derives from the duty of our race which will not permit itself to be assimilated.” (Doc I) This quote shows how nationalism plays a part in how people proud of their country move to protect the honor of their home.
Trust No Fox on his Green Heath, And No Jew on his Oath is a collection of short stories that together are used to promote three main identities that are essential for the German state. The inferior Jew as the enemy of the state, the superior Aryan, and the Reich are the three identities that are the focus of Bauer’s work. In each short story in the piece, the image of the Jew is weighted against the Aryan German. The contrast between the two images is depicted throughout each segment of the book.
Liberal ideas were in favor of the majority in the country so it paved way for further unification as an independent state which emerged from all hierarchy. In order to defeat other powerful enemies, a strong state would have more advantages as it served as a collective defense. Nationalism accelerated the process of unification since it utilized the military force and political support from a large number of patriots and liberalists. Nationalism which was the emphasizing of the national identifying, and aspiration of independence promotes the unification of Italy and Germany because it focused on the majority’s voice in the country. James Stuart Mill, (Doc 2) who was a proponent of national identity, accentuated the necessity of a constitution
What the Nazis referred to as the ‘national socialist revolution’ was the elimination of political opposition and Hitler using what was good in the German past, while rejecting what he saw as bad. (Evans) During this era of Nazi dominance within Germany, Hitler tried to spark a cultural revolution by means of purging parts of its past to emphasize Nazi ideology and virtues through the destruction of literature deemed unsatisfactory or unacceptable. The goal of this revolution was to preserve German socialism within German culture by gaining support from the German people, which in turn created a total culture that strengthened the Nazi regime. In addition, an article from the Modern Humanities Research Association remarks, “... the German Enlightenment, is referred to more than once in condemnation of any attempt to destroy the spirit of opposition through the destruction of a book…”
After questioning why some of America’s largest corporations still continued to have business with Hitler’s Nazi Germany, he asks a very powerful rhetorical question. “How is one to explain their indifference?” (“Perils” 22) With this question, the audience questions their prior government. Some of the questions that could be running through their minds are how could we have allowed this to continue?
Ignorance is all over the world as addressed in Robert Procter’s, “Agnotology.” Ignorance provides a basis for Trevor Noah’s, “Go Hitler!”. These readings are comparable in ways of the rhetorical elements of palilogy, logos and the use of narratives that speak to each validity of the readings. Noah uses effectual validity in “Go Hitler!” to support his claim of every culture teaching differently regarding historical events, yet Proctor uses factual validity in “Agnotology” to support his claim of people knowing an insufficient about ignorance.
With that being said, in this essay a timeline of Nietzsche’s life will be discussed, and also
Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of an ethnic, racial, religious or national group that has brought many losses for human population through the whole history of the world. First cases of genocide had such reasons as territorial, competing and religious arguments. For instance, one of the first genocides is thought to be the Roman destruction of Carthage in 146 BCE that occurred due to religious reason and the competitiveness of these two superpowers. The history has seen many cases of genocide, but this social problem especially spread worldwide during the twentieth century which was even claimed to be the “century of genocide”.
As a product of the Revolutions of 1848, European sentiment towards Nationalism grew extensively among the middle and lower classes. European ethnic groups and nations desired a self-determined state that represented their group and culture. As a result, both Germany and Italy would experience unification movements within several decades. By 1871, the Italian states would be unified under the Italian tricolour flag; and in the same year, the German states would become integrated into Germany under Wilhelm I of Prussia. Nationalism is both a political and social system in which the nation-state is of utmost importance -- in which nation-states act in their own self-interest and are of full sovereignty.
Mulhall, Stephen. "Nietzsche 's Style of Address: A Response to Christopher Janaway 's beyond Selflessness. " European Journal of Philosophy, vol. 17, no. 1, Mar. 2009, pp. 121-131. EBSCOhost,
The Warwick debate provides approaches to the study of nationalism. It laid the foundation for the development of two approaches to the study of nationalism. The first approach is Smith’s primordial approach and the other is Gillnets modernist approach. Smith’s argument begins with the definition of nationalism and the difference between a state and a nation.
Nietzsche writes this piece to criticize past philosophers and others in Europe for blindly accepting rigid premises when considering morality. Dr. Clare Carlisle, professor of philosophy and theology at King’s College, states Nietzsche’s problem with moral ideals: “Nietzsche’s main criticism of the ideal of truth is the same as his criticism of moral ideals: he dislikes their claims to be absolute... Nietzsche uses this argument to undermine morality, and claim that absolute moral values lead to a culture of mediocrity and nihilism.” Dr. Carlisle states Nietzsche’s purpose, and how he feels that no moral ideas should be absolute and states that it is a falsification of the constantly changing world. Throughout this work, Nietzsche manages to incorporate metaphors to illustrate his point.
However, since the context of the speech deals with such a controversial time in history, I think its best viewed as a relic of the Weimar Republic. This relic is a symbol of the crisis faced during the Weimar experimentation of democracy, and what many will view as a battle of good vs. evil. What makes this document so sentimental and powerful, is the destruction that follows. Obviously Otto Wells couldn’t not have knows everything that was to follow this speech, but, since we have the luxury it makes this speech all the more powerful; arguably more powerful today, then at the time. In the end, a short analysis of Wells speech provides the reader with a unique perspective of the tumultuous times leading up to Hitler dictatorship.