Minima Moralia

By Theodor Adorno
Description: This original translation was created by Dennis Redmond in 2005. Note that the
original German text is aailable !rom "#hr$am% &erlag: Theodor '. Adorno. Collected Works.
"#hr$am% &erlag( &ol#me ).
Translators notes: The existing *nglish translation o! Minima Moralia( by *.+. ,e%hcott( is
good( b#t stylistically somewhat dated. The goal o! this newer ersion is to render the %#ngency
and %ower o! the original text in contem%orary %rose -the alternatie is teaching the intricacies o!
mid.20th cent#ry academic *nglish to 2/
st
cent#ry st#dents0. 1 hae tried to highlight certain
theoretical %assages and moti!s which aren2t 3#ite as ex%licit in ,e%hcott2s ersion -e.g.
a#!gehoben is rendered as 4s#blation5( instead o! ,e%hcott2s 4%reseration50. 'here necessary( 1
hae also changed the sexist lang#age o! the original( re%lacing 4he5 with either 4they5 or 4one5(
and added additional ex%lanations o! 6atin and 7rench terms. Aboe all( 1 hae tried to do some
small amo#nt o! 8#stice to the %oetry( m#sicality and bea#ty o! Adorno2s lang#age( which is
inextricably interwoen with Adorno2s theoretical innoations. 1n the midst o! the most
cataclysmic war o! h#man history( Adorno2s %rose radiates the %romise o! a ha%%iness beyond
catastro%he 9 a ha%%iness which the total system( to this day( denies its constit#ent members(
sim%ly beca#se it is this catastro%he.
"t#dents( readers( scholars and teachers sho#ld !eel !ree to 3#ote or cite this translation in
%a%ers( classes( or creatie %ro8ects. There are no royalties to worry abo#t 9 this translation is a
!ree( non.commercial( ed#cational serice to all.
Minima Moralia
by Theodor Adorno
Dedication
The melancholy science( !rom which 1 ma$e this o!!ering to my !riend( relates to a realm which
has co#nted( since time immemorial( as the a#thentic one o! %hiloso%hy( b#t which has( since its
trans!ormation into method( !allen %rey to intellect#al disres%ect( sententio#s ca%rice and in the
end !orget!#lness: the teaching o! the good li!e. 'hat %hiloso%hy once called li!e( has t#rned
into the s%here o! the %riate and then merely o! cons#m%tion( which is dragged along as an
addend#m o! the material %rod#ction.%rocess( witho#t a#tonomy and witho#t its own s#bstance.
'hoeer wishes to ex%erience the tr#th o! immediate li!e( m#st inestigate its alienated !orm( the
ob8ectie %owers( which determine the indiid#al existence into its innermost recesses. To s%ea$
immediately o! what is immediate( is to behae no di!!erently !rom that noelist( who adorns
their marionettes with the imitations o! the %assions o! yesteryear li$e chea% 8ewelry( and who
sets %ersons in motion( who are nothing other than inentory.%ieces o! machinery( as i! they
co#ld still act as s#b8ects( and as i! something really de%ended on their actions. The ga:e at li!e
has %assed oer into ideology( which conceals the !act( that it no longer exists.
B#t the relationshi% o! li!e and %rod#ction( which the latter degrades in reality into an
e%hemeral a%%earance o! the !ormer( is com%letely abs#rd. ;eans and ends are interchanged.
The int#ition o! this l#dicro#s 3#id %ro 3#o has not been totally ex%#nged !rom li!e. The red#ced
and degraded essence bristles tenacio#sly against its ensorcelment in the !acade. The change o!
the relations o! %rod#ction itsel! de%ends more than eer on what be!alls the 4s%here o!
cons#m%tion5( the mere re!lection.!orm o! %rod#ction and the caricat#re o! tr#e li!e: in the
conscio#sness and #nconscio#sness o! indiid#als. <nly by irt#e o! o%%osition to %rod#ction( as
something still not totally encom%assed by the social order( co#ld h#man beings introd#ce a
more h#mane one. 1! the a%%earance ="chein> o! li!e were eer wholly abrogated( which the
cons#m%tion.s%here itsel! de!ends with s#ch bad reasons( then the oergrowth o! absol#te
%rod#ction will tri#m%h.
1n s%ite o! this( considerations which begin !rom the s#b8ect hae as m#ch that is !alse in
them( so m#ch as li!e becomes a%%earance ="chein>. Beca#se the oerwhelming ob8ectiity o!
the contem%orary %hase o! historical moement consists solely o! the dissol#tion o! the s#b8ect(
witho#t a new one a%%earing in its stead( indiid#al ex%erience necessarily relies on the old
s#b8ect( the historically condemned one( which is still !or itsel!( b#t no longer in itsel!. 1t thin$s
o! its a#tonomy as still sec#re( b#t the n#llity( which the concentration cam%s demonstrated to
s#b8ects( already oerta$es the !orm o! s#b8ectiity itsel!. "omething sentimental and
anachronistic clings to the s#b8ectie consideration( no matter how critically shar%ened against
itsel!: something o! the lament abo#t the way o! the world( which is not to be re8ected !or the
sa$e o! its good intentions( b#t beca#se the lamenting s#b8ect threatens to harden in its being.
8#st.so ="osein> and thereby to !#l!ill once again the law o! the way o! the world. The !idelity to
one2s own state o! conscio#sness and ex%erience is !oreer in tem%tation o! !alling into in!idelity(
by denying the insight( which reaches beyond the indiid#ated =1ndiid##m> and which calls the
latter2s s#bstance by name.
Th#s arg#ed ?egel( whose method schooled that o! Minima Moralia( against the mere
being.!or.itsel! o! s#b8ectiity on all its leels. Dialectical theory( aerse to eerything which is
sing#lar( cannot %ermit a%horisms to be alid as s#ch. 1n the best o! cases they may be tolerated(
in the words o! the +re!ace o! the Phenomenology of Spirit( as 4conersation5. The latter2s time
howeer is oer. Neertheless the boo$ does not !orget the totality.claim o! the system( which
does not wish anyone to esca%e it( any more than the rebellion against the latter. ?egel does not
%ay heed to the s#b8ect in accordance with the re3#irement( which he otherwise %assionately
de!ends: that o! being in the matter ="ache> and not 4always beyond it5( instead o! 4entering into
the immanent content o! the matter ="ache>5. 1! the s#b8ect is disa%%earing today( a%horisms ta$e
on the weighty res%onsibility o! 4considering that which is disa%%earing itsel! as essential5. They
insist( in o%%osition to ?egel2s %roced#re and neertheless in concordance with his tho#ght( on
negatiity: 4The li!e o! the "%irit =Geistes> wins its tr#th only by !inding itsel! in what is
absol#tely torn a%art. 1t is not this %ower as the %ositie( which loo$s away !rom the negatie( as
when we say o! something( that it is nothing or wrong( and now( done with that( %ass oer !rom
there to something else@ rather it is this %ower only when it stares the negatie in the !ace(
tarrying on it.5
The dismissie gest#re( with which ?egel in contradiction to his own insight( constantly
r#ns ro#ghshod oer the indiid#al( deries %aradoxically eno#gh !rom his necessary bias !or
liberalistic tho#ght. The conce%tion o! a totality harmonio#s thro#gho#t all its antagonisms
com%els him to ran$ indiid#ation( howeer many times he designates it as the driing moment
o! the %rocess( as something lesser in the constr#ction o! the whole. That in %rehistory the
ob8ectie tendency asserts itsel! oer the heads o! h#man beings( indeed by irt#e o! the
annihilation o! the indiid#al( witho#t the reconciliation im%lied by the conce%t o! the generality
and the %artic#lar eer being historically achieed( this is distorted in ?egel: with lo!ty iciness he
o%ts once more !or the li3#idation o! the %artic#lar. Nowhere does he do#bt the %rimacy o! the
whole. The more d#bio#s the transition !rom the re!lecting sing#lari:ation to the glori!ied totality
remains( as m#ch in history as in ?egelian logic( the more enth#siastically %hiloso%hy clings( as
8#sti!ication o! the existent( to the ictorio#s motorcade o! the ob8ectie tendency. The
deelo%ment o! the social %rinci%le o! indiid#ation into the ictory o! !atality already gies it
occasion eno#gh. "ince ?egel hy%ostati:es bo#rgeois society as m#ch as its !o#nding category(
the indiid#ated =1ndiid##m>( he co#ld not tr#ly carry o#t the dialectic between the two.
Admittedly( he ass#res #s( with classical economics( that the totality %rod#ces and re%rod#ces
itsel! o#t o! the interrelation o! the antagonistic interests o! its members. B#t he naiely regards
the indiid#ated =1ndiid##m> as s#ch solely as that which is irred#cibly gien =Gegebenheit>(
which he 8#st dismantled in his theory o! cognition. 1n the indiid#alistic society howeer the
generality is reali:ed not only thro#gh the inter%lay o! indiid#als( rather the society is
essentially the s#bstance o! the indiid#ated =1ndiid##m>.
That is why social analysis can garner incom%arably more !rom indiid#al ex%erience
than ?egel conceded( while conersely the great historical categories( a!ter all that has been
%er%etrated with them in the meantime( are no longer aboe s#s%icion o! !ra#d. 1n the one
h#ndred and !i!ty years which hae %assed since ?egel2s conce%tion( something o! the !orce o!
%rotest has %assed oer again into the indiid#ated =1ndiid##m>. Aom%ared with the
%ater!amilial scantiness( which characteri:es its treatment in ?egel( it has won as m#ch richness(
di!!erentiation and energy as it has( on the other hand( been wea$ened and hollowed o#t by the
sociali:ation o! society. 1n the e%och o! its disassembly =Ber!alls>( the ex%erience o! the
indiid#ated =1ndiid##m> as well as what it enco#nters contrib#tes once more to a recognition(
which it had concealed( so long as it was constr#ed seamlessly and %ositiely as the r#ling
category. 1n iew o! the totalitarian #nison( which broadcasts the elimination o! di!!erence as
immediately meaning!#l( a meas#re o! emanci%atory social %ower may hae tem%orarily
withdrawn into the s%here o! the indiid#al. That critical theory tarries in it( is not only d#e to a
bad conscience.
All this is not to deny what is debatable in s#ch an attem%t. 1 wrote the boo$ !or the most
%art d#ring the war( #nder conditions o! contem%lation. The iolence which droe me into exile
sim#ltaneo#sly bloc$ed me !rom its !#ll recognition. 1 had not yet admitted to mysel! the
com%licity o! those who( as i! in a magic circle( s%ea$ at all o! what is indiid#al( in iew o! the
#ns%ea$able things which collectiely occ#rred.
*ach o! the three %arts starts o#t !rom the narrowest %riate realm( that o! the intellect#al
in emigration. A!ter this !ollow considerations o! wider social and anthro%ological sco%e@ they
%ertain to %sychology( aesthetics( and science in its relationshi% to the s#b8ect. The concl#ding
a%horisms o! each section lead thematically( too( to %hiloso%hy( witho#t claiming to be
concl#sie and de!initie: all o! these are intended to mar$ %oints o! attac$ or to generate models
!or !#t#re exertions o! the conce%t.
The immediate occasion !or writing this boo$ was the !i!tieth birthday o! ;ax
?or$heimer on 7ebr#ary /)( /C)5. The com%osition trans%ired in a %hase in which( d#e to
external circ#mstances( we had to interr#%t o#r common wor$. The boo$ wishes to %ro!!er
than$s and !idelity( by re!#sing to recogni:e the interr#%tion. 1t is testimony to a dialog#e
interiD#r =7rench: internal dialog#e>: there is no moti! herein( which does not belong as m#ch to
?or$heimer as to the %erson who !o#nd the time !or !orm#lation.
The s%eci!ic a%%roach o! Minima Moralia( the attem%t to re%resent moments o! a
common %hiloso%hy !rom the stand%oint o! s#b8ectie ex%erience( means that the %ieces do not
entirely meas#re #% to the %hiloso%hy( o! which they are neertheless a %art. This is ex%ressed as
what is loose and nonbinding in the !orm( along with the ren#nciation o! an ex%licit theoretical
context. At the same time( s#ch asceticism sho#ld atone !or something o! the in8#stice( wherein
one contin#ed to wor$ alone on something which can only be com%leted by both( and !rom
which we shall not desist.

Minima Moralia
Re!lections !rom the damaged li!e
+art <ne
/C))
6i!e does not lie
9 7erdinand EFrnberger
/
For Marcel Proust. 9 The son o! well.to.do %arents who( whether o#t o! talent or wea$ness(
chooses a so.called intellect#al occ#%ation as an artist or scholar( has s%ecial di!!ic#lties with
those who bear the distaste!#l title o! colleag#es. 1t is not merely that his inde%endence is enied(
that the serio#sness o! his intentions is do#bted and that he is %res#med to be a secret enoy o!
the established %owers. "#ch mistr#st is borne o#t o! resentment( yet wo#ld #s#ally !ind its
con!irmation. ?oweer the act#al resistances lie elsewhere. The occ#%ation with intellect#al
=geistigen> things has meanwhile become 4%ractical5( a b#siness with a strict diision o! labor(
with branches and n#mer#s cla#s#s =6atin: restricted entry>. Those who are materially
inde%endent( who choose o#t o! re%#gnance towards the shame o! earning money( are not
inclined to recogni:e this. 7or this he is %#nished. ?e is no 4%ro!essional5 =in *nglish in
original>( ran$s in the hierarchy o! com%etitors as a dilettante( regardless o! how m#ch he $nows
abo#t his s#b8ect( and m#st( i! he wishes to %#rs#e a career( dis%lay a %ro!essional t#nnel ision
een narrower than that o! the most narrow.minded ex%ert. The s#s%ension o! the diision o!
labor to which he is drien( and which the economic state o! a!!airs allows him( within certain
limits( to reali:e( is considered es%ecially scandalo#s: this betrays the aersion to sanction the
h#stle and b#stle dictated by society( and high and mighty com%etence does not %ermit s#ch
idiosyncrasies. The de%artmentali:ation o! the "%irit =Geist> is a means o! abolishing s#ch there(
where it is not ex o!!icio or contract#ally obligated. 1t does its wor$ all the more s#rely( as those
who contin#ally re8ect the diision o! labor 9 i! only in the sense that they en8oy their wor$ 9
reeal( by this sel!same meas#re( their #lnerabilities( which are inse%arable !rom the moments
o! their s#%eriority. Th#s is the social order =<rdn#ng> ass#red: this one m#st %lay along( beca#se
one co#ld not otherwise lie( and that one( who co#ld indeed lie( is $e%t o#tside( beca#se they
don2t want to %lay along. 1t is as i! the class which the inde%endent intellect#al deserted !rom
reenges itsel!( by !orcibly %#shing thro#gh its demands %recisely where the deserter so#ght
re!#ge.
2
rassy seat. ! The relationshi% to %arents is #ndergoing a sad( shadowy change. They hae lost
their awe thro#gh their economic %owerlessness. <nce we rebelled against their insistence on the
reality %rinci%le( the sobriety which was always ready to recoil into the rage against those who
do not reno#nce. Today howeer we !ind o#rseles !acing a %res#mably yo#nger generation(
which is in eery one o! its im%#lses #nbearably more grown #% than the %arents eer were@
which has reno#nced( be!ore things eer came to a con!lict( and which deries their a#thority
!rom that( im%lacably a#thoritarian and #nsha$eable. +erha%s one always ex%erienced the
%arental generation as harmless and disem%owered( once the latter2s %hysical energy s#bsided(
while one2s own generation seemed to be threatened by yo#th: in the antagonistic society( the
relationshi% o! the generations is also one o! com%etition( behind which stands na$ed iolence.
Today howeer things are regressing to a condition which does not $now the <edi%#s com%lex(
b#t only the slaying o! the !ather. <ne o! the most telling symbolic atrocities o! the Na:is was the
$illing o! the extremely old. "#ch a climate %rod#ces a belated and r#e!#l #nderstanding with
one2s %arents( similar to the one between condemned %risoners( dist#rbed only by the !ear that
we( o#rseles %owerless( may not be able to care !or them some day as they cared !or #s( when
they owned something. The iolence which is in!licted on them ma$es #s !orget the iolence
they committed. *en their rationali:ations( the once.hated lies with which they so#ght to 8#sti!y
their %artic#lar interest as the general one( show an in$ling o! the tr#th( the #rge towards the
reconciliation o! con!licts( which the #%beat s#ccessor generation ha%%ily denies. *en the !aded(
inconse3#ential and sel!.do#bting "%irit =Geist> o! the elders is more a%%roachable than the
3#ic$.witted st#%idity o! 8#nior. *en the ne#rotic %ec#liarities and mal!ormations o! the older
ad#lts re%resent character( that which is h#manly achieed( com%ared with %athic health(
in!antilism raised to a norm. <ne reali:es in horror that when one %reio#sly clashed with one2s
%arents( beca#se they re%resented the world( one was secretly the mo#th%iece o! a still worse
world against the merely bad. Gn%olitical attem%ts to brea$ o#t o! the bo#rgeois !amily #s#ally
only lead to dee%er entanglement in s#ch( and sometimes it seems as i! the disastro#s germ.cell
o! society( the !amily( is sim#ltaneo#sly the no#rishing germ.cell o! the #ncom%romising will !or
a di!!erent one. 'hat disintegrates( along with the !amily 9 so long as the system contin#es 9 is
not 8#st the most e!!ectie agency o! the bo#rgeoisie( b#t also the resistance which indeed
o%%ressed the indiid#al( b#t also strengthened the latter( i! not indeed %rod#cing s#ch. The end
o! the !amily cri%%les the co#nter.!orces. The dawning collectiistic social order =<rdn#ng> is the
moc$ery o! one witho#t class: it li3#idates( along with the bo#rgeois( at the same time the #to%ia(
which at one time drew no#rishment !rom the mother2s loe.
H
Fish in "ater. 9 "ince the com%rehensie a%%arat#s o! distrib#tion o! highly concentrated
ind#stry has dissoled the circ#lation.s%here( this latter begins an astonishing %ost.existence.
'hile the economic basis !or the occ#%ation o! go.betweens disa%%ears( the %riate li!e o!
inn#merable %eo%le becomes that o! agents and go.betweens( indeed the realm o! the %riate is
wholly swallowed #% by a mysterio#s enter%rise =GeschI!tig$eit: b#siness( actiity( b#syness>(
which bears all the mar$s o! the commercial $ind( only in a sit#ation where nothing is really
being done. Those who are a!raid( !rom the #nem%loyed to %ro!essionals who in the next moment
may come to !eel the wrath o! those whose inestments they re%resent( beliee they can win oer
the #bi3#ito#s com%any exec#tie only thro#gh sensitiity( assid#o#sness( accessibility( by one
way or another( thro#gh the 3#alities o! traders( and soon there is no relationshi% which is not
seen in terms o! other relationshi%s( no im%#lse which is not s#b8ected to %rior censorshi%( in
order not to deiate !rom a%%roal. The conce%t o! relationshi%s( a category o! mediation and
circ#lation( neer %ros%ered best in the act#al circ#lation.s%here( in the mar$et( b#t in closed(
mono%oly.li$e hierarchies. Now that the entire society is becoming hierarchal( o%a3#e
relationshi%s adhere eerywhere( whereer there was still the a%%earance ="chein> o! !reedom.
The irrationality o! the system is ex%ressed not less in the economic !ate o! %artic#lar indiid#als
=*in:elnen> than in the %arasitic %sychology o! s#ch. *arlier( when there was still something li$e
the disre%#table bo#rgeois se%aration o! occ#%ation and %riate li!e( whose %assing one wo#ld
almost li$e to regret( whoeer %#rs#ed goals in their %riate li!e was eyed with distr#st( as a
lo#tish gatecrasher. Today whoeer engages in something %riate( which does not hae a
discernible goal( a%%ears as arrogant( !oreign and im%ro%er. 'hoeer isn2t 4o#t5 !or something
=wer nichts 4will5: literally( whoeer doesn2t want( wish( intend to do something> is almost
s#s%ect: noone tr#sts anyone else to hel% them get by( witho#t legitimating themseles thro#gh
co#nter.claims. ;yriads o! %eo%le ma$e their liing o#t o! a condition( which !ollows the
li3#idation o! occ#%ations. These are the nice %eo%le( the %o%#lar ones( who are !riends with all(
the 8#st ones( who exc#se eery sort o! meanness as 4h#man5 =in *nglish in original> and
incorr#%tibly de!ame eery non.normali:ed im%#lse as 4sentimental5 =in *nglish in original>.
They are indis%ensable than$s to their $nowledge o! all the channels and bac$ doors o! %ower(
they g#ess its most secret 8#dgements and lie o!! the dextro#s comm#nication o! s#ch. They are
to be !o#nd in all %olitical cam%s( een there( where the re8ection o! the system is ta$en !or
granted and !or that reason a lax and c#nning con!ormism o! its own has deelo%ed. <!ten they
win oer %eo%le thro#gh a certain beneolence( thro#gh the sym%athetic sharing o! the li!e o!
others: sel!lessness as s%ec#lation. They are cleer( witty( sensible and !lexible@ they hae
%olished the old trader.s%irit with the achieements o! the day.be!ore.yesterday2s %sychology.
They are ready !or anything( een loe( yet always !aithlessly. They betray not !rom instinct#al
dries( b#t !rom %rinci%le: they al#e een themseles as a %ro!it( which they do not wish to
share with anyone else. They are bo#nd to the "%irit =Geist> with a!!inity and hate: they are a
tem%tation !or the tho#ght!#l( b#t also their worst enemies. 7or they are the ones who s#btly
a%%rehend and des%oil the last hiding.%laces o! resistance( the ho#rs which remain !ree !rom the
demands o! the machinery. Their belated indiid#alism %oisons what still remains o! the
indiid#ated =1ndiid##m: indiid#al( the indiid#ated>.
)
Final clarity. 9 The news%a%er obit#ary !or a b#sinessman once read: 4The breadth o! his
conscience com%eted with the goodness o! his heart.5 The la%se committed by the mo#rners in
the rare!ied( eleated lang#age called !or at s#ch times( the inol#ntary admission that the $ind.
hearted deceased was deoid o! a conscience( ex%edites the !#neral %rocession on the shortest
%ath to the land o! tr#th. 'hen a man o! adanced age becomes !amo#s !or being es%ecially
benign =abge$lIrt: clari!ied( mellowed>( one can %res#me that his li!e re%resented a series o!
scandals. ?e has gotten #sed to o#trage. The broad conscience %asses itsel! o!! as greatness o!
mind ='either:ig$eit>( which !orgies eerything( beca#se it #nderstands it all too well. A 3#id
%ro 3#o ste%s between one2s own g#ilt and that o! others( which is resoled in !aor o! whoeer
got the best o! the deal. A!ter s#ch a long li!e( one 8#st can2t disting#ish who did what to whom.
1n the abstract re%resentation o! #niersal in8#stice( eery concrete res%onsibility colla%ses. The
sco#ndrel twists it aro#nd( as i! he ex%erienced it himsel!: i! yo# only $new( yo#ng man( what
li!e is really li$e. Those howeer who are already disting#ished in the middle o! li!e by s%ecial
beneolence( are #s#ally drawing an adance on s#ch benignity =Abge$lIrtheit>. 'hoeer is not
eil( does not lie benignly =abge$lIrt>( b#t in a %ec#liarly bash!#l manner( hardened and
intolerant. D#e to a lac$ o! a%%ro%riate ob8ects( the latter hardly $nows any other ex%ression o!
their loe than the hatred o! ina%%ro%riate ones( thro#gh which they admittedly come to resemble
what they hate. The bo#rgeoisie howeer is tolerant. Their loe !or %eo%le( as they are( originates
in the hatred o! right!#l h#man beings.
5
Doctor# that is kind of you. 9 Nothing is harmless anymore. The small 8oys( the ex%ressions o!
li!e( which seemed to be exem%t !rom the res%onsibility o! tho#ght( not only hae a moment o!
de!iant silliness( o! the cold.hearted t#rning o! a blind eye( b#t immediately enter the serice o!
their most extreme o%%osite. *en the tree which blooms( lies( the moment that one %erceies its
bloom witho#t the shadow o! horror@ een the innocent 4?ow bea#ti!#l5 becomes an exc#se !or
the ignominy o! existence( which is otherwise( and there is no longer any bea#ty or any
consolation( exce%t in the ga:e which goes straight to the horror( withstands it( and in the
#ndiminished conscio#sness o! negatiity( holds !ast to the %ossibility o! that which is better.
;istr#st is adisable towards eerything which is #nsel!conscio#s( cas#al( towards eerything
which inoles letting go( im%lying ind#lgence towards the s#%remacy o! the existent
=*xistierende>. The malign dee%er meaning o! com!ort( which at one time was limited to the
toasts o! co:y sociability( has long since s%read to !riendlier im%#lses. 'hen in the chance
conersation with a man on the train( one ac3#iesces( in order to aoid a 3#arrel( to a co#%le o!
sentences which one $nows #ltimately certi!y m#rder( is already an act o! treachery@ no tho#ght
is imm#ne against its comm#nication( and #ttering it at the wrong %lace and in the context o! a
!alse agreement is eno#gh to #nderc#t its tr#th. *ery isit to the cinema( des%ite the #tmost
watch!#lness( leaes me d#mber and worse than be!ore. "ociability itsel! is a %artici%ant in
in8#stice( inso!ar as it %retends we can still tal$ with each other in a !ro:en world( and the
!li%%ant( ch#mmy word contrib#tes to the %er%et#ation o! silence( inso!ar as the concessions to
those being addressed debase the latter once more as s%ea$ers. The eil %rinci%le which has
always l#r$ed in a!!ability deelo%s( in the egalitarian "%irit =Geist>( into its !#ll bestiality.
Aondescension and ma$ing onesel! o#t as no better are the same. By ada%ting to the wea$nesses
o! the o%%ressed( one con!irms in s#ch wea$nesses the %rere3#isite o! domination( and deelo%s
in onesel! the meas#re o! barbarity( thic$headedness and ca%acity to in!lict iolence re3#ired to
exercise domination. 1!( in the latest era( the gest#re o! condescension is dis%ensed with( and
solely ada%tation becomes isible( then it is %recisely in s#ch a %er!ect screening o! %ower that
the class.relationshi%( howeer denied( brea$s thro#gh all the more irreconcilably. 7or
intellect#als( #nswering isolation is the only !orm in which they can o#chsa!e a meas#re o!
solidarity. All o! the %laying along( all o! the h#manity o! interaction and %artici%ation is the
mere mas$ o! the tacit acce%tance o! inh#manity. <ne sho#ld be #nited with the s#!!ering o!
h#man beings: the smallest ste% to their 8oys is one towards the hardening o! s#!!ering.
J
$ntithesis. 9 7or those who do not %lay along( there exists the danger o! considering themseles
better than others and mis#sing their criti3#e o! society as an ideology !or their own %riate
interest. 'hile !eeling their way towards ma$ing their own existence into the !lic$ering %ict#re
o! the right one( they sho#ld remain aware o! its ins#bstantiality and $now how little the %ict#re
can re%lace the right li!e. "#ch considerations howeer contradict the graitational !orce o! what
is bo#rgeois within them. Those who are at a distance are as entangled as those who are actiely
engaged@ the !ormer hae nothing oer the latter( exce%t the insight into their entanglement and
the ha%%iness o! the tiny !reedom( which lies in the recognition as s#ch. Their own distance !rom
b#siness as #s#al is a l#x#ry( solely s%#n o!! by that b#siness as #s#al. That is why eery im%#lse
towards sel!.withdrawal bears the mar$s o! what is negated. The coldness which it m#st deelo%
is not to be se%arated !rom the bo#rgeois one. 1n the monadological %rinci%le( een where it
%rotests( l#r$s the r#ling generality. +ro#st2s obseration( that the %hotogra%hs o! the
grand!athers o! a d#$e and a ,ew !rom the entre%rene#rial class loo$ so similar( that noone thin$s
o! the social ran$ing order( stri$es at a !ar more com%rehensie state o! a!!airs ="acherhalt>: all
o! those di!!erences which com%rised the ha%%iness( indeed the moral s#bstance( o! indiid#al
existence( ob8ectiely disa%%ear behind the #nity o! the e%och. 'e detect the decay o! ed#cation(
and yet o#r %rose( meas#red against ,acob Grimm or Bacho!en( has %hraseologies in common
with the c#lt#re.ind#stry which we did not s#s%ect. ;oreoer we no longer $now Gree$ or 6atin
li$e 'ol! or Eirchho!!. 'e %oint o#t the transition o! ciili:ation into anal%habetism and
o#rseles !orget to write letters or to read a text o! ,ean +a#l( as it m#st hae been read in his
time. 'e abhor the coarsening o! li!e( b#t the absence o! any ob8ectiely binding common
decency ="itte: morals> com%els #s at eery ste% into modes o! cond#ct( s%eech and calc#lation
which are barbaric( meas#red by h#mane standards( and tactless( een by the d#bio#s standards
o! the good society. 'ith the dissol#tion o! liberalism( the a#thentic bo#rgeois %rinci%le( that o!
com%etition( was not oercome( b#t %assed oer !rom the ob8ectiity o! social %rocesses into the
com%osition =Bescha!!enheit: character( constit#tion> o! %#shing and shoing atoms 9 into
anthro%ology( as it were. The s#b8#gation o! li!e to the %rod#ction.%rocess degradingly in!licts
something o! that isolation and loneliness on eery single %erson( which we are tem%ted to
consider the matter o! o#r s#%erior choice. The notion that eery single %erson considers
themseles better in their %artic#lar interest than all others( is as long.standing a %iece o!
bo#rgeois ideology as the oerestimation o! others as higher than onesel!( 8#st beca#se they are
the comm#nity o! all c#stomers. "ince the old bo#rgeois class has abdicated( both lead their
a!terli!e in the "%irit =Geist> o! intellect#als( who are at the same time the last enemies o! the
bo#rgeois( and the last bo#rgeois. By allowing themseles to still thin$ at all is.a.is the na$ed
re%rod#ction o! existence( they behae as the %riileged@ by leaing things in tho#ght( they
declare the n#llity o! their %riilege. The %riate existence( which yearns to loo$ li$e one worthy
o! h#man beings( sim#ltaneo#sly betrays the latter( beca#se the similarity o! the general
im%lementation is withdrawn( which more than eer be!ore re3#ires an inde%endent sensibility
=Besinn#ng>. There is no exit !rom the entanglement. The only res%onsible o%tion is to deny
onesel! the ideological mis#se o! one2s own existence( and as !or the rest( to behae in %riate as
modestly( incons%ic#o#sly and #n%retentio#sly as re3#ired( not !or reasons o! good #%bringing(
b#t beca#se o! the shame that when one is in hell( there is still air to breathe.
K
They# the people. =in *nglish in original> 9 The circ#mstance that intellect#als mostly deal with
other intellect#als sho#ld not mislead them into thin$ing they are worse than the rest o!
h#manity. 7or they enco#nter one another %rimarily in the most embarrassing and degrading
sit#ation o! all( that o! com%eting s#%%licants( and are thereby nearly always com%elled to show
their worst side to each other. <ther %eo%le( es%ecially the sim%le !ol$ whose irt#es intellect#als
are wont to %raise( #s#ally meet them in the role o! someone trying to sell them something( who
doesn2t hae to worry abo#t the c#stomer horning in on their t#r!. 1t is easy !or the a#to mechanic
and the sales.girl at the li3#or store to remain !ree o! im%#dence: !riendliness is in any case
mandated !rom aboe. 1! on the other hand illiterates come to intellect#als in order to hae letters
written( these latter may indeed ma$e a reasonably good im%ression. B#t the moment sim%le !ol$
hae to brawl !or their share o! the social %rod#ct( they s#r%ass anything in the canon o! eny
and hate!#lness dis%layed by literati or m#sical directors. The glori!ication o! the s%lendid
underdogs =in *nglish in original> ends #% in glori!ying the s%lendid system which made them
so. The 8#sti!iable !eelings o! g#ilt o! those exem%ted !rom %hysical labor o#ght not become an
exc#se !or r#ral idiocy =!amo#s %hrase #sed by ;arx to describe the stagnation o! %easant li!e>.
1ntellect#als who write solely abo#t intellect#als and gie them their bad name in the name o!
that which is a#thentic =*chtheit> only strengthen the lie. A large %art o! the %reailing anti.
intellect#alism and irrationalism( all the way to ?#xley( is set in motion by the !act that writers
com%lain abo#t the mechanism o! com%etition witho#t themseles being able to see thro#gh the
latter( and so !all ictim to s#ch. 1n the !ield most their own( they hae sh#t o#t the conscio#sness
o! tat t"am asi =4Tho# art this5( 3#ote !rom G%anishads>. That is why they then r#sh into 1ndian
tem%les.
L
%f &ad &oys should tempt you. 9 There is an amor intellect#alis =6atin: abstract loe> !or the
$itchen sta!!( the tem%tation !or those who wor$ theoretically or artistically( to relax the
intellect#al =geistigen> claim on onesel!( to lower one2s niea#( to !ollow all manner o! %latit#des
in the matter ="ache> and ex%ression( which one had re8ected as an alert a%%raiser. "ince no
categories( not een that o! c#ltiation =Bild#ng: ed#cation>( can be %roscribed to intellect#als
anymore( and a tho#sand demands o! h#stle and b#stle endanger the concentration( the e!!ort o!
%rod#cing something with a meas#re o! integrity is so great( that scarcely anyone is still ca%able
o! it. The %ress#re o! con!ormity( which b#rdens eeryone who %rod#ces something( !#rthers
lowers their demands on themseles. The center o! intellect#al =geistigen> sel!.disci%line as s#ch
is #nderstood to be disintegrating. The taboos which com%rised the intellect#al =geistigen> stat#re
o! a h#man being( o!ten sedimented ex%eriences and #nartic#lated recognitions( direct
themseles contin#o#sly against one2s own im%#lses( which one learned to condemn( which
howeer are so strong( that only an #n3#estioning and #n3#estionable 8#ridics =1nstan:> can halt
them. 'hat a%%lies to the li!e o! the instinct#al dries( a%%lies no less to the li!e o! the mind: the
%ainter and com%oser( who !orbid themseles the #se o! this or that color combination or chord
contrast as $itschy( the a#thor who !inds that a ling#istic con!ig#ration gets on their neres as
banal or %edantic( react so !orce!#lly beca#se there are layers within them which are drawn by
s#ch. The re8ection o! the hegemonic oergrowth o! c#lt#re %res#mes that one has %artici%ated
eno#gh in the latter to !eel it in one2s !ingerti%s( as it were( sim#ltaneo#sly drawing !rom this
%artici%ation the !orces to dismiss it. These !orces( which ma$e their a%%earance as s#ch in
indiid#al resistance( are !or that reason by no means o! a merely indiid#al sort. The intellect#al
conscience( in which they are integrated( has a social moment so m#ch as the moral s#%erego. 1t
crystalli:es in the conce%tion =&orstell#ng> o! the right society and its citi:ens. 1! this conce%tion
is set aside 9 and who co#ld still blindly s#bscribe to it 9 then the intellect#al com%#lsion
towards the bottom loses its inhibitions( and all the 8#n$ which the barbaric c#lt#re has le!t
behind in the indiid#ated =1ndiid##m> comes into iew: hal!.ed#cation( laxness( cloddish
tr#st!#lness( shoddiness. ;ostly it is rationali:ed as h#manity( as the wish to ma$e onesel!
#nderstandable to other h#man beings( as cosmo%olitan res%onsibility. B#t the sacri!ice o!
intellect#al sel!.disci%line is borne !ar too easily( to really beliee that it is indeed one. This is
drastically eident when obsering intellect#als whose material sit#ation has changed: as soon as
they hae coninced themseles een the slightest bit that they m#st earn a liing by writing and
nothing else( they send the same 8#n$ into the world( down to the last n#ances( which in their
l#sher times they once deno#nced with the #tmost !erocity. *ntirely li$e !ormerly wealthy
emigres( who can !inally be as greedy in !oreign lands as they always wanted to be at home( so
do those who are im%oerished in "%irit =Geiste> march enth#siastically into the hell( which is
their heaen.
C
$&o'e all one thing# my child. 9 'hat is #nmoral abo#t lies does not consist o! the in8#ry to the
sacrosanct tr#th. No society which !orces its com%#lsory members to hand themseles oer with
lang#age( in order to oerta$e them that m#ch more 3#ic$ly( has the right to call on s#ch. 1t does
not be!it #niersal #ntr#th( to insist on the %artic#lar tr#th( while nonetheless inerting the latter
straightaway into its o%%osite. 1n s%ite o! this( something re%ellent clings to the lie( and tho#gh
the conscio#sness o! this was indeed beaten into one with the old whi%( this sim#ltaneo#sly said
something abo#t the master o! the d#ngeon. The mista$e lies in all too m#ch honesty. 'hoeer
lies( is ashamed( beca#se in eery lie they m#st ex%erience what is degrading in the existing state
o! the world( which com%els them to lie( i! they wish to lie( while warbling 4Be eer tr#e and
honest5 =song scored by ;o:art> in their ear. "#ch shame sa%s the energy o! the lies o! those who
are more s#btly organi:ed. They do it badly( and only thereby does the lie come to be gen#inely
#nmoral !or others. 1t s#ggests the !ormer thin$ the latter are st#%id( and seres to ex%ress
disres%ect. Among today2s c#nning %ractitioners( the lie has long since lost its honest !#nction( o!
concealing something real. Noone beliees anyone( eeryone is in the loo%. 6ies are told only
when someone wants others to $now they aren2t im%ortant( that the !ormer does not need the
latter( and does not care what they thin$. Today the lie( once a liberal means o! comm#nication(
has become one o! the techni3#es o! bra:enness( with whose hel% eery single %erson s%reads the
iciness( in whose shelter they thrie.
/0
Separated(united. 9 ;arriage( whose des%icable %arody lies on in a time when the basis o! the
h#man right o! marriage has been withdrawn( seres today mostly as a tric$ o! sel!.%reseration:
each o! the two cons%irators de!lects the res%onsibility !or any illainy which they might commit
onto the other( while in tr#th they exist together o%a3#ely and swam%ily. The only %ro%er
marriage wo#ld be one( in which both hae an inde%endent li!e !or themseles( witho#t the
!#sion which rests on an economically com%#lsory comm#nity o! interest( b#t which instead
wo#ld inole ta$ing m#t#al res%onsibility !or each other o#t o! !reedom. ;arriage as a
comm#nity o! interest inexorably signi!ies the degradation o! the interested %arties( and what is
%er!idio#s abo#t the existing state o! a!!airs( is that noone( een i! one $new o! this( can aoid
s#ch degradation. "ometimes one might entertain the tho#ght that it is only those who are
emanci%ated !rom the %#rs#it o! interests( that is to say the rich( who retain the %ossibility o! a
marriage witho#t shame. B#t this %ossibility is entirely !ormal( beca#se those who are %riileged
are %recisely the ones to whom the %#rs#it o! interests has become second nat#re 9 otherwise
they wo#ld not maintain their %riileges.
//
Ta&le and &ed. 9 As soon as h#man beings diorce( een the most $ind.hearted( !riendly and
ed#cated ones( a clo#d o! d#st enshro#ds and da#bs eerything it to#ches. 1t is as i! the s%here o!
intimacy( the inattentie tr#st o! the common li!e is trans!ormed into a %oisono#s s#bstance( once
the relationshi%s are bro$en( in which they rested. 'hat is intimate between h#man beings is
com%assion( %atience( re!#ge !or %ersonal characteristics. 1! it is distorted( then the moment o!
wea$ness therein hoes into iew( and d#ring diorces s#ch a t#rn towards the o#tside is
#naoidable. Things which were once signs o! loing care( %ict#res o! reconciliation( ma$e
themseles s#ddenly sel!.standing as al#es and show their eil( cold and %ernicio#s side. A!ter
se%arations( %ro!essors brea$ into the dwellings o! their wies( in order to carry o!! ob8ects !rom
the des$( and well.a%%ointed ladies deno#nce their men !or tax.easion. 1! marriage a!!orded one
o! the last %ossibilities o! constr#cting h#mane cells in the inh#man generality( then the
generality reenges itsel! in its disassembly =Ber!all>( by ta$ing control o! that which was
a%%arently an exce%tion( the alienated social orders o! 8#stice and %ro%erty which #nderlies it and
which %o#rs scorn on those who tho#ght themseles sec#re !rom it. +recisely that which is
sa!eg#arded t#rns into the cr#el re3#isite o! being sacri!iced. The more 4genero#sly5 the
loebirds originally behaed with each other( the less thay tho#ght o! ownershi% and obligation(
the more horrid the h#miliation. 7or it is een in the realm o! the 8#ridically #nde!ined( in
3#arrel( de!amation( in the endless con!lict o! interests !lo#rishes. *erything shadowy( on whose
gro#nd the instit#tion o! marriage is raised( the barbaric access o! the man to the %ro%erty and
labor o! the woman( the not less barbaric sex#al o%%ression( which tendentially com%els the man
to ta$e li!elong res%onsibility !or someone with whom he once too$ %leas#re in slee%ing with 9
this this crawls o#t o! the cellars and !#ndaments into the o%en( when the ho#se is demolished.
Those who once ex%erienced the good generality in the restricted belonging to each other( are
now com%elled by the society to consider themseles sco#ndrels and to learn( that they are the
same as the gneerality o! #nrestricted nastiness o#tside. The generality %roes itsel! in diorce as
the mar$ o! shame o! the %artic#lar( beca#se the %artic#lar( marriage( is not ca%able o! reali:ing
the tr#e generality in this society.
/2
%nter pares. 9 =6atin: among e3#als> 1n the realm o! erotic 3#alities( a real#ation seems to be
occ#rring. Gnder liberalism( well into o#r day( married men !rom high society who were
#nsatis!ied with their strictly bro#ght #% and correct s%o#ses absoled themseles in the
com%any o! !emale artists( bohemians( s#gar babies =sFsse ;Ideln: sweet maidens> and cocottes.
'ith the rationali:ation o! society this %ossibility o! #nregimented ha%%iness has disa%%eared.
The cocottes are extinct( the s#gar babies %robably neer existed in Anglo."axon co#ntries and
other lands o! technical ciili:ation( while the !emale artists and those bohemians who exist
%arasitically in the mass c#lt#re are so thoro#ghly %ermeated with the latter2s reason( that those
who !lee in longing to their anarchy( to the !ree accessibility o! their own #se.al#e( are in danger
o! wa$ing #% to the obligation o! engaging them as assistants( i! not at least recommending them
to a !ilm.exec#tie or scri%twriter they $now. The only ones who are still ca%able o! something
li$e irrational loe are %recisely those ladies who the s%o#ses once !led on exc#rsions to
;axim2s =;axim: !amo#s resta#rant in +aris>. 'hile they are as tiresome to their own h#sbands(
d#e to the latter2s !a#lt( as their own mothers( they are at least ca%able o! granting to others( what
all others hae withheld !rom them. The long since !rigid libertine re%resents b#siness( while the
%ro%er and well bro#ght #% lady re%resents yearning and #nromantic sex#ality. 1n the end( the
ladies o! society garner the honor o! their dishonor( in the moment when there is no more society
and no more ladies.
/H
$id# assistance and ad'ice. ! *ery intellect#al in emigration is( witho#t exce%tion( damaged(
and i! one does not wish to be ta#ght a cr#el lesson behind the airtight doors o! one2s sel!.esteem(
wo#ld do well to recogni:e this. <ne lies in an enironment which necessarily remains
incom%rehensible( een i! one can manage to !ind their way among trade #nion organi:ations or
a#tomobile tra!!ic@ one is !oreer getting lost. Between the re%rod#ction o! one2s own li!e #nder
the mono%oly o! mass.c#lt#re and ob8ectie( res%onsible wor$ there lies an irreconcilable breach.
<ne2s lang#age has been ex%ro%riated and the historical ta%root !rom which one deried their
%owers o! cognition has been ta$en away. The isolation becomes worse( the more that closed and
%olitically.directed gro#%s !orm( s#s%icio#s o! their own members( hostile towards those branded
as the members o! others. The share o! the social s#r%l#s allocated to !oreigners is neer eno#gh
to go aro#nd and dries them into a ho%eless secondary com%etition amongst themseles( in the
midst o! the more general one. All this leaes telltale mar$s on eery indiid#al. 'hoeer
esca%es the shame o! being red#ced to the lowest common denominator =Gleichschalt#ng:
4leeling5( notorio#s term o! Na:i %ro%aganda> bears this exce%tional condition as their
%artic#lar brand: as an ill#sory and #nreal existence in the li!e.%rocess o! society. The relations
between those who hae been ex%elled are een more %oisoned than between those who are
long.standing residents. All metrics become !alse( the ision bl#rs. That which is %riate asserts
itsel! im%ro%erly( hectically( am%ire.li$e %recisely beca#se it no longer really exists and
con#lsiely wants to %roe otherwise. That which is %#blic is consigned to the #ns%o$en oath o!
!ealty on the %#blic %lat!orm. The ga:e ta$es on the as%ect o! that which is manic and at the same
time cold in all gras%ing( deo#ring( commandeering. Nothing hel%s o#tside o! the stead!ast
diagnosis o! onesel! and o! others@ the attem%t( thro#gh conscio#sness( to not so m#ch el#de the
calamity as to de%rie it o! its catastro%hic iolence( that o! blindness. <ne sho#ld exercise the
most extreme ca#tion in choosing one2s %riate circle( inso!ar as one has a choice at all. <ne
sho#ld beware aboe all o! see$ing o#t in!l#ential ty%es !rom whom 4one can ex%ect
something.5 The eye !or %otential adantages is the mortal enemy o! the constr#ction o!
relationshi%s worthy o! h#man dignity@ tho#gh solidarity and consideration !or others may ens#e
!rom these latter( they can neer originate in tho#ghts o! %ractical deals. No less dangero#s are
the mirror images o! %ower( the lac$eys( toadies and leeches who ma$e themseles agreeable to
those better o!! than themseles( in an archaic manner which co#ld only !lo#rish in the
econonomically extraterritoriali:ed conditions o! emigration. 'hile they bring their %rotector
small adantages( they drag him down as soon as they are acce%ted( an eer.%resent tem%tation
which is exacerbated by his own hel%lessness while abroad. 1! the esoteric gest#re in *#ro%e was
o!ten merely a %retext !or the blindest sel!.interest( the conce%t o! austerit) =7rench: a#sterity>(
tho#gh !ar !rom being com%letely sea.worthy( remains neertheless the most s#itable li!eboat.
<nly a ery !ew hae( o! co#rse( an a%%ro%riate cra!t at their dis%osal. ;ost o! those who climb
aboard are threatened with staration or madness.
/)
*e &ourgeois re'enant. 9 =7rench: the ret#rning bo#rgeois> The 7ascist regimes o! the !irst hal! o!
the 20
th
cent#ry hae abs#rdly stabili:ed an obsolete economic !orm( m#lti%lying the terror and
misery the latter re3#ired !or its contin#ed %reseration( now that its senselessness is %lain as
day. +riate li!e howeer is also mar$ed by this. Along with the reach o! administration( the
as%hyxiating social order o! the %riate( the %artic#larism o! interests( the long since obsolete
!orm o! the !amily( the right o! %ro%erty and its re!lection in the character hae all been shored #%
once more. B#t with a bad conscience( the barely disg#ised conscio#sness o! #ntr#th. 'hateer
was once good and %ro%er in what was bo#rgeois 9 inde%endence( %ersistence( thin$ing ahead(
consideration 9 is rotten to its innermost core. 7or while bo#rgeois !orms o! existence are
doggedly %resered( their economic %rere3#isites hae !allen away. That which is %riate has
gone oer com%letely into that %riation( which it secretly always was( and the st#bborn gri% on
one2s own interest is intermingled with the rage that one is no longer ca%able o! %erceiing that
things co#ld be di!!erent and better. The bo#rgeoisie hae lost their naiete( and !or that reason
hae become wholly obd#rate and maleolent. The beneolent hand which een now cares !or
and no#rishes their little garden as i! it had not long ago t#rned into a 4lot5 =in *nglish in
original>( b#t !ear!#lly holds the #n$nown intr#der at a distance( is already that which re!#ses to
grant the %olitical re!#gee asyl#m. <b8ectiely threatened( the %ower elite and their !#nctionaries
become s#b8ectiely #tterly inh#man. Th#s the class comes into itsel! and ma$es the destroying
will o! the co#rse o! the world into its own. The bo#rgeoisie lie on li$e ghosts who threaten
catastro%he.
/5
*e nou'el a'are. 9 =7rench: the new miser> There are two $inds o! greed. <ne is the archaic $ind(
the %assion which begr#dges nothing to onesel! and others( whose %hysiognomic traits were
immortali:ed by ;oliere and theori:ed by 7re#d as the anal character. 1t comes to !r#ition in the
miser =in *nglish in original>( the beggar who secretly owns millions( who is the %#ritanical
mas$( as it were( o! the mysterio#s cali%h o#t o! !airy.tales. The miser is related to the collector(
the manic one or the great loer( li$e Gobsec$ is to *sther =characters in Bal:ac noel>. Now and
then one still r#ns across them as c#riosities in the local section o! the news%a%er. The greedy o!
today regard nothing as too ex%ensie !or themseles( b#t eerything as too ex%ensie !or others.
They thin$ in e3#ialencies( and their entire %riate li!e stands #nder the law o! giing less than
they get bac$( b#t always 8#st eno#gh to get bac$ something. *ery little !aor they dis%ense is
mar$ed by an #ns%o$en( 4is that really necessaryM5( 4do 1 really hae toM5. Their s#rest sign is
the r#sh to reenge themseles !or some consideration they hae receied( in order to !orestall
een the slightest ga% in that chain o! exchange.acts( by which one is reimb#rsed. Beca#se
eerything is rational =in *nglish in original> and b#sinessli$e with them( they are 9 #nli$e
?ar%agon and "crooge 9 neither to be conicted nor conerted. Their amiability is a meas#re o!
their im%lacability. 'hen %#sh comes to shoe( they %#t themseles irre!#tably in the right and
t#rn the law into in8#stice( while the madness o! the shabby s$in!lint had the redeeming !eat#re
that( according to the tendency( the gold in the cash.box drew thiees to it( indeed that its %assion
co#ld be stilled only in sacri!ice and loss( 8#st as the erotic desire !or %ossession is stilled in sel!.
abandonment. The greedy o! today howeer no longer %ractice asceticism as excess( b#t with
ca#tion. They are ins#red.
/J
+n the dialectic of tact. 9 Goethe( who was 3#ite aware o! the threatening im%ossibility o! all
h#man relationshi%s in the dawning ind#strial society( so#ght to re%resent tact in the 'ilhelm
;eister noels as the %roidential in!ormation =rettende A#s$#n!t: resc#ing in!ormation( saing
accommodation> between alienated h#man beings. This in!ormation seemed to him as one with
relin3#ishment( with ren#nciation o! #ndiminished closeness( %assion and #nbro$en ha%%iness.
To him( what was h#mane consisted o! a sel!.restriction( which ad8#dicated the #naoidable
co#rse o! history 9 the inh#manity o! %rogress( the atro%hy o! the s#b8ect 9 as its own a!!air
="ache>. B#t what has occ#rred since then ma$es Goethean relin3#ishment loo$ li$e !#l!illment.
Tact and h#manity 9 to him the same 9 hae meanwhile gone down %recisely the road which(
according to his belie!( they were to %resere #s !rom. 7or tact has its %recise historical ho#r. 1t is
the one in which the bo#rgeois indiid#ated =1ndiid##m> rid itsel! o! absol#tist com%#lsion.
7ree and solitary( it stood !or itsel!( while the !orms o! hierarchical res%ect and deotion
deelo%ed by absol#tism( diested o! their economic !o#ndation and their threatening !orce( are
still extant eno#gh to ma$e liing together inside %riileged gro#%s bearable. "#ch a %aradoxical
o%ening deb#t =*instand>( as it were( o! absol#tism and liberality can be detected eerywhere
!rom 'ilhelm ;eister to Beethoen2s attit#de towards the conentional schemata o! m#sical
com%osition( and indeed een in the logic o! Eant2s s#b8ectie reconstr#ction o! ob8ectiely
binding ideas. Beethoen2s reg#lar reca%it#lations !ollowing dynamic deelo%ments( Eant2s
ded#ction o! the scholastic categories o#t o! the #nity o! conscio#sness( are in an eminent sense
4tact!#l5. The %rere3#isite o! tact is a conention which is both !ract#red and yet still extant. This
has now irretrieably decayed( and lies on only in the %arody o! !orms( a ca%ricio#sly dreamed
#% or recollected eti3#ette !or the ignorant( li$e the %reaching o! adice col#mnists in
news%a%ers( while the common #nderstanding which might hae borne those conentions in
their h#mane ho#r has %assed oer into the blind con!ormity o! a#to.owners and radio listeners.
The dying o#t o! the ceremonial moment a%%ears at !irst glance to bene!it tact. The latter is
emanci%ated !rom eerything heteronomo#s( eerything which is rote learning in the bad sense
=schlecht A#swendigen>( and tact!#l behaior co#ld only be one which g#ided itsel! according to
the s%eci!ic constit#tie !eat#res =Bescha!!enheit> o! each h#man relationshi%. "#ch emanci%ated
tact howeer r#ns into the same di!!ic#lties which eerywhere %lag#e nominalism. Tact meant
not sim%ly s#bordination to ceremonial conention: the latter has been #nstintingly ironi:ed by
all modern h#manists. The achieement o! tact was on the contrary as %aradoxical as its
historical %osition. 1t demanded the act#ally im%ossible reconciliation between the
#na#thenticated claim o! conention and the #nr#ly one o! the indiid#ated =1ndiid##ms>. Tact
co#ld not at all be meas#red( o#tside o! that conention. This latter re%resented( howeer
ins#bstantially( that which is general( which com%rises the s#bstance o! the indiid#al claim. Tact
is the determination o! di!!erence. 1t consists o! $nowing deiations. B#t when( once
emanci%ated( it con!ronts the indiid#ated absol#tely( witho#t a generality !rom which it co#ld
be deci%hered( it !alls short o! the indiid#ated and !inally does the latter in8#stice. The in3#iry
into one2s health( when this is no longer re3#ired and ex%ected by one2s #%bringing( t#rns into
nosiness or an ins#lt( and the silence on to#chy s#b8ects t#rns into em%ty indi!!erence( as soon as
no r#le goerns what one sho#ld or sho#ld not s%ea$ abo#t. 1ndiid#als th#s begin to react with
hostility to tact( and not witho#t reason: a certain $ind o! %oliteness does not gie them the
!eeling o! being addressed as h#man beings( b#t eo$es an int#ition o! the inh#mane condition in
which they !ind themseles( and those who are %olite r#n the ris$ o! seeming im%olite( beca#se
they still ma$e #se o! %oliteness li$e some o#tmoded %rerogatie. Gltimately( emanci%ated(
%#rely indiid#al tact t#rns into a mere lie. 'hat can be mar$ed o! it today in the indiid#ated( is
what it s%eci!ically silences 9 the act#al and still more the %otential %ower( which each %erson
embodies. Behind the demand to con!ront the indiid#ated as s#ch( witho#t any %reamble(
absol#tely as be!its s#ch( lies an eager s#%erision( chec$ing whether each word tacitly gies an
acco#nt o! what the addressee( amidst an all.encom%assing hierarchy hardened in itsel!( is
saying( and which are the addressee2s chances. The nominalism o! tact aids the tri#m%h o! that
which is most general( the na$ed reach o! administration( een in the most intimate
constellations. The write.o!! o! conentions as o#tmoded( #seless and extraneo#s ornaments only
con!irms the most extraneo#s o! all things( a li!e o! immediate domination. That the
discontin#ation o! this caricat#re in schoolboyish camaraderie ma$es existence een more
#nbearable( as the moc$ery o! !reedom( is merely a !#rther sign o! how im%ossible it has become
!or h#man beings to lie together #nder c#rrent conditions.
/K
$ll rights reser'ed. 9 The signat#re o! the e%och is that no h#man being( witho#t any exce%tion(
can determine their li!e in a somewhat trans%arent sense( as was earlier %ossible by ga#ging
mar$et relationshi%s. 1n %rinci%le eeryone( een the mightiest o! all( is an ob8ect. *en the
%ro!ession o! general a!!ords no s#re %rotection anymore. No de!enses are stringent eno#gh in
the 7ascist era to %rotect head3#arters !rom air stri$es( and commanders who behae with
traditional ca#tion are hanged by ?itler and beheaded by Ahiang Eai.she$. 1t !ollows that anyone
attem%ting to somehow ma$e it thro#gh 9 and een the contin#ation o! li!e has something
nonsensical abo#t it( as in dreams wherein one witnesses to the end o! the world and crawls o#t
a!terwards !rom an #ndergro#nd cellar 9 sho#ld sim#ltaneo#sly be %re%ared( at any moment( to
exting#ish their li!e. That is the sad tr#th which emerges !rom Barath#stra2s ex#berant doctrine o!
the !ree death. 7reedom has contracted into %#re negatiity( and what at the time o! the ,#gendstil
=art no#ea#> was $nown as dying in bea#ty( has red#ced itsel! to the wish to shorten the endless
degradation o! existence as m#ch as the endless misery o! dying( in a world in which there are
!ar worse things to !ear than death. 9 The ob8ectie end o! h#manity is only another ex%ression
!or that which is the same. 1t attests to the !act that indiid#al %ersons hae( as indiid#als 9 as
these latter re%resent the s%ecies.being =Gatt#ngswesen> o! h#manity 9 lost the a#tonomy
thro#gh which they co#ld hae reali:ed the s%ecies.
/L
$sylum for the homeless. 9 ?ow things are going !or %riate li!e today is made eident by its
arena ="cha#%lat:>. Act#ally one can no longer dwell any longer. The traditional dwellings( in
which we grew #%( hae ta$en on the as%ect o! something #nbearable: eery mar$ o! com!ort
therein is %aid !or with the betrayal o! cognition =*r$enntnis>@ eery trace o! sec#rity( with the
st#!!y comm#nity o! interest o! the !amily. The newly !#nctionali:ed ones( constr#cted as a
tab#la rasa =6atin: blan$ slate>( are cases made by technical ex%erts !or %hilistines( or !actory
sites which hae strayed into the s%here o! cons#m%tion( witho#t any relation to the dweller: they
sla% the longing !or an inde%endent existence( which anyway no longer exists( in the !ace. 'ith
%ro%hetic masochism( a German maga:ine decreed be!ore ?itler that modern h#man beings want
to lie close to the gro#nd li$e animals( abolishing( along with the bed( the bo#ndary between
wa$ing and dreaming. Those who stay oernight are aailable at all times and #nresistingly
ready !or anything( sim#ltaneo#sly alert and #nconscio#s. 'hoeer !lees into gen#ine b#t
%#rchased historical ho#sing( embalms themseles alie. Those who try to eade the
res%onsibility !or the dwelling( by moing into a hotel or into a !#rnished a%artment( ma$e a
canny norm( as it were( o#t o! the com%#lsory conditions o! emigration. Things are worst o! all(
as always( !or those who hae no choice at all. They lie( i! not exactly in sl#ms( then in
b#ngalows which tomorrow may already be thatched h#ts( trailers =in *nglish in original>( a#tos
or cam%s( resting.%laces #nder the o%en s$y. The ho#se is gone. The destr#ction o! the *#ro%ean
cities( as m#ch as the labor and concentration cam%s( are merely the exec#tors o! what the
immanent deelo%ment o! technics long ago decided !or ho#ses. These are good only to be
thrown away( li$e old tin cans. The %ossibility o! dwelling is being annihilated by that o! the
socialistic society( which( haing been missed( sets the bo#rgeois one in motion towards
catastro%he. No indiid#al %erson can do anything against it. *en those who occ#%y themseles
with !#rnit#re designs and interior decoration( wo#ld already moe in the circle o! artsy s#btlety
in the manner o! biblio%hiles( howeer o%%osed one might be against artsiness in the narrow
sense. 7rom a distance( the di!!erences between the &iennese wor$sho%s and the Ba#ha#s are no
longer so considerable. 1n the meantime( the c#res o! the %#re %#r%osie !orm hae become
inde%endent o! their !#nction and %ass oer into ornaments( 8#st li$e the basic sha%es o! A#bism.
The best cond#ct in regards to all this still a%%ears to be a nonbinding( s#s%ending one: to lead a
%riate li!e( so long as the social order o! society and one2s one needs will allow nothing else( b#t
not to %#t weight on s#ch( as i! it were still socially s#bstantial and indiid#ally a%%ro%riate. 41t
is one o! my 8oys( not to be a ho#se.owner(5 wrote Niet:sche as early as The ay Science. To this
sho#ld be added: ethics today means not being at home in one2s ho#se. This ill#strates something
o! the di!!ic#lt relationshi% which indiid#al %ersons hae is.a.is their %ro%erty( so long as they
still own anything at all. The tric$ consists o! certi!ying and ex%ressing the !act that %riate
%ro%erty no longer belongs to one %erson( in the sense that the ab#ndance o! cons#mer goods has
become %otentially so great( that no indiid#al =1ndiid##m> has the right to cling to the %rinci%le
o! their restriction@ that neertheless one m#st hae %ro%erty( i! one does not wish to land in that
de%endence and %riation( which %er%et#ates the blind contin#ation o! the relations o!
ownershi%. B#t the thesis o! this %aradox leads to destr#ction( a loeless lac$ o! attention !or
things( which necessarily t#rns against h#man beings too@ and the antithesis is already( the
moment one ex%resses it( an ideology !or those who want to $ee% what is theirs with a bad
conscience. There is no right li!e in the wrong one.
/C
Do not knock. 9 Techni!ication is ma$ing gest#res in the meantime %recise and ro#gh 9 and
thereby h#man beings. They drie all hesitation o#t o! gest#res( all consideration( all %ro%riety
=Gesitt#ng>. They are s#b8ected to the irreconcilable 9 ahistorical( as it were 9 re3#irements o!
things. Th#s one no longer learns to close a door so!tly( discreetly and yet !irmly. Those o! a#tos
and !rigidaires hae to be slammed( others hae the tendency to sna% bac$ by themseles and
th#s im%osing on those who enter the inciility o! not loo$ing behind them( o! not %rotecting the
interior o! the ho#se which receies them. <ne cannot acco#nt !or the newest h#man ty%es
witho#t an #nderstanding o! the things in the enirons which they contin#ally enco#nter( all the
way into their most secret innerations. 'hat does it mean !or the s#b8ect( that there are no
window sh#tters anymore( which can be o%ened( b#t only !rames to be br#s3#ely shoed( no
gentle latches b#t only handles to be t#rned( no !ront lawn( no barrier against the street( no wall
aro#nd the gardenM And which a#to.drier has not !elt the tem%tation( in the %ower o! the motor(
to r#n oer the ermin o! the street 9 %assersby( children( bicyclistsM 1n the moements which
machines demand !rom their o%erators( lies already that which is iolent( crashing( %ro%#lsiely
#nceasing in 7ascist mistreatment. Not the least !a#lt !or the dying o#t o! ex%erience is d#e to the
!act that things ass#me a !orm #nder the law o! their %#r%osieness which restrict their
interaction to mere a%%lication( witho#t the s#r%l#s 9 were it that o! !reedom o! behaior( were it
that o! the a#tonomy o! the thing 9 which might s#rie as the $ernel o! ex%erience( beca#se it is
not cons#med by the moment o! action.
20
Stru""elpeter. ="hoc$.headed +eter( story by ?o!!man> 9 'hen ?#me so#ght to de!end
e%istemological contem%lation against his #rbane *nglish contem%oraries( something eer and
anon disre%#table to gentlemen =in *nglish in original> as 4%#re %hiloso%hy5( he #sed the
arg#ment: 4Acc#racy is( in eery case( adantageo#s to bea#ty( and 8#st reasoning to delicate
sentiment.5 That was itsel! %ragmatic( and yet it contains im%licitly and negatiely the entire
tr#th concerning the "%irit =Geist> o! %raxis. 1n the %ro!it.based economy( the %ractical social
orders =<rdn#ngen> o! li!e( while claiming to bene!it h#man beings( ca#se what is h#man to
wither( and the wider they s%read( the more they c#t o!! eerything which is tender. 7or
tenderness between h#man beings is nothing other than the conscio#sness o! the %ossibility o!
non.%#r%osie relations( which stri$es those who are ca#ght #% in %#r%oses as consolation@ the
legacy o! ancient %riileges( which %romises a condition witho#t %riilege. The abolition o!
%riilege by the bo#rgeois ratio #ltimately abolishes this %romise too. 'hen time is money( it
seems the right thing to do to sae time( aboe all one2s own( and one exc#ses s#ch thri!tiness
with all d#e res%ect !or the other. <ne is straight!orward. *ery eil which ste%s between h#man
beings cond#cting b#siness is !elt to be a dist#rbance o! the !#nctioning o! the a%%arat#s( in
which they are not only ob8ectiely incor%orated( b#t to which they belong with %ride. That they
greet each other with the hellos o! tried.and.tr#e indi!!erence instead o! do!!ing their hats( that
they send each other intero!!ice memos deoid o! addresses or signat#res instead o! letters( are
the endemic sym%toms o! the sic$ness o! contact. Alienation mani!ests itsel! in h#man beings
%recisely in the !act that distances !all away. 7or only so long as they are not oerwhelmed with
giing and ta$ing( disc#ssion and concl#sion( access and !#nction( wo#ld eno#gh s%ace remain
between them !or that !ine mesh o! threads( which connects them to each other( and whereby that
which is external =A#swendige> tr#ly crystalli:es as what is assimilated =1nwendiges>.
Reactionaries s#ch as the !ollowers o! A.G. ,#ng hae noticed something o! this. 41t is a ty%ical
!eat#re(5 goes an ,ranos essay by G. R. ?eyers( 4o! those not !#lly !ormed by ciili:ation( that a
theme may not be immediately dealt with( indeed may not een be mentioned@ on the contrary
the conersation m#st moe in s%irals by itsel! towards its act#al ob8ect.5 1nstead( the shortest
connection between two %eo%le is now the straight line( as i! they were %oints. ,#st as the walls
o! ho#ses are nowadays %o#red o#t o! cement molds( so too has the social mortar between
h#man beings been re%laced by the %ress#re( which holds them together. 'hat is di!!erent( is no
longer een #nderstood( b#t a%%ears( i! not 3#ite as the &iennese c#linary s%ecialty with a tinge
o! something headwaiterly( then as childish tr#st!#lness or im%ermissible closeness. 1n the !orm
o! the o!!hand comments concerning the health and dis%osition o! the s%o#se( which %recede the
b#siness l#nch( the o%%osition to the social order o! %#r%oses has itsel! been sei:ed by s#ch(
add#ced into the latter. The taboo against tal$ing sho% and the inca%acity to tal$ to each other are
in tr#th the same thing. Beca#se eerything is b#siness( it may not be named as s#ch( rather li$e
the ro%e in the ho#se o! someone who has hanged themseles. Behind the %se#do.democratic
demolition o! !orm#laic modes =7ormelwesen>( archaic co#rtliness( and #seless conersations
which are not #n!airly s#s%ected o! being gossi%( behind the a%%arent clari!ication and
trans%arency o! h#man relations( which no longer %ermits anything which is #nde!ined( stands
the arrial o! o%en barbarity. The direct answer( which tells others the !acts o! the matter to their
!ace( witho#t digressions( hesitations( or re!lections( already has the !orm and so#nd o! the
commands( which #nder 7ascism the d#mb iss#ed to the silent. The matter.o!.!actness
="achlich$eit> between h#man beings which clears away the ideological ornamentation between
them( has itsel! already become an ideology o! those who wish to treat h#man beings as things.
2/
-o e.changes allo"ed. 9 ?#man beings are !orgetting how to gie gi!ts. &iolations o! the
exchange.%rinci%le hae something mad and #nbelieable abo#t them@ here and there een
children si:e #% the gi!t.gier mistr#st!#lly( as i! the gi!t were only a tric$( to sell them a br#sh or
soa%. 7or that( one doles o#t charity =in *nglish in original>( administered well.being( which
%a%ers oer the isible wo#nds o! society in coordinated !ashion. 1n its organi:ed b#stle( the
h#man im%#lse no longer has any room( indeed een donations to the needy are necessarily
connected with the h#miliation o! deliery( the correct meas#re( in short thro#gh the treatment o!
the reci%ient as an ob8ect. *en %riate gi!t.giing has degenerated into a social !#nction( which
one carries o#t with a rel#ctant will( with tight control oer the %oc$etboo$( a s$e%tical
eal#ation o! the other and with the most minimal e!!ort. Real gi!t.giing had its ha%%iness in
imagining the ha%%iness o! the receier. 1t meant choosing( s%ending time( going o#t o! one2s
way( thin$ing o! the other as a s#b8ect: the o%%osite o! !orget!#lness. ?ardly anyone is still
ca%able o! this. 1n the best o! cases( they gie what they themseles wo#ld hae wished !or( only
a !ew shades o! n#ance worse. The decline o! gi!t.giing is mirrored in the embarrassing
inention o! gi!t articles( which are based on the !act that one no longer $nows what one sho#ld
gie( beca#se one no longer really wants to. These goods are as relationless as their %#rchasers.
They were shel! warmers =6adenh#eter> !rom the !irst day. 6i$ewise with the right to exchange
the gi!t( which signi!ies to the receier: here2s yo#r st#!!( do what yo# want with it( i! yo# don2t
li$e it( 1 don2t care( get something else i! yo# want. 1n contrast to the embarrassment o! the #s#al
gi!ts( their %#re !#ngibility still re%resents something which is more h#mane( beca#se they at
least %ermit the receier to gie themseles something( which is to be s#re sim#ltaneo#sly in
absol#te contradiction to the gi!t.
1n relation o! the greater ab#ndance o! goods( which are aailable een to the %oor( the
decline o! gi!t.giing may a%%ear #nim%ortant( and considerations on s#ch as sentimental.
?oweer( een i! it became s#%er!l#o#s in a condition o! s#%er!l#ity 9 and this is a lie( %riately
as well as socially( !or there is noone today whose imagination co#ld not !ind exactly what wo#ld
ma$e them thoro#ghly ha%%y 9 those who no longer gae wo#ld still be in need o! gi!t.giing. 1n
them wither away those irre%laceable ca%acities which cannot bloom in the isolated cell o! %#re
interiority( b#t only in contact with the warmth o! things. Aoldness enelo%s eerything which
they do( the !riendly word which remains #ns%o$en( the consideration which remains
#n%racticed. "#ch iciness recoils bac$ on those !rom which it s%read. All relations which are not
distorted( indeed %erha%s what is reconciliatory in organic li!e itsel!( is a gi!t. Those who become
inca%able o! this thro#gh the logic o! stringency =Eonse3#en:: conse3#ence( corollary>( ma$e
themseles into things and !ree:e.
22
/a&y "ith the &ath"ater. 9 <ne o! the central moti!s o! c#lt#ral criti3#e since time immemorial
is that o! the lie: that c#lt#re %rod#ces the ill#sion o! a society worthy o! h#man beings( which
does not exist@ that it conceals the material conditions on which eerything h#man is constr#cted@
and that by see$ing to console and ass#age( it ends #% %resering the bad economic determinacy
o! eeryday existence. This is the notion o! c#lt#re as ideology( which at !irst glance both the
bo#rgeois doctrine o! iolence and its o%%onent( Niet:sche and ;arx( seem to hae in common.
B#t %recisely this notion( li$e all hand.wringing against lies( has a s#s%icio#s tendency to itsel!
become an ideology. This is eident in the realm o! the %riate. Tho#ghts concerning money and
the con!licts attendant on s#ch inariably reach dee% into the most heart!elt erotic( s#blime and
s%irit#al =geistige: s%irit#al( intellect#al> relationshi%s. The c#lt#ral critic co#ld demand(
!ollowing the logic o! conse3#ence and the %athos o! the tr#th( that all relations o#ght to be
red#ced to their material origins( witho#t any consideration and directly according to the interests
o! the %artici%ants. A!ter all( meaning is neer !ree !rom its genesis( and it wo#ld be easy to show
the trace o! in8#stice( sentimentality( and !r#strated and there!ore do#bly %oisono#s interest in
eerything which oerlays or mediates that which is material. Net i! one wished to act radically
on this insight( one wo#ld #%root all that is tr#e along with eerything #ntr#e( eerything which(
howeer %owerlessly( dares to try to esca%e the demesne o! #niersal %raxis( indeed all the
chimerical antici%ations o! a worthier state o! a!!airs( and wo#ld thereby !all bac$ into that
barbarism which one re%roaches c#lt#re !or mediating. 1n the bo#rgeois c#lt#ral critics a!ter
Niet:sche this #nex%ected reersal was always eident@ "%engler enth#siastically endorsed it.
B#t ;arxists are not imm#ne to this either. <nce c#red o! the social democratic belie! in c#lt#ral
%rogress and con!ronted with the rising tide o! barbarism( they !ace the constant tem%tation to
adocate s#ch as the 4ob8ectie tendency5 and( in an act o! des%eration( to ex%ect salation !rom
the mortal enemy who( in the g#ise o! the 4antithesis5( is s#%%osed to blindly and mysterio#sly
arrange a ha%%y ending. 1no$ing the material element against the "%irit =Geist> as a lie bears a
$ind o! d#bio#s a!!inity with %olitical economy( which one s#b8ects to immanent criti3#e(
com%arable to the com%licity between the %olice and the #nderworld. "ince the banishment o!
#to%ia and the #nity o! %raxis and theory was made com%#lsory( one has become all too %ractical.
The !ear o! the %owerlessness o! theory yields the %retext o! declaring !ealty to the almighty
%rod#ction.%rocess and thereby !#lly concedes the %owerlessness o! theory. Traces o! malice are
not entirely !oreign to a#thentic ;arxist disco#rse( and today there is a growing resemblance
between the s%irit o! b#siness and the sober( 8#ridical criti3#e( between #lgar materialism and
the other $ind( in which it becomes increasingly di!!ic#lt to %ro%erly se%arate s#b8ect and ob8ect.
9 To identi!y c#lt#re solely with lies is most disastro#s at the moment when it really becomes
absorbed by s#ch( and this identi!ication is enth#siastically la#ded in order to com%romise eery
tho#ght which resists s#ch. 1! one calls material reality the world o! exchange.al#e( and c#lt#re(
that which re!#ses to acce%t the domination o! s#ch( this re!#sal is indeed ill#sory so long as the
existent contin#es to exist. B#t since the !ree and e3#al exchange is itsel! a lie( whateer denies it
stands at the same time !or the tr#th: lies accordingly become a correctie on the lie o! the world
o! commodities( and conse3#ently deno#nce s#ch. That c#lt#re has hitherto !ailed is not a
gro#nds !or demanding its !ail#re( by strewing the store o! milled !lo#r on s%illed beer li$e
Eatherlieschen =re!erence to !airy.tale>. ?#man beings who belong together sho#ld neither be
silent abo#t their material interests nor red#ce themseles to their lowest common denominator(
b#t sho#ld re!lectiely gras% their relationshi% and thereby moe beyond s#ch.
2H
Plurale tantum =6atin: only in the %l#ral> 9 1! society is tr#ly one o! rac$ets( as a contem%orary
theory teaches( then its tr#est model is %recisely the o%%osite o! the collectie( namely the
indiid#al =1ndiid##m> as monad. By %#rs#ing the absol#tely %artic#lar interest o! eery single
indiid#al( the essential nat#re ='esen> o! the collectie can be most %recisely st#died( and it
re3#ires no great lea% to deci%her the organi:ation o! the ario#s con!licting dries #nder the
%rimacy o! the reality.oriented ego !rom the beginning as an innerated band o! robbers with a
leader( !ollowers( ceremonies( oaths( oath.brea$ing( interest.con!licts( intrig#es and all the other
%ara%hernalia. <ne need only obsere o#tbrea$s( in which the indiid#al =1ndiid##m> reacts
energetically against the enironment( as !or exam%le rage. The enraged always seem to be their
own gang.leaders( whose #nconscio#s has receied the command to stri$e mercilessly( and !rom
whose eyes gleams the satis!action o! s%ea$ing !or the many( which they indeed are. The more
someone is ta$en #% with their aggression( the more %er!ectly they re%resent the re%ressing
%rinci%le o! society. 1n this sense( %erha%s more than in any other( the r#le a%%lies: that which is
most indiid#al wo#ld be the most general.
2)
Tough &a&y =in *nglish in original> 9 A certain gest#re o! manliness( be it one2s own( be it that o!
another( deseres mistr#st. 1t ex%resses inde%endence( s#rety o! the %ower o! command( the silent
cons%iracy o! all men with each other. *arlier one anxio#sly called it( awe.str#c$( the whims o!
lords( today it is democrati:ed and is %layed by !ilm heroes !or the bene!it o! the lowliest ban$
em%loyee. The archety%e !or this is the good loo$ing man in a smo$ing 8ac$et( who enters his
bachelor2s %ad alone one late eening( t#rns on the indirect lighting( and %o#rs a whis$y.soda:
the care!#lly recorded !i::ing o! the mineral water says what the arrogant mo#th does not@ that he
des%ises whateer does not smell o! smo$e( leather and shaing cream 9 aboe all( women( and
!or that ery reason they swarm all oer him. 7or him( the %innacle o! h#man relations is the
cl#b( the site o! a res%ect !o#nded on a considerate inconsiderateness. The 8oys o! s#ch men( or
on the contrary o! their models( which hardly anyone alie really matches( !or h#man beings are
always better than their c#lt#re( hae altogether something o! the latent act o! iolence. By all
a%%earances( this is threatened to others( tho#gh he has long since had no need to do so( s%rawled
on his easy chair. 1n tr#th it is %ast iolence against himsel!. 1! all %leas#re s#blates earlier
dis%leas#re =Gnl#st>( then here dis%leas#re is raised 9 as %ride in bearing it 9 #nmediated(
#ntrans!ormed( stereoty%ically into %leas#re: #nli$e wine( eery glass o! whis$ey( eery %#!! on
the cigar still recalls the rel#ctance( which it m#st hae cost the organism( to acc#stom itsel! to
s#ch %ower!#l stim#li. According to their own constit#tion( the he.men wo#ld th#s be what they
are #s#ally %resented as in !ilm scri%ts( masochists. The lie is concealed in their sadism( and it is
as liars that they tr#ly become sadists( agents o! re%ression. That lie is nothing other than
re%ressed homosex#ality( which emerges as the only a%%roed !orm o! what is heterosex#al. 1n
<x!ord one can di!!erentiate between two $inds o! st#dents: the 4to#gh g#ys5 =in *nglish in
original> and the intellect#als@ the latter are e3#ated almost witho#t !#rther ado to those who are
e!!eminate. There is a great deal o! eidence that the r#ling class %olari:es itsel! according to
these extremes on the road to dictatorshi%. "#ch disintegration is the secret o! integration( o!
ha%%iness o! #nity in the absence o! ha%%iness. 1n the end the 4to#gh g#ys5 =in *nglish in
original> are the ones who are really e!!eminate( who re3#ire the wea$lings as their ictims( in
order not to admit that they are li$e them. Totality and homosex#ality belong together. 'hile the
s#b8ect !alls a%art( it negates eerything which is not o! its own $ind. The o%%osites o! the strong
man and the com%liant yo#th !#se into a social order( which #nreseredly asserts the masc#line
%rinci%le o! domination. By ma$ing eeryone( witho#t exce%tion 9 een %res#med s#b8ects 9
into its ob8ects( it recoils into total %assiity( irt#ally into what is !eminine.
25
Think not of them. 9 1t is well.$nown that the !ormer li!e o! emigres is being ann#lled. *arlier it
was the warrant o! arrest( today it is intellect#al =geistige: intellect#al( s%irit#al> ex%erience
which is declared non.trans!erable and sim%ly o#t o! bo#nds. 'hat is not rei!ied( what cannot be
co#nted and meas#red( !alls away. Not satis!ied with this( rei!ication extends een to its own
o%%osite( the li!e which is not immediately act#ali:ed@ whateer contin#es to lie on( merely as
tho#ght and memory. 7or this they hae deised a #ni3#e r#bric. 1t is called 4bac$gro#nd5 and
a%%ears as an a%%endix in 3#estionnaires( a!ter gender( age and occ#%ation. The iolated li!e is
still dragged along by the ictory car o! the #nited statisticians( and een that which is %ast is no
longer sa!e !rom the %resent( which( by remembering it( consecrates it once more to !orgetting.
2J
,nglish spoken. =in *nglish in original> 9 1n my childhood 1 o!ten receied boo$s as gi!ts !rom
elderly British ladies( with whom my %arents maintained relations: richly ill#strated children2s
boo$s( and een a tiny green Bible bo#nd in leather. All were in the lang#age o! the gi!t.giers:
none o! them tho#ght to as$ whether 1 co#ld act#ally read them. The %ec#liar inaccessibility o!
the boo$s( which s%rang at me with %ict#res( h#ge titles and ignettes( witho#t giing me any
chance to deci%her the text( led me to beliee that these weren2t really boo$s at all( b#t rather
adertisements( %erha%s !or machines( li$e the ones my #ncle %rod#ced in his 6ondon !actory.
"ince 1 hae come to lie in Anglo."axon co#ntries and to s%ea$ *nglish( this conscio#sness has
not dimmed b#t rather strengthened. There is a girl2s song !rom Brahm( based on a %oem by
?eyse( which goes: 4<h heart2s woe( yo# eternity O only sel!.other is bliss !or me5. 1n the most
%o%#lar American ersion( this is rendered as: 4< misery( eternityP O B#t two in one were
ecstasy.5 The %assionate( medieal.era no#ns o! the original hae been t#rned into brand names
o! hit songs( which sing the %raises o! the latter. 1n the light they switch on( the adertising.
character o! c#lt#re radiates .
2K
+n parle francais. =7rench: one s%ea$s in 7rench( 7rench is s%o$en> ?ow closely sex and
lang#age are intermingled becomes a%%arent when reading %ornogra%hy in another lang#age. No
dictionary is needed to read "ade in the original =i.e. 7rench>. *en the most re!ined ex%ressions
!or that which is indecent( whose awareness is im%arted by no school( no %arents2 ho#se( and no
literary ex%erience( are #nderstood int#itiely( 8#st as in childhood( when the most e#%hemistic
ex%ressions and obserations regarding sex#al matters shoot together into the correct
re%resentation. 1t is as i! the im%risoned %assions ex%lode( #%on being called by these names(
blind words li$e the wall o! one2s own re%ression( stri$ing iolently and irresistibly into the
innermost cell o! meaning( which it itsel! resembles.
2L
Paysage. =7rench: co#ntryside> 9 'hat is missing in the American landsca%e is not so m#ch the
absence o! historical memories( as the romantic ill#sion has it( as the !act that no hand has le!t a
trace in it. This relates not merely to the absence o! !arm.!ields( the st#bbly and o!ten tiny scr#b.
li$e !orests( b#t aboe all the streets. These are always immediately blasted o#t o! the landsca%e(
and the more s#ccess!#l their smoothness and breadth( the more relationless and iolent their
shimmering %ath stands in contrast to its all too wild( oergrown enirons. They bear no im%rint
=A#sdr#c$: ex%ression( im%rint>. Beca#se they $now no traces o! shoes or wheels( no gentle
!oot%aths along their edge as a transition to the egetation( no side.%aths into the alley below(
they lac$ that which is mild( so!tened( ro#nded in things( on which hands or their immediate
tools hae wor$ed. 1t is as i! noone had combed the landsca%e2s hair. 1t is disconsolate and
inconsolable. This corres%onds to the manner o! its %erce%tion. 7or what the h#rrying eye has
merely iewed !rom the car cannot be retained( and the latter sin$s as trac$lessly( as the traces on
s#ch !ade away.
2C
D"arf fruit. ! 1t is the co#rtesy o! +ro#st to s%are the reader the embarrassment o! thin$ing
themseles more adroit than the a#thor.
1n the nineteenth cent#ry the Germans %ainted their dream( and it always t#rned into a egetable.
The 7rench needed only to %aint a egetable( and it was already a dream.
1n the Anglo."axon lands( the whores loo$ as i! they dis%ensed the %#nishments o! hell along
with the sins.
Bea#ty o! the American landsca%e: that the immeas#rable si:e o! the entire land is inscribed( as
ex%ression( een in the smallest o! its segments.
1n the memory o! emigration( eery German enison roast tastes as i! it was !reshly !elled by the
7reisch#et:.
Nothing is tr#e in %sychoanalysis exce%t its exaggerations.
<ne can tell i! one is ha%%y by listening to the wind. This latter reminds the #nha%%y o! the
!ragility o! their ho#se and %#rs#es them in !it!#l slee% and iolent dreams. To the ha%%y( it sings
the song o! their sa!ety and sec#rity =Geborgensein>: its raging whistle registers the !act that it no
longer has any %ower oer them.
The silent din( long !amiliar to #s !rom o#r dream.ex%eriences( blares in o#r wa$ing ho#rs !rom
the news%a%er headlines.
The mythical message o! doom renews itsel! in the radio. 'hoeer broadcasts something
im%ortant in an a#thoritarian manner( broadcasts tro#ble. 1n *nglish solemn =in *nglish in
original> means ceremonial and threatening. The %ower o! the society behind the s%ea$er t#rns
by itsel! against the listener.
That which has most recently ha%%ened is always %ortrayed as i! it had been destroyed in a
catastro%he.
The ex%ression o! that which is historical in things is nothing other than %ast torment.
1n ?egel( sel!.conscio#sness was the tr#th o! sel!.certainty( according to the words o! the
Phenomenology =of Spirit>( the 4natie realm o! tr#th.5 No sooner had they ceased to #nderstand
that( than the bo#rgeoisie were sel!.conscio#s at least in the %ride that they owned %ro%erty.
Today sel!.conscio#s =in *nglish in original> means only the re!lection on the ego as an
embarrassment( as the inneration o! %owerlessness: to $now( that one is nothing.
'ith many %eo%le( it2s already an exercise in shamelessness( when they say 1.
The mote in yo#r own eye is the best magni!ying glass.
*en the most im%oerished %erson is ca%able o! recogni:ing the wea$nesses o! the most
%ower!#l@ een the d#mbest( the mental errors o! the most cleer.
The !irst and only %rinci%le o! sex#al ethics: the acc#ser is always wrong.
The whole is the #ntr#e.
H0
Pro domo nostra. =6atin: concerning o#r home> 9 'hen the brassy mo#ths o! the sym%hony
orchestras o! many co#ntries were stilled by the %reio#s war 9 a war which seems( li$e eery
war( %eace!#l com%ared to the one which !ollowed 9 "trawins$i wrote 0istory of a Soldier !or a
s%arse( shoc$.laden chamber ensemble. 1t became his best score( the only tr#ly binding s#rrealist
mani!esto( whose con#lsie.dreamli$e com%#lsion endowed m#sic with something o! the
negatie tr#th. The %rere3#isite o! the %iece was %oerty: it demolished the o!!icial c#lt#re so
drastically beca#se it was barred !rom the latter2s material wealth( as well as !rom the ostentation
which was hostile to c#lt#re. Therein lies a cl#e !or intellect#al =geistige> %rod#ction a!ter the
c#rrent war( which has le!t behind a meas#re o! destr#ction in *#ro%e which een the ga%ing
holes o! that m#sic co#ld not hae imagined. Today %rogress and barbarism are so intertwined as
mass c#lt#re that only barbaric asceticism against this latter and against the %rogression o! the
means may again %rod#ce that which is #nbarbaric. No wor$ o! art( no tho#ght which does not
innerate the re8ection o! !alse wealth and !irst.class %rod#ctions( o! color !ilms and teleision( o!
millionaire maga:ines and Toscanini( has a chance to s#rie. The older media( not geared !or
mass %rod#ction( win new releancy: that o! the not yet encom%assed and o! im%roisation. They
alone co#ld o#t!lan$ the #ni!ied !ront o! tr#sts and technics =Techni$>. 1n a world in which een
boo$s no longer loo$ li$e boo$s( the only boo$s are those which are no longer s#ch. 1! the
inention o! the %rinting %ress stood at the beginning o! the bo#rgeois era( then soon its re%eal
thro#gh mimeogra%hy will come d#e( the only a%%ro%riate and incons%ic#o#s means o!
dissemination.
H/
Cat out of the &ag. 9 *en solidarity( socialism2s most honorable mode o! cond#ct( is ill. At one
time it wished to reali:e the doctrine o! brotherhood( to wrest it !rom the generality in which it
was an ideology( resering it !or the %artic#lar( the +arty( which was s#%%osed to solely re%resent
the generality in the antagonistic world. Gro#%s o! h#man beings were solidaristic beca#se they
committed their lies together( and beca#se their own lies were( in iew o! the tangible
%ossibility( not the most im%ortant thing( so that they were %re%ared to sacri!ice themseles !or
each other witho#t the abstract obsession o! the idea b#t also witho#t indiid#al ho%e. "#ch
giing #% o! sel!.%reseration had as a %rere3#isite the recognition and !reedom o! the decision:
lac$ing these( the blind interest o! the %artic#lar reim%oses itsel!. ;eanwhile howeer solidarity
has %assed oer into the tr#st that the +arty has a tho#sand eyes( into enlistment into #ni!ormed
wor$ers2 battalions which are ass#med to be stronger( in swimming along with the c#rrent o!
world.history. 'hateer is to be tem%orarily gained in sec#rity !rom this( is %aid !or with
%ermanent !ear( syco%hancy( m#t#al bac$scratching and entrilo3#y: the energies which one
co#ld hae #sed to !eel o#t the wea$ness o! the enemy are #sed to antici%ate the moods o! one2s
own leaders( be!ore whom one trembles dee% down more than be!ore the old enemy( int#iting
that in the end the leaders both here and there will come to an accommodation on the bac$s o!
those they hae integrated. The re!lex o! this can be !elt between indiid#als. 'hoeer is
considered %rogressie 9 according to the stereoty%es to which %eo%le are classi!ied in adance(
witho#t een signing the imaginary contract which seems to bind the tr#e belieers( who are
themseles to be recogni:ed by something im%onderable in gest#re and s%eech( a $ind o! ro#gh.
hewn( obedient resignation( li$e a %assword 9 always has the same ex%erience. The tr#e
belieers( or those in related !actions who are all too similar( meet yo# and ex%ect solidarity !rom
yo#. They a%%eal ex%ressly and im%licitly to the common %rogressie agenda =*inerstIndnis>.
?oweer( the moment when yo# ho%e !or the slightest sign o! the same solidarity !rom them( or
een mere sym%athy !or yo#r own share o! the social %rod#ct o! s#!!ering( they show yo# the
cold sho#lder( which is the only thing le!t remaining o! atheism and materialism in the age o!
restored %o%es. Those who are organi:ed want intellect#als o! %rominence to iss#e %roclamations
on their behal!( b#t the moment they !ear they hae to iss#e %roclamations !or themseles( the
latter are ca%italists( and the same %rominence on which they s%ec#lated is now l#dicro#s
sentimentality and st#%idity. "olidarity is %olari:ed in the des%erate !idelity o! those !or whom
there is no way bac$( and in the irt#al extortion o! those who want nothing to do with %rison
wardens( nor wish to delier themseles to robbers.
H2
Sa'ages are not &etter human &eings. 9 <ne can !ind in Blac$ =i.e. A!rican> st#dents o! national
economy( in "iamese =Thai> st#dents at <x!ord( and in deoted art.historians and m#sicologists
o! %etty bo#rgeois bac$gro#nd generally the inclination and readiness to combine the
a%%ro%riation o! what is new and to be learned with a bo#ndless res%ect !or what is established(
alidated or recogni:ed. An #nreconciled inner sensibility =Gesinn#ng> is the o%%osite o!
wildness( neo%hyte stat#s or 4non.ca%italist :ones5. 1t %res#%%oses ex%erience( historical
memory( the lability o! the intellect and aboe all a thoro#gh share o! the social s#r%l#s. 1t is
obsered time and again that those recr#ited yo#ng and innocent into radical gro#%s de!ect the
moment they become aware o! the !orce o! tradition. <ne has to hae this latter in onesel! in
order to hate it %ro%erly. That it is the snobs rather than the %roletarians who hae a taste !or
aant.garde aesthetic moements sheds light on %olitics( too. 6atecomers and newcomers ali$e
hae a worrisome a!!inity !or %ositiism( !rom the deotees o! Aarna% in 1ndia to the bold
de!enders o! the German masters ;atthias GrFnewald and ?einrich "chFt:. 1t wo#ld be %oor
%sychology to %res#me that what one is excl#ded !rom aro#ses only hate and resentment@ it also
awa$ens a %ossessie( im%atient sort o! loe( and those who re%ressie c#lt#re $ee%s at a
distance can t#rn( easily eno#gh( into the latter2s most narrow.minded %artisans. This resonates
een in the oercom%ensating ?igh German o! the wor$er who as a socialist wants 4to learn a
bit5( to ta$e %art in the so.called c#lt#ral heritage( and the banality o! the Bebels consists not so
m#ch in their !oreignness to c#lt#re than in the enth#siasm with which they %res#me it as a !act(
identi!ying with it and indeed thereby inerting its meaning. "ocialism is in general as little
imm#ne !rom this trans!ormation as the theoretical sli%%age into %ositiism. 1t can ha%%en easily
eno#gh that in the 7ar *ast ;arx ta$es the %lace acated by Driesch and Ric$ert. At times it is to
be !eared that the interrelationshi% o! the non.<ccidental %eo%les in the antagonisms o! ind#strial
society( in itsel! long oerd#e( will %rimarily bene!it the rational increase o! %rod#ction and
trans%ort and the modest raising o! liing standards( rather than those to be emanci%ated. 1nstead
o! ex%ecting miracles !rom %re.ca%italist %eo%les( the mat#re ca%italist ones o#ght to be on their
g#ard against their own sobriety( their sli%shod a!!irmation o! what is traditional( and the
s#ccesses o! the 'est.
HH
Far from the firing(line. 9 Re%orts o! air raids seldom !ail to mention the names o! the !irms
which man#!act#red the aircra!t: 7o$$er.'ol!( ?ein$el( and 6ancaster a%%ear where one once
tal$ed abo#t c#irassiers( lancers and h#ssars. The mechanism o! the re%rod#ction o! li!e( its
ex%loitation and annihilation( is immediately the same( and ind#stry( the state and adertising are
!#sed accordingly. The old exaggeration o! s$e%tical liberals( that war is merely a b#siness( has
come tr#e: the %ower o! the state has gien #% een the a%%earance ="chein> o! inde%endence
!rom %artic#lar %ro!it interests and %#ts itsel! into the latter2s serice( which it always did in
reality( now ideologically as well. *ery glowing mention o! the chie! !irm inoled in the ra:ing
o! cities enhances its good calling( !or whose sa$e the best contracts !or the reconstr#ction are
doled o#t.
6i$e the Thirty Nears2 'ar( so too does this war 9 whose beginning noone will be able to
remember anymore( once it comes to an end 9 disintegrates into discontin#o#s !ield cam%aigns(
se%arated by blan$ %a#ses@ the +olish cam%aign( the Norwegian( the 7rench( the R#ssian( the
T#nisian( the Normandy 1nasion. 1ts rhythm( the alternation o! s%asmodic action and com%lete
standstill( d#e to a lac$ o! geogra%hically accessible enemies( has itsel! something mechanical
abo#t it( which characteri:ed the means o! war in the %artic#lar and which has ery li$ely eo$ed
once more the %reliberal !orm o! the cam%aign. This mechanical rhythm howeer com%letely
determines h#man cond#ct towards the war( not only in the dis%ro%ortion between indiid#al
bodily strength and the energy o! motors( b#t dee% into the most secret cells o! the modes o!
s#b8ectie ex%erience. The sheer incommens#rability o! the body to the war o! attrition the
%reio#s time aro#nd =i.e. '' 1> already made a#thentic ex%erience im%ossible. Noone co#ld
hae tal$ed abo#t it the way the battles o! the artillery.general Na%oleon Bona%arte were
reco#nted. The long interal between war memoirs and the armistice is not an accident: it
testi!ies to the laborio#s reconstr#ction o! memory( which remains con8oined to something
%owerless and een ina#thentic in all those boo$s( regardless o! whateer horrors the writer
witnessed. '' 11 howeer is as com%letely deoid o! ex%erience as a machine is to the
moements o! a body( which it resembles only in %eriods o! illness. The less the war retains any
sense o! contin#ity( history( the 4e%ic5 element( b#t to a certain extent starts all oer again at each
%hase( the less can it leae behind a contin#o#s and #nconscio#sly %resered %ict#re o! memory.
*erywhere( with each ex%losion( it has bro$en thro#gh the %rotectie shield in which %ersonal
ex%erience !ormed( the d#ration between the healing !orgetting and the healing memory. 6i!e has
trans!ormed itsel! into a timeless s#ccession o! shoc$s( between which ga%e holes( %araly:ed
intermediary s%aces. Nothing howeer is %erha%s more catastro%hic !or the !#t#re than the !act
that soon literally noone will be able to thin$ o! this( that eery tra#ma( eery #n%rocessed shoc$
o! that which rec#rs( is a !erment o! coming destr#ction. 9 Earl Era#s was right to call his %lay
The *ast Days of 0umanity. 'hat is ha%%ening today sho#ld be called $fter Doomsday.
The total concealment o! the war thro#gh in!ormation( %ro%aganda( commentary( the !ilm crews
in the leading tan$s and the heroic death o! war re%orters( the mishmash o! mani%#lated.
enlightened %#blic o%inion and #nconscio#s action( all this is another ex%ression !or desiccated
ex%erience( the ac##m between h#man beings and their doom( in which their doom act#ally
consists. The rei!ied( !ro:en mold o! eents( as it were( s#bstit#tes !or this itsel!. ?#man beings
are t#rned into the actors o! a monster doc#mentary !ilm( which no longer $nows any iewers(
beca#se een the ery last one has to %artici%ate on the siler screen. The genesis o! the
belabored tal$ o! the 4%hony war5 lay in %recisely this moment. 1t originated to be s#re !rom the
7ascist techni3#e o! dismissing the real horrors o! the war as 4mere %ro%aganda5( %recisely in
order to !acilitate those horrors. Net li$e all tendencies o! 7ascism( this too has its origin in
elements o! reality( which ends #% %reailing only by irt#e o! that 7ascist attit#de( which
sneeringly hinted at s#ch. The war really is 4%hony5 =in *nglish>( b#t its 4%honyness5 =in
*nglish> is more terri!ying than any terror( and those who ma$e light o! this only contrib#te that
m#ch more to the calamity.
?ad ?egel2s %hiloso%hy o! history encom%assed this e%och( then ?itler2s robot.bombs wo#ld
hae ta$en their %lace( next to the death.scene o! Alexander and similar images( among the
em%irically selected !acts in which the symbolic state o! the world.s%irit is immediately
ex%ressed. 6i$e 7ascism itsel!( the robots are sel!.steering and yet #tterly s#b8ectless. ,#st li$e
the !ormer( they combine the #tmost technical %er!ection with com%lete blindness. ,#st li$e the
!ormer( they sow the deadliest %anic and are com%letely !#tile. 9 41 hae seen the world.s%irit5(
not on horsebac$ b#t on wings and headless( and this at once re!#tes ?egel2s %hiloso%hy o!
history.
The tho#ght that a!ter this war li!e co#ld contin#e on 4normally5( or indeed that c#lt#re co#ld be
4reconstr#cted5 9 as i! the reconstr#ction o! c#lt#re alone were not already the negation o! s#ch 9
is idiotic. ;illions o! ,ews hae been m#rdered( and this is s#%%osed to be only the intermission
and not the catastro%he itsel!. 'hat exactly is this c#lt#re waiting !or anywayM And een i! there
was time le!t !or co#ntless %eo%le( is it conceiable that what ha%%ened in *#ro%e wo#ld hae no
conse3#ences( that the sheer 3#antity o! ictims wo#ld not recoil into a new 3#ality o! the entire
society( into barbarismM As long as li$e !ollows li$e( the catastro%he %er%et#ates itsel!. <ne need
only consider retrib#tion !or the m#rdered. 1! 8#st as many o! the others were to be $illed( then
the horror wo#ld t#rn into an instit#tion and the %reca%italist schemata o! blood !or blood( which
!rom its ince%tion in %rehistoric times still reigns only in the most distant mo#ntain %roinces( be
reintrod#ced and ex%anded( only with entire nations as s#b8ectless s#b8ects. 1! howeer the dead
are not aenged and mercy is shown( then an #n%#nished 7ascism has des%ite eerything stolen
its ictory( and a!ter it has once been shown how easily it is done( it will be %er%et#ated in other
%laces. The logic o! history is as destr#ctie as the h#man beings which it begets: whereer their
inertia tends to go( it re%rod#ces the e3#ialent o! %ast calamities. Normality is death.
As to the 3#estion as to what sho#ld be done with a de!eated Germany( 1 wo#ld $now only two
ways to answer. 7irst: 1 wo#ld at no %rice and #nder no circ#mstances be an exec#tioner or
delier legal %retexts !or exec#tioners. "econd: 1 wo#ld not wish to hold bac$( least o! all with
the a%%arat#s o! the law( anyone who wished to aenge %ast atrocities. That is a thro#gh and
thro#gh #nsatis!ying( contradictory answer( as ill.!itting to the generali:ation as to the %raxis. B#t
%erha%s the !a#lt already lies with the 3#estion and not %rimarily with me.
'ee$ly show at the moies: the inasion o! the ;arianas( among them G#am. The im%ression is
not one o! battles( b#t o! mechanical highway and demolition wor$ #nderta$en with an
immeas#rably increased ehemence( een o! 4!#migation5( %est control on a tell#ric scale.
<%erations are carried o#t #ntil grass no longer grows. The enemy !#nctions as %atient and
cor%se. 6i$e the ,ews #nder 7ascism( he a%%ears only as the ob8ect o! technical.administratie
meas#res( and when he de!ends himsel!( his co#nter.actions hae the same character. Therein is
the "atanic element( that to a certain extent this war re3#ires more initiatie than war in the old
style( that it costs the s#b8ect all its energy( as it were( to achiee s#b8ectlessness. The reali:ation
o! *dward Grey2s h#mane dream( o! a war witho#t hate( is com%lete inh#manity. 9 A#t#mn
/C)).
H)
1ohnny(0ead(in($ir. =Aharacter in ?einrich ?o!!man2s "tr#wwel%eter> 9 Between cognition
=*r$enntnis: recognition( $nowledge> and %ower exists not only the interrelation o! serility( b#t
also one o! tr#th. ;any cognitions( een i! they !ormally stri$e the mar$( are oid d#e to their
lac$ o! %ro%ortion with the distrib#tion o! !orces. 'hen the exiled doctor says( 47or me( Adol!
?itler is a %athological case(5 then the clinical eidence may #ltimately con!irm his statement(
b#t its dis%arity to the ob8ectie catastro%he which s%reads oer the world in the name o! the
%aranoid one( ma$es the diagnosis ridic#lo#s( wherein the diagnostician merely %#!!s themseles
#%. +erha%s ?itler is a %athological case 4in himsel!5( b#t most certainly not 4!or himsel!5. The
anity and im%oerishment o! many o! the demonstrations against 7ascism in emigration are
interrelated. Those who thin$ in the !orm o! !ree( distanced( disinterested 8#dgements( were
#nable to assimilate the ex%erience o! iolence 9 which really and tr#ly rendered s#ch thin$ing
%owerless 9 in these !orms. The almost insol#ble tas$ consists o! re!#sing to allow onesel! to be
rendered d#mb( either by the %ower o! others or by one2s own %owerlessness.
H5
2eturn to culture. 9 The assertion that ?itler has destroyed German c#lt#re is nothing b#t an
adertising tric$ o! those who wish to reb#ild it !rom their tele%hone.des$s. 'hat ?itler
extir%ated in art and c#lt#re had long led an a%ochry%hal and c#t.o!! existence( whose last
hiding.s%aces were swe%t away by 7ascism. 'hoeer did not %lay along( had to go into inner
emigration years be!ore the o#tbrea$ o! the Third Reich: at the ery latest( since the stabili:ation
o! the German c#rrency( which coincided with the end o! *x%ressionism( German c#lt#re had
stabili:ed itsel! in the s%irit o! the Berlin ill#strated maga:ines( which conceded little to the
strength thro#gh 8oy =notorio#s Na:i slogan>( national a#to highways( and #%beat exhibition.
classicism o! the Na:is. 1n its broadest meas#re( German c#lt#re %ined !or its ?itler %recisely
where it was most liberal( and it wo#ld be an in8#stice to re%roach the editors o! ;oss and
Gllstein or the reorgani:ers o! the Frankfurter -e"s !or !ollowing the sensibilities o! the times.
They were already this way( and their line o! least resistance to the intellect#al goods they
%rod#ced meshes seamlessly into the line o! least resistance to %olitical r#le( whose ideological
methods incl#ded( in the 7#ehrer2s own words( aboe all com%rehensibility !or the most st#%id.
This has led to a catastro%hic con!#sion. ?itler has extir%ated c#lt#re( ?itler droe ;r. 6o#is into
exile( there!ore ;r. 6o#is is c#lt#re. And so he is. A glance at the literary %rod#ction o! those
emigrants who( by dint o! disci%line and a strict com%artmentali:ation o! s%heres o! in!l#ence(
hae come to re%resent the German "%irit =Geist>( show 8#st what one can ex%ect !rom the ha%%y
reb#ilding %rocess: the introd#ction o! Broadway methods on the EFr!#rstendamm =main road o!
Berlin>( which by the /C20s was disting#ishable !rom the !ormer only by its lesser means( not
better ends. 'hoeer intends to do something against c#lt#ral !ascism( m#st come to gri%s with
'eimar( the 4Bombs on ;onte Aarlo5 and the +ress Ball( i! one does not wish to discoer that(
in the end( ambig#o#s !ig#res s#ch as 7allada #nder ?itler said more than the s%otless German
%ersonalities( who s#cceeded in trans!erring their %restige.
HJ
The health unto death. 9 1! something li$e a %sychoanalysis o! today2s %rototy%ical c#lt#re were
%ossible@ i! the absol#te hegemony o! the economy did not moc$ eery attem%t at ex%licating
conditions by the %sychic li!e o! their ictims@ and i! the %sychoanalysts themseles had not long
ago sworn !ealty to those conditions 9 then s#ch an inestigation wo#ld hae to show that
contem%orary sic$ness exists %recisely in what is normal. The libidinal achieements which are
re3#ired o! the indiid#al =1ndiid##m>( who behaes in a manner so#nd in body and mind( are
s#ch that they can be %er!ected only by irt#e o! the dee%est m#tilation( o! an inneration o!
castration by the 4extroerts5 =in *nglish in the original>@ by com%arison( the old tas$ o!
identi!ication with the !ather was indeed the child2s %lay which it was rehearsed as. The 4reg#lar
g#y5 =in *nglish in original>( the 4%o%#lar girl5 =in *nglish in original> m#st re%ress not only
their desires and cognitions( b#t also all o! the sym%toms generated by re%ression in bo#rgeois
times. ,#st as the old in8#stices are le!t #nchanged by the genero#s mass dis%lay o! light( air and
hygiene( b#t are concealed %recisely by the gleaming =blin$ende> trans%arency o! rationali:ed
enter%rise( so too has the most internali:ed =inwendige> health o! the e%och c#t o!! the !light into
sic$ness( witho#t changing the slightest bit o! the latter2s etiology. The dar$ened exits hae been
wi%ed o#t as an embarrassing waste o! s%ace and dis%laced into the bathroom. This con!irms the
s#s%icion which %sychoanalysis long harbored( be!ore it itsel! t#rned into a %iece o! hygiene.
'here the light is brightest( is where the !ecal secretly r#les. The erse: 4;isery remains. As it
eer was. O No# can2t com%letely #%root its laws O B#t yo# ma$e it an inisible ca#se5( a%%lies in
the ho#sehold o! the %syche een more than where the ab#ndance o! goods obsc#res( !or the time
being( constantly increasing material di!!erences. To this day( no science wo#ld s#!!ice to %l#mb
the de%ths o! the hell in which those de!ormations are %rod#ced( which s#r!ace later as
cheer!#lness( decisieness( sociability( as s#ccess!#l ada%tation to what is #naoidable and as
#narnished common sense. There is reason to %res#me that these derie !rom still earlier %hases
o! childhood deelo%ment than the origin o! ne#roses: i! these latter are the res#lt o! a con!lict in
which the drie is beaten down( then the !ormer bes%ea$s a condition which is as normal as the
damaged society which it resembles( that o! a %rehistorical assa#lt( as it were( which smashes the
!orces o! the %syche be!ore a con!lict can een occ#r( and the later state o! #ncon!lictedness
re!lects the %redetermined social being( the a %riori tri#m%h o! the collectie instance( not healing
thro#gh cognition =*r$ennen: recogni:ing( #nderstanding>. The iron neres and calm #nder !ire
which are the cr#cial %rere3#isites !or a%%licants o! highly %aid %ositions( are the %ict#re o! the
as%hyxiated silence( which the em%loyers o! the h#man reso#rces manager later im%ose
%olitically. The sic$ness o! the healthy is solely to be diagnosed ob8ectiely( in the dis%ro%ortion
between the rational way they lead their lies and the %ossibly reasonable determination o! their
lies. B#t the trace o! the sic$ness betrays itsel! nonetheless: they loo$ as i! their s$in were
%rinted with a rash in reg#lar %atterns( as i! in mimicry o! what is inorganic. 1t re3#ires little to
imagine those bent on %roing their 3#ic$siler lieliness and oer%owering energy as %re%ared
cor%ses( to whom the news o! their not 3#ite s#ccess!#l demise has been withheld !or reasons o!
%o%#lation %olicy. At the root o! r#ling health lies death. All o! its moements resemble the
re!lex.moements o! beings( whose hearts hae sto%%ed. ?ardly eer does a !#rrowed brow 9
testimony to some !earsome and long.!orgotten e!!ort 9 or a moment o! %athic st#%idity in the
middle o! !ixed logic( or indeed a hel%less gest#re( %resere the dist#rbing traces o! disa%%eared
li!e. 7or the socially designated sacri!ice is so #niersal( that it mani!ests itsel! in the society as a
whole and not in the indiid#al %erson. 1t has ta$en oer the sic$ness o! all indiid#als( as it
were( and in it( in the bottled.#% madness o! 7ascist actions and in all its inn#merable %rec#rsors
and mediations( the s#b8ectie catastro%he inscribed in the indiid#ated =1ndiid##m> is
integrated with the isibly ob8ectie one. There is hardly consolation in the tho#ght that the
sic$ness o! what is normal is not necessarily the o%%osite o! the health o! those who are sic$( b#t
rather that the latter only re%resents( !or the most %art( the schemata o! the same catastro%he in a
di!!erent !orm.
HK
This side of the pleasure(principle. 9 The re%ressie traits in 7re#d hae nothing to do with that
lac$ o! beneolence =GFte>( which the eer.ind#strio#s reisionists re!er to in the strict sex#al
theory. Those who are beneolent by %ro!ession !ab#late %ro!its on the basis o! closeness and
immediacy( %recisely where noone $nows anything abo#t anyone else. They betray their ictims
by a!!irming( in the wea$ness o! the latter( the co#rse o! the world which made them so( and
in!lict 8#st as m#ch in8#stice on the latter( as the tr#th they omit. 1! 7re#d lac$ed s#ch
beneolence( then on this score at least he wo#ld be in the com%any o! critics o! %olitical
economy =i.e. ;arx>( which is better than that o! Tagore and 'er!el. <n the contrary( what is
!atal is that( in o%%osition to bo#rgeois ideology( he materialistically %#rs#ed conscio#s behaior
into the basis o! its #nconscio#s gro#nding in the dries( yet sim#ltaneo#sly accords with the
bo#rgeois contem%t !or the dries( which is itsel! the %rod#ct o! %recisely those rationali:ations(
which he demolishes. ?e %arta$es( in the words o! the %ntroductory *ectures( o! 4the general
estimation... that social goals stand higher than !#ndamentally( sel!.seringly sex#al ones.5 As an
ex%ert %sychologist( he ta$es the contrast between social and egoistic as a gien( statically. ?e no
more recogni:es in it the wor$ o! re%ressie society than the trace o! the disastro#s mechanisms(
which he himsel! had described. <r rather( he oscillates( theoryless and bending to %re8#dice(
between negating the ren#nciation o! the dries as a re%ression contrary to reality( or else
%raising it as a s#blimation which enco#rages c#lt#re. "omething o! the ,an#s character o!
c#lt#re lies ob8ectiely in this contradiction( and no amo#nt o! %raise to healthy sens#ality can
gloss oer it. 1n 7re#d howeer this res#lts in the deal#ation o! the critical standard !or the goal
o! the analysis. 7re#d2s #nenlightened enlightenment %lays into the hands o! bo#rgeois
disill#sionment. As the late o%%onent o! hy%ocrisy( he stands ambig#o#sly between the will !or
o#tright emanci%ation o! the o%%ressed and the a%ology !or o#tright o%%ression. Reason !or him
is a mere s#%erstr#ct#re( not so m#ch( as o!!icial %hiloso%hy charges( beca#se o! his
%sychologism( which %enetrates dee%ly eno#gh into the historical moment( b#t on the contrary
beca#se he discards the only %#r%ose( both distant !rom meaning and reasonless( in which the
means o! reason co#ld %roe itsel! to be reasonable: %leas#re. As soon as this latter is
dis%aragingly classi!ied as a tric$ o! s%ecies %reseration( dissoled into sly reason( as it were(
witho#t naming the moment therein( which reaches beyond the circle o! that which has la%sed
bac$ into nat#re =Nat#rer!allenheit>( the ratio degenerates into rationali:ation. Tr#th is
consigned to relatiity and h#man beings to %ower. <nly those who locate #to%ia in the blind
somatic %leas#re( which has no intention and which stills this last( wo#ld be ca%able o! an idea o!
tr#th which stood the test. 1n 7re#d2s wor$( howeer( the do#ble enmity towards the s%irit =Geist:
mind> and towards %leas#re( whose common root was %recisely what %sychoanalysis deliered
the means to com%rehend( #nwillingly re%rod#ces itsel!. The %assage in Future of an %llusion(
where the commercial traeler2s maxim that heaen is to be le!t to the angels and the s%arrows is
cited with the miserable wisdom o! a bitter old man( is the com%anion %iece to that %assage !rom
the *ectures( where he condemns in horror the %ererse %ractices o! the 8et set. Those who are
e3#ally disg#sted by %leas#re and heaen( in !act !#nction best as ob8ects: one can !re3#ently
obsere something em%ty and mechani:ed in s#ccess!#lly analy:ed %atients( which sho#ld be
rec$oned not on acco#nt o! their sic$ness( b#t on their healing( which brea$s what it
emanci%ates. The m#ch.ballyhooed thera%e#tic trans!erence 9 whose resol#tion com%rises( and
not !or nothing( the cr#x o! analytic labor 9 the elaborate sit#ation( in which the s#b8ect
ol#ntarily and calamito#sly com%letes that cancellation o! themseles( which once seemed to be
inol#ntarily and ha%%ily reali:ed by deotedness( is already the schema o! a re!lectie mode o!
cond#ct( which li3#idates( 8#st li$e the !ollowers o! the s#%reme leader( all s%irit =Geist: s%irit(
mind> as well as the analysts( who betrayed it.
HL
%n'itation to dance. 9 +sychoanalysis li$es to gie itsel! credit !or ret#rning to h#man beings
their ca%acity !or en8oyment( since this latter is disr#%ted by ne#rotic sic$ness. As i! the mere
term 4ca%acity !or en8oyment5( ass#ming the thing een exists( did not s#!!ice to degrade s#ch in
the worst %ossible way. As i! a ha%%iness( which is d#e to the s%ec#lation on ha%%iness( wo#ld
not be the o%%osite o! ha%%iness( a !#rther tres%ass o! instit#tionally %lanned modes o! cond#ct
into the eer.shrin$ing domain o! ex%erience. 'hat sort o! condition m#st the r#ling
conscio#sness hae achieed( when the binding %roclamation o! extraagance and cham%agne.
inebriation( !ormerly resered !or attaches in ?#ngarian o%erettas( is raised to a maxim o! the
right li!e in br#te earnest. Decreed ha%%iness loo$s exactly li$e what its name s#ggests: to
%arta$e o! it( the !ort#nate ne#rotic m#st also sacri!ice the last bit o! reason le!t remaining by
re%ression and regression( and !or the sa$e o! the %sychoanalyst( has no choice b#t to !ind
ins%iration in the trashy !ilm( the ex%ensie b#t bad meal at the 7rench resta#rant( the serio#s
4drin$5 =in *nglish in original> and sex#ality red#ced to doses o! 4sex5 =in *nglish in original>.
"chiller2s comment( 46i!e is bea#ti!#l nonetheless5( always a %iece o! %a%er.mQchD( has become
idiocy( eer since it has been tr#m%eted in chor#s with that omni%resent adertising( in whose
!an!ares een %sychoanalysis( des%ite its better %ossibilities( 8oins in. "ince %eo%le hae
altogether too !ew inhibitions rather than too many( witho#t being a 8ot healthier !or this( then a
cathartic method m#st( i! it does not wish to be meas#red in terms o! s#ccess!#l ad8#stment and
economic s#ccess( aim at ma$ing h#man beings aware o! #nha%%iness( o! the general $ind as
well as that which is indissol#bly their own@ and to ta$e !rom them the a%%arent satis!action( by
irt#e o! which the hideo#s social order %er%et#ates itsel! within them( as i! its external gri% were
not already %ower!#l eno#gh. <nly in the s#r!eit o! !alse %leas#re( in the contrariness to what is
o!!ered( in the int#ition o! the inade3#acy o! ha%%iness( een where it is still one 9 let alone
there( where it is bo#ght by giing #% the s#%%osedly sic$ly resistance against its %ositie
s#rrogate 9 wo#ld the tho#ght dawn( o! what one might ex%erience. The in8#nctions on
4ha%%iness5 =in *nglish in original>( in which the sanatori#m director who %rescribes good liing
and the !rantic %ro%aganda bosses o! the entertainment ind#stry chime as one( bear the traits o!
the raging !ather( who shrie$s at the children( beca#se they aren2t r#nning downstairs in
trans%orts o! 8oy when he comes home !rom wor$ in a bad mood. +art o! the mechanism o!
domination is that one is !orbidden to recogni:e the s#!!ering which that domination %rod#ces(
and there is a straight line connecting the eangelical lect#re on the 8oy o! li!e to the constr#ction
o! sla#ghter.ho#ses !or h#man beings so !ar o!! in +oland( that eeryone in one2s own ethnic
gro#% can conince themseles they don2t hear the screams o! %ain. That is the schema o! the
#ndist#rbed ca%acity !or en8oyment. Those who name it as s#ch( howeer( are tri#m%hantly
diagnosed by the %sychoanalysts as merely s#!!ering !rom an <edi%al com%lex.
HC
,go is id. 9 1t is c#stomary to lin$ the deelo%ment o! %sychology to the rise o! the bo#rgeois
indiid#al =1ndiid##ms: indiid#al>( in anti3#ity and since the Renaissance. <ne sho#ld not
oerloo$ the contrary moment( which %sychology holds in common with the bo#rgeois class( and
which today has deelo%ed into excl#siity: the o%%ression and dissol#tion o! %recisely the
indiid#ated =1ndiid##ms>( in whose serice the reci%rocal relationshi% o! cognition =*r$enntis:
cognition( $nowledge> to its s#b8ect was based. 1! all %sychology since +rotagoras eleated
h#man beings by thin$ing o! them as the meas#re o! all things( then it has also sim#ltaneo#sly
and !rom the ery beginning t#rned the latter into ob8ects( analytic material( and consigned them(
once they are lined #% as things( to n#llity. The denial o! ob8ectie tr#th thro#gh the reco#rse to
the s#b8ect im%lies its own negation: no meas#re remains !or the meas#re o! all things( it decays
into contingency and t#rns into #ntr#th. This howeer %oints bac$ to the real li!e.%rocess o! the
society. The %rinci%le o! h#man domination( which deelo%ed into an absol#te( has thereby
t#rned its %oint against h#man beings as the absol#te ob8ect( and %sychology has %artici%ated in
shar%ening that %oint. Gnder the ga:e o! the !ormer( the ego( its leading idea and its a %riori
ob8ect( has always been t#rned into something non.existent. By drawing on the !act that the
s#b8ect is not really one in the exchange.society( b#t is in !act an ob8ect( %sychology co#ld
delier the wea%ons which enabled that society to t#rn it into one( and to $ee% it down. The
decom%osition o! h#man beings into ca%abilities is a %ro8ection o! the diision o! labor on its
%res#med s#b8ects( inse%arable !rom the interest in de%loying them with #lterior moties( aboe
all in order to be able to mani%#late them. +sychotechnics is no mere decayed !orm o!
%sychology( b#t immanent in its %rinci%le. ?#me( in whose wor$ eery sentence testi!ies to
gen#ine h#manism and yet sim#ltaneo#sly dismisses the ego as a %re8#dice( ex%resses in s#ch
contradictions the essence o! %sychology as s#ch. 1n this he still had the tr#th on his side( !or
what the ego sets itsel! #% as( is in !act mere %re8#dice( the ideological hy%ostasis o! the abstract
centers o! control( and the criti3#e o! this last demanded the demolition o! the ideology o!
4%ersonality5. B#t this demolition sim#ltaneo#sly ma$es the resid#e that m#ch more s#sce%tible
to control. This becomes !lagrant in %sychoanalysis. 1t con!iscates the %ersonality as the li!elong
lie( as the highest rationali:ation which holds together the co#ntless rationali:ations( which
enable indiid#als =1ndiid##m> to achiee the ren#nciation o! the dries and to align themseles
with the reality.%rinci%le. +recisely by %roing s#ch( howeer( it sim#ltaneo#sly con!irms to
h#man beings their own non.existence. 1t alienates =entae#ssern: to alienate( disclose( reali:e>
them !rom themseles( deno#ncing their a#tonomy along with their #nity and s#b8ecting them
com%letely to the mechanism o! rationali:ation 9 that o! ad8#stment. The intre%id criti3#e o! the
ego in itsel! %asses oer into the demand( that the other2s o#ght to ca%it#late. 1n the end the
wisdom o! the %sychoanalysis tr#ly becomes what the 7ascist #nconscio#s o! the tabloid
maga:ines considers it to be( to the technics o! a s%ecial rac$et among others( which irreocably
binds hel%less and s#!!ering h#man beings to itsel!( in order to command them and ex%loit them.
"#ggestion and hy%nosis( once re8ected as a%ochry%hal( li$e a sideshow magician at the town
mar$et( ret#rn in their grandiose system once again li$e the short !eat#re in the bloc$b#ster !ilm.
The ones who hel% beca#se they $now better( t#rn into the ones who h#miliate others thro#gh
bossy %riilege. 'hat remains o! the criti3#e o! the bo#rgeois conscio#sness is only that
shr#gging o! the sho#lders( by which all doctors hae anno#nced their secret com%licity with
death. 9 1n %sychology( in the bo#ndless !ra#d o! what is merely interiori:ed =bloss 1nwendigen>
-it is not !or nothing that this has to do with the 4%ro%erties5 =in *nglish in original> o! h#man
beings0 is re!lected what the organi:ation o! bo#rgeois society has since time immemorial
%racticed on external %ro%erty. As a res#lt o! social exchange( the !ormer has deelo%ed the latter(
only with an ob8ectie resere cla#se( which eery bo#rgeois int#its. The indiid#al %erson is
thereby on loan( as it were( !rom its class( and those who are its !#nctionaries are ready to ta$e it
bac$( as soon as generali:ed %ro%erty endangers its %rinci%le( which consists %recisely o!
withholding. +sychology re%eats in %ersonal traits( what ha%%ened to %ro%erty. 1t ex%ro%riates
indiid#al %ersons( by a%%ortioning its ha%%iness to them.
)0
$l"ays say it# ne'er think of it. 9 "ince de%th %sychology has( with the hel% o! !ilm( soa% o%eras
and ?orney( %l#mbed the dee%est creices( organi:ed c#lt#re is c#tting o!! the last %ossibility
h#man beings hae o! ex%eriencing themseles. +re!ab enlightenment trans!orms not only
s%ontaneo#s re!lection( b#t also the analytic insights( whose %ower is e3#ialent to the energy
and %assion which it too$ to achiee them( into mass.%rod#ced %rod#cts( and the %ain!#l secrets
o! indiid#al history( which orthodoxy is already wont to red#ce to !orm#las( into h#mdr#m
conentions. The dissol#tion o! rationali:ations becomes itsel! a rationali:ation. 1nstead o!
%er!orming the labor o! sel!.constit#tion( well.schooled ex%erts c#ltiate the ca%acity to s#bs#me
all drie.con!licts #nder conce%ts s#ch as in!eriority com%lex( mother.!ixation( 4extroert5 =in
*nglish in original> and 4introert5 =in *nglish in original>( which they !#ndamentally cannot
access at all. The horror o! the abyss o! the sel! =1ch: 1( ego( sel!> is remoed by the
conscio#sness( that it2s only a 3#estion o! arthritis or 4sin#s tro#bles5 =in *nglish in original>.
Aon!licts thereby lose that which was threatening. They are acce%ted@ by no means healed( b#t
merely slotted into the s#r!ace o! a normali:ed li!e li$e an ineitable %iece o! inentory.
"im#ltaneo#sly they are absorbed( as a general ill( by the mechanism o! immediate identi!ication
o! the indiid#al with the social instance( which has long since ta$en hold o! the %res#mably
normal modes o! cond#ct. 1n the %lace o! that catharsis( whose s#ccess was neer g#aranteed in
adance( ste%s the winning o! %leas#re =6#stgewinn>( o! being an exem%lar o! the ma8ority in
one2s own wea$ness@ not in order to earn the %restige o! the interesting %athological case( as with
the sanatori#m inmates o! yesteryear( b#t on the contrary in order to %roe that one belongs to
the gro#% %recisely by means o! those de!ects( and to trans!er the %ower and greatness o! the
collectie to onesel!. Narcissism( which loses its libidinal ob8ect d#e to the disassembly o! the
ego( is re%laced by masochistic %leas#re o! no longer being an ego( and the yo#nger generation
g#ards its egolessness with rare enth#siasm( as a lasting and common %ossession. The realm o!
rei!ication and normali:ation is extended in this manner into its most extreme contradiction( that
which is ass#med to be abnormal and chaotic. 'hat is incommens#rable is made( %recisely as
s#ch( commens#rable( and the indiid#al =1ndiid##m> is hardly ca%able o! an im%#lse anymore(
which co#ld not be named an exam%le o! this or that %#blicly ac$nowledged constellation.
;eanwhile( s#ch an externally ado%ted and %er!ected identi!ication 9 one beyond( as it were( its
own dynamic 9 #ltimately abolishes( along with the gen#ine conscio#sness o! the im%#lse( this
last as well. 1t t#rns into the re!lex o! stereoty%ical atoms to stereoty%ical stim#li( to be !li%%ed on
and o!! li$e a switch. ;oreoer( the conentionali:ation o! %sychoanalysis triggers its own
castration: sex#al moties( %artly denied( %artly a%%roed( become entirely harmless( b#t also
entirely oid. Along with the !ear( which they co#ld %roo$e( also disa%%ears the %leas#re( which
they co#ld obtain. +sychoanalysis th#s becomes the ictim o! %recisely that s#bstit#tion o! the
a%%ro%riate s#%erego ia the dogged ado%tion o! a relationless external one( which it ta#ght itsel!
to #nderstand. The latest grandly conce%t#ali:ed theorem o! bo#rgeois sel!.criti3#e has t#rned
into a means o! trans!orming bo#rgeois sel!.alienation in its latest %hase into an absol#te( while
thwarting the int#ition o! the age.old wo#nd( which contains the ho%e o! a better one in the
!#t#re.
)/
%nner and outer. 9 <#t o! %iety( la:iness( and calc#lation( %hiloso%hy contin#es to m#ddle
thro#gh in an eer narrower academic !ramewor$( and een there( it is increasingly being
re%laced with organi:ed ta#tology. 'hoeer entr#sts themseles to credentialed %ro!#ndity( !all
ictim 8#st as a h#ndred years ago to the com%#lsion to be( at eery moment( 8#st as naie as
one2s colleag#es( on whom one2s career de%ends. B#t extra.academic thin$ing( which wo#ld li$e
to el#de s#ch com%#lsion as well as the contradiction between high.!lown materials and narrow.
minded =s%iessb#ergerlicher: %etty bo#rgeois> treatment( is threatened by a scarcely less #rgent
danger: by the economic %ress#re o! the mar$et( which at least the %ro!essors in *#ro%e were
sheltered !rom. +hiloso%hers who want to earn a liing as a#thors( m#st o!!er at eery instant
something rare!ied( something ex3#isite( maintaining themseles thro#gh the mono%oly o! rarity(
as it were( as o%%osed to that o! credentials. The noisome conce%t o! the ins%irational so#nd.bite
=geistigen 6ec$erbissens: s%irit#al tidbit( taste o! enlightenment>( dreamed #% by %edants( ends
#% scoring an embarrassing %oint against its naysayers. 1! the good old "chmoc$ =hac$ 8o#rnalist
in %lay by 7reytag> groaned #nder the news%a%er editor2s demand( to write with constant
brilliance( then he also registers in all naiete the law which im%licitly %resides oer the wor$s o!
the cosmogonic *ros and the Aosmos Atheos =re!erence to mystical wor$ by Elages>( the sha%e.
shi!ting o! the gods and the secret o! the gos%el according to "t. ,ohn. The li!e.style o! the
belated bohemian( which is !orced #%on non.academic %hiloso%hers( soon gies the !ormer a
!atal a!!inity to that which is artsy( s%irit#ally $itschy( sectarian and hal!.ed#cated. The ;#nich
be!ore '' 1 was a breeding gro#nds !or that s%irit#ality =Geistig$eit>( whose %rotest against the
rationalism o! the schools c#lminated( ia the c#lt o! the cost#me !estials( in 7ascism een
!aster than the hal!.hearted system o! old Ric$ert. "o great is the %ower o! the adancing
organi:ation o! tho#ght( that those who wish to stay o#tside are drien to the anity o!
resentment( to the babbling o! sel!.%romotion( and #ltimately the an3#ished ones to con games.
'hen the %ro!essors %osit the %rinci%le o! s#m ergo cogito =6atin: 1 thin$( there!ore 1 am> and
!all %rey in the o%en system to agora%hobia( and in thrownness =Gewor!enheit: notorio#s
?eideggerian term> to the %reind#strial comm#nity =&ol$sgemeinscha!t: !ol$ comm#nity(
notorio#s term o! Na:i %ro%aganda>( then their o%%onents go astray( #nless they are ery m#ch
on g#ard( in the real o! gra%hology and aerobics =rhythmischen Gymnasti$>. The com%#lsie
ty%es there corres%ond to the %aranoids here. The wist!#l o%%osition to !act#al research( the
legitimate conscio#sness that scientism !orgets what is best( exacerbates thro#gh its naiete the
s%lit !rom which it s#!!ers. 1nstead o! com%rehending the !acts( behind which others are
barricaded( it h#rriedly throws together whateer it can grab !rom them( r#shing o!! to %lay so
#ncritically with a%ochry%hal cognitions( with a co#%le isolated and hy%ostati:ed categories( and
with itsel!( that it is easily dis%osed o! by re!erring to the #nyielding !acts. 1t is %recisely the
critical element which is lost in the a%%arently inde%endent tho#ght. The insistence on the secret
o! the world hidden beneath the shell( which dares not ex%lain how it relates to the shell( only
recon!irms thro#gh s#ch abstemio#sness the tho#ght that there m#st be good reasons !or that
shell( which one o#ght to acce%t witho#t 3#estion. Between the %leas#re o! em%tiness and the lie
o! %lenit#de( the r#ling condition o! the s%irit =Geistes: mind> %ermits no third o%tion.
Neertheless the glance at what is remote( the hatred o! banality( the search !or that which
has not yet been gras%ed( !or what has not been encom%assed by the general conce%t#al schema(
is the last chance !or tho#ght. 1n an intellect#al =geistigen> hierarchy( which contin#ally holds
eeryone res%onsible( then irres%onsibility alone is ca%able o! immediately calling the hierarchy
itsel! by name. The s%here o! circ#lation( whose mar$s are borne by intellect#al o#tsiders( o%ens
the last re!#ges to the s%irit =Geist>( which it is selling o!!( at the moment when these no longer
really exist. 'hoeer o!!ers something which is one o! a $ind( which noone wants to b#y
anymore( re%resents( een against their will( !reedom !rom exchange.
)2
Freedom of thought. 9 The s#%%ression o! %hiloso%hy by science has led( as is commonly $nown(
to a se%aration o! the two elements whose #nity( according to ?egel( com%rises the li!e o!
%hiloso%hy: re!lection and s%ec#lation. The land o! tr#th is soberly consigned to determinations
o! re!lection( and s%ec#lations are tolerated therein with an ill grace( solely as a mere !orm#lation
o! hy%otheses( which are to be tho#ght #% o#tside o! wor$ing ho#rs and soled as 3#ic$ly as
%ossible. 'hoeer might beliee that the s%ec#latie realm is %resered( #ndis%#ted( in its extra.
scienti!ic realm 9 le!t in %eace( as it were( by the h#stle and b#stle o! #niersal statistics 9 is
thoro#ghly mista$en. "%ec#lation is hit hard !rom the o#tset by the se%aration !rom re!lection. 1t
either degrades into the com%liant %arroting o! traditional %hiloso%hical schemes or degenerates(
in its distance !rom !acts which hae been rendered blind( into the babble o! a non.binding
%riate world iew. Not content with this( the scienti!ic enter%rise incor%orates s%ec#lation into
itsel!. Among the %#blic !#nctions o! %sychoanalysis( this is not the least. 1ts medi#m is the !ree
association. The road into the #nconscio#s o! the %atient is constr#cted by exc#sing them o! the
res%onsibility !or re!lection( and the analytical !ormation o! theory !ollows the same trac$(
whether it ta$es its c#e !rom the %rogression and bloc$ages o! those associations( or whether the
analyst( een the most gi!ted ones li$e Groddec$( tr#st to their own associations. Relaxed on the
analyst2s co#ch( one rehearses what was once achieed by the most extreme exertion o! tho#ght
by "chelling and ?egel in the lect#rer2s %odi#m: the decoding o! the %henomenon. B#t s#ch a
relaxation o! tension a!!ects the 3#ality o! the thin$ing: the di!!erence is hardly less than that
between the %hiloso%hy o! reelation ="chelling2s later %hiloso%hy> and the gossi% o! the mother.
in.law. The same moement o! the "%irit =Geistes>( whose 4material5 was !ormerly to be raised
to the conce%t( is itsel! degraded to a mere material !or the conce%t#al social order. 'hateer
ideas cross one2s mind( are good eno#gh !or ex%erts to decide whether the originator is a
com%#lsie character( an oral ty%e or a hysteric. By irt#e o! the slac$ening o! res%onsibility(
which lies in the se%aration !rom the re!lection( !rom the control o! #nderstanding( s%ec#lation is
consigned to science as an ob8ect( whose s#b8ectiity is exting#ished along with it. Tho#ght( by
allowing the administratie schema o! the analysis to recall its #nconscio#s origins( !orgets to be
tho#ght. 7rom the tr#e 8#dgement( it t#rns into a ne#tral material. 1nstead o! mastering itsel! by
%er!orming the labor o! the conce%t( it %owerlessly entr#sts its own %rocessing to the doctor( who
already $nows eerything anyway. Th#s s%ec#lation is concl#siely bro$en and t#rned into a
!act( which can be !iled in one o! the branches o! classi!ication as a %iece o! eidence o! what is
always the same.
)H
Fear(mongering does not apply. 9 'hat the tr#th might ob8ectiely be( remains di!!ic#lt eno#gh
to discern( b#t when dealing with h#man beings one sho#ld not allow onesel! to be terrori:ed by
this. There are criteria there( which seem satis!ying at !irst. <ne o! the most reliable is the
re%roach that an ex%ression is 4too s#b8ectie5. 1! this is laid down with that indignation( which
echoes with the !#rio#s harmony o! all reasonable %eo%le( then one has reason to be satis!ied
with onesel! !or a co#%le o! seconds. The conce%ts o! what is s#b8ectie and what is ob8ectie
hae been com%letely inerted. <b8ectie means the non.controersial side o! the %henomenon
=*rschein#ng>( its #n3#estioned im%rint( ta$en as it is( the !acade constr#cted o#t o! classi!ied
data( there!ore the s#b8ectie@ and they call s#b8ectie( whateer brea$s thro#gh s#ch( emerging
o#t o! the s%eci!ic ex%erience o! the thing( diesting itsel! o! %re8#dged conention and setting
the relation to the ob8ect in %lace o! the ma8ority decision concerning s#ch( which they cannot
een see( let alone thin$ 9 there!ore( what is ob8ectie. ?ow ac#o#s the !ormal ob8ection to
s#b8ectie relatiity is( can be obsered in its own act#al !ield( that o! aesthetic 8#dgements.
Those who hae s#b8ected themseles in earnest( o#t o! the energy o! their %recise reaction( to
the disci%line o! a wor$ o! art( to the com%#lsion o! its sha%e( o! its immanent law o! !orm( !ind
the ob8ection against what is merely s#b8ectie in their ex%erience dissoling li$e a threadbare
a%%earance ="chein>( and eery ste% they ta$e !#rther into the matter( by irt#e o! their extreme
s#b8ectie inneration( has incom%arably greater ob8ectie %ower than com%rehensie and m#ch.
indicated conce%t#al !ormations( s#ch as that o! 4style5( whose scienti!ic claim comes at the
cost o! s#ch ex%erience. This is do#bly tr#e in the era o! %ositiism and o! the c#lt#re.ind#stry(
whose ob8ectiity is calc#lated by administrating s#b8ects. 1n contrast to this( reason has !led
com%letely into eyeless =!ensterlos> idiosyncrasy( which the ca%rice o! the %ower.bro$ers
castigates as ca%rice( beca#se they want the %owerlessness o! s#b8ects( o#t o! !ear o! the
ob8ectiity( which alone is s#blated in these s#b8ects.
))
For post(Socratics. 9 Nothing is less worthy o! intellect#als( who hae #nderta$en to achiee
what was earlier called %hiloso%hy( than the wish to be %roed correct in the disc#ssion( and one
wo#ld li$e to say( in the citation o! eidence. The wish to be %roed correct( down to its most
s#btle logical !orm o! re!lection( is the ex%ression o! that s%irit =Geistes> o! sel!.%reseration(
whose dissol#tion ma$es #% the %artic#lar concern o! %hiloso%hy. 1 $new someone who met with
all the celebrities !rom e%istemology( the nat#ral sciences and social sciences( one a!ter another(
thoro#ghly disc#ssed his system with each one and( a!ter noone dared to raise an arg#ment
against its !ormalism( considered his wor$ concl#siely established. "omething o! s#ch naiete is
#bi3#ito#s in wor$s where %hiloso%hy een distantly resembles the gest#re o! coniction.
Gnderlying this is the %rere3#isite o! the #niersitas literar#m =6atin: #niersal literacy>( an a
%riori common agreement o! minds =Geister: minds( s%irits>( which are able to comm#nicate with
each other( and thereby indeed on com%lete con!ormism. 'hen %hiloso%hers( well.$nown !or
being aerse to silence( enter into a conersation( then they sho#ld s%ea$ as i! they were being
%roed wrong( b#t in a manner which conicts the o%%onent o! #ntr#th. The %oint is not to
generate cognitions which are absol#tely correct( b#llet%roo! and watertight 9 these r#n
#naoidably into ta#tology 9 b#t rather those which direct the 3#estion o! their correctness
towards themseles. 9 This is not to arg#e !or irrationalism( the %ositing o! ca%ricio#s theses(
8#sti!ied thro#gh the reelatory belie!s o! int#ition( b#t the abolition o! the distinction between
thesis and arg#ment. To thin$ dialectically means( in this res%ect( that the arg#ment sho#ld
achiee the criticality =Drasti$> o! the thesis and the thesis sho#ld contain the %lenit#de o! its
gro#nd within itsel!. All bridging conce%ts( all connections and logical hel%ing o%erations( which
are not in the matter itsel!( all secondary conse3#ences not s#!!#sed with the ex%erience o! the
ob8ect( sho#ld !all away. 1n a %hiloso%hical text( all %ro%ositions sho#ld stand e3#ally near to the
mid%oint. Tho#gh ?egel wo#ld neer hae said as m#ch( his entire %roced#re testi!ies to this
intention. "ince it does not recogni:e that which is !irst( then strictly s%ea$ing neither sho#ld it
recogni:e that which is second or deried( and it has dis%laced the conce%t o! mediation !rom
!ormal interening determinations into the matter itsel!( thereby see$ing to oercome its
di!!erence !rom a thin$ing which is external to s#ch or mediates it. The limits to the s#ccess o!
s#ch an intention in the ?egelian %hiloso%hy( are sim#ltaneo#sly the limits o! its tr#th( namely
the remnants o! %rima %hiloso%hia =6atin: !irst %hiloso%hy>( the s#%%osition that the s#b8ect is
something which in s%ite o! eerything is 4!irst5. <ne o! the tas$s o! dialectical logic is to
ex%#nge the last traces o! the ded#ctie system( together with the last legalistic
=ado$atorischen> gest#res o! tho#ght.
)5
34et ho" ill does e'erything gro"ing seem...5 =R#ote !rom %oem by Tra$l> 9 Dialectical thin$ing
de!ies rei!ication also in the sense( that it re!#ses to con!irm the indiid#al as singled.o#t and in
se%arateness: it ascertains %recisely this isolation as the %rod#ct o! the general. Th#s it wor$s as a
correctie against manic !ixity as well as the #nresisting and em%ty dri!t o! the %aranoid s%irit
=Geistes>( which %ays !or the absol#te 8#dgement with the sacri!ice o! the ex%erience o! the
matter ="ache>. B#t !or that reason dialectics is nonetheless not what it became in the *nglish
?egelian school and then all the more so in Dewey2s stren#o#s %ragmatism( the 4sense o!
%ro%ortions5 =in *nglish in original>( the %#tting o! things in their correct %ers%ectie( sim%le b#t
intractable common sense. 1! ?egel seemed to come close to s#ch a iew in his conersations
with Goethe( de!ending his %hiloso%hy against Goethean +latonism by saying that the !ormer
was 4!#ndamentally nothing more than the reg#lar( methodically constr#cted s%irit o!
contradiction( which dwells within all h#man beings5( a 4gi!t which %roes its worth in the
distinction o! the tr#e !rom the !alse5( then the canny !orm#lation contains( tric$ster.style( in the
%raise o! 4what dwells within eery h#man being5( the sim#ltaneo#s den#nciation o! the
4common sense5 =in *nglish in original> which is made into its innermost determination( beca#se
it cannot be deried !rom 4common sense5 =in *nglish in original5( b#t contradicts s#ch.
4Aommon sense5 =in *nglish in original>( the a%%raisal o! correct relationshi%s( the
cosmo%olitan( %racticed eye( schooled in the mar$et( shares with the dialectic the !reedom !rom
dogma( limitation and %re8#dice. 1ts sobriety !orms an indis%ensable moment o! critical thin$ing.
B#t also its sworn enemy( d#e to the ren#nciation o! del#sionary waywardness. The generality o!
the o%inion( immediately ass#med as one in society( as it is( necessarily has consens#s as its
concrete content. 1t is no accident that in the /C
th
cent#ry it was %recisely o#tworn dogmatism(
a!!licted by the *nlightenment with a bad conscience( a%%ealed to common sense( so that an
arch.%ositiist li$e ;ill was com%elled to %olemici:e against s#ch. The 4sense o! %ro%ortions5
=in *nglish in original> wholly relates to the in8#nction to thin$ in the standard relationshi%s and
orders o! magnit#de o! li!e( which remain !ixed. <ne need only hae once heard the dyed.in.the.
wool re%resentatie o! a r#ling cli3#e say( 4That2s o! no im%ortance5( one need only obsere at
what times the bo#rgeoisie s%ea$s o! exaggeration( hysteria( and !oolishness( to $now that it is
%recisely where the a%%eal to reason emerges most %rom%tly( that the iss#e #naoidably concerns
an a%ology !or #nreason. ?egel em%hasi:ed the healthy s%irit o! contradiction with the
hardheadedness o! the %easant( who has learned oer the cent#ries to withstand the h#nts and
tithes o! the mighty !e#dal lords. 1t is the s%ecial concern o! %hiloso%hy to $noc$ the healthy
iew%oints held by later %ower.bro$ers regarding the imm#tability o! the co#rse o! the world !or
a loo%( and to decode in their 4%ro%ortions5 =in *nglish in original> the tr#e and red#ced mirror.
image o! immeas#rably enlarged dis%ro%ortions. Dialectical reason =&ern#n!t: reason> is( against
the r#ling one( #nreason =Gnern#n!t>: only by carrying oer and s#blating the latter( does it
become rational =ernFn!tig: reasonable( rational>. ?ow biased and Talm#dic indeed was the
insistence( in the middle o! the !#nctioning exchange society( on the distinction between the total
wor$.ho#rs ex%ended by wor$ers and those necessary !or the re%rod#ction o! their lies. ?ow
Niet:sche %#t the cart be!ore the horses( on which he charged( how Earl Era#s( Ea!$a( een
+ro#st( each in their own manner( !alsi!ied the %ict#re o! the world in a biased manner( in order to
sha$e o!! !alsity and bias. Dialectics may not sto% be!ore the conce%ts o! the healthy and the sic$(
nor indeed be!ore the latters2 !amily relations( the rational and the irrational. <nce it recogni:es
the r#ling generality and its %ro%ortions as sic$ 9 and mar$ed in the most literal sense with
%aranoia( with 4%athic %ro8ection5 9 then it !inds the cells o! healing solely in what the standards
o! that social order %ortray as sic$( abs#rd( %aranoid 9 indeed( 4insane5( and it is tr#e as today as
in the medieal era( that only !ools s%ea$ the tr#th to %ower. 1n this res%ect it is the d#ty o! the
dialectician to hel% this tr#th o! the !ool to attain the conscio#sness o! its own reason =&ern#n!t>(
witho#t which it wo#ld indeed %erish in the abyss o! that sic$ness( %itilessly dictated by the
common sense o! others.
)J
+n the ethics 6Moral7 of thinking. 9 Naie and #nnaie( these are conce%ts which are so closely
intertwined( that nothing good will come o! %laying one against the other. The de!ense o! the
naie( #nderta$en by irrationalists and intellect#al.haters o! all $inds( is ignoble. The re!lection
which ta$es the side o! naiete( t#rns against itsel!: cleerness and obsc#rantism hae eer been
the same. By #%holding immediacy ia mediation( instead o! com%rehending the !ormer as
something mediated in itsel!( thin$ing inerts into the a%ologetics o! its own o%%osite( into the
immediate lie. 1t seres all sorts o! bad ends( !rom the obd#rateness o! the %riate things.are.8#st.
so to the 8#sti!ication o! social in8#stice as Nat#re. 1! one wished howeer to raise the o%%osite to
a %rinci%le and 9 as 1 mysel! once did 9 call %hiloso%hy the binding obligation to the #nnaie(
then one does hardly any better. 1t is not merely that #nnaiete is a d#bio#s medi#m o! cognition
=*r$enntnis> in the sense o! ade%tness( hard.bittenness( 3#ic$.wittedness( always %re%ared(
thro#gh a!!inity to the %ractical social orders o! li!e( and the all.ro#nd mental reseration against
theory( to rebo#nd into naiete( the !ixed ga:e on %#r%oses. *en where #nnaiete is gras%ed in
the theoretically res%onsible sense o! what broadens( o! what does not remain in the isolated
%henomenon( o! the tho#ght o! the whole( a shadow !alls. 1t is 8#st that broadening and inability
to tarry( that im%licit recognition o! the %riority o! the generality oer the %artic#lar( which
com%rises not only the dece%tion o! idealism( which hy%ostasi:es conce%ts( b#t also its
inh#manity( which degrades the %artic#lar( as soon as it sei:es s#ch( to a mere way.station and
!inally ma$es its %eace with s#!!ering and death( in a reconciliation which ta$es %lace only in the
re!lection 9 in the !inal analysis( the bo#rgeois coldness( which is all too ha%%y to sign on to what
is ineitable. Enowledge may broaden only where it %ersists by the indiid#al( so that its
isolation is disassembled by this insistence. This %res#%%oses to be s#re a relationshi% to the
generality( tho#gh not one o! s#bs#m%tion( b#t almost its o%%osite. Dialectical mediation is not
the reco#rse to what is more abstract( b#t the %rocess o! resol#tion o! the concrete in itsel!.
Niet:sche( who himsel! tho#ght in all too wide hori:ons( $new something o! this: 4Those who
wish to mediate between two incisie thin$ers(5 reads a %assage in The ay Science( 4are
mar$ed as mediocre: they do not hae eyes !or what is #ni3#e@ seeing things as the same and
ma$ing things the same are the hallmar$s o! wea$ ision.5 The ethics =;oral> o! thin$ing do not
consist o! %roceeding in a st#bborn or soereign manner( nor blindly or em%tily( nor atomistically
or conse3#entially. The do#ble.sidedness o! the method( which among reasonable %eo%le gae to
?egelian %henomenology with name o! abyssal di!!ic#lty by reasonable %eo%le( namely the
demand( to allow the %henomenon to s%ea$ as s#ch 9 the 4%#re onloo$ing5 9 and yet at eery
moment to maintain the re!lection( its relation to the conscio#sness as a s#b8ect( ex%resses this
ethos most ac#tely and in !#ll de%th o! the contradiction. Net how m#ch more di!!ic#lt this is to
achiee( i! one can no longer ass#me the identity o! s#b8ect and ob8ect( the #ltimate ass#m%tion
which enabled ?egel to conceal the antagonistic demands o! on.loo$ing and constr#al. Nothing
less is demanded o! those who thin$ today( than to be at eery moment in the matter ="achen>
and o#tside o! the matter ="achen> 9 the gest#re o! ;Fnchha#sen( who %#lled himsel! o#t o! the
swam% by his own %igtails( becomes the schemata o! eery cognition( which wishes to be more
than either a !ixed determination or a %ro%osition. And then the %hiloso%hers still come along and
re%roach #s( !or not haing a !ixed stand%oint.
)K
De gusti&us est disputandum =6atin: There is no acco#nting !or taste.> 9 *en those who are
coninced o! the incom%arability o! wor$s o! art( !ind themseles contin#ally entangled in
debates where wor$s o! art( and %recisely those o! the highest and !or that reason incom%arable
ran$( are com%ared with and eal#ated against each other. The ob8ection inariably raised d#ring
s#ch considerations( that it is all 8#st a matter o! collectors2 instincts( o! meas#ring by ells(
#s#ally means only that the good citi:ens( to whom art can neer be irrational eno#gh( wish to
$ee% the inner constit#tion and claim o! tr#th distant !rom the wor$s. The com%#lsion o! the
consideration is howeer located in the wor$ o! art itsel!. "o m#ch is tr#e( that they do not allow
themseles to be com%ared. Rather( they want to annihilate each other. 1t is not !or nothing that
the ancients =i.e. Gree$s> resered the %antheon o! that which is com%atible to the gods or to
ideas( b#t re3#ired wor$s o! art to enter the agon =Gree$: contest( con!lict( str#ggle>( each one the
mortal enemy o! the other. The de%iction o! a 4%antheon o! classicism5( which Eier$egaard still
cl#ng to( is a !iction o! ne#trali:ed #%bringing. 7or i! the idea o! the bea#ti!#l is %ortrayed as
merely diided #% into many wor$s( each indiid#al one neertheless rec$ons on an inalienable
claim to the whole( claiming the bea#ti!#l !or itsel! o#t o! its #ni3#eness and can neer admit its
segmentation( witho#t ann#lling itsel!. The bea#ti!#l( as something #nitary( tr#e and
a%%earanceless =scheinlos>( emanci%ated !rom s#ch indiid#ation( is not re%resented by the
synthesis o! all wor$s( by the #nity o! arts and o! art( b#t solely cor%oreally and act#ally: in the
down!all o! art itsel!. *ery wor$ o! art aims at s#ch a down!all( by see$ing the death o! all the
others. That all art rec$ons on its own end( is another way o! stating the same state o! a!!airs. 1t is
o#t o! s#ch a com%#lsion towards sel!.annihilation in wor$s o! art( !rom their innermost concern(
that dries towards the a%%earanceless =scheinlos> %ict#re o! what is bea#ti!#l( which stirs #%
seemingly #seless aesthetic dis%#tes oer and oer again. 'hile they st#bbornly and obstinately
wish to !ind what is aesthetically correct =Recht> and %recisely thereby !all ictim to an
#n3#enchable dialectic( they are more correct than they can $now@ by delimiting each art.wor$(
whose energy they ta$e into themseles and raise to a conce%t( they wor$ towards the destr#ction
o! art( which is its salation. The aesthetic tolerance( which alidates wor$s o! art in their
immediate narrowness( witho#t brea$ing this last( yields only the wrong down!all( that o! the
8#xta%osition( which denies the claim o! the #nitary tr#th.
)L
For $natole France. 9 A 3#estionable moment begins to s#r!ace in irt#es s#ch as o%en.
mindedness( the ca%acity to o#chsa!e and en8oy the bea#ti!#l( een in what is most m#ndane
and #na%%arent. <nce( in the e%och o! oer!lowing s#b8ectie %lenit#de( aesthetic indi!!erence in
relation to the choice o! the ob8ect( as well the energy to extract meaning !rom eerything one
ex%erienced( ex%ressed the relation to the ob8ectie world itsel!( a relation which con!ronted the
s#b8ect antagonistically 9 down into all o! its !ragments( as it were 9 and yet closely and
signi!icantly. 1n a %hase when the s#b8ect abdicates be!ore the alienated hegemony o! things( its
readiness to o#chsa!e what is eerywhere %ositie or bea#ti!#l( dis%lays a resignation o! critical
ca%acity as m#ch as o! the inter%retie imagination inse%arable !rom s#ch. 'hoeer !inds
eerything bea#ti!#l( is now in danger o! !inding nothing bea#ti!#l. The generality o! the
bea#ti!#l is comm#nicated to the s#b8ect in no other way than the obsession with the %artic#lar.
No ga:e achiees bea#ty( witho#t being accom%anied by indi!!erence( and well.nigh contem%t
!or eerything o#tside o! the iewed ob8ect. And it is solely thro#gh beda::lement =&erblend#ng:
da::le( in!at#ation>( the #n8#st clos#re o! the ga:e is.a.is the claim raised by eerything which
exists( that 8#stice is done to what exists. By being acce%ted in its one.sidedness( !or what it is( its
one.sidedness is #nderstood as its essence and reconciled. The ga:e which loses itsel! in
something which is bea#ti!#l( is one o! the "abbath =day o! re%ose in ,#daism>. 1t resc#es in the
ob8ect something o! the %eace!#lness o! its day o! creation. ?oweer i! this one.sidedness is
s#blated by a conscio#sness o! the #niersal im%osed !rom o#tside( i! the %artic#lar is harried(
s#bstit#ted and weighed #%( then the 8#st iew o! the whole ma$es the #niersal in8#stice( which
lies in exchangeability and s#bstit#tion( its own. "#ch 8#stice t#rns into the exec#tor o! mythos
#%on creation. To be s#re( no tho#ght is imm#ne to s#ch interweaing( none may be blin$ered.
B#t eerything de%ends on the manner o! the transition. The mischie! comes !rom tho#ght as
might =Gewalt: %ower( iolence>( the shortc#t o! the %ath which !inds the generality solely
thro#gh what is im%enetrable( whose theoretical content =Gehalt> is %resered in im%enetrability
itsel!( not in the deried congr#ence o! ario#s ob8ects. <ne co#ld almost say that the tr#th itsel!
de%ends on the tem%o( %atience and d#ration o! the tarrying on the %artic#lar: what goes beyond
this( witho#t haing entirely lost itsel!( what %roceeds to 8#dgement( witho#t ma$ing itsel! g#ilty
o! the in8#stice o! the int#ition =Anscha##ng>( loses itsel! in the end in the oid. 6iberality( which
grants rights to h#man beings indiscriminately( amo#nts to annihilation( 8#st li$e the will o! the
ma8ority which in!licts harm on the minority( and th#s ma$es a moc$ery o! the democracy(
according to whose %rinci%les they act. 1ndiscriminate beneolence towards all constantly
threatens that coldness and remoteness against each( which are once again comm#nicated to the
whole. 1n8#stice is the medi#m o! tr#e 8#stice. Gnrestricted beneolence t#rns into the
con!irmation o! eerything which is bad( by belittling its di!!erence !rom the trace o! what is
good and leeling it to that generality( which s%rings ho%elessly !rom the bo#rgeois.
;e%histo%helean wisdom( that eerything which exists( deseres to %erish. =Aitation !rom
Goethe2s Faust> The salation o! bea#ty een in what is lac$l#ster or indi!!erent a%%ears that
m#ch more nobler as the obstinate insistence on criti3#e and s%eci!ication( as they are in tr#th
more %liable to the social orders o! li!e.
;obili:ed against this is the sanctity o! what is alie( which is re!lected %recisely in what
is most #gly and distorted. B#t its re!lection is nothing immediate( b#t solely something
re!racted: what is s#%%osed to be bea#ti!#l 8#st beca#se it is alie( is !or that reason already what
is #gly. The conce%t o! li!e in its abstraction( to which reco#rse is made here( is by no means to
be se%arated !rom what is re%ressie( relentless( tr#ly deadly and destr#ctie. The c#lt o! li!e in
itsel! always amo#nts to that o! these !orces. 'hateer the ex%ression o! li!e may mean( !rom
brimming !ertility and the !renetic dries o! children( all the way to the com%etence o! those who
cobble together something correctly and the high s%irits o! the wi!e( who is idoli:ed beca#se
a%%etite shows in her so #nreseredly 9 all o! this( ta$en absol#tely( has something o! the ta$ing
away o! the light !rom others( o! what is %ossible( in blind sel!.%er%et#ation. Ram%ant health as
s#ch is always already sic$ness. 1ts antidote is sic$ness which is conscio#s o! itsel!( the
delimitation o! li!e itsel!. Bea#ty is s#ch healing sic$ness. 1t arrests li!e and thereby its decay.
?oweer i! one denied sic$ness !or the sa$e o! li!e( then the hy%ostati:ed li!e %asses oer( by
irt#e o! its blind se%aration !rom the other moment( into what is destr#ctie and maleolent(
insolent and sel!.aggrandi:ing. 'hoeer hates what is destr#ctie( m#st hate li!e along with it:
only what is dead is an allegory =Gleichnis: allegory( %arable( analogy> o! what is liing and
#ndistorted. Anatole 7rance reali:ed something o! this( in his enlightened way. 4No5( says the
otherwise mild.mannered ;r. Bergeret( 41 wo#ld rather beliee( that organic li!e is the s%ecial
illness o! o#r #nloely %lanet. 1t wo#ld be #nbearable to thin$ that there is nothing b#t eating and
being eaten thro#gho#t the endless #nierse.5 The nihilistic anti%athy in his words is not merely
the %sychological b#t also the material %recondition o! h#manity as #to%ia.
)C
,thics 6Moral7 and temporal order. 9 'hile literat#re has dealt with all manner o! erotic
con!licts( the sim%lest external motie !or con!lict has remained #nto#ched( d#e to its
obio#sness. That is the %henomenon o! being already ta$en: that a %erson beloed by #s is
inaccessible not beca#se o! inner antagonisms and inhibitions( too m#ch coldness or oerly
re%ressed warmth( b#t beca#se a relationshi% already exists( which excl#des a new one. The
abstract tem%oral order %lays in tr#th the role which one wo#ld li$e to ascribe to the hierarchy o!
the !eelings. The state o! being ta$en( leaing aside !reedom o! choice and the decision( also has
something wholly accidental abo#t it( which a%%ears to thoro#ghly contradict the claim o!
!reedom. *en and exactly in a society healed !rom the anarchy o! commodity %rod#ction( there
wo#ld scarcely be r#les regarding how and in what order one got to $now %eo%le. 'ere it any
di!!erent( then s#ch an arrangement wo#ld e3#ate to the most #nbearable assa#lt on !reedom. 7or
that reason( the %riority o! what is accidental has %ower!#l reasons on its side: i! a new %erson is
%re!erred oer another( then the latter is slighted( beca#se the %ast o! the common li!e is ann#lled(
ex%erience itsel! is( as it were( crossed o#t. The irreersibility o! time sets an ob8ectie moral
criterion. B#t this latter is entwined with mythos( li$e abstract time itsel!. The excl#siity %osited
in it deelo%s according to its own conce%t into the excl#sie r#le o! hermetically sealed gro#%s(
!inally to that o! large.scale ind#stry. Nothing can be more to#ching than the worry o! loers(
that a new %erson co#ld attract loe and tenderness 9 their !inest %ossessions( 8#st beca#se they
cannot be %ossessed 9 %recisely by means o! that newness( which is itsel! %rod#ced by the
%riilege o! the older. B#t !rom this to#chingness( whose disintegration wo#ld mean the
sim#ltaneo#s disintegration o! all warmth and sn#gness =Geborgensein>( leads an irresistible %ath
!rom the aersion o! the little child to its yo#nger siblings and the contem%t o! the !raternity
brother to the %ledge( to the immigration laws which excl#de all non.*#ro%eans in social
democratic A#stralia( all the way to the 7ascist extermination o! racial minorities( wherein in !act
warmth and sn#gness ex%lode into nothingness. 1t is not only( as Niet:sche $new( that all good
things were once eil: een the most tender o! these( le!t to its own moment#m( has the tendency
to c#lminate in #nthin$able barbarity.
1t wo#ld be idle to try to %oint o#t a %ath leading o#t o! s#ch entanglement. Net the
bale!#l moment can be named( which brings this entire dialectic into %lay. 1t lies in the excl#sie
character o! what is !irst. The original relationshi%( in its mere immediacy( already %res#%%oses
that abstract tem%oral order. The conce%t o! time is historically !ormed on the basis o! the social
order o! %ro%erty. B#t the desire !or ownershi% re!lects time as !ear o! losing( o! irretrieability.
'hat is( is ex%erienced in relation to its %ossible non.being. 1t is thereby t#rned into a %ossession
and %recisely in s#ch %etri!ication to something !#nctional( which can be exchanged !or another(
e3#ialent %ossession. <nce become entirely a %ossession( the beloed h#man being is act#ally
no longer een loo$ed at. Abstraction in loe is the com%lement o! excl#siity( which mani!ests
itsel! dece%tiely( as its o%%osite( as the clinging to the a%%earance o! someone.8#st.so. The
ob8ect o! this conentionalism sli%s o#t o! the latter2s hands( %recisely beca#se it is t#rned into an
ob8ect( and !or!eits the h#man beings( which it degrades to 4my %eo%le5. 1! h#man beings were
no longer %ossessions o! any $ind( then they co#ld also no longer be exchanged. The tr#e
a!!ection wo#ld be one( which s%ea$s s%eci!ically to the other( holding !ast to beloed traits and
not to the idol o! %ersonality( the mirror.re!lection o! %ossession. 'hat is s%eci!ic is not
excl#sie: it lac$s the im%#lse towards totality. B#t in another sense it is neertheless excl#sie:
it %reents the s#bstit#tion o! the ex%erience which is indissol#bly bo#nd to it( not so by
!orbidding s#ch( b#t beca#se its %#re conce%t %reents this s#bstit#tion !rom ha%%ening in the
!irst %lace. The %rotection o! what is entirely determinate is that it cannot be re%eated( and that is
why it tolerates the other. The %ro%erty relationshi% in h#man beings( the excl#sie right o!
%riority( recalls to mind the old saying: 6ord( they2re only h#man beings( which one( doesn2t
really matter. The a!!ection which $nows nothing o! s#ch wisdom( need not !ear in!idelity(
beca#se it wo#ld be imm#ne to !aithlessness.
50
aps. 9 The demand that one sho#ld be intellect#ally honest amo#nts mostly to the sabotage o!
tho#ght. 1t means to hold a#thors acco#ntable( to ex%licitly %ortray all the ste%s which led them
to their concl#sion( and th#s enable eery reader to !ollow the %rocess along and( where %ossible
9 !or exam%le( in academia 9 to d#%licate it. Not only does this o%erate according to the liberal
!iction o! the %o%#lar( general comm#nicability o! eery tho#ght and inhibit its !act#ally
a%%ro%riate ex%ression( b#t is also !alse as a %rinci%le o! re%resentation =Darstell#ng>. 7or the
worth o! a tho#ght is meas#red by its distance !rom the contin#ity o! what is !amiliar. 1t is
ob8ectiely deal#ed by the dimin#tion o! this distance@ the more it a%%roaches the %reio#sly
established norms( the more its antithetical !#nction disa%%ears( and its claim is !o#nded only in
the latter( in the a%%arent relationshi% to its o%%osite( not in its isolated existence. Texts which
anxio#sly #nderta$e to doc#ment eery last one o! their ste%s( decay #naoidably into what is
banal and into a boredom which relates not 8#st to the tension d#ring the reading( b#t also to its
own s#bstance. "immel2s texts( !or exam%le( s#!!er eerywhere !rom the incom%atibility o! their
distinctie ob8ects with the %ain!#lly l#cid treatment. They establish what is distinctie as the
tr#e com%lement o! that mediocrity which "immel wrongly belieed to be Goethe2s secret. B#t
!ar beyond this( the demand !or intellect#al honesty is itsel! dishonest. *en i! one !ollowed !or
once the d#bio#s instr#ction( that the re%resentation =Darstell#ng> o#ght to model itsel! %recisely
on the tho#ght.%rocess( then this %rocess wo#ld no more be one o! disc#rsie %rogress !rom ste%
to ste%( as the reerse( that insights !all to the see$er o! $nowledge !rom heaen. Aogni:ing
inoles on the contrary a networ$ o! %re8#dices( int#itions( innerations( sel!.corrections(
ass#m%tions and exaggerations( in short in dense( gro#nded ex%erience( which is by no means
trans%arent in all %laces. <! this the Aartesian r#le( that one sho#ld only t#rn to ob8ects( 4to
whose clear and #ndo#bted $nowledge o#r mind =Geist> seems to s#!!ice5( incl#ding all order
and dis%osition which relates to s#ch( gies as !alse an acco#nt as the o%%osing doctrine o! the
a%%erce%tion ='esenscha#>( which is neertheless inextricably entwined with the !ormer. 1! this
latter denies what is logically right( which in s%ite o! eerything alidates itsel! in eery tho#ght(
then the !ormer ta$es what is logically right in its immediacy( in relation to eery indiid#al
intellect#al act and not as mediated thro#gh the stream o! the entire li!e.conscio#sness o! the
cogni:er. Therein howeer lies sim#ltaneo#sly a con!ession o! dee%est inade3#acy. 7or i! the
honest tho#ght #naoidably amo#nts to mere re%etition 9 whether o! what is already $nown( or
o! categorical !orms 9 the one which reno#nces the !#ll trans%arency o! its logical genesis !or the
sa$e o! the relationshi% to its ob8ect( always inc#rs a certain g#ilt. 1t brea$s the %romise which is
%osited with the !orm o! the 8#dgement itsel!. This inade3#acy resembles that o! the li!e.line(
which r#ns on bent( dierted( disill#sioning according to its %remises( and yet solely in this
co#rse( beca#se it is contin#ally less than what it sho#ld be( may it %ortray #nder the gien
conditions o! existence an #nregimented one. 1! li!e !#l!illed its determination straightaway( then
it wo#ld !or!eit the latter. 'hoeer died in old age and in the conscio#sness o! a g#iltless( as it
were( s#ccess( wo#ld secretly be the model %#%il( who com%letes eery grade with an inisible
bac$%ac$( witho#t ga%s. *ery tho#ght which is not idle( howeer( remains mar$ed by the
im%ossibility o! the !#ll legitimation( as we $now in dreams( that there are mathematics lessons
which we miss !or the sa$e o! a bliss!#l morning in bed( which can neer be made #%. Tho#ght
waits !or the day that it is awa$ened by the memory o! what was omitted( and is trans!ormed into
teaching.
+art 11
/C)5
'here eerything is bad
it m#st be good
to $now the worst.
7.?. Bradley
5/
/ehind the mirror. 7irst word o! ca#tion !or a#thors: chec$ eery text( eery !ragment( and eery
line to see i! the central moti! %resents itsel! clearly eno#gh. 'hoeer wants to ex%ress
something( is so carried away that they are drien along( witho#t re!lecting on s#ch. <ne is too
close to the intention( 4in tho#ght5( and !orgets to say( what one wants to say.
No im%roement is too small or %iddling to be carried o#t. <#t o! a h#ndred changes( a single
one may a%%ear tri!ling and %edantic@ together they can raise the text to a new leel.
<ne sho#ld neer stint on deletions. 6ength doesn2t matter and the !ear that there isn2t eno#gh
there is childish. <ne sho#ldn2t consider anything worth %resering( 8#st beca#se it2s written
down. 1! seeral sentences seem to ary the same tho#ght( this #s#ally indicates seeral
ariations o! something the a#thor has not yet mastered. 1n that case one sho#ld select the best
!orm#lation and wor$ on it !#rther. The tool$it =Techni$> o! an a#thor sho#ld incl#de the ca%acity
to reno#nce %rod#ctie tho#ghts( so long as the constr#ction demands it. The wealth and energy
o! these latter #ltimately come to bene!it s#%%ressed tho#ghts. Rather li$e the ban3#et.table(
where one sho#ldn2t eat eery last cr#mb or drin$ to the dregs. <therwise one might be acc#sed
o! stinginess.
'hoeer wants to aoid cliches( sho#ld not restrict themseles to words( lest one !alls ictim to
#lgar co3#etry. The great 7rench %rose o! the /C
th
cent#ry was es%ecially sensitie to this.
1ndiid#al words are seldom banal: in m#sic( too( the single tone neer wears o#t. The worst
cliches o! them all are on the contrary word.grams ='orterbind#ngen> o! the sort which Earl
Era#s s$ewered: totally and com%letely( !or better or !or worse( %lanned and im%lemented. 7or in
them g#rgles( as it were( the sl#ggish !low o! stale lang#age( %recisely where the a#thor sho#ld
constr#ct( thro#gh %recision o! ex%ression( those resistances which are re3#ired whereer
lang#age emerges. This a%%lies not 8#st to word.grams b#t also to the constr#ction o! entire
!orms. 1! a dialectician always mar$ed the dialectical recoil =Gmschlag> o! a tho#ght which
adances beyond itsel! by %#tting a 4howeer5 =aber: howeer( b#t> in !ront o! the caes#ra( then
the literary schemata wo#ld %#nish the #nschematic intent o! what is being disc#ssed with
#ntr#th.
The 8#ngle is no sacred groe. 1t is obligatory to resole di!!ic#lties which derie solely !rom the
com!ort and ease o! sel!.#nderstanding. The distinction between the desire to write with a density
a%%ro%riate to the de%th o! the ob8ect( and the tem%tation !or the abstr#se and %retentio#s
slo%%iness( is not a#tomatic: a mistr#st!#l insistence is always healthy. +recisely those who wish
to ma$e no concession to the st#%idity o! common sense m#st g#ard themseles against
stylistically dra%ing together tho#ghts which are themseles to be conicted o! banality. 6oc$e2s
%latit#des do not 8#sti!y ?amann2s cry%tology.
1! one has een the slightest 3#alms abo#t a com%leted wor$( regardless o! its length( then one
sho#ld ta$e s#ch with inordinate serio#sness( o#t o! all %ro%ortion to the leel o! releance which
it might register. The a!!ectie inestment =Beset:#ng> in a text and anity tend to minimi:e s#ch
misgiings. 'hat is %assed oer with the tiniest do#bt( may well indicate the ob8ectie
worthlessness o! the whole.
The *chternacher s%ring %rocession =German !ol$ %arade( where marchers moe three ste%s
!orward and two bac$> is not the co#rse o! the 'orld."%irit ='eltgeist>@ restriction and
reocation are not the means o! narration =Darstell#ngsmittel> !or dialectics. <n the contrary this
latter moes by extremes and( instead o! 3#ali!ying s#ch( dries the tho#ght thro#gh #ttermost
conse3#ence to its dialectical recoil =Gmschlag>. The %r#dence with which one !orbids onesel! to
ent#re too !ar with a sentence( is mostly only an agent o! social control and th#s o! d#mbing
down.
"$e%ticism against the o!t.cited ob8ection( that a text( a !orm#lation wo#ld be 4too bea#ti!#l.5
The reerence !or the matter ="ache: thing( %hiloso%hic matter>( or een !or s#!!ering( can easily
rationali:e the resentment against those who !ind( in the rei!ied sha%e o! lang#age( the traces o!
something #nbearable( which be!alls h#man beings: debasement. The dream o! an existence
=Dasein: existence( being> witho#t shame( to which the %assion !or lang#age clings( een tho#gh
the latter is !orbidden to de%ict the !ormer as content( is to be malicio#sly strangled. The a#thor
sho#ld ma$e no distinction between bea#ti!#l and !act#al =sachlichem: !act#al( ob8ectie(
realistic> ex%ression. <ne sho#ld neither entr#st this distinction to concerned critics( nor tolerate
it in onesel!. 1! one s#cceeds in com%letely saying what one means( then it is bea#ti!#l. The
bea#ty o! ex%ression !or its own sa$e is by no means 4too bea#ti!#l5( b#t ornamental( artsy( #gly.
Net whoeer leaes o!! !rom the %#rity o! the ex%ression( #nder the %retext o! #nsweringly
stating the !acts( thereby betrays the matter ="ache> too.
+ro%erly wor$ed texts are li$e s%iderwebs: hermetic( concentric( trans%arent( well.8oined and
!astened. They draw eerything into themseles( whateer crawls and !lies. ;eta%hors( which
!leetingly dart thro#gh them( become their no#rishing %rey. ;aterials come !lying to them. The
binding stringency ="tichhaltig$eit> o! a conce%tion is to be 8#dged by whether its citations eo$e
other citations. 'hereer the tho#ght o%ens #% a cell o! reality( it m#st %#sh into the next
chamber( witho#t an act o! iolence by the s#b8ect. 1t o#chsa!es its relationshi% to the ob8ect( as
soon as other ob8ects crystalli:e aro#nd it. 1n the light that it sheds on its determinate ob8ect(
others begin to gleam.
A#thors settle into their texts li$e home.dwellers. ,#st as one creates disorder by l#gging %a%ers(
boo$s( %encils and doc#ments !rom one room to another( so too does one com%ort onsel! with
tho#ghts. They become %ieces o! !#rnit#re( on which one sits down( !eeling at ease or annoyed.
<ne stro$es them tenderly( sc#!!s them #%( 8#mbles them #%( moes them aro#nd( trashes them.
To those who no longer hae a homeland( writing becomes home. And therein one #naoidably
generates( 8#st li$e the !amily( all manner o! ho#sehold litter and 8#n$. B#t one no longer has a
shed( and it is not at all easy to se%arate onesel! !rom cast.o!!s. "o one %#shes them to and !ro(
and in the end r#ns the ris$ o! !illing #% the %age with them. The necessity to harden onesel!
against %ity !or onesel! incl#des the technical necessity( to co#nter the dimin#tion o! intellect#al
tension with the most extreme watch!#lness( and to eliminate anything which !orms on the wor$
li$e a cr#st or r#ns on mechanically( which %erha%s at an earlier stage %rod#ced( li$e gossi%( the
warm atmos%here which enabled it to grow( b#t which now remains !#sty and stale. 1n the end(
a#thors are not een allowed to be home in their writing.
52
Where the stork &rings children from. 9 *ery h#man being has an archety%e o#t o! a !airy.tale(
one need only loo$ long eno#gh. <er there a bea#ty as$s the mirror( i! she is the !airest o! them
all( li$e the R#een in "now 'hite. "he who bristles and is nit%ic$y to death( was modeled a!ter
the goat described in the erse( 412m so st#!!ed O can2t eat any more( meeeh( meeeh5. A man who
is sorrow!#l and yet #nbowed resembles the crin$led little old lady gathering wood( who meets
the Good 6ord witho#t recogni:ing ?im( and is blessed with bo#nty( beca#se she hel%ed ?im.
Another went o#t into the world as a !ine yo#ng !ellow to ma$e his !ort#ne( dis%atched a n#mber
o! giants( b#t had to die nonetheless in New Nor$. <ne wal$s thro#gh the wilderness o! the city
li$e 6ittle Red Riding ?ood and brings the grandmother a slice o! ca$e and a bottle o! wine( yet
another #ndresses d#ring loe.ma$ing as shamelessly childli$e as the girl with the coins li$e
siler stars. The cleer one becomes aware o! his strong animal so#l( does not wish to %erish
along with his !riends( !orms a gro#% o! Bremen city m#sicians( leads them into the robbers2 den(
o#twits the croo$s there( b#t wants to go bac$ home. The !rog %rince( an incorrigible snob( stares
at the %rincess with eyes o! longing and cannot sto% ho%ing that she will resc#e him.
5H
Tomfoolery. ! The ling#istic habit#s o! "chiller is reminiscent o! yo#ths who come !rom the
bottom and( embarrassed( begin to sho#t in high society( in order to ma$e themseles heard:
%ower =in *nglish in original> and insolence. The German tirade and sententio#sness is modeled
on the 7rench ersion( b#t %racticed at the bar table. 1n their in!inite and im%lacable demands( the
%etit bo#rgeois hams it #%( identi!ying with the %ower they do not hae( o#tbidding it thro#gh
arrogance all the way to absol#te "%irit =Geist> and absol#te horror. Between the #niersal.
h#man grandiosity and s#blimity 9 which all idealists hae in common( and which contin#ally
wishes to inh#manly tram%le on what is small as mere existence 9 and the cr#de loe o!
ostentation o! bo#rgeois men o! iolence( exists the most intimate #nderstanding. "%irit#al giants
are wont to la#gh in a booming oice( to ex%lode( to #tterly demolish. 'hen they say creation(
then they mean the cram%ed will( with which they %#!! themseles #% and h#sh 3#estions: !rom
the %rimacy o! %ractical reason( it was always only a ste% to the hatred o! theory. "#ch a dynamic
dwells within all idealistic tho#ght.moements: een ?egels immeas#rable e!!ort( to heal it by
itsel!( became its ictim. To wish to derie the world in words o#t o! a %rinci%le( is the mode o!
cond#ct o! those who wo#ld li$e to #s#r% %ower( instead o! resisting s#ch. 7ittingly( "chiller
dealt mostly with #s#r%ers. 1n the classicistic ex%lanation o! soereignty oer nat#re( what is
#lgar and lesser is mirrored ia assid#o#s negation. Alose behind the ideal stands li!e. The rose.
scents o! *lysi#m( !ar too ol#ble to be o#chsa!ed the ex%erience o! a single rose( smells li$e
the tobacco in the !#nctionaries2 o!!ice( and the lyrical bac$dro% o! the moon was modeled on the
oil.light( in whose g#ttering light st#dents slog !or their exams. 'ea$ness %osing as strength has
betrayed the tho#ght o! the %res#mably rising bo#rgeoisie to ideology( een in the days it
!#lminated against tyranny. 1n the innermost recess o! h#manism( as its sel!same so#l(
s#rre%titio#sly rages the br#te who as a 7ascist t#rns the world into a %rison.
5)
The 2o&&ers. 9 The Eantian "chiller is both more non.sens#o#s as well as more sens#o#s than
Goethe: both more abstract as well as more entangled in sex#ality. This latter( as immediate
desire( t#rns eerything into an action.ob8ect and thereby the same. 4Amalia !or the band5 9 that
is why 6o#ise remains as !lat as lemonade. Aasanoa2s women( not !or nothing identi!ied with
letters instead o! names( are scarcely to be disting#ished !rom each other and also not !rom the
!ig#rines( which !orm com%licated %yramids in "ade2s mechanical organ. "omething o! s#ch
sex#al br#tality( the inca%acity to ma$e distinctions( lies howeer in the great s%ec#latie
systems o! idealism( all im%eraties to the contrary( and chains the German "%irit =Geist> and
German barbarism to each other. 'hat %easant greed( only held in chec$ with di!!ic#lty by the
warnings o! the %riests( adocates as a#tonomy in meta%hysics( is the right to red#ce eerything
in its %ath to its essence as bra:enly as %easant conscri%ts is.a.is the women o! the con3#ered
city. The %#re !act#al treatment =Tathandl#ng> is the iolation %ro8ected into the starry s$ies
aboe. The long( contem%latie glance( howeer( in which h#man beings and things really
#n!old( is always that in which the com%#lsion towards the ob8ect is bro$en( re!lected. Non.
iolent re!lection =Betracht#ng>( !rom which all ha%%iness o! the tr#th comes( has this condition(
that those who re!lect do not incor%orate the ob8ect into themseles: nearness to distance. <nly
beca#se Tasso( who the %sychoanalysts wo#ld call a destr#ctie character( is a!raid in !ront o! the
%rincess and !alls as a ciili:ed ictim to the im%ossibility o! the immediate( do Adelheid(
ElIrchen and Gretchen s%ea$ the trans%arent( #n!orced lang#age( which ma$es them into
allegories o! Gr.history. The a%%earance ="chein> o! li!e in Goethe2s women was %aid !or with
withdrawal( easion( and more is at sta$e here than mere resignation be!ore the ictory o! the
social order. The absol#te o%%osite to this( the symbol o! the #nity o! the sens#o#s and the
abstract( is Don ,#an. 'hen Eier$egaard says( that sens#ality is to be gras%ed in him as a
%rinci%le( then he to#ches on the secret o! sens#ality itsel!. 1ts !ro:en glance contains( so long as
its sel!.constit#tion ="elbstbesinn#ng> does not arise( %recisely that anonymity( that #nha%%y
generality( which catastro%hically re%rod#ces itsel! in its negatie( the controlling soereignty o!
tho#ght.
55
%f youll permit me. 9 'hen the %oet in "chnit:ler2s %lay Merry(go(2ound tenderly a%%roaches
the co3#ette( %ortrayed as the !riendly o%%osite o! a +#ritan( she says( 4"te% o!!( go %lay the
%iano already.5 "he cannot be #naware o! the %#r%ose o! the arrangement( nor does she act#ally
resist. ?er im%#lse goes dee%er than conentional or %sychological %rohibitions. 1t einces
archaic !rigidity( the !ear o! the !emale animal o! re%rod#ction( which in!licts nothing b#t %ain.
+leas#re is a late achieement( scarcely older than conscio#sness. 1! one obseres how animals
com%#lsiely co%#late( as i! #nder a s%ell( then one sees thro#gh the %roerb 4Bliss was gien
een to the worm5 as a %iece o! idealistic lying( at least where !emales are concerned( who
enco#nter loe in #n!reedom( and who are recogni:ed only as ob8ects o! iolence. "omething o!
this has remained in women( es%ecially those o! the %etty bo#rgeoisie( well into the late ind#strial
era. The memory o! the old in8#ry still lies on( while the %hysical %ain and the immediate !ear
hae been remoed by ciili:ation. "ociety contin#ally throws the deotedness o! the !emale
bac$ to the sit#ation o! sacri!ice( !rom which it emanci%ated women. No man( so long as he is
not com%letely insensitie( who is lobbying a %oor woman to come along with him( can mista$e
the #ndertone o! 8#stice in her resistance( the sole %rerogatie which %atriarchal society accords
to women( who( once %ers#aded( end #% %aying the bill a!ter the brie! tri#m%h o! the 4no5. "he
$nows that she( as the %roider since time immemorial( is sim#ltaneo#sly the one who is
betrayed. 1! !or that reason she is o#t only !or hersel!( then she will be betrayed that m#ch more.
This is a%%arent in the adice to the noice( which 'ede$ind %#ts into the words o! the madame
o! a brothel: 4There is only one way to be ha%%y in this world( and that is to do eerything to
ma$e others as ha%%y as %ossible.5 <ne2s own %leas#re has as a %rere3#isite the bo#ndless
throwing o! onesel! away( which women( d#e to their archaic !ear( are no more ca%able o! than
men in their %#!!ed.#% sel!.im%ortance. Not merely the ob8ectie %ossibility 9 also the s#b8ectie
ca%acity !or ha%%iness lies only in !reedom.
5J
enealogical research. 9 The dee%est a!!inity exists between 1bsen and the Stru""elpeter =o!
?einrich ?o!!man>. 1t is the same $ind as the !ro:en similarity o! the !lashb#lb sna%shots o!
!amily members in /C
th
cent#ry alb#ms. 1sn2t 7idgety +hili% tr#ly what hosts say it is( a !amily
dramaM Doesn2t 4and ;other ga:ed in silence rare O by the table( nose in air5 describe the manner
o! ban$ director Bor$mann2s wi!eM ?ow else to ex%lain A#g#st#s2 cons#m%tie illness than as
the sins o! his !ather and the inherited memory o! g#iltM 7#rio#s 7rederic$ is %rescribed bitter b#t
healing medicine by that enemy o! the %eo%le( Doctor "toc$mann( who in ret#rn donates his
lier.sa#sage to the dog. Dancing little ?arriet with the matches is a to#ched.#% %hotogra%h o!
the small ?ilda 'angel !rom the time that her ste%.mother( the woman o! the sea( le!t her alone
in the ho#se( and 7lying Robert high oer the ch#rch stee%le is her sel!same b#ilding contractor.
And what else does ,ohnny ?ead.in.air want than the s#nM 'ho else co#ld hae l#red him into
the water than 6ittle *yol!2s Rat.'i!e( c#t o#t o! the same cloth as the red.legged "cissor ;anM
The strict %oet howeer behaes li$e tall Nicholas =also called Agri%%a in some translations o!
?o!!man( a schoolmaster who d#n$s three misbehaing st#dents into an in$.%ot>( who d#n$s the
children2s %ict#res o! modernity into his great barrel o! in$( blac$ening them with their
%rehistory( %#lling them to and !ro li$e 3#iering marionettes( and in s#ch a manner holding a
day o! 8#dgement oer himsel!.
5K
,.ca'ation. 9 As soon as 1bsen2s name is dro%%ed( there is a cry that he and his ob8ects are
o#tmoded and obsolete. These are the same ty%es who were enraged sixty years ago abo#t what
was modernistically alienating and #nethically extraagant =&erstiegene> abo#t Nora =in Dolls
0ouse> and hosts. 1bsen( the s%lenetic bo#rgeois =BFrger: bo#rgeois( citi:en>( ented his s%leen
at society( borrowing his im%lacability and ideals !rom the latter2s own %rinci%le. ?e %ainted the
%ortrait o! those de%#ti:ed as the solid ma8ority( who sho#ted down the enemy o! the %eo%le( as a
%athetic b#t end#ring mon#ment( and to this day they are still not !lattered. That is why they
moe on to the b#siness o! the day. 'here reasonable %eo%le are #nited oer the behaior o! the
#nreasonable( one can always %res#me something dis%laced and not yet wor$ed thro#gh( %ain!#l
scars. Th#s it is with the woman 3#estion. 1n !act this is s#%er!icially no longer 4ac#te5( d#e to
the dissol#tion o! the 4masc#line5.liberal com%etitie economy( the %artici%ation o! women in
salaried occ#%ations where they are as inde%endently de%endent as men( the disenchantment o!
the !amily and the loosening o! sex#al taboos. At the same time( howeer( the contin#ation o!
traditional society has war%ed the emanci%ation o! women. 7ew things are more sym%tomatic o!
the decay o! the wor$ers2 moement than its !ail#re to notice this. The admission o! women to all
%ossible s#%erised actiities hides the %er%et#ation o! their deh#mani:ation. They remain in
large !irms what they were in the !amily( ob8ects. <ne m#st thin$ not only abo#t their
im%oerished daily grind at wor$ and their li!e at home( which co#nterint#itiely %reseres cra!t.
era wor$ing conditions in the midst o! ind#strial ones( b#t abo#t women themseles. 'illingly(
witho#t any contrary im%#lse( they re!lect domination and identi!y with it. 1nstead o! soling the
woman 3#estion( masc#line society has extended its own %rinci%le to the %oint that its ictims
are not een ca%able o! raising the 3#estion anymore. No sooner are they granted a certain
meas#re o! wealth( than they enth#siastically a!!irm their !ate( leae thin$ing to the men( de!ame
eery re!lection as an a!!ront to the !eminine ideal %ro%agated by the c#lt#re.ind#stry and aboe
all leae themseles in the #n!reedom( which they hold to be the !#l!illment o! their gender. The
de!ects by which they hae to %ay !or this( aboe all ne#rotic st#%idity( contrib#te to the
%er%et#ation o! the condition. Already in 1bsen2s time( most women with bo#rgeois %retensions
were ready to tear into the hysterical sisters( who !or their %art too$ #%on themseles the
ho%eless attem%t to brea$ o#t o! the %rison o! society( which t#rned all !o#r walls against them so
#n!eelingly. The grand.da#ghters howeer wo#ld tolerantly smile at the hysterical ones( witho#t
!eeling themseles a!!ected( and re!er them to the %ro%er a#thorities !or !riendly treatment. The
!emale hysteric( who wished !or the mirac#lo#s( is s#cceeded by the raging( ind#strio#s
bloc$head( who cannot wait !or the tri#m%h o! calamity. 9 +erha%s something similar is at wor$
in eerything which is o#tmoded. 1t is to be ex%lained not by mere tem%oral distance( b#t as the
8#dgement o! history. 1ts ex%ression in things is the shame welling #% in those born later( when
con!ronted with an earlier %ossibility which the latter !ailed to bring to li!e. 'hat was achieed(
may be !orgotten and %resered in the %resent. <nly what !ailed is always o#tmoded( the bro$en
%romise o! something new. 1t is not !or nothing that 1bsen2s women are called 4modern5. The
hatred o! modernity and that o! what is o#tmoded are immediately one and the same.
5L
The truth a&out 0edda a&ler. 9 The aestheticism o! the /C
th
cent#ry cannot be #nderstood in
the context o! the history o! %hiloso%hy( b#t solely in relation to %rimary reality( to social
con!licts. The bad conscience rests on the gro#nds o! amorality. Ariti3#e con!ronted bo#rgeois
society economically as well as ethically with its own norms. Against this( there remained no
reco#rse !or the r#ling class( to the extent they did not wish to !all bac$ on a%ologetic lies and
%owerlessness li$e the co#rt %oets and noelists with state %ensions( than to re8ect the %rinci%le
by which society itsel! is meas#red( and th#s its own ethics =;oral>. ?oweer( the new %osition
which radical bo#rgeois tho#ght ass#med( #nder the %ress#re o! its o%%onents( was not exha#sted
by the mere re%lacement o! ideological a%%earance ="chein> by a tr#th which was %roclaimed
with the rage o! sel!.destr#ction( de!iantly rebellio#s and ready to ca%it#late. The #%rising o! the
bea#ti!#l against bo#rgeois good =G#t> was an #%rising against beneolence =GFte>. Beneolence
is itsel! the de!ormation o! the good. By seering the ethical %rinci%le !rom the social one and
dis%lacing it into a %riate sensibility =Gesinn#ng>( the !ormer restricted the latter in a do#ble
sense. Beneolence reno#nced the reali:ation o! a condition worthy o! h#man beings( which was
b#ilt into the ethical %rinci%le. *ach one o! its actions is inscribed with consoling resignation: it
aims at alleiation( not healing( and in the end the conscio#sness o! inc#rability !orms a %act with
s#ch. Beneolence thereby becomes restricted een in itsel!. 1ts g#ilt consists o! tr#st!#lness. 1t
mirrors the immediate relations between h#man beings and lea%s oer the distance by which
alone indiid#als can %rotect themseles against becoming to#ched by the generality. 1t is
%recisely in the most intimate contact that they ex%erience the non.s#blated di!!erence most
%ain!#lly. <nly alienness =7remdheit: !oreignness> is the antidote to alienation =*nt!remd#ng>.
The e%hemeral %ict#re o! harmony( in which beneolence delights( only exacerbates the s#!!ering
o! irreconcilability( the more it idiotically denies the latter. The a!!ront against taste and
consideration( !rom which no good act is exem%t( com%letes the leeling( which the %owerless
#to%ia o! the bea#ti!#l o%%oses. 7rom the beginnings o! mat#re ind#strial society( the allegiance
to eil was not only the %rec#rsor o! barbarism( b#t also a mas$ o! the good. 1ts dignity %assed
oer to eil( by drawing all hatred and all resentment o! the social order to itsel!( an order which
drilled the good into its members( so that it co#ld be eil witho#t %#nishment. 'hen ?edda
Gabler mortally embarrassed A#nt ,#lle( who meant only the ery best( when she intentionally
declared that the dread!#l hat which the a#nt ac3#ired to honor the general2s da#ghter belonged
to the maid( then the dissatis!ied one did not merely sadistically ent her hate against the cloying
bonds o! marriage on a de!enseless %erson. Rather she sins against what is the best( in what she
has to do( beca#se she recogni:es in the best the shame o! the good. "he re%resents( against the
old woman who adores the dim.witted ne%hew( #nconscio#sly and abs#rdly( the absol#te. ?edda
is the ictim and not ,#lle. The bea#ti!#l( whose !ixed idea dominates ?edda( o%%oses ethics
=;oral> een be!ore scorning s#ch. 7or it digs in its heels against eery generality and %osits the
di!!erential determination o! mere existence absol#tely( as the contingency which allows !or one
thing b#t not another. The o%a3#e %artic#larity maintains itsel! as the norm in the bea#ti!#l( as
something solely general( beca#se the normal generality has become all too trans%arent. Th#s it
casts down its challenge to the latter( the e3#ality o! eerything which is #n!ree. B#t it becomes
thereby g#ilty itsel!( by once more seering( along with the generality( also the %ossibility o!
going beyond that mere existence( whose o%acity merely mirrors the #ntr#th o! the bad
generality. Th#s the bea#ti!#l does in8#stice to 8#stice and is neertheless 8#sti!ied in doing so. 1n
the bea#ti!#l( the !rail !#t#re o!!ers its sacri!ice to the ;oloch o! the contem%orary: beca#se there
can be nothing good in the latter2s realm( the !ormer ma$es itsel! bad( in order to conict the
8#dge !rom the %osition o! the an3#ished. The ob8ection o! the bea#ti!#l against the good is the
sec#lari:ed( bo#rgeois !orm o! the del#sion o! the hero in classical tragedy. 1n the immanence o!
society( the conscio#sness o! its negatie essence is loc$ed away( and only the concrete negation
stands in !or the tr#th. Anti.ethics( by re8ecting what is #nethical in ethics( as re%ression(
sim#ltaneo#sly ma$es the latter2s innermost concern its own: that eery !orm o! iolence o#ght
to anish( along with eery restriction. That is why in !act the moties o! #ncom%romising
bo#rgeois sel!.criti3#e conerge with the materialist $ind( which brings the !ormer to
conscio#sness o! itsel!.
5C
Since % sa" him. 9 The !emale character and the ideal o! !emininity on which it is modeled are
%rod#cts o! masc#line society. The %ict#re o! #ndistorted nat#re originates !irst in distortion( as
its o%%osite. There( where it claims to be h#mane( masc#line society soereignly breeds in
women their own correctie and thereby shows itsel! thro#gh this restriction as the im%lacable
master. The !emale character is the im%rint o! the %ositie one o! domination. B#t !or that reason
8#st as bad as the latter. 'hat generally %asses !or nat#re in the bo#rgeois context o! del#sion is
merely the scar tiss#e o! m#tilation. 1! the %sychoanalytic theory holds( that women %erceie
their %hysical constit#tion =Bescha!!enheit> as the conse3#ence o! castration( then in their
ne#rosis they int#it the tr#th. Those who !eel themseles to be wo#nds when they bleed( $now
more abo#t themseles than those who style themseles as !lowers( beca#se that2s what their
h#sband li$es. The lie is not merely that nat#re is a!!irmed( where it is merely tolerated and b#ilt
in( b#t that what %asses !or nat#re in ciili:ation is according to its s#bstance the most remoed
!rom eerything nat#ral( the %#re t#rning o! onesel! into an ob8ect. The $ind o! !emininity which
calls #%on the instincts( is inariably the one to which eery woman m#st com%el hersel! with all
manner o! iolence 9 with masc#line iolence: the little women are little men. <ne need only
hae ex%erienced once( in the %angs o! 8ealo#sy( how s#ch !emale women access their !emininity(
de%loying it where necessary( ma$ing their eyes !lash( !#eling their mood swings( in order to
$now what the sheltered #nconscio#s( #nscathed by the intellect( really amo#nts to. 1t is %recisely
its %ristineness and %#rity which is the achieement o! the ego( o! censorshi%( o! the intellect( and
!or that reason it ad8#sts itsel! witho#t any con!lict into the reality.%rinci%le o! the rational social
order. 'itho#t a single exce%tion( !emale nat#res con!orm. That Niet:sche2s insistence sto%%ed at
this %oint( by ado%ting an #nexamined and #nersed %ict#re o! !eminine nat#re !rom the
Ahristian ciili:ation which he otherwise so thoro#ghly mistr#sted( #ltimately allowed bo#rgeois
society to s#b8#gate the e!!ort o! his tho#ght. ?e !ell %rey to the !ra#d o! saying 4woman5(
='eib: woman( wench> when he s%o$e o! women =7ra#: woman( wi!e( ;rs.>. Th#s the %er!idio#s
adice to not !orget the whi%: the woman ='eib> is already the e!!ect o! the whi%. 1t wo#ld be the
emanci%ation o! nat#re to abolish its sel!.%ositing. The glori!ication o! the !emale character
im%lies the degradation o! all who bear it.
J0
$ "ord for ethics. =;oral: ethics( morality> 9 The amoralism( with which Niet:sche dressed
down the old #ntr#ths( has !allen %rey to the erdict o! history. 'ith the dissol#tion o! religion
and its tangible %hiloso%hical sec#lari:ations( the restricting %rohibitions hae lost their certi!ied
essence( their s#bstantiality. At one time howeer material %rod#ction was still so
#nderdeelo%ed( that there were gro#nds !or anno#ncing that there wasn2t eno#gh !or eeryone.
'hoeer did not critici:e %olitical economy as s#ch( was !orced to cling to the limiting %rinci%le
s#bse3#ently ex%ressed as #nrationali:ed a%%ro%riation at the cost o! the wea$. The ob8ectie
%rere3#isites !or this hae changed. 1n iew o! the immediate %ossibility o! ab#ndance( this
limitation m#st seem s#%er!l#o#s not 8#st to social non.con!ormists( b#t een to the limited
minds o! bo#rgeois citi:ens. The im%licit sense o! the ethics o! the r#lers( that whoeer wants to
lie has to grab what they can( has meanwhile t#rned into een more o! a wretched lie than when
it was the %#l%it wisdom o! the /C
th
cent#ry. 1! in Germany the #%standing citi:ens ="%iessbFrger>
hae %roen themseles to be blond beasts( then this is not on acco#nt o! national %ec#liarities(
b#t d#e to the !act that in the !ace o! o%en %lenit#de( the blond beast itsel!( social robbery( has
ta$en on the as%ect o! something bac$woodsy( o! the del#ded %hilistine( and een o! the 4short.
end.o!.the.stic$5 attit#de( against which the r#ling ethics was inented. 1! Aesare Borgia came
bac$ to li!e today( he wo#ld resemble Daid 7redrich "tra#ss and he wo#ld be named Adol!
?itler. The %reaching o! amorality has become the tas$ o! the same Darwinists who Niet:sche
loathed( and who con#lsiely %roclaimed the barbaric str#ggle !or existence as a maxim(
%recisely beca#se it is no longer needed. The irt#e o! gentility has long since ceased to mean the
ta$ing what is better !rom others( b#t means instead becoming satiated with ta$ing and really
%racticing the irt#e o! giing( something which occ#rs in Niet:sche solely intellect#ally. The
ascetic ideals com%rise a greater degree o! resistance against the madness o! the %ro!it economy
today than laish liing did sixty years ago against liberal re%ression. Amoralists may !inally
%ermit themseles to be as beneolent( $ind( #negoistic and o%en.minded as Niet:sche already
was at that time. As a g#arantee o! their #nyielding resistance( they will still remain as lonely as
in the days when he t#rned the mas$ o! eil against the normal world( in order to teach the norm
to !ear its own wrongness.
J/
Court of appeal. 9 Niet:sche ex%ressed in The $ntichrist the strongest arg#ment not merely
against theology( b#t also against meta%hysics: that it con!#ses ho%e with tr#th@ that the
im%ossibility o! thin$ing( liing ha%%ily or liing at all witho#t something absol#te( does not
testi!y to the legitimacy o! that tho#ght. ?e reb#ts the Ahristian 4%roo! by e!!icacy5( that belie! is
tr#th( beca#se it brings bliss. 7or 4isn2t blessedness 9 technically ex%ressed( %leas#re 9 always a
%roo! o! e!!icacyM "o little( that it almost %roes the contrary( yielding in any case the highest
s#s%icion against the Str#th2( i! !eelings o! %leas#re hae anything to say to the 3#estion o! Swhat
is tr#e2. The %roo! o! S%leas#re2 is %roo! o! S%leas#re2 9 nothing more@ how in the world can it be
established( that it is %recisely tr#e 8#dgements which are more %leas#rable than !alse ones and(
according to a %reestablished harmony( necessarily draw %leasant !eelings a!ter themM5 -The
$ntichrist( A%horism 500. B#t Niet:sche himsel! ta#ght amor !ati =6atin: loe o! !ate>( 4yo#
sho#ld loe yo#r destiny5. This latter( according to the e%ilog#e o! the T"ilight of the ods( is his
innermost nat#re. And it is worth as$ing the 3#estion as to whether there is any more reason to
loe what one enco#nters( to extol that which exists( beca#se it is( than !or considering as tr#e
what one ho%es !or. 1s it not the same !a#lty concl#sion( which leads !rom the existence o!
4st#bborn !acts5 =in *nglish in original> to their installation as the highest al#e( which he
re%roaches in the transition !rom ho%e to tr#thM 1! he dis%atches 4blessedness thro#gh a !ixed
idea5 to the insane asyl#m( then one co#ld see$ o#t the origin o! amor !ati =6atin: loe o! !ate> in
the %rison. Those who no longer see or hae anything else to loe( !all ictim to the loe o! stone
walls and barred windows. Both instances are r#led by the same ignominy o! ada%tation( which(
in order to be able to end#re the horror o! the world( ascribes the wish to reality and meaning to
nonsense o! com%#lsion. No less than in credo 3#ia abs#rd#m =6atin: belie! #nto abs#rdity>(
ren#nciation crawls in amor !ati =6atin: loe o! !ate>( the glori!ication o! what is most abs#rd o!
them all( !rom domination to the cross. 1n the end( ho%e( which el#des reality by negating it( is
the sole sha%e in which the tr#th a%%ears. 'itho#t ho%e the idea o! tr#th wo#ld scarcely be
thin$able( and it is the cardinal #ntr#th( to %ass o!! the existence which is recogni:ed as bad as
the tr#th( i! only beca#se it was once recogni:ed. ?ere( rather than the o%%osite( is where the
crime o! theology lies( which Niet:sche %rosec#ted witho#t eer reaching the !inal co#rt. 1n one
o! the most %ower!#l moments o! his criti3#e he acc#sed Ahristianity o! mythology: 4The
sacri!icial ictim( and indeed in its most re%#lsie( barbaric !orm( the sacri!ice o! the innocent !or
the sins o! the g#iltyP 'hat ghastly %aganismP5 -The $ntichrist( A%horism )/0. Net the loe o!
destiny is nothing other than the absol#te sanctioning o! the in!inity o! s#ch sacri!ice. ;ythos
se%arates Niet:sche2s criti3#e o! myth !rom the tr#th.
J2
Shorter dispatches =A#s!Fhr#ngen: exec#tions( accom%lishments( orders>. 9 1! one reads anew
one o! the meditatie boo$s o! Anatole 7rance( !or instance the arden of ,picure( then one
cannot aoid( in the midst o! all than$!#lness !or the %ro!erred enlightenment( a !eeling o!
embarrassment( which is to be ade3#ately ex%lained neither by that obsolescence( which
renegade 7rench irrationalists enth#siastically endorse( nor by %ersonal anity. By sering as a
%retext !or eny( beca#se a ain moment necessarily a%%ears in all "%irit =Geist> as soon as it
%ortrays itsel!( the gro#nds !or the embarrassment becomes clear. 1t is d#e to what is
contem%latie( the giing o! time to onesel!( the homily( howeer many times interr#%ted( the
ind#lgently raised !ore!inger. The critical content o! the tho#ght is denied by the gest#re o!
bandying onesel! abo#t( !amiliar to %ro!essors sinec#red by the state( and the irony( with which
the stage actor o! &oltaire con!esses on his title %age to his membershi% in the AcadDmie
7ranTaise =7rench Academy>( recoils bac$ onto the comedian. 1n his essay( something iolent is
concealed in all the !reighted h#manity: one can a!!ord to s%ea$ so( beca#se noone interr#%ts the
master. "omething o! the #s#r%ation which dwells within all lect#ring and indeed all reading
alo#d( has %ermeated the l#cid constr#ction o! the %eriods( which resere so m#ch leis#re !or the
most #ncom!ortable things. An #nmista$able sign o! latent contem%t !or h#man beings in the last
adocate o! h#man dignity is the da#ntlessness with which he ex%resses %latit#des( as i! noone
dared to notice them: 462artist doit aimer la ie et no#s montrer 3#2elle est belle. "ans l#i( no#s
en do#terions.5 =7rench: Artists sho#ld loe li!e and show #s that it is bea#ti!#l. 'itho#t them(
we sho#ld do#bt it.> 'hat ste%s !orwards in the archaically styli:ed meditations o! 7rance(
already secretly mar$s eery meditation( which claims the %rerogatie o! withdrawing !rom the
immediacy o! %#r%ose. *3#animity as s#ch t#rns into the same lie( which the haste o! immediacy
!alls ictim to anyway. 'hile tho#ght( according to its content( stries against the irresistibly
rising tide o! horror( the neres( the sense.organ o! historical conscio#sness( are ca%able o!
detecting the trace o! #nderstanding with the world( een i! it is only that it is %ermissible to be a
tho#ght( which one already concedes in the moment that one ste%s !ar eno#gh bac$ !rom it( in
order to t#rn it into a %hiloso%hical ob8ect. The soereignty( witho#t which no thin$ing co#ld be(
hails the %riilege which %ermits one to do so. The aersion against this has well.nigh become
the most di!!ic#lt obstacle to theory: i! one !ollows #% on it( then one wo#ld hae to !all silent(
and i! one does not !ollow #% on it( then one becomes obt#se and cretino#s thro#gh tr#st in one2s
own c#lt#re. *en the horrid diision o! s%ea$ing into occ#%ational conersations and strictly
conentional ones yields an in$ling o! the im%ossibility o! saying something tho#ght witho#t
arrogance( witho#t iolating the time o! the other. 1t is the most #rgent tas$ o! a mode o!
narration( which o#ght to hold tr#e at a minim#m( that it does not loo$ away !rom s#ch
ex%eriences( b#t brings them to ex%ression thro#gh tem%o( com%actness( density( and yet also by
being non.binding =Gnerbindlich$eit>.
JH
Death of immortality. 9 7la#bert( who went on record saying he loathed the !ame to which he
dedicated his li!e( had it as good in the conscio#sness o! s#ch a contradiction as the sedate
bo#rgeois who wrote ;adame Boary. 1n regards to corr#%t %#blic o%inion( the %ress( to which
he reacted li$e Era#s( he tho#ght he co#ld rely on %osterity( a bo#rgeoisie emanci%ated !rom the
bale!#l s%ell o! st#%idity( which wo#ld d#ly honor its a#thentic critic. B#t he #nderestimated
st#%idity: the society which he re%resented cannot name itsel!( and with its deelo%ment into a
totality( intelligence has deelo%ed absol#tely along with st#%idity. This eats away at the %ower.
centers o! intellect#als. ?e may not een ho%e !or %osterity witho#t !alling %rey to con!ormism(
be it merely the agreement with great minds =Geistern>. ?oweer as soon as he reno#nces s#ch
ho%e( an element o! something del#sional and %ig.headed enters his wor$( bordering on a recoil
into cynical ca%it#lation. 7ame( which had something accidental and stagey abo#t it( and yet also
a glimmer o! 8#stice and !ree choice( has been li3#idated as the res#lt o! the ob8ectie %rocesses
o! the mar$et society. 1t has entirely become a !#nction o! %aid %ro%aganda.b#rea#s and is
meas#red in terms o! the inestment being wagered by the name.bearer or interest.gro#% which
stands behind it. The %aid !lac$s( who still a%%eared to Da#mier as an excrescence( hae
meanwhile shed their disre%#tability and become o!!icial a%%ointees o! the c#lt#ral system.
A#thors who want a career s%ea$ as o%enly abo#t their agents as their %redecessors did abo#t
%#blishers( who also $new a thing or two abo#t adertising. <ne ta$es control o! the %rocess o!
becoming !amo#s and thereby to a certain degree also their a!ter.li!e 9 !or what has a chance o!
being remembered in a thoro#ghly organi:ed society( which is not already !amiliar 9 and
%#rchases the ex%ectation o! immortality( only no longer !rom the ch#rch( b#t hence!orth !rom
the lac$eys o! tr#sts. B#t there is no blessing therein. ,#st as ca%ricio#s memory and #tter
obliion always went together( so too does the %lanned dis%osition o! !ame and memoriali:ation
lead irresistibly into nothingness( whose !oretaste can already be discerned in the hectic essence
o! all celebrity. The !amo#s are not ha%%y. They t#rn themseles into brand.name articles( alien
and incom%rehensible to themseles@ as liing %ict#res o! themseles( they are li$e the dead. 1n
the %retentio#s concern !or their a#ra they waste the s#bstantie energy( which alone is ca%able
o! %er%et#ation. The inh#man indi!!erence and contem%t which is immediately meted o#t to the
!allen giants o! the c#lt#re.ind#stry( reeals the tr#th abo#t their !ame( witho#t giing those who
%arta$e in scorning that !ame any better ho%e !or %osterity. Th#s intellect#als discoer the !railty
o! their secret moties( and the only hel% against s#ch is to ex%ress this insight.
J)
,thics 6Moral7 and style. 9 A#thors !ind that the more %recisely( %ainsta$ingly( realistically and
a%%ro%riately they ex%ress themseles( the more the literary res#lt will be regarded as di!!ic#lt to
#nderstand( while as soon as they !orm#late %hrases in a lax and irres%onsible manner( they are
rewarded with a certain #nderstanding. 1t does not hel% to ascetically aoid all elements o! ex%ert
disco#rse( all re!erences to no longer existing s%heres o! ed#cation. Rather( strictness and %#rity
o! ling#istic arrangement( een in the most extreme sim%licity( creates a ac##m. "hoddiness(
moing along with the !amiliar c#rrents o! lang#age( co#nts as a sign o! belonging and contact:
one $nows what one wants( beca#se one $nows what the other wants. To !oc#s on the thing in
the ex%ression rather than the comm#nication( is considered s#s%icio#s: what is s%eci!ic( not
already hidden away in a#tomatism( a%%ears inconsiderate( a sym%tom o! eccentricity( almost o!
con!#sion. Aontem%orary logic( which %#ts so m#ch store on its clarity( has naiely absorbed
s#ch %erersion in the category o! collo3#ial s%eech. The ag#e ex%ression %ermits those who
em%loy it to imagine more or less whateer they wish and what they mean anyway. The strictly
en!orced #nambig#o#sness =*inde#tig$eit: directness( decidedness> o! the constr#ction( the e!!ort
o! the conce%t( !rom which h#man beings are conscio#sly weaned( %res#mes the s#s%ension o!
the %reailing 8#dgement be!ore all content( and thereby a radical se%aration o! onesel!(
something which they react iolently to. <nly that which they do not need to $now co#nts as
#nderstandable@ only what is in tr#th alienated( the word molded by commerce( stri$es them as
tr#stworthy. There are !ew things which contrib#te more to the demorali:ation o! intellect#als.
'hoeer wishes to esca%e this( m#st see thro#gh eery %iece o! adice which tells one to !oc#s
on comm#nication as a betrayal o! what is being comm#nicated.
J5
Famished. =Eohldam%!: slang !or being !amished or raeno#s> 9 To %lay o!! the dialects o!
wor$ers against written s%eech is reactionary. 6eis#re( een %ride and arrogance( endowed the
s%eech o! the #%%er cr#st with something o! inde%endence and sel!.disci%line. 1t is thereby
bro#ght into o%%osition to its own social realm. 1t t#rns against the masters( who mis#se it to
command( by wishing to command them( and re!#ses to sere their interest. 1n the s%eech o! the
s#b8#gated( howeer( there is only the mar$ o! domination( robbing them een o! the 8#stice
which the #nm#tilated( a#tonomo#s word means to all those who are !ree eno#gh to say it
witho#t resentment. +roletarian s%eech is dictated by h#nger. The %oor chew words( in order to
!eel !#ll. 7rom their ob8ectie "%irit =Geist> they ex%ect the %ower!#l no#rishment( which society
has denied them@ they !ill #% their mo#ths beca#se they hae nothing to bite on. Th#s they ta$e
reenge on lang#age. They des%oil the body o! a lang#age( which does not let them loe it( and
re%eat with %owerless strength the shame which was done to them. *en what is best in the
dialects o! northern Berlin or the =6ondon> Aoc$neys( the street smarts and mother.wit( ails !rom
the circ#mstance that in order to withstand des%erate sit#ations witho#t des%airing( one m#st
la#gh at onesel! as well as the enemy and th#s 8#sti!y the co#rse o! the world. 1! written s%eech
codi!ies the alienation o! the classes( then this latter is not to be re%ealed by regression to the
s%o$en $ind( b#t only in the conse3#entiality =Eonse3#en:: conse3#ence( rami!ication> o!
strictest ling#istic ob8ectiity. <nly the s%eech which s#blates writing into itsel!( wo#ld
emanci%ate h#man s%eech !rom the lie that it is already h#man.
JJ
Melange. 9 The #s#al arg#ment o! tolerance( that all h#man beings( all races are e3#al( is a
boomerang. 1t o%ens itsel! #% to easy reb#ttal by the senses( and een the most com%elling
anthro%ological eidence !or the !act that ,ews are not a race at all( will in the case o! a %ogrom
hardly change anything at all( since the totalitarians $now ery well who they want to $ill and
who not. 1! one wished to %roclaim the e3#ality o! all those who bear h#man !eat#res as an ideal(
instead o! establishing it as a !act( this wo#ld be o! little hel%. The abstract #to%ia wo#ld be all
too easily reconcilable with the most deio#s tendencies o! society. That all h#man beings wo#ld
resemble each other( is exactly what s#its this latter. 1t regards !act#al or imagined di!!erences as
mar$s o! shame( which reeal( that one has not bro#ght things !ar eno#gh@ that something
somewhere has been le!t !ree o! the machine( is not totally determined by the totality. The
technics o! the concentration cam%s was designed to t#rn %risoners into g#ards( the m#rdered
into m#rderers. Racial di!!erence was absol#tely s#blated( so that one co#ld abolish it absol#tely(
i! only in the sense that nothing di!!erent s#ried anymore. An emanci%ated society howeer
wo#ld be no #nitary state( b#t the reali:ation o! the generality in the reconciliation o! di!!erences.
A %olitics which too$ this serio#sly sho#ld there!ore not %ro%agate een the idea o! the abstract
e3#ality o! h#man beings. They sho#ld rather %oint to the bad e3#ality o! today( the identity o!
!ilm interests with wea%ons interests( and thin$ o! the better condition as the one in which one
co#ld be di!!erent witho#t !ear. 1! one attested to blac$s =Neger>( that they are exactly li$e whites(
while they are neertheless not so( then one wo#ld secretly wrong them all oer again. This
h#miliates them in a beneolent manner by a standard which( #nder the %ress#re o! the system(
they cannot attain( and moreoer whose attainment wo#ld be a d#bio#s achieement. The
s%o$es%ersons o! #nitary tolerance are always %re%ared to t#rn intolerantly against any gro#%
which does not !it in: the obstinate enth#siasm !or blac$s meshes seamlessly with the o#trage
oer obnoxio#s ,ews. The 4melting %ot5 =in *nglish in original> was an instit#tion o! !ree.
wheeling ind#strial ca%italism. The tho#ght o! landing in it con8#res #% martyrdom( not
democracy.
JK
8nmeasure for unmeasure. 9 'hat the Germans hae committed beyond com%rehension( een
the %sychological $ind( gien that the horror seems to hae been %er%etrated more as blindly
%lanned and alienated meas#res o! terror than as s%ontaneo#s grati!ication. According to the
re%orts o! eyewitnesses( the tort#re and m#rder were carried o#t witho#t enth#siasm( and %erha%s
!or that reason went so !ar beyond all bo#nds. Neertheless the conscio#sness which wo#ld li$e
to withstand the #ns%ea$able sees itsel! thrown bac$ again and again to the attem%t to
#nderstand( so that it does not s#b8ectiely !all %rey to the madness which ob8ectiely r#les. The
tho#ght irresistibly obtr#des that the German horror was something li$e a reenge ta$en in
adance. The credit system in which eerything( een world con3#est( can be adanced(
determines also the actions which %re%ared its end and the end o! the entire mar$et society( all
the way to the s#icide o! the dictatorshi%. 1n the concentration cam%s and gas chambers the
down!all o! Germany is( as it were( being disco#nted. Noone who obsered the !irst months o!
Na:i r#le in /CHH co#ld oerloo$ the moment o! deathly sorrow( o! the hal!.$nowing entr#sting
o! onesel! to something calamito#s( which accom%anied the whi%%ed.#% e#%horia( the torchlight
%arades and !an!ares. ?ow ho%eless was the so#nd o! the German !aorite song o! those months(
4+eo%le =&ol$> to Arms5( in the street o! Gnter den 6inden. The salation o! the !atherland
arranged !rom one day to the next bore the ex%ression o! catastro%he !rom the !irst moment( and
this catastro%he was %racticed in the concentration cam%s( while its %remonition was drowned
o#t by the tri#m%h in the streets. "#ch %remonition need not be ex%lained by the collectie
#nconscio#s( which to be s#re clearly eno#gh %layed a role. The German %osition in the
im%erialist com%etition was( according to the meas#re o! aailable raw materials and ind#strial
%otential( des%erate in war and %eace. *eryone and yet noone was too d#mb to recogni:e this.
To delier onesel! to the !inal battle o! the com%etition( meant s%ringing into the abyss( and the
others were %#shed into it( in the belie! that it co#ld still be warded o!!. The chance o! the Na:i
enter%rise com%ensating !or the disadantage o! the total ol#me o! %rod#ction thro#gh record
terror and tem%oral %riority was tiny. The others had sooner belieed in this than the Germans(
who were not ha%%y een with the !all o! +aris. 'hile they won eerything( they already raged
li$e those who hae nothing le!t to lose. At the beginning o! German im%erialism stands
'agner2s T"ilight of the ods( the ra%t#ro#s %ro%hecy o! their own doom( whose com%osition
was #nderta$en sim#ltaneo#sly with the ictorio#s war o! /LK0 =the 7ranco.+r#ssian 'ar( which
sealed the #ni!ication o! Germany>. 1n the same s%irit( two years be!ore '' 11 the German
%#blic saw a !ilm o! the down!all o! their :e%%elin in 6a$eh#rst. Aalm( %oised( the shi% went on
its way( only to s#ddenly %l#mmet straight down. 1! there remains no way o#t( then the
destr#ctie drie becomes com%letely indi!!erent as to what it neer !irmly established: as to
whether it is directed against others or against its own s#b8ect.
JL
0uman &eings look at you. 9 The o#trage oer atrocities decreases( the more that the ones
a!!ected are #nli$e normal readers( the more br#nette( 4dirty5( dago.li$e. This says 8#st as m#ch
abo#t the atrocity as abo#t the obserers. +erha%s the social schematism o! %erce%tion in anti.
"emites is so altered( that they cannot een see ,ews as h#man beings. The ceaselessly rec#rrent
ex%ression that saages( blac$s( ,a%anese resemble animals( or something li$e a%es( already
contains the $ey to the %ogrom. The %ossibility o! this latter is contained in the moment that a
mortally wo#nded animal loo$s at a h#man being in the eye. The de!iance with which they %#sh
away this ga:e 9 4it2s a!ter all only an animal5 9 is re%eated irresistibly in atrocities to h#man
beings( in which the %er%etrators m#st constantly recon!irm this 4only an animal5( beca#se they
neer entirely belieed it een with animals. The conce%t o! h#man beings in re%ressie society
is the %arody o! the notion that h#man beings were created in the image o! God. The mechanism
o! 4%athic %ro8ection5 !#nctions in s#ch a manner that the %ower.bro$ers %erceie only their own
mirror image as h#man beings( instead o! re!lecting bac$ what is h#man as %recisely what is
di!!erent. ;#rder is th#s the attem%t to dis%lace( again and again( the madness o! s#ch !alse
%erce%tion into reason( thro#gh greater madness: what is not seen as a h#man being and yet is a
h#man being( is t#rned into a thing( so that it can no longer reb#t the manic ga:e thro#gh any sort
o! im%#lse.
JC
*ittle people. 9 Those who deny ob8ectie historical !orces !ind it all too easy to arg#e that the
co#rse o! the war co#ld hae been di!!erent. Act#ally the Germans sho#ld hae won: that they
!ailed was the !a#lt o! the 7Fhrer2s =6eader2s> st#%idity. B#t the decisie 4st#%idities5 o! ?itler(
his re!#sal in the middle o! the con!lict to wage war on *ngland( his attac$ on R#ssia and
America( hae their %recise social meaning( which deelo%ed irresistibly !rom each seemingly
reasonable ste% to the next #ntil the catastro%he. *en i! it were( strictly s%ea$ing( st#%idity( this
remains historically determinable: st#%idity is aboe all no nat#ral 3#ality( b#t something
socially %rod#ced and socially am%li!ied. The r#ling German cli3#es r#shed towards war(
beca#se they were excl#ded !rom the leading im%erialist %ositions o! %ower. 1n this excl#sion
howeer lay also the reason !or that %roincialism( r#sticity and sel!.dece%tion( which made the
%olitics o! ?itler and Ribbentro% #ncom%etitie and their war a gamble. That they were so badly
in!ormed abo#t the balance between the general economic and s%eci!ically British interests o! the
Tories and the strength o! the Red Army as their own masses behind the cordon o! the Third
Reich( is not to be se%arated !rom the historical constit#tion o! National "ocialism( indeed !rom
its %ower. The window o! o%%ort#nity !or a c#nning !irst stri$e consisted solely o! the !act that
they themseles $new no better( and that was %recisely the reason !or its !ail#re. Germany2s
ind#strial bac$wardness !orced the %oliticians( who wanted to catch #% at a single bo#nd and !or
that ery reason were 3#ali!ied as hae.nots( bac$ on their own narrow ex%erience( that o! the
%olitical !aTade. They saw nothing in !ront o! them exce%t cheering crowds and !rightened
negotiators@ this obsc#red their insight into the ob8ectie %ower o! the greater mass o! ca%ital
!acing them. 1t is the immanent reenge on ?itler that he( the exec#tioner o! liberal ca%italist
society( was according to its own index o! conscio#sness too 4liberal5 to recogni:e that #nder the
shell o! liberalism abroad an irresistible dominion o! ind#strial %otential had !ormed. ?e( who
saw thro#gh the #ntr#th o! liberalism li$e no other bo#rgeois( neertheless did not see thro#gh
the %ower behind him( %recisely that social tendency( the dr#mbeat to which een ?itler
marched. ?is conscio#sness regressed bac$ to the stand%oint o! the in!erior and short.sighted
com%etitor( !rom which he started( in order to render a concern %ro!itable in the shortest time
%ossible. The ho#r o! the Germans necessarily !ell %rey to s#ch st#%idity. 7or only those who
were as inex%erienced in the world economy as they were narrow.minded in world c#lt#ral and
social trends co#ld mobili:e these !or war( and their st#bbornness !or the sa$e o! sheer actiity
deoid o! any re!lection. ?itler2s st#%idity was a r#se o! reason.
K0
+pinion of the dilettante. 9 The Third Reich did not s#cceed in creating a single wor$ o! art( a
single conce%t#al str#ct#re( which co#ld hae satis!ied een the threadbare liberalistic demand o!
4niea#5 =7rench: artistic leel>. The demolition o! h#manity and the conseration o! s%irit#al
goods were as little com%atible as air raid shelters and stor$2s nests( and the c#lt#re renewed by
battle loo$ed !rom the ery !irst day li$e the cities on the ery last day: a hea% o! r#bble. At least
the %o%#lation co#ntered it with %assie resistance. By no means howeer were %res#mably
liberated c#lt#ral energies soa$ed #% in the technical( %olitical and military realms. The whole
thing is tr#ly barbarism and contin#es to tri#m%h oer its own "%irit =Geist>. <ne can obsere
this in strategy. The 7ascist era did not ca#se it to blossom( b#t abolished it. The great military
conce%tions were inse%arable !rom c#nning( imagination: almost !rom %riate cleerness and
initiatie. They belonged to a disci%line which was relatiely inde%endent !rom the %rod#ction.
%rocess. 'hat co#nted were s%eciali:ed innoations( li$e #sing the diagonal battle !ormation or
the acc#racy o! the artillery( to decide the iss#e. "omething o! bo#rgeois( !ree.standing(
entre%rene#rial irt#e was in all that. ?annibal came !rom a line o! merchants( not heroes( and
Na%oleon !rom the democratic reol#tion. The moment o! bo#rgeois com%etition in the waging
o! war has been derailed in 7ascism. 1t raised the !o#ndational idea o! strategy to an absol#te( the
#tili:ation o! the tem%orary dis%ro%ortion between the elite o! a nation organi:ed !or m#rder( and
the total %otential o! the other. Net haing inented total war as a conse3#ence o! this idea( and
abolishing the di!!erence between the army and ind#stry( they li3#idated strategy. 1t is as
o#tmoded as the so#nd o! military bands and %ict#res o! battleshi%s. ?itler so#ght world
con3#est thro#gh concentrated terror. ?oweer the means he #sed were already #nstrategic( the
massing o! oer%owering material in s%eci!ic %laces( the cr#de !rontal brea$thro#gh( the
mechanical encirclement o! o%%onents le!t behind the ga%s in the !ront. This %rinci%le( totally
and com%letely 3#antitatie( %ositiistic( with no s#r%rises( and th#s eerywhere 4%#blic5 and
!#sed with adertising( no longer s#!!iced. The Allies( in!initely wealthier in economic reso#rces(
needed only to tr#m% German tactics to de!eat ?itler. The st#%or and listlessness o! the war( the
general de!eatism( which extended the d#ration o! the calamity( were conditioned by the decay o!
strategy. 'hen all actions are mathematically calc#lated( they sim#ltaneo#sly ta$e on the as%ect
o! something st#%id. As i! in moc$ery o! the tho#ght that anyone at random o#ght to be able to
r#n the state( the war was cond#cted( with the hel% o! radar and arti!icial harbors( rather li$e how
a schoolboy stic$ing !lags in a ma% might hae imagined it. "%engler ho%ed that the golden age
o! the engineers wo#ld s#cceed the down!all o! the 'est. 1n the %ers%ectie o! the latter(
howeer( the down!all o! technics =Techni$> itsel! is becoming isible.
K/
Pseudomenos 6reek: liar7. 9 The magnetic %ower which ideologies exert oer h#man beings(
while they hae become entirely threadbare( is to be ex%lained beyond %sychology( in the
ob8ectiely determined decay o! logical eidence as s#ch. 1t has come to the %oint that lies so#nd
li$e tr#th( and tr#th li$e lies. *ery statement( eery news re%ort( eery tho#ght is %re!ormed by
the centers o! the c#lt#re.ind#stry. 'hat does not bear the tr#sted mar$ o! s#ch %re!ormation
lac$s credibility in adance( all the more so that the instit#tions o! %#blic o%inion garnish what
they send o#t with a tho#sand !act#al %roo!s and all the %ower o! coniction which the total
a%%arat#s can bring to bear. The tr#th which wo#ld li$e to do something against this( bears not
merely the character o! something im%robable( b#t is moreoer too %oor to brea$ thro#gh in
direct com%etition with the highly concentrated a%%arat#s o! dissemination. The German extreme
sheds light on the entire mechanism. 'hen the Na:is began to tort#re( they did not merely
terrori:e %eo%le both inside and o#tside the co#ntry( b#t were at the same time the more sec#re
against ex%os#re( the more saage the atrocities became. 1ts sheer #nbelieability made it easy to
disbeliee what( !or the sa$e o! %eace( noone wanted to beliee( while sim#ltaneo#sly
ca%it#lating be!ore it. Those who trembled in !ear told themseles that things were m#ch
exaggerated: well into the war( the details o! the concentration cam%s were #nwelcome in the
*nglish %ress. *ery horror in the enlightened world t#rns necessarily into a horror story
=Gre#elmIrchen>. 7or the #ntr#th o! the tr#th has a $ernel( to which the #nconscio#s eagerly
=begierig ans%richt> t#rns. 1t does not only wish !or horror. Rather 7ascism is in !act less
4ideological5( to the extent it immediately %roclaimed the %rinci%le o! domination( which was
elsewhere hidden. 'hateer h#mane %rinci%les the democracies marshaled to o%%ose it( were
e!!ortlessly reb#tted by %ointing o#t that these do not concern all o! h#manity( b#t merely its
!alse image( which 7ascism is man eno#gh to diest itsel! o!. "o des%erate howeer hae h#man
beings become in their c#lt#re( that they are ready to cast o!! the !rail signs o! a better state o!
a!!airs( i! only the world does their worse side the !aor o! con!essing how eil it is. The %olitical
!orces o! o%%osition howeer are com%elled to ma$e #se o! the lie( i! they do not wish to be
com%letely exting#ished as com%letely destr#ctie. The dee%er their di!!erence !rom the existent(
which neertheless grants them shelter !rom a still worse !#t#re( the easier it is !or the 7ascists to
nail them down as #ntr#ths. <nly the absol#te lie still has the !reedom to say anything o! the
tr#th. The con!#sion o! tr#th with lies( which ma$es it nearly im%ossible to maintain the
di!!erence between the two( and which ma$es holding on to the sim%lest cognition a labor o!
"isy%h#s( anno#nces the ictory o! the %rinci%le in logical organi:ation( een tho#gh its military
basis has been cr#shed. 6ies hae long legs: they are ahead o! their time. The recon!ig#ration o!
all 3#estions o! tr#th into those o! %ower( which tr#th itsel! cannot eade( i! it does not wish to be
annihilated by %ower( does not merely s#%%ress the tr#th( as in earlier des%otisms( b#t has
reached into the innermost core o! the dis8#nction o! tr#e and !alse( whose abolition the hired
mercenaries o! logic are anyway !eerishly wor$ing towards. Th#s ?itler( who noone can say i!
he died or esca%ed( lies on.
K2
Second har'est. 9 Talent is aboe all %erha%s nothing other than serendi%ito#sly =glFc$lich>
s#blimated rage( the ca%acity to trans%ose the incalc#lable energies once raised !or the
destr#ction o! intractable ob8ects into the concentration o! %atient meditation( and re!#sing to let
the secret o! ob8ects sli% away( ery m#ch as one re!#sed to be swayed #ntil the s3#ea$ing oice
was torn !rom the mishandled toy. 'ho has !ailed to obsere on the !ace o! someone s#n$ in
tho#ght( dissociated !rom %ractical ob8ects( the same aggression which is otherwise actiated in
%racticeM Don2t those engaged in %rod#ction !eel br#tish( 4wor$ing #% a storm5 in the midst o!
their !ren:ied ardorM 1ndeed isn2t s#ch rage re3#ired in order to emanci%ate onesel! !rom the
!eeling o! being %re8#diced and !rom the rage o! being %re8#dicedM 1sn2t what is reconciling
%recisely something wrested !rom what is destr#ctieM
Today most %eo%le $ic$ against the %ric$s =i.e. hae r#nning battles with the a#thorities>.
?ow so many things are inscribed with gest#res( and thereby with modes o! cond#ct. Alogs 9
4!lo%%ies5( sli%%ers =in *nglish> 9 are made so that one can sli% them on one2s !eet witho#t #sing
the hands. They are mon#ments to the hatred o! bending oer.
The care!ree gest#res o! adolescents testi!y to the !act that in re%ressie society !reedom and
insolence are the same thing( the attit#de o! 4it doesn2t cost me a dime5( so long as they do not
hae to sell their labor. To show that they don2t rely on anyone else and !or that reason don2t
hae to show any res%ect( they stic$ their hands into their %oc$ets. The elbows howeer( which
they t#rn o#twards( are already %re%ared to stri$e anyone who crosses their %ath.
Germans are h#man beings who can2t tell a lie witho#t belieing it themseles.
The %hrase( 4That2s com%letely o#t o! the 3#estion5( which may hae arisen in Berlin in the
/C20s( is %otentially already the =Na:i> sei:#re o! %ower. 7or it %retends that the %riate will(
!o#nded at times on act#al administratie rights( b#t mostly on sheer im%#dence( wo#ld
immediately re%resent the ob8ectie necessity( which admits o! no a%%eal. 7#ndamentally it is the
re!#sal o! the ban$r#%t negotiating %artner to %ay the other a %enny( with the %ro#d conscio#sness
that there2s nothing to be gotten !rom them( anyway. The legal tric$ o! the shady lawyer
harang#es itsel! into heroic !ortit#de: the ling#istic !orm#la o! #s#r%ation. "#ch a bl#!! de!ines in
e3#al meas#re the s#ccess and the !all o! Na:ism.
That the %rayer !or o#r daily bread has( in iew o! the existence o! bread !actories( become a
mere meta%hor and sim#ltaneo#sly l#cid des%air( says more against the %ossibility o! Ahristianity
than all the enlightened criti3#es o! the li!e o! ,es#s.
Anti."emitism is the r#mor abo#t the ,ews.
7oreign loan.words are the ,ews o! lang#age.
D#ring an eening o! bottomless sadness( 1 ca#ght mysel! #sing a ridic#lo#sly wrong con8#nctie
o! a not 3#ite correct ?igh German erb( which belonged to the dialect o! my home town. 1 had
not een %erceied( let alone #sed( this endearingly wrong term since the !irst school.years.
;elancholy( irresistibly %#lling me into the abyss o! childhood( awa$ened the old( %owerlessly
demanding so#nd o#t o! the dee%. 6ang#age threw bac$ to me( li$e an echo( the h#miliation
which #nha%%iness had in!licted on me( by !orgetting what 1 am.
The second %art o! =Goethe2s> Faust( decried as abstr#se and allegorical( oer!lows with common
citations( to a degree matched only by ="chiller2s> William Tell. The trans%arency and sim%licity
o! a text has no direct relationshi% to the 3#estion o! whether it becomes %art o! the c#lt#ral
tradition. 1t may %recisely be what is hidden away( contin#ally stim#lating renewed
inter%retation( which certi!ies that a %assage or a wor$ is destined !or %osterity.
*ery wor$ o! art is an #nexec#ted =abged#ngene> crime.
The tragedies which $ee% themseles the !#rthest away !rom mere existence thro#gh 4style5( are
sim#ltaneo#sly those which most acc#rately %resere the memory o! the demonology o! saages(
thro#gh collectie %rocessions( mas$s and sacri!ices.
The %oerty o! the s#nrise o! Richard "tra#ss2 $lpine Symphony is ca#sed not merely by banal
se3#ences( b#t by its ery s%lendor. 7or no s#nrise( not een the one in the high mo#ntains( is
%om%o#s( tri#m%hal( stately( b#t each occ#rs !aintly and di!!idently( li$e the ho%e that eerything
may yet t#rn o#t well( and %recisely in the incons%ic#o#sness o! the mightiest o! all lights lies
that which is so %oignantly oerwhelming.
The oice o! eery woman on the tele%hone signals whether the s%ea$er is %retty or not. The tone
re!lects all the glances o! admiration and desire she eer receied bac$ as con!idence(
inde%endence( sel!.attentieness. 1t ex%resses the 6atinate do#ble meaning o! grace( gratit#de
and mercy. The ear %erceies what is meant !or the eye( beca#se both lie !rom the ex%erience o!
the one bea#ty. 1t is instantly !amiliar !rom the ery !irst: the !amiliar citation o! what has neer
been seen.
1! one wa$es #% in the middle o! a dream( een the most tro#bling( one is disa%%ointed and !eels
as i! one had been cheated o! what is best. Net there are as !ew ha%%y( !#l!illed dreams as( in
"ch#bert2s words( ha%%y m#sic. *en the most bea#ti!#l ones retain the blemish o! their
di!!erence !rom reality( the conscio#sness o! the mere a%%earance ="chein> o! what they grant.
That is why een the most bea#ti!#l dreams are somehow damaged. This ex%erience is
#ns#r%assable in the descri%tion o! the nat#re theater o! <$lahoma in Ea!$a2s $merica.
1t is no di!!erent with ha%%iness than with tr#th: one does not hae it( b#t is in it. 1ndeed(
ha%%iness is nothing other than being encom%assed( an a!ter.image o! the warm sec#rity o! the
mother. That is why noone can $now that they are ha%%y. 1n order to see ha%%iness( they wo#ld
hae to ste% o#t o! it: they wo#ld be li$e a newborn. 'hoeer says( they are ha%%y( lies( by
eo$ing it and th#s sinning against ha%%iness. <nly those who say: 1 was ha%%y( are tr#e to it.
The only relationshi% o! conscio#sness to ha%%iness is that o! gratit#de: this constit#tes its
incom%arable dignity.
To children ret#rning !rom acation( the home is new( !resh( !estie. B#t nothing has changed in
it( since they le!t. <nly beca#se the d#ties were !orgotten( o! which eery %iece o! !#rnit#re(
eery window( eery lam% is otherwise a reminder( does the "abbath %eace once more re%ose(
and !or min#tes one is at home in the m#lti%lication table o! rooms( chambers and corridors( as it
will a%%ear !or the rest o! one2s li!e only in lies. Not otherwise will the world a%%ear( nearly
#nchanged( in the steady light o! its day o! celebration( when it no longer stands #nder the law o!
labor( and the d#ties o! those ret#rning home are as light as acation %lay.
"ince one can no longer %ic$ !lowers to adorn one2s beloed( as a sacri!ice which is reconciled(
by !reely ta$ing on itsel! the in8#stice to all in the ardor !or the one( there is something malign
abo#t %ic$ing !lowers. 1t s#!!ices only to eternali:e what is transient( by ma$ing it thingli$e.
Nothing howeer is more %ernicio#s: the scentless bo#3#et( the o!!icial memorial $ills what
remains( %recisely by consering it. The !leeting moment is ca%able o! liing in the m#rm#r o!
!orgetting( on which one day the ray o! light !alls( which ma$es it !lash #%@ to want to %ossess the
moment is already to hae lost it. The %ro!#se bo#3#et( which the child l#gs home at the behest
o! the mother( co#ld stand behind the mirror li$e the arti!icial ones sixty years ago( and in the
end it is t#rned into the greedily sna%%ed %hotos o! the tri%( in which the landsca%e is littered by
those who saw nothing o! it( grabbing as a so#enir( whateer !ell #nremembered into
nothingness. Net whoeer sends !lowers( enra%t#red( will inol#ntarily reach !or those which
a%%ear mortal.
'e can than$ o#r li!e to the di!!erence between the economic !ramewor$( late ind#strialism( and
the %olitical !acade. To theoretical criti3#e( the di!!erent is slight: eerywhere the s#%er!icial
character ="cheinchara$ter> o!( say( %#blic o%inion( the %rimacy o! the economy in act#al
decisions( can be dis%layed. 7or co#ntless indiid#als howeer this thin and e%hemeral h#s$ is
the basis o! their entire existence. +recisely those who set store in their thin$ing and actions on
change( as what is solely essential( owe their existence to what is inessential( to a%%earance
="chein>( indeed to what according to the meas#re o! the great historical laws o! deelo%ment
came abo#t as mere accident. Net doesn2t this a!!ect the entire constr#ction o! essence and
a%%earanceM ;eas#red by the conce%t( what is indiid#al has in !act become as oid as ?egel2s
%hiloso%hy antici%ated: yet s#b s%ecie indiid#ationis =6atin: in relation to the one eternal
s#bstance>( absol#te contingency 9 as something %ermitted( abnormally liing on( as it were 9 is
itsel! what is essential. The world is a system o! horror( b#t that is why those who thin$ o! it
entirely as a system do it too m#ch honor( !or its #ni!ying %rinci%le is diision( and it reconciles(
by asserting the wholesale irreconcilability o! the general and %artic#lar. 1ts essence ='esen> is
mischie! =Gnwesen>@ its a%%earance ="chein> howeer( the lie( by irt#e o! which it contin#es to
exist( is the %laceholder o! tr#th.
KH
De'iation. 9 The o!!icial o%timism o! its adherents is a sign o! the decay o! the wor$ers2
moement. 1t seems to grow with the iron consolidation o! the ca%italist world. The ina#g#rators
neer considered s#ccess as g#aranteed and !or that reason said #ncom!ortable things to the
wor$ers2 organi:ations their entire lies. Today( now that the %osition o! the o%%onent and its
reach oer the conscio#sness o! the masses has become in!initely stronger( the attem%t to
abr#%tly change this conscio#sness by reno#ncing agreement with it is considered reactionary.
Those who lin$ the criti3#e o! ca%italism to that o! the %roletariat 9 which itsel! more and more
merely re!lects ca%italist tendencies o! deelo%ment 9 are s#s%ect. Across class bo#ndaries( the
negatie element o! tho#ght is deno#nced. The wisdom o! Eaiser 'illiam( 41 won2t tolerate
doomsayers5( has %ermeated the ran$s o! those he wished to cr#sh. 'hoeer %ointed o#t( !or
exam%le( the com%lete lac$ o! any s%ontaneo#s resistance by German wor$ers( is told it2s all in
!l#x right now( so it2s not %ossible to 8#dge@ whoeer wasn2t oer there( amongst the %oor
German ictims o! the air raids 9 ictims who had no 3#alms abo#t air raids( as long as they
were directed at others 9 sho#ld sh#t #%( and anyway agrarian re!orms are im%ending in Romania
and N#goslaia. The more howeer that the rational ex%ectation disa%%ears that the doom o!
society has been really aerted( the more reerently they %ray to the old names: mass( solidarity(
%arty( class str#ggle. 'hile no tho#ght !rom the criti3#e o! %olitical economy is #%held by the
adherents o! the 6e!t %lat!orm@ while its news%a%ers daily and naiely tr#m%et theses which
tr#m% all reisionism( b#t mean absol#tely nothing and co#ld be re%laced on demand tomorrow
by exactly the o%%osite ones( the ears o! those who !ollow the %arty line dis%lay m#sical ac#ity(
as soon as there is the slightest hint o! disres%ect !or slogans diested o! theory. 1nternational
%atriotism meshes seamlessly with h#rrah.o%timism. Those who are loyal are s#%%osed %ledge
allegiance to a %eo%le( regardless o! which one. 1n the dogmatic conce%t o! a %eo%le( howeer(
the ac$nowledgment o! the context o! destiny between h#man beings as the a#thority !or action(
the idea o! a society emanci%ated !rom the com%#lsion o! nat#re is im%licitly re%#diated.
*en h#rrah.o%timism is the %erersion o! a moti! which has seen better days: o! not
being able to wait. By tr#sting in the condition o! technics( change was tho#ght o! as
immediately im%ending( as the next %ossibility. Aonce%tions rooted in long.range time scales(
%reca#tions( com%rehensie %o%#lar.%edagogical meas#res( were s#s%ected o! sacri!icing the
goal they %ro!essed. At that time the a#tonomo#s will ex%ressed itsel! in an o%timism which
de!ied death. 'hat has remained o! this is only the shell( the !aith in the %ower and sco%e o!
organi:ation( witho#t the readiness to %lay one2s own %art( indeed %ermeated with destr#ctie
coniction that s%ontaneity may indeed no longer be %ossible( b#t the Red Army will con3#er in
the end. The insistent s%ot.chec$( that eeryone sho#ld a!!irm that eerything will t#rn o#t 8#st
!ine( casts those who remain #nyielding #nder s#s%icion o! being de!eatists and t#rncoats. 1n
!airy.tales( the toad who came !rom the de%ths was always a harbinger o! great ha%%iness. Today(
when the sacri!ice o! #to%ia loo$s as similar as its reali:ation as the Antichrist loo$s li$e the
+araclete =the Redeemer>( toad has became an e%ithet among those who themseles remain in the
de%ths. 6e!t o%timism re%eats the %ernicio#s bo#rgeois s#%erstition( one sho#ldn2t s%ea$ o! the
deil b#t sho#ld !oc#s on the %ositie. 4No# are not satis!ied with this worldM Then yo# can go
search !or another one5 9 this is the collo3#ial s%eech o! socialist realism.
K)
Mammoth. 9 "ome years ago( the re%ort circ#lated in American news%a%ers abo#t the discoery
o! a well.%resered dinosa#r in the state o! Gtah. 1t was em%hasi:ed that the s%ecimen in
3#estion had o#tlied its s%ecies and was a million years yo#nger than any hitherto $nown. "#ch
re%orts( li$e the re%#lsiely h#moro#s cra:e !or the 6och Ness monster and the Eing Eong !ilm(
are collectie %ro8ections o! the monstro#s total state. <ne %re%ares !or its horrors by getting
#sed to giant images. 1n the abs#rd willingness to acce%t these( a h#manity mired in
%owerlessness ma$es the des%erate attem%t to gras% the ex%erience o! what ma$es a moc$ery o!
eery ex%erience. B#t this does not exha#st the notion that %rehistoric animals are still alie or at
least went extinct 8#st a !ew million years ago. The ho%e excited by the %resence o! what is most
ancient( is that animal creation might s#rie the in8#stice done to them by h#man beings( i! not
h#manity itsel!( and bring !orth a better s%ecies( which !inally s#cceeds. Boological gardens
originated !rom the same ho%e. They are laid o#t on the model o! Noah2s ar$( !or eer since they
hae existed( the bo#rgeois class has been waiting !or the Biblical !lood. The #se o! :oos !or
entertainment and instr#ction seems to be a thin %retext. They are allegories o! the %ossibility
that a s%ecimen or a %air can de!y the doom which be!alls the s%ecies as a s%ecies. That is why
the all too richly o#t!itted :oological gardens o! ma8or *#ro%ean cities seem li$e signs o! decline:
anything more than two ele%hants( two gira!!es( and a hi%%o%otam#s is a bad sign. Nor is there
any mercy in ?agenbec$2s layo#t with trenches and witho#t bars( which betray the ar$( by
mas3#erading as the salation called Ararat. The more inisible the bo#ndaries become( the more
com%letely the !reedom o! the creat#res is re%#diated( whose ga:e co#ld be ignited by the
longing !or the wide distance. They relate to %ro%er :oos what botanical gardens are to %alm lea!
gardens. The more that ciili:ation %reseres and trans%lants #ns%oiled nat#re( the more
im%lacably the latter is controlled. <ne can a!!ord to encom%ass eer greater #nits o! nat#re and
to leae the interior o! s#ch tracts seemingly intact( while %reio#sly the selection and
domestication o! %artic#lar %ieces still testi!ied to the necessity o! con3#ering nat#re. The tiger
which %aces to and !ro in its cage( mirrors bac$ negatiely thro#gh its con!#sed state something
o! h#manity( b#t not howeer those who !rolic behind im%assable trenches. The anti3#ated
bea#ty o! =Al!red> Brehm2s $nimal *ife rests on this %oint( that it describes all animals as i! they
were behind the bars o! a :oo( een and %recisely when citing the re%orts o! imaginatie
researchers on li!e in the wilderness. The !act howeer that animals in cages really do s#!!er
more than in o%en layo#ts( that ?agenbec$ in !act re%resents the %rogress o! h#manity( attests to
the #naoidability o! im%risonment. 1t is a conse3#ence o! history. Boological gardens in their
a#thentic !orm are %rod#cts o! /C
th
cent#ry colonial im%erialism. They blossomed !ollowing the
o%ening #% o! the wild regions o! A!rica and Aentral Asia( which %aid symbolic trib#te in the
!orm o! animals. The al#e o! the trib#te was meas#red in terms o! its exoticism( o! its rarity. The
deelo%ment o! technics cleared this away and abolished exoticism. The lion bred on the !arm is
as domesticated as the horse( which has long since become s#b8ect to birth.control. B#t the
milleni#m has not dawned. <nly the irrationality o! c#lt#re itsel!( the noo$s and crannies o! the
city( in which the walls( towers and bastions o! :oos are crammed( are ca%able o! %resering
nat#re. The rationali:ation o! c#lt#re( which o%ens a window to nat#re( thereby com%letely
absorbs it and abolishes along with di!!erence also the %rinci%le o! c#lt#re( the %ossibility o!
reconciliation.
K5
Cold hostel. 9 <mino#sly( in the song cycle whose mid%oint went 412m at the end o! all my
dreams5( "ch#bert2s disill#sioned Romanticism designated solely the cemetery !or the name o!
the inn. The !ata morgana =6atin: mirage> o! the land o! idleness and ease is a!!licted by rigor
mortis. The g#ests and inn$ee%er are #nder a s%ell. The !ormer are in a h#rry. They wo#ld %re!er
to $ee% their hats on. "itting on #ncom!ortable seats( they are behooed( by chec$s shoed at
them and the moral %ress#re o! those waiting in line behind them( to leae the %lace( which still
bears the moc$ing name o! a ca!D( as 3#ic$ly as %ossible. The inn$ee%er howeer( incl#ding all
the assistants( is not who he or she is( b#t a salaried em%loyee. +robably the decline o! the hotel
cra!t =?otelwesens> dates bac$ to the dissol#tion o! the anti3#e #nity o! hostel and bordello(
whose memory lies on nostalgically in eery glance at the smartly.dressed waitress and the tell.
tale gest#res o! the maids. "ince howeer the last ambig#ity 9 een the one which still clings to
the word 4interco#rse5 9 has been drien o#t o! g#est serice( the most honorable s%here o!
circ#lation( things hae become 3#ite grim. "te% by ste%( and always on irre!#table gro#nds( the
means annihilate the ends. The diision o! labor( the system o! a#tomatic %er!ormances( ens#res
that noone is really interested in the com!ort o! the c#stomer. Noone $nows how to read a
c#stomer2s !ace( !or what they might be in the mood !or( beca#se the waiter doesn2t $now the
dishes anymore( and een i! one s#ggested something onesel!( one wo#ld be re%roed !or
oerste%%ing one2s com%etence. Noone h#rries to sere the %atiently waiting g#est( i! the one
who is res%onsible !or this is b#sy: the concern !or the instit#tion which c#lminates in the %rison(
ta$es %recedence 9 as in the clinic 9 oer the s#b8ect which is administered as an ob8ect. That the
4resta#rant5 is se%arated by a hostile abyss !rom the hotel( !rom the em%ty h#s$ o! the room( is
sel!.eident( 8#st as m#ch as the time.limits on eating and in the #nbearable 4room serice5 =in
*nglish in original>( !rom which one !lees into the dr#gstore( to the %#blic sho%( behind whose
#niniting co#nter a 8#ggler with !ried eggs( cris%y bacon and ice.c#bes %roes to be the last
!riend o! the g#est. 1n the hotel howeer the %orter br#shes away eery #n!oreseen 3#estion with
a s#rly nod to another co#nter( #s#ally closed. The ob8ection that all o! this is nothing b#t a
caterwa#ling la#datio tem%oris acti =6atin: %raise !or times %ast> doesn2t hold water. 'ho wo#ld
not %re!er the +rag#e Bl#e "tar or the A#strian Ao#rt in "al:b#rg( een i! they had to cross the
hall to enter the bathroom and i! they were no longer awa$ened by #n!ailing central heating in
the early morningM The nearer one moes to the s%here o! immediate( bodily existence( the more
d#bio#s %rogress becomes( the +yrrhic ictory o! !etishi:ed %rod#ction. "ometimes s#ch
%rogress becomes a!raid o! itsel!( and it see$s to 8oin bac$ together the labor.!#nctions which
hae been calc#latingly se%arated( i! only symbolically. Therein arise !ig#res s#ch as the
4hostess5 =in *nglish in original>( a synthetic !emale inn$ee%er. ,#st as she in reality ta$es care o!
nothing( has no real wherewithal to bring together the diided and !ro:en instit#tions( b#t is
limited to the n#gatory gest#re o! welcome and in any case oerseeing the em%loyees( so does
she loo$ 9 %eeishly %retty( an #%right( thin( stren#o#sly yo#th!#l and !aded woman. ?er tr#e
%#r%ose is to ens#re that the entering g#est does not een see$ o#t the table by themseles( at
which c#stomers are %rocessed. ?er amenity is the reerse.%ict#re o! the dignity o! the bo#ncer.
KJ
ala dinner. 9 ?ow %rogress and regression are intertwined today( can be gleaned !rom the
conce%t o! technical %ossibilities. The mechanical %rocesses o! re%rod#ction hae deelo%ed
inde%endently o! what is re%rod#ced and hae become a#tonomo#s. They co#nt as %rogressie(
and anything which does not ta$e %art in them( as reactionary and narrow.minded. "#ch belie!s
are %romoted all the more( beca#se the moment the s#%er.gadgets remain #n#sed( they threaten
to t#rn into #n%ro!itable inestments. "ince their deelo%ment essentially concerns what #nder
liberalism was called 4%ac$aging5( and at the same time cr#shing the thing itsel! #nder its own
weight( which anyway remains external to the a%%arat#s( the ada%tation o! needs to this
%ac$aging has as its conse3#ence the death o! the ob8ectie claim. The !ascinated eagerness to
cons#me the newest %roced#re( does not only create indi!!erence towards what is transmitted( b#t
comes to bene!it stationary 8#n$ and calc#lated idiocy. 1t con!irms the old $itsch in eer new
%ara%hrases as ha#te no#ea#tD =7rench: high noelty>. The de!iant and narrow.minded wish to
res%ond to technical %rogress by b#ying nothing which isn2t a hit( to re!#se to remain behind the
%rod#ction.%rocess( irregardless o! the meaning o! what is %rod#ced. *erywhere( !ollowing the
crowd( swarming aro#nd( and standing in lines s#bstit#tes !or the somewhat rational need. The
hatred o! a radical( all too modern com%osition is scarcely less than that o! a !ilm which is
already three months old( to which the newest one is %re!erred at any %rice( een tho#gh this last
is not the slightest bit di!!erent. ,#st as the c#stomers o! mass society wish to be in on the scene(
they can leae nothing o#t. 1! /C
th
cent#ry connoisse#rs sat down only !or one act o! an o%era(
with the barbaric aside that they wo#ldn2t c#t their dinner short !or any s%ectacle( then
meanwhile the barbarism( which has c#t o!! the %ossibility o! esca%e to dinner( cannot st#!! itsel!
eno#gh with its own c#lt#re. *ery %rogram m#st be sat thro#gh to the end( eery 4best seller5
=in *nglish in original> m#st be read( eery !ilm m#st be seen d#ring its !irst release in the moie
theater. The ab#ndance o! what is cons#med witho#t choice becomes calamito#s. 1t ma$es it
im%ossible to !ind one2s way( and 8#st as one loo$s !or a g#ide =7Fhrer: literally 4leader5 or
4g#ide5( b#t a %#n on ?itler2s o!!icial title> in a monstro#s de%artment store( so too does the
%o%#lation( %enned in by attractions( wait !or a leader o! their own.
KK
$uction. 9 Gn!ettered technics eliminates l#x#ry( not by declaring %riilege as a h#man right( b#t
by seering the %ossibility o! !#l!illment in the midst o! raising general liing standards. The
ex%ress train which races thro#gh the continent in three nights and two days is a miracle( b#t the
tri% in it has nothing o! the !aded glory o! the train ble# =7rench: bl#e train>. 'hat com%rised the
ol#%t#o#sness o! trael( which began by waing !arewell thro#gh the o%en window( the !riendly
concern o! those who acce%ted ti%s( the ceremonial meals( the #nalloyed !eeling o! being
!aored( which does not ta$e anything away !rom anyone else( has disa%%eared along with the
elegant %eo%le who were wont to %romenade be!ore the de%art#re on old.!ashioned %lat!orms(
and who will hence!orth be so#ght !or in ain in the halls o! the most %restigio#s hotels. That the
ste%s o! the train are drawn in( signi!ies to traelers on een the most ex%ensie ex%ress that they
m#st obey the terse instr#ctions o! the com%any li$e %risoners. They are gien indeed the exactly
calc#lated al#e !or their money( b#t nothing which isn2t already incl#ded in the statistically
aerage claim. Enowing s#ch conditions( whoeer wo#ld hae the idea o! setting o#t with his
beloed( as !ormerly was done !rom +aris to NiceM B#t one cannot sha$e o!! the s#s%icion that
een the deiant l#x#ry( which noisily %roclaims itsel! as s#ch( has an element o! something
ca%ricio#s( o! something arti!icially gotten #%. As %er &eblen2s theory( it is more abo#t %ermitting
those who can %ay( to %roe to themseles and others their stat#s( than abo#t meeting their in any
case increasingly #ndi!!erentiated needs. 'hile the Aadillac is s#rely s#%erior to the Aherolet(
since it costs more( this s#%eriority( otherwise than in the old Rolls Royce( is deried !rom a total
%lan( which cleerly e3#i%s the !irst with better cylinders( bra$es( and accessories the second
with worse ones( witho#t changing anything in the basic schema o! the mass %rod#ct: one need
only ma$e small changes in %rod#ction to trans!orm a Aherolet into a Aadillac. Th#s l#x#ry is
being hollowed o#t. 7or in the middle o! general !#ngibility( ha%%iness clings witho#t exce%tion
to what is not !#ngible. No exertion o! h#manity( no !ormal reasoning can alter the !act that the
clothing which shimmers li$e a !airy.tale is worn by the one and only( not by twenty.tho#sand
others. Gnder ca%italism( the #to%ia o! the 3#alitatie 9 what by irt#e o! its di!!erence and
#ni3#eness does not enter into the r#ling exchange relationshi% 9 !lees into the !etish character.
B#t this %romise o! ha%%iness in l#x#ry %res#%%oses once more %riilege( economic ine3#ality(
%recisely a society based on !#ngibility. That is why the 3#alitatie itsel! t#rns into a s%ecial case
o! 3#anti!ication( the not.!#ngible into the !#ngible( l#x#ry into com!ort and in the end into
senseless gadgets. 1n s#ch a circle the %rinci%le o! l#x#ry goes to %ieces een witho#t the
leeling tendency o! mass society( oer which the reactionaries sentimentally !#ss and !#me. The
inner com%osition o! l#x#ry is not indi!!erent to what #seless things( thro#gh their total
embedding in the realm o! #se!#lness( ex%erience. 1ts remainders( een ob8ects o! the greatest
3#ality( already loo$ li$e 8#n$. The delicacies with which the s#%er.rich !ill #% their homes( call
o#t hel%lessly !or a m#se#m( yet this latter wo#ld( as %er &alery2s insight( $ill the meaning o!
stat#es and %aintings@ only their mother( architect#re( %oints to their %ro%er %lace. ?eld !ast
howeer in the ho#ses o! those to which nothing binds them( they are a sla% in the !ace o! the
mode o! existence which %riate %ro%erty has deelo%ed into. 1! the anti3#ities with which
millionaires be!ore the '' 1 s#rro#nded themseles still mattered( beca#se they raised the idea
o! the bo#rgeois dwelling to a dream 9 the !ear!#l dream 9 witho#t ex%loding it( then the
chinoisieries =7rench: tic$y.tac$y l#x#ries> which they meanwhile hae t#rned to( s#llenly
tolerate the %riate owner( who is only at ease in the light and air which are loc$ed away by
l#x#ry. 7#nctionalist l#x#ry is a nonsense( on which !alse R#ssian %rinces who wor$ as interior
decorators !or ?ollywood may earn their $ee%. The lines o! adanced taste conerge in
asceticism. The child reading $ Thousand and +ne -ights( intoxicated by r#bies and emeralds(
as$ed the 3#estion( what indeed is so wonder!#l abo#t the %ossession o! s#ch stones( gien that
they are described not as a means o! exchange( b#t as a hoard. The entire dialectic o!
enlightenment is at wor$ in this 3#estion. 1t is as reasonable as #nreasonable: reasonable( in
becoming aware o! idoli:ation( #nreasonable( in t#rning against its own end( which is %resent
only there( where it is not held acco#ntable to any a#thority( or indeed to any intention: no
ha%%iness witho#t !etishism. By and by( howeer( the s$e%tical child2s 3#estion has s%read to
eery l#x#ry( and een na$ed sens#al %leas#re is not imm#ne to it. To the aesthetic eye( which
re%resents what is not #se!#l against #tility( what is aesthetic 9 when iolently c#t o!! !rom
%#r%ose 9 t#rns into what is anti.aesthetic( beca#se it ex%resses iolence: l#x#ry t#rns into
br#tality. 1n the end it becomes swallowed #% by dr#dgery or consered as a caricat#re. 'hateer
o! the bea#ti!#l !lo#rishes #nder horror( is a moc$ery and #gly to itsel!. Neertheless its
e%hemeral sha%e stands !or the aoidability o! horror. "omething o! this %aradox lies in the basis
o! all art@ today it is ex%ressed in the !act that art still exists at all. The !irmly held idea o! the
bea#ti!#l demands( that ha%%iness be cast o!! and at the same time maintained.
KL
+'er the mountains. 9 "now 'hite ex%resses( more %er!ectly than any other !airy.tale( the idea
o! melancholy. 1ts %#re %ict#re is the 3#een( who ga:es into the snow thro#gh the window and
wishes !or her da#ghter in terms o! the li!eless( animated bea#ty o! the snow.!la$es( the blac$
sorrow o! the window.!rame( the stab o! bleeding@ and then dying in childbirth. The ha%%y
ending ta$es away nothing !rom this. As the wished.!or granting is really death( the salation
remains a%%earance ="chein>. 7or the dee%er %erce%tion does not beliee that she( who lies li$e
someone slee%ing in a glass co!!in( was awa$ened. 1sn2t the %oison bite o! a%%le( dislodged !rom
her throat by the b#m%iness o! the 8o#rney( rather than a means o! m#rder( the remainder o! the
#nreali:ed( exiled li!e( !rom which only now she recoers( since no deceiing emissaries l#re her
any moreM And how !rail so#nds the ha%%y end: 4Then "now 'hite !o#nd him good and went
with him.5 ?ow it is re%ealed by the wic$ed tri#m%h oer wic$edness. Th#s when we ho%e !or
salation( a oice says to #s( that ho%e is in ain( and yet it is aboe all this ho%e( %owerless(
alone( which %ermits #s to draw another breath. All contem%lation can do no more( than %atiently
delineate the ambig#ity o! melancholy in eer new !ig#res and a%%roaches. The tr#th is not to be
se%arated !rom the del#sion that one day( o#t o! the !ig#res o! a%%earance ="chein>( there wo#ld
nonetheless be salation.
KC
%ntellectus sacrificium intellectus. =6atin: 1ntellect#als sacri!ice to intellect#als>. To %res#me that
thin$ing wo#ld %ro!it !rom the decline o! the emotions thro#gh increasing ob8ectiity( or that it
wo#ld remain indi!!erent to s#ch( is itsel! an ex%ression o! the %rocess o! d#mbing down. The
social diision o! labor recoils on h#man beings( howeer m#ch the !ormer may !acilitate the
accom%lishments re3#ired o! the latter. The !ac#lties( which deelo% thro#gh reci%rocal e!!ect(
shriel once when they are torn !rom each other. Niet:sche2s a%horism( 4The degree and $ind o!
sex#ality o! h#man beings reaches into the !#rthest %ea$ o! their "%irit =Geistes>5 stri$es at more
than 8#st a %sychological state o! a!!airs. Beca#se een the most distant ob8ecti!ications o!
tho#ght are no#rished by the dries( to destroy the latter is to destroy the !ormer2s own condition.
1sn2t memory inse%arable !rom the loe( which wants to %resere( what neertheless %asses
awayM Doesn2t eery im%#lse o! the imagination arise !rom the wish( which transcends the
existent in all !idelity( by dis%lacing its elementsM 1ndeed isn2t the sim%lest %erce%tion modeled
on the !ear o! what is %erceied( or the desire !or s#chM 1t is tr#e that the ob8ectie meaning o!
cognitions has( with the ob8ecti!ication o! the world( se%arated itsel! eer !#rther !rom the basis
o! the dries@ it is tr#e that cognition !ails( where its ob8ecti!ied achieement remains #nder the
bale!#l s%ell o! the wishes. ?oweer i! the dries are not at the same time s#blated in the
tho#ght( which esca%es s#ch a bale!#l s%ell( then there can be no cognition anymore( and the
tho#ght which $ills the wish( its !ather( will be oerta$en by the reenge o! st#%idity. ;emory is
tabooed as #ncalc#lable( #nreliable( irrational. The intellect#al asthma which res#lts !rom this(
which c#lminates in the brea$down o! the historical dimension o! conscio#sness( immediately
debases the synthetic a%%erce%tion which( according to Eant( is not to be se%arated !rom the
4re%rod#ction in the imagination(5 !rom commemoration. 1magination( today attrib#ted to the
realm o! the #nconscio#s and de!amed in cognition as a childish( in8#dicio#s r#diment( creates
alone that indis%ensable relation between ob8ects( o#t o! which all 8#dgement originates: i! it is
drien o#t( then the 8#dgement( the act#al act o! cognition( is exorcised as well. The castration o!
%erce%tion( howeer( by a controlling a#thority( which re!#ses it any desiring antici%ation(
thereby com%els it into the schema o! the %owerless re%etition o! what is already !amiliar. That
nothing more is act#ally allowed to be seen( amo#nts to the sacri!ice o! the intellect. ,#st as(
#nder the #nrestrained %rimacy o! the %rod#ction %rocess( the where!ore o! reason disa%%ears(
#ntil it degenerates into the !etishism o! itsel! and o! externali:ed %ower( so too does it red#ce
itsel! down to an instr#ment and comes to resemble its !#nctionaries( whose tho#ght.a%%arat#s
only seres the %#r%ose( o! hindering tho#ght. <nce the !inal emotional trace is e!!aced( what
solely remains o! thin$ing is absol#te ta#tology. The #tterly %#re reason o! those who hae
com%letely diested themsel! o! the ca%acity 4to imagine an ob8ect een witho#t its %resence(5
conerges with %#re #nconscio#sness( with idiocy in the most literal sense( !or meas#red by the
oerweening realistic ideal o! a category.!ree act#ality( eery cognition is !alse( and tr#e only i!
the 3#estion o! tr#e or !alse is ina%%licable. That this is a 3#estion o! wide.ranging tendencies( is
eident at eery ste% o! the scienti!ic enter%rise( which is on the %oint o! s#b8#gating the rest o!
the world( li$e so many de!enseless r#ins.
L0
Diagnosis. 9 That the world has meanwhile t#rned into the system which the Na:is #n8#stly
berated as the lax 'eimar Re%#blic( is eident in the %reestablished harmony between
instit#tions and those who they sere. A h#manity is secretly emerging( which h#ngers !or the
com%#lsion and restriction( which the nonsensical contin#ation o! domination im%oses. These
h#man beings howeer hae( !aored by the ob8ectie social arrangement( sei:ed hold o! the
!#nctions which by rights o#ght to generate dissonance against the %reestablished harmony.
Among all the cashiered slogans( one stands o#t: 4%ress#re %rod#ces co#nter.%ress#re5 9 yet i!
the !ormer becomes %ower!#l eno#gh( then the latter disa%%ears( and society a%%ears to want to
contrib#te considerably to entro%y( by a deadly e3#ilibri#m o! tensions. The scienti!ic enter%rise
has its exact e3#ialent in the $ind o! minds =Geistesart>( which it harnesses: they need hardly do
any iolence to themseles( %roing eager and willing administrators o! their own seles. *en
when they %roe to be 3#ite h#mane and reasonable beings o#tside o! the enter%rise( they !ree:e
into %athic st#%idity the moment they thin$ %ro!essionally. 7ar !rom %erceiing s#ch %rohibitions
on tho#ght as something hostile( the candidates 9 and all scientists are candidates 9 !eel relieed.
Beca#se thin$ing b#rdens them with a s#b8ectie res%onsibility( which their ob8ectie %osition in
the %rod#ction.%rocess %reents them !rom !#l!illing( they reno#nce it( sha$e a bit and r#n oer
to the other side. The dis%leas#re o! thin$ing soon t#rns into the inca%acity to thin$ at all: %eo%le
who e!!ortlessly inent the most re!ined statistical ob8ections( when it is a 3#estion o! sabotaging
a cognition( are not ca%able o! ma$ing the sim%lest %redictions o! content ex cathedra =6atin:
!rom the chair( e.g. +a%al decision>. They lash o#t at the s%ec#lation and in it $ill common sense.
The more intelligent o! them hae an in$ling o! what ails their mental !ac#lties( beca#se the
sym%toms are not #niersal( b#t a%%ear in the organs( whose serice they sell. ;any still wait in
!ear and shame( at being ca#ght with their de!ect. All howeer !ind it raised %#blicly to a moral
serice and see themseles being recogni:ed !or a scienti!ic asceticism( which is nothing o! the
sort( b#t the secret conto#r o! their wea$ness. Their resentment is socially rationali:ed #nder the
!orm#la: thin$ing is #nscienti!ic. Their intellect#al energy is thereby am%li!ied in many
dimensions to the #tmost by the mechanism o! control. The collectie st#%idity o! research
technicians is not sim%ly the absence or regression o! intellect#al ca%acities( b#t an oergrowth
o! the ca%acity o! tho#ght itsel!( which eats away at the latter with its own energy. The
masochistic malice =Bosheit> o! yo#ng intellect#als deries !rom the maleolence =BUsartig$eit>
o! their illness.
L/
*arge and small. 9 <ne o! the most disastro#s trans!ers !rom the realm o! economic %lanning
into that o! theory( which is act#ally no longer disting#ished !rom the architectonic o! the whole(
is the belie! that intellect#al labor can be administered according to the criteria o! whether what
one is wor$ing on is necessary or reasonable. A ran$ing hierarchy o! #rgency is established. B#t
to rob tho#ght o! the moment o! inol#ntariness( is %recisely to cashier its necessity. 1t red#ces
itsel! to detachable( interchangeable dis%ositions. ,#st as in the war economy( where %riorities are
decided in the distrib#tion o! raw materials( in the %rod#ction o! this or that ty%e o! wea%on( so
too is a hierarchy o! im%ortance cree%ing into the constr#ction o! theory( with a %re!erence gien
!or es%ecially #% to date or es%ecially releant themes( and disregard or ind#lgent toleration !or
what is secondary( which may %ass merely as %adding o! the basic !acts( as !inesse. The notion o!
what is releant is %rod#ced according to an organi:ational %oint o! iew( that o!
contem%oraneity meas#red by the ob8ectiely most %ower!#l tendency o! the day. The
schemati:ation into im%ortant and s#bsidiary s#bscribes to the !orm o! the al#e.order o! r#ling
%raxis( een when it contradicts s#ch as content. 1n the origins o! %rogressie %hiloso%hy( in
Bacon and Descartes( the c#lt o! the im%ortant is already at wor$. 1n the end( howeer( this latter
reeals something #n!ree( something regressie. 1m%ortance is re%resented by the dog on a wal$(
which s%ends min#tes sni!!ing at some random s%ot( #nyielding( earnest( rel#ctant( and then
satis!ies its bodily needs( scra%es the gro#nd with its !eet and r#ns along( as i! nothing had
ha%%ened. 1n %rehistoric times li!e and death may hae de%ended on this@ a!ter millenia o!
domestication it has t#rned into a n#tty rit#al. 'ho is not reminded o! this( when watching a
serio#s committee determining the #rgency o! %roblems( be!ore the sta!! o! cowor$ers is gien a
care!#lly designated and time.tabled list o! tas$s. *erything o! im%ortance has something o!
s#ch anachronistic obstinacy( and as a criteri#m o! tho#ght( it is tantamo#nt to the latter2s
ensorceled !ixation( to the ren#nciation o! sel!.constit#tion. The great themes howeer are
nothing other than the %rimordial odors( which ca#se the animal to hold still( and where %ossible
to %rod#ce them once more. This does not mean that the hierarchy o! im%ortance is to be ignored.
,#st as its %hilistinery mirrors that o! the system( so too is it sat#rated with all the latter2s
iolence and stringency. ?oweer tho#ght sho#ld not re%eat it( b#t dissole it thro#gh its
com%letion. The diision o! the world into %rimary and s#bsidiary matters( which has always
sered only to ne#trali:e the $ey %henomena o! the most extreme social in8#stice as mere
exce%tions( sho#ld be !ollowed to the %oint that it is conicted o! its own #ntr#th. 1t( which t#rns
eerything into ob8ects( m#st itsel! become the ob8ect o! tho#ght( instead o! steering the latter.
The great themes will also a%%ear( tho#gh scarcely in the traditional 4thematic5 sense( b#t rather
re!ractedly and eccentrically. The barbarism o! immediate magnit#de =GrUsse> remains
%hiloso%hy2s legacy o! its earlier alliance with administrators and mathematicians: what does not
bear the stam% o! the oerin!lated world.historical b#stle( is consigned to the %roced#res o! the
%ositie sciences. +hiloso%hy behaes therein li$e bad %ainting( which imagines that the dignity
o! a wor$ and the !ame which it garners( de%end on the dignity o! the %ainted ob8ect@ a %ict#re o!
the Battle o! 6ei%:ig wo#ld be worth more than a chair in obli3#e %ers%ectie. The di!!erence
between the conce%t#al medi#m and the artistic one changes nothing in this bad naiete. 1! the
%rocess o! abstraction stri$es all conce%t#al !ormation with the del#sion o! magnit#de =GrUsse>(
then what is also %resered in this( thro#gh the distance o! the action.ob8ect( thro#gh re!lection
and trans%arency( is the antidote: the sel!.criti3#e o! reason is its ownmost ethics =eigenste
;oral>. 1ts o%%osite in the most recent %hase o! a tho#ght which dis%oses oer itsel! is nothing
other than the abolition o! the s#b8ect. The gest#re o! theoretical labor( which arranges themes
according to their im%ortance( neglects those doing the laboring. The deelo%ment o! an
increasingly smaller n#mber o! technical ca%acities is s#%%osed to s#!!ice( to ade3#ately e3#i%
them to deal with eery assigned tas$. The thin$ing s#b8ectiity is howeer exactly what does
not let itsel! be !itted into a heteronomo#s set o! tas$s arranged !rom aboe: it is ade3#ate to the
latter only inso!ar as it does not belong to s#ch( and its existence is thereby the %rere3#isite o!
eery ob8ectiely binding tr#th. The soereign matter.o!.!actness( which sacri!ices the s#b8ect to
the inestigation o! tr#th( re8ects at once tr#th and ob8ectiity itsel!.

L2
Three steps from the &ody. =collo3#ial ex%ression meaning( to $ee% one2s distance> 9 +ositiism
dis%arages once more the distance o! tho#ght to a reality( which reality itsel! no longer tolerates.
By not wanting the h#shed.#% tho#ght to be anything more than something %roisional( a mere
abbreiation o! what is !act#ally gras%ed #nder it( its inde%endence is.a.is reality disa%%ears(
as well as the energy to %enetrate the latter. The tho#ght which act#ally brea$s into em%irical li!e(
can only ha%%en at a distance !rom li!e. 'hile tho#ght relates to !acts and moes by criti3#ing
them( it moes no less thro#gh !irmly held di!!erence. 1t thereby ex%resses exactly what is(
beca#se it is neer entirely 8#st what it ex%resses. *ssential to it is an element o! exaggeration( o!
shooting beyond things( o! dissociation !rom the weight o! what is !act#al( by irt#e o! which it
com%letes the determination o! being( at once strictly and !reely( instead o! merely re%rod#cing
it. *ery tho#ght resembles therein %lay( with which ?egel no less than Niet:sche com%ared with
the wor$ o! the "%irit =Geistes>. 'hat is #nbarbaric in %hiloso%hy rests on the tacit conscio#sness
o! that element o! irres%onsibility( o! blessedness( which stems !rom the !leetingness o! tho#ght(
which contin#ally esca%es( what it 8#dges. "#ch excessieness is s#s%ect to the %ositiistic "%irit
and handed oer to !olly. The di!!erence !rom !acts t#rns into mere incorrectness( the moment o!
%lay into a l#x#ry( in a world where the intellect#al !#nctions m#st acco#nt !or eery min#te o!
their time with a sto%watch. ?oweer as soon as tho#ght denies its #ns#rmo#ntable distance and
wishes to %roe its literal correctness with a tho#sand s#btle arg#ments( it tri%s itsel! #%. 1! it !alls
o#t o! the medi#m o! the irt#al( o! antici%ation( which cannot be !#l!illed by any single
act#ality( in short( i! it see$s to become a sim%le statement rather than a meaning( then
eerything which it states becomes in !act !alse. 1ts a%ologetics( ins%ired by insec#rity and a bad
conscience( can be reb#tted at eery ste% by reco#rse to that non.identity( which it does not wish
to ac$nowledge( and which neertheless alone ma$es it tho#ght. 1! it wanted to ma$e exc#ses !or
distance as i! it was a %riilege( it wo#ld do no better( b#t wo#ld %roclaim two sorts o! tr#ths( that
o! !acts and that o! conce%ts. That wo#ld dis%el the tr#th and deno#nce thin$ing. Distance is no
sec#rity.:one b#t a !ield o! tension. 1t mani!ests itsel! not so m#ch in slac$ening the tr#th.claim
o! conce%ts( as in the tenderness and !ragility o! thin$ing. 'hat is called !or in regards to
%ositiism is neither cantan$ero#sness nor %#tting on airs( b#t rather the cognitie.critical %roo!
o! the im%ossibility o! a coincidence between the conce%t and what !#l!ills it. The h#nt !or the
acco#nt.balancing =1neinander.A#!gehen> o! what cannot be red#ced to the same denominator is
not the %erennially striing toil( which bec$ons to salation( b#t naie and inex%erienced. 'hat
%ositiism re%roaches thin$ing !or( tho#ght has $nown and !orgotten a tho#sand times oer( and
only in s#ch $nowing and !orgetting does it become thin$ing. That distance o! tho#ght !rom
reality is itsel! nothing other than the %reci%itate o! history in conce%ts. <%erating with the latter
witho#t distance wo#ld be( amidst all its resignation( or %erha%s %recisely beca#se o! s#ch( the
a!!air o! children. 7or tho#ght m#st aim beyond its ob8ect( %recisely beca#se it does not entirely
arrie at s#ch( and by ass#ming that it does arrie( %ositiism is #ncritical( imagining that it
tarries there o#t o! mere conscientio#sness. The transcending tho#ght ta$es its own inade3#acy
into acco#nt more thoro#ghly than one steered by the scienti!ic control.a%%arat#s. 1t extra%olates(
howeer ho%elessly( in order to master what is #naoidably too little( by irt#e o! the oertaxed
exertion o! what is too m#ch. The illegitimate absol#tism which %hiloso%hy is re%roached !or( the
allegedly concl#sie stam%( originates %recisely in the abyss o! relatiity. The exaggerations o!
s%ec#latie meta%hysics are scars o! re!lecting #nderstanding( and solely what is not yet %roen
#neils %roo! as ta#tology. By contrast the immediate caeat o! relatiity( what con!ines itsel!(
what remains in the same delimited conce%t#al realm( de%ries itsel! thro#gh s#ch ca#tion o!
%recisely the limit( which to thin$ is( in ?egel2s magni!icent insight( the same as to cross. The
relatiists wo#ld accordingly be the tr#e 9 the bad 9 absol#tists and moreoer the bo#rgeoisie(
who wo#ld li$e to ins#re their $nowledge =*r$enntis: cognition> li$e %ro%erty( only to lose it all
the more thoro#ghly. "olely the claim o! the #nconditional( the s%ring oer the shadow( does
8#stice to what is relatie. By ta$ing #ntr#th on itsel!( it leads to the border o! tr#th in the
concrete conscio#sness o! the conditionality o! h#man $nowledge =*r$enntis: cognition>.
LH
9ice(President. 9 Adice to intellect#als: don2t let yo#rseles be re%resented. The !#ngibility o!
all accom%lishments and h#man beings and the belie! deried !rom this( that eeryone sho#ld be
able to do eerything( %roe in the midst o! the existent to be a !etter. The egalitarian ideal o!
interchangeability =&ertretbar$eit: !#ngibility> is a !ra#d( i! it is not s#%%orted by the %rinci%le o!
reocability and acco#ntability to the 4ran$ and !ile5 =in *nglish in original>. The ones who are
most %ower!#l are those who do the least themseles( while shi!ting as m#ch o! the b#rden as
they can onto others( to who they lend their name while %oc$eting the adantage. 1t seems li$e
collectiism and amo#nts only to ma$ing onesel! seem too good( o! being exem%t !rom labor by
irt#e o! access to its alienated !orm. To be s#re( interchangeability has an ob8ectie basis in
material %rod#ction. The 3#anti!ication o! labor %rocesses diminishes oer time the di!!erence
between the general director and the serice.em%loyee in the gasoline station. 1t is a miserable
ideology( to claim that #nder %resent conditions the administration o! a tr#st re3#ires any more
intelligence( ex%erience( and een training than reading a manometer. 'hile this ideology is
tenacio#sly #%held in material %rod#ction( the "%irit =Geist> is s#b8#gated to its o%%osite. This is
the doctrine( since gone to the dogs( o! the #niersitas literar#m =6atin: world o! $nowledge>( o!
the e3#ality o! all in the re%#blic o! sciences( wherein eery %erson does not merely chec$ #% on
eeryone else( b#t is s#%%osed to be 3#ali!ied to do what anyone else does( e3#ally well.
1nterchangeability s#b8#gates tho#ght to the same %roced#re 8#st as exchange does to things.
'hat is incommens#rable is eliminated. "ince howeer tho#ght m#st !irst o! all criti3#e the
com%rehensie commens#rability which stems !rom the exchange.relationshi%( this
commens#rability( as the intellect#al =geistiges> relations o! %rod#ction( t#rns against the
%rod#ctie !orces. 1n the material realm interchangeability is what is already %ossible( and non.
interchangeability is the %retext( which hinders it@ in theory( which o#ght to see thro#gh s#ch a
3#id %ro 3#o =6atin: something !or something else>( interchangeability allows the the a%%arat#s
to %roceed een where its ob8ectie o%%osite might be located. Non.interchangeability alone
co#ld halt the integration o! the "%irit =Geistes> into the ran$s o! em%loyees. The grat#ito#sly
sel!.eident demand( that eery intellect#al achieement sho#ld be mastered by eery 3#ali!ied
member o! the organi:ation( t#rns the most narrow.minded scienti!ic technician into the standard
o! the "%irit =Geistes>: what %recisely gies the latter the ca%acity to criti3#e their own
techni!icationM Th#s does the economy ca#se that %rocess o! e3#ali:ation( which it elsewhere
%rotests with the gest#re 4sto% thie!5. The 3#estion o! indiid#ality m#st be %osed anew in the
e%och o! its li3#idation. 'hile the indiid#ated =1ndiid##m>( li$e all indiid#alistic %rod#ction
%rocesses( remains behind the state o! technics and is historically o#tmoded( what deoles to it(
as the condemned against the ictor( is in t#rn the tr#th. 7or it alone %reseres( in howeer a
distorted manner( the trace o! what gies all techni!ication its a#thori:ation( the conscio#sness o!
which this techni!ication neertheless at once c#ts itsel! o!! !rom. By %roing that #nrestrained
%rogress is not immediate identical with that o! h#manity( its o%%osite is ca%able o! granting
%rogress asyl#m. A %encil and eraser are o! more #se to tho#ght than a sta!! o! assistants. Those
who wish neither to hand themseles oer wholesale to the indiid#alism o! intellect#al
%rod#ction( nor to commit themseles headlong to the collectiism o! an egalitarian
interchangeability which is contem%t#o#s o! h#man beings( m#st rely on !ree and solidaristic
coo%eratie labor #nder common res%onsibility. Anything else wo#ld sell o#t the "%irit =Geist> to
!orms o! b#siness and thereby #ltimately to the latter2s interests.
L)
Timeta&le. 9 7ew things di!!erentiate the mode o! li!e a%%ro%riate to intellect#als so dee%ly !rom
that o! the bo#rgeoisie than the !act that the !ormer do not recogni:e the alternatie between
labor and %leas#re. The labor which need not( in order to co%e with reality( initially do all the eil
to its s#b8ect( which it later does to others( is %leas#re een in the des%erate exertion. The
!reedom( which it means( is the same which bo#rgeois society reseres solely !or rec#%eration
and thro#gh s#ch regimentation at once ta$es bac$. Aonersely( those who $now o! !reedom !ind
eerything abo#t what this society tolerates as %leas#re #nbearable( and o#tside o! their wor$(
which to be s#re incl#des what the bo#rgeoisie dis%lace to the holidays as 4c#lt#re5( re!#se to
engage in s#bstit#te %leas#res. 4'or$ while yo# wor$( %lay while yo# %lay5 =in *nglish in
original> 9 this co#nts as one o! the !o#nding %rinci%les o! re%ressie sel!.disci%line. The %arents
who wanted their children to bring home good grades as a matter o! %restige( co#ld least bear it
when the latter read too long at night or( in the %arents2 8#dgement( intellect#ally oerexerted
themseles. Net o#t o! their !oolishness s%o$e the geni#s o! their class. The doctrine drilled in
since Aristoteles( o! moderation as the irt#e be!itting reason( is among other things an attem%t(
to establish the socially necessary diision o! h#man beings into !#nctions inde%endent o! each
other so !irmly that none o! these !#nctions wo#ld get the idea o! crossing oer to others and
calling to mind act#al h#man beings. <ne co#ld no more imagine Niet:sche in an o!!ice( the
secretary answering the tele%hone in the !oyer( sitting at a des$ #ntil !ie( than %laying gol! a!ter
a !#ll days wor$. Gnder the %ress#re o! society( only the c#nning intertwining o! ha%%iness and
labor wo#ld leae the door o%en !or act#al ex%erience. 1t is constantly less tolerated. *en the so.
called intellect#al occ#%ations are being #tterly diested o! %leas#re( by their increasing
resemblance to b#siness. Atomi:ation adances not only between h#man beings( b#t also in the
single indiid#al =1ndiid##m: indiid#ated>( in its li!e.s%heres. No !#l!illment may be attached
to labor( which wo#ld otherwise lose its !#nctional obsc#rity in the totality o! %#r%ose( no s%ar$
o! sensibility =Besinn#ng> may !all in !ree time( beca#se it might s%ring into the wor$.world and
set it a!lame. 'hile labor and %leas#re are becoming more and more similar in their str#ct#re(
they are at the same time se%arated eer more strictly by inisible lines o! demarcation. +leas#re
and "%irit =Geist> are being drien o#t o! both in e3#al meas#re. 1n one as the other( br#te
serio#sness and %se#do.actiity %reails.
L5
Muster. 9 'hoeer is engaged in %raxis( as it is called( is %#rs#ing interests( is reali:ing %lans(
a#tomatically t#rns the h#man beings they come into contact with into !riends and enemies. By
loo$ing at them as i! deciding how they !it into their intentions( one red#ces them in adance( as
it were( to ob8ects: those ones are #se!#l( the others are not. *ery diergent o%inion a%%ears to
the re!erence.system o! %redetermined %#r%oses( witho#t which no %raxis co#ld manage( as
b#rdensome resistence( sabotage( intrig#e@ eery agreement( een i! it came !rom the most
des%icable interest( t#rns into s#%%ort( something o! #se( a testimony o! alliance. Th#s
im%oerishment a%%ears in relation to other h#man beings: the ca%acity to %erceie the other as
s#ch and not as a !#nction o! one2s own will( aboe all howeer that o! !r#it!#l o%%osition( the
%ossibility o! going beyond onesel! thro#gh the imbrication =*inbegrei!en> o! what contradicts(
withers away. 1t is re%laced by a 8#dgmental $nowledge o! h#man beings( !or which een the best
are #ltimately the lesser eil( and the worst( are not the greatest. This manner o! reaction
howeer( the schema o! all administration and 4%ersonnel %olicy5( already tends( be!ore any
%olitical !ormation o! will and commitment o! excl#sie %olitical tic$ets( towards !ascism.
'hoeer has once made it their b#siness to 8#dge acce%tability( iews the %erson being 8#dged(
to a certain extent o#t o! technological necessity( as an insider or o#tsider( one o! one2s own
%eo%le or a !oreigner( accom%lice or ictim. The sti!!ly scr#tini:ing( ensorceled and ensorceling
ga:e( which is ty%ical o! all leaders o! horror( has its model in the a%%raising one o! the manager(
who tells the a%%licant to ta$e a seat and ill#minating the latter2s !ace( so that it %itilessly
disintegrates into the light o! #se!#lness and the dar$ o! what is ob8ectionable or #n3#ali!ied. The
end is the medical inestigation( according to the alternaties: assignment in the labor.!orce or
li3#idation. The New Testament sentence( 4'hoeer is not !or me( is against me5 was !rom time
immemorial s%o$en !rom the heart o! anti."emitism. 1t is a !#ndamental !eat#re o! domination(
that eeryone who does not identi!y with s#ch( is relegated !or the sa$e o! mere di!!erence to the
enemy cam%: it is not !or nothing that Aatholicism is merely the Gree$ word !or the 6atin
totality( which the Na:is hae reali:ed. 1t means the e3#ali:ation o! what is di!!erent( whether
4deiation5 or another race( with the enemy. Na:ism has therein achieed the historical
conscio#sness o! itsel!: Aarl "chmitt de!ined the essence o! the %olitical %recisely by the
categories o! enemy and !riend. +rogress to s#ch conscio#sness ma$es the regression to the
child2s mode o! behaior 9 children either li$e things( or are a!raid 9 to its own. The a %riori
red#ction to the !riend.enemy relationshi% is one o! the Gr.%henomena o! recent anthro%ology.
7reedom wo#ld not be choosing between blac$ and white( b#t ste%%ing o#t o! s#ch a %roscri%tie
choice.
LJ
*ittle 0ans. 9 1ntellect#als( and es%ecially those inclined to %hiloso%hy( are c#t o!! !rom material
%raxis: disg#st !or it droe them to deal with so.called intellect#al things. B#t material %raxis is
not only the %rere3#isite o! their own existence( b#t also rests on the basis o! the world( with
whose criti3#e their labor coincides. 1! they $now nothing o! the basis( then they end #% in the
oid. They stand be!ore the choice( o! being in!ormed or o! t#rning their bac$s on what they
detest. 1! they in!orm themseles( then they do iolence to themseles( thin$ing against their
im%#lses and( on to% o! eerything else( are in danger o! becoming as sordid as what they are
dealing with( !or the economy is no 8o$e( and whoeer wishes een to #nderstand it( m#st 4thin$
economically5. 1! they howeer do not inole themseles( they hy%ostati:e their "%irit =Geist>(
which was aboe all !ormed on economic reality( on the abstract exchange.relation( as something
absol#te( while this latter co#ld become "%irit =Geist> solely in the sensibility o! its own
conditionality. The intellect#al is thereby sed#ced into ainly and disconnectedly s#bstit#ting the
re!lex !or the thing. The !at#o#s.dece%tie im%ortance( which the %#blic c#lt#ral enter%rise
assigns to intellect#al %rod#cts( adds stones to the wall( which loc$s cognition away !rom
economic br#tality. The isolation o! the "%irit =Geist> !rom b#siness hel%s the intellect#al
b#siness to become a com!ortable ideology. The dilemma reaches dee% into the most s#btle
reactions o! the intellect#al mode o! cond#ct. <nly those who remain %#re to a certain extent(
hae eno#gh hate( neres( !reedom and mobility to withstand the world( b#t %recisely by irt#e
o! the ill#sion o! %#rity 9 !or they lie in the 4third %erson5 9 they allow it to tri#m%h not merely
the world o#tside( b#t in the innermost cells o! their tho#ght. 'hoeer howeer $nows the
b#siness all too well( thereby #nlearns =erlernen: to !orget( #nlearn> to recogni:e it@ the ca%acity
o! distinction anishes !rom them( and they are threatened by the rela%se into barbarism( 8#st as
others are threatened by the !etishism o! c#lt#re. That intellect#als are at the same time
bene!iciaries o! the bad society and yet those( on whose socially #nnecessary labor it largely
de%ends( as to whether a society emanci%ated !rom #tility s#cceeds 9 this is by no means a
contradiction which is once and !or all acce%table and th#s irreleant. 1t gnaws #nceasingly at its
ob8ectie 3#ality. 'hateer intellect#als do( is wrong. They ex%erience drastically( as a li!e and
death iss#e( the ignominio#s alternatie( which late ca%italism secretly %oses to all o! its
members: to become 8#st another ad#lt or to remain a child.
LK
Fight clu&. =Ringerein: wrestling.cl#b> 9 There is a ty%e o! intellect#al( who is all the more
thoro#ghly to be distr#sted( the more they c#rry !aor thro#gh honesty o! toil( 4intellect#al
serio#sness5( and een modest sobriety. These are the !ighters( who are in a %ermanent str#ggle
with themseles( who cast their decisions in terms o! the military mobili:ation o! the entire
%erson. B#t things aren2t so terrible as that. Their radical stance( o! %#tting eerything on the
line( has neertheless a reliable armat#re at its dis%osal( whose dextro#s de%loyment in the battle
with the angel %#nishes the !ormer as a lie: one need only %age thro#gh the boo$s o! %#blishers
li$e *#gene Diederich or in those o! a certain $ind o! cringingly emanci%ated theologians. The
barrel.chested ocab#lary casts do#bt on the 4!airness5 =in *nglish in original> o! the !ight match
arranged and !o#ght o#t by inwardness. The ex%ressions all re!er to war( li!e.threatening danger(
act#al annihilation( b#t they describe mere %roced#res o! re!lection( which indeed may hae been
lin$ed to a !atal o#tcome !or Eier$egaard and Niet:sche( who the !ighters li$e to 3#ote( b#t
certainly not howeer their #nelected !ollowers( who claim to be at ris$. 'hile they credit the
s#blimation o! the str#ggle !or existence 9 that o! s%irit#ali:ation and that o! co#rage 9 to their
redo#bled honor( the moment o! danger is sim#ltaneo#sly ne#trali:ed by internali:ation(
debasing it to an ingredient o! a sm#gly rooted( hale and hearty world.iew. The external world
is regarded !rom an indi!!erent.s#%erior antage %oint( beca#se d#e to the serio#sness o! the
decision( it doesn2t een enter into the e3#ation@ it is le!t as it is( and in the end een
ac$nowledged. The saage ex%ressions are artsy.cra!tsy decoration li$e the cowry.shells o! the
!emale gymnasts( whose com%any the !ighters are so %artial to. The sword.dance is decided in
adance. 1t doesn2t matter i! the categorical im%eratie has the ictory or the right o! the
indiid#al 9 i! the candidate s#cceeds in !reeing themseles !rom %ersonal belie! in God or
recoers it again( i! they withstand the abyss o! being or the harrowing ex%erience o! the senses(
they !all on their !eet. 7or the %ower which directs the con!licts( the ethos o! res%onsibility and
integrity( is always cast in an a#thoritarian mold( a mas$ o! the state. As long as they choose the
a%%ro%riate goods( then eerything is 8#st !ine. 1! they come to rebellio#s concl#sions( then they
cater to and tr#m% the demand !or %ower!#l( inde%endent men. 1n eery case they certi!y li$e
good sons the o!!ice( which co#ld hold them to acco#nt( and in whose name neertheless the
entire internali:ed trial was act#ally cond#cted: the ga:e( #nder which they seem to be brawling
li$e two ill.mannered school.boys( is !rom the start the one which %#nishes. No !ight match
witho#t re!erees: the entire brawl is staged by a society( which has migrated into the indiid#ated
=1ndiid##m>( sim#ltaneo#sly s#%erising the battle and %artici%ating in it. 1t tri#m%hs all the
more !atally( the more o%%ositional the res#lts are: %riests and senior school.masters( whose
conscience com%els them to con!ess to world.iews which get them in tro#ble with the
a#thorities( always sym%athi:e with %ersec#tion and co#nter.reol#tion. ,#st as sel!.con!irming
con!licts hae an ill#sory element in them( so too is the bog#sly staged dynamic o! sel!.torment
really re%ression on the !ly. They deelo%ed the entire s%irit#al enter%rise only beca#se they are
not %ermitted to discharge their ill#sion and rage o#tside( and are %re%ared to trans!orm the battle
with the inner enemy once more into the deed( which according to them was there in the
beginning. Their %rototy%e is 6#ther( the inentor o! inwardness( who threw his bottle o! in$ at
the body o! the deil( who does not exist( already meaning the %easants and ,ews. <nly the
cri%%led "%irit =Geist> needs sel!.hatred in order to demonstrate its s%irit#al essence( which is
#ntr#th( with %hysical iolence.
LL
Simple Simon. 9 That the indiid#al is being li3#idated loc$( stoc$ and barrel( is still too
o%timistic a tho#ght. The salation o! the indiid#al being =*in:elwesen> wo#ld lie in the
abolition o! the monad thro#gh solidarity( in its binding negation( !or only in its relation to the
generality wo#ld the !ormer become something s%eci!ic. The contem%orary condition is !ar
distant !rom this. The calamity occ#rs not as the radical extir%ation o! what has been( b#t rather
by ignominio#sly %#lling down what is historically condemned and dragging it along
%owerlessly as dead( ne#trali:ed. 1n the middle o! standardi:ed and administered h#man #nits the
indiid#ated =1ndiid##m> contin#es to exist. 1t is een %rotected and wins mono%oly.al#e. B#t
it is in tr#th still merely the !#nction o! its own #ni3#eness( an exhibition %iece li$e the !et#ses in
8ars( at which children once stared and grinned. "ince it no longer leads an inde%endent
economic existence( its character ends #% in contradiction with its ob8ectie social role. +recisely
beca#se o! this contradiction( it is sheltered in nat#re.%ar$s( en8oyed in idle contem%lation. The
indiid#alities im%orted into America( which thro#gh im%ortation are already no longer s#ch( are
called 4color!#l %ersonality5 =in *nglish in original>. Their eager #ninhibited moods( their wac$y
ideas( their 4originality5( een i! this was only a s%ecial #gliness( een their mangled accent
deal#es what is h#man as the cost#me o! a clown. "ince they are rendered as s#balterns in the
#niersal mechanism o! com%etition( and can only ada%t themseles to the mar$et and s#rie
ia their %araly:ed otherness( they !all %assionately into the %riilege o! their sel! and exaggerate
themseles( to the %oint o! com%letely #%rooting what they stood !or. They cleerly !la#nt on
their naiete( which( as they 3#ic$ly discoer( endear them to the %owers that be. They sell
themseles as heart.warmers in the commercial cold( !latter thro#gh aggressie 8o$es( which are
masochistically en8oyed by their %rotectors( and con!irm thro#gh their comic lac$ o! dignity( the
solemn dignity o! the host.nation. The graec#li =6atin: Gree$ ex%atriate teachers o! 6atin> may
hae behaed similarly in the Roman *m%ire. Those who %#t their indiid#ality on sale( %ass the
sentence o! 8#dgement which society has %rono#nced on them 9 as their own ol#ntary 8#dges 9
as their own. Th#s they also ob8ectiely 8#sti!y the in8#stice( which they ex%erience. They
#nderbid the general regression as %riate contractors o! the regressie( and een their lo#d
resistance is mostly only a more deio#s means o! ada%tation to wea$ness.
LC
/lackmail. 9 'hoeer won2t ta$e any adice( can2t be hel%ed( said the bo#rgeoisie( with adice
which cost nothing( wishing to b#y themseles o#t o! hel%ing while at the same time winning
%ower oer the needy %erson who came to them. B#t contained therein was at least the a%%eal to
reason( which was tho#ght o! in the same way by the s#%%licant and the one who declined to
hel%( and which at a distance recalled 8#stice: whoeer !ollowed cleer adice( might
occasionally !ind a way o#t. That2s all oer. Those who cannot hel%( sho#ld there!ore not gie
adice: in a social order( in which all mo#se.holes are sto%%ed #%( mere adice t#rns immediately
into condemnation. 1t is ineitably tantamo#nt to telling the s#%%licant to do exactly whateer is
le!t o! their ego most iolently re8ects. 'iser !or a tho#sand %reio#s sit#ations( they $now all
too well what sort o! adice they will receie( and come only when ingen#ity has !ailed and
something m#st ha%%en. They are not im%roed by this. 'hoeer once so#ght adice and !inds
no hel% anymore( aboe all those who are wea$er( a%%ear in adance to be extortionists( whose
mode o! cond#ct is s%reading irresistibly along with the great tr#sts. <ne can obsere this most
clearly in a certain ty%e o! %erson who is committed to hel%( who loo$s o#t !or the interests o!
needy and %owerless !riends( and yet who ta$es on the as%ect o! something dar$ly omino#s in
their :eal. *en their !inest irt#e( sel!lessness( is ambig#o#s. 'hile they are right to interene
!or those who sho#ld not !all into r#in( behind the insistent 4yo# m#st hel%5 stands the tacit
a%%eal to the hegemony o! collecties and gro#%s( which noone can a!!ord any longer to slight.
By not dissociating themseles !rom those who are #nmerci!#l( the merci!#l become emissaries
o! mercilessness.
C0
%nstitute for deaf(mutes. 9 'hile the schools drill h#man beings in s%eech as in !irst aid !or the
ictims o! tra!!ic accidents and in the constr#ction o! gliders( the schooled ones become eer
more silent. They can gie s%eeches( eery sentence 3#ali!ies them !or the micro%hone( be!ore
which they can be %laced as re%resentaties o! the aerage( b#t the ca%acity to s%ea$ with each
other is being s#!!ocated. 1t %res#%%oses an ex%erience worthy o! being comm#nicated( !reedom
o! ex%ression( and inde%endence as m#ch as social relations. 1n the all.encom%assing system
conersation t#rns into entrilo3#ism. *eryone is their own Aharlie ;cAarthy: th#s the latter2s
%o%#larity. 'ords are t#rning altogether into the !orm#las( which were %reio#sly resered !or
greetings and !arewells. 7or exam%le( a yo#ng lady s#ccess!#lly raised according to the latest
desiderata sho#ld be able to say( at eery moment( what is a%%ro%riate in a 4sit#ation5( according
to tried and tr#e g#idelines. ?oweer s#ch determinism o! s%eech thro#gh ada%tation is its end:
the relation between the thing and the ex%ression is seered( and 8#st as the conce%ts o! the
%ositiists are s#%%osed to be nothing more than %laceholders( those o! %ositiistic h#manity are
literally t#rned into coins. 'hat is ha%%ening in the oices o! the s%ea$ers( is what( according to
the insight o! %sychology( ha%%ened to that o! the conscience( !rom whose resonance all s%eech
lies: it is re%laced down to the most re!ined cadence by a socially %re%ared mechanism. As soon
as this last sto%s !#nctioning( creating %a#ses( #n!oreseen by #nwritten stat#tes o! law( %anic
ens#res. This has led to the rise o! intricate games and other !ree.time actiities( which are
s#%%osed to dis%ense with the b#rden o! conscience o! s%eech. The shadow o! !ear howeer !alls
omino#sly on the s%eech which remains. 1m%artiality and ob8ectiity in the disc#ssion o! ob8ects
are disa%%earing een in the most intimate circles( 8#st as in %olitics( where the disc#ssion was
long since dis%elled by the word o! %ower. "%ea$ing is ta$ing on a malign gest#re. 1t is becoming
s%orti!ied. <ne tries to score as many %oints as %ossible: there is no conersation which the
o%%ort#nity !or com%etition does not worm itsel! into( li$e a %oison. The emotions generated by
the s#b8ects being disc#ssed( in conersations worthy o! h#man beings( attach themseles
%igheadedly to the narrow iss#e o! who is right( o#tside o! any relationshi% to the releance o!
the statement. As a %#re means o! %ower( howeer( the disenchanted word exerts a magical
%ower oer those who #se it. 1t can be obsered time and time again how something once
#ttered( no matter how abs#rd( accidental or incorrect( %recisely beca#se it was once said(
tyranni:es the s%ea$er li$e a %ossession they cannot brea$ away !rom. 'ords( n#mbers( and
meetings( once concocted and ex%ressed( become inde%endent and bring all manner o! calamity
to those in their icinity. They !orm a :one o! %aranoid in!ection( and it re3#ires the maxim#m
reason to brea$ their bale!#l s%ell. The magicali:ation o! the great and inconse3#ential %olitical
slogans is re%eated %riately( in the seemingly most ne#tral o! ob8ects: the rigor mortis o! society
is oerta$ing een the cells o! intimacy( which tho#ght themseles %rotected !rom it. Nothing is
being done to h#manity !rom the o#tside only: d#mbness is the ob8ectie "%irit =Geist>.
C/
9andals. 9 The haste( nero#sness and discontin#ity obserable since the rise o! the great cities(
is s%reading e%idemically( as %lag#e and cholera did be!ore. +owers are arising therein( which the
sc#rrying %assersby o! the /C
th
cent#ry co#ld not hae dreamed o!. *eryone m#st always be
%lanning something. 7ree.time is re3#ired to be exha#sted. 1t is %lanned( em%loyed !or
#nderta$ings( !illed #% with the isit o! eery %ossible instit#tion or thro#gh the !astest %ossible
locomotion. The shadow o! this !alls on intellect#al labor. 1t ta$es %lace with a bad conscience( as
i! it were moonlighting !rom some sort o! #rgent( albeit %#rely imaginary occ#%ation. 1n order to
8#sti!y its own actiity to itsel!( it ado%ts the gest#res o! what is hectic( #nder high %ress#re( o!
the enter%rise racing against the cloc$( o! eery sensibility 9 incl#ding itsel! 9 which stands in its
way. <!ten it seems as i! intellect#als resered !or their own %rod#ction only the ho#rs le!t oer
!rom obligations( exc#rsions( a%%ointments and #naoidable %leas#res. The acc#m#lation o!
%restige by those who can %resent themseles as so im%ortant( that they m#st be eerywhere( is
re%#lsie( and yet to some extent rational. They styli:e their li!e with intentionally hammed.#%
dissatis!action as a single acte de %rDsence =7rench: act o! %resence>. The 8oy with which they
re8ect an initation by re!erring to a %rior engagement( anno#nces a tri#m%h in the com%etition.
"imilarly( the !orms o! the %rod#ction.%rocess are re%eated more generally in %riate li!e or in
the !orms excl#ded !rom realms o! labor. <ne2s entire li!e is s#%%osed to loo$ li$e an occ#%ation(
and to hide( thro#gh this similarity( anything not yet immediately dedicated to commerce. Net the
!ear thereby ex%ressed( only re!lects a m#ch dee%er one. The #nconscio#s innerations which
harmoni:e the indiid#al existence to the historical rhythm( beyond tho#ght.%rocesses( hae an
in$ling o! the dawning collectii:ation o! the world. "ince howeer the integral society does not
s#blate indiid#als %ositiely in itsel!( b#t rather s3#ee:es them into an amor%ho#s and %liable
mass( eery indiid#al dreads this as the %rocess o! being absorbed( something ex%erienced as
ineitable. 4Doing things and going %laces5 =in *nglish in original> is the sensori#m2s attem%t to
create a $ind o! %rotectie stim#l#s against a threatening collectii:ation( to get #sed to the latter(
by schooling onesel! in the ho#rs a%%arently le!t in !reedom to be a member o! the masses. The
strategy therein is to o#tdo the danger. <ne lies to a certain extent een worse( that is with still
less o! an ego( than one can ex%ect to lie. At the same time one learns( thro#gh the %lay!#l
excess o! giing #% the sel!( that !or someone who in all serio#sness lies witho#t an ego( things
can be easier instead o! harder. 1t all goes ery !ast( beca#se there is no alarm !or earth3#a$es.
Those who do not %lay along( and that2s as m#ch to say( those who do not swim bodily in the
stream o! h#man beings( become a!raid o! missing the b#s and drawing the reenge o! the
collectie down on themseles( rather li$e entering a totalitarian %arty all too late. +se#doactiity
is a re.ins#rance =RFc$ersicher#ng: reins#rance( a secondary ins#rance coering a set o!
original ins#rance %olicies>( the ex%ression o! %re%aration !or sel!.sacri!ice( in which alone one
has an in$ling o! a g#arantee o! sel!.%reseration. "ec#rity bec$ons in the ada%tation to the most
extreme insec#rity. 1t is conceied o! as a !light charter( which brings one as 3#ic$ly as %ossible
some%lace else. 1n the !anatical loe o! a#tos( the !eeling o! %hysical homelessness resonates. 1t
is the !o#ndation o! what the bo#rgeoisie inacc#rately called the !light !rom onesel!( !rom the
inner oid. 'hoeer wants to come along( may not be di!!erent. The %sychological oid is itsel!
only the res#lt o! !alse social absor%tion. The boredom !rom which h#man beings !lee( merely
mirrors the %rocess o! r#nning away( in which they hae long been ca#ght. 7or that reason alone
the monstro#s a%%arat#s o! %leas#re stays alie and swells larger and larger( witho#t a single
%erson getting %leas#re !rom s#ch. 1t canali:es the com%#lsion to be at the scene( which wo#ld
otherwise grab the collectie by the throat( indiscriminately( anarchically( as %romisc#ity or wild
aggression 9 a collectie which( at the same time( neertheless consists o! noone else than those
who are #nderway. They are most closely related to the addict. Their im%#lse reacts exactly to
the dislocation o! h#manity( which leads !rom the m#r$y bl#rring o! the di!!erence between city
and co#ntry( the abolition o! the ho#se( ia the moement o! millions o! #nem%loyed( all the way
to the de%ortations and mass #%rooting o! %eo%les in the destroyed *#ro%ean continent. The
n#llity and lac$ o! content o! all collectie rit#als since the yo#th.moement re%resents
retros%ectiely the gro%ing antici%ation o! oer%owering historical hammer.blows. The myriads
who s#ddenly !all %rey to their own abstract 3#antity and mobility( to hitting the road in swarms(
li$e a dr#g( are recr#its o! the moement o! %eo%les( in whose !eral realms bo#rgeois history is
getting ready to end.
C2
Picture(&ook "ithout pictures. 9 The ob8ectie tendency o! the enlightenment( to abolish the
%ower o! all images oer h#man beings( does not corres%ond to any s#b8ectie %rogress o!
enlightened tho#ght towards imagelessness. A!ter the idols were cast down( and meta%hysical
ideas irresistibly demolished conce%ts %reio#s #nderstood as rational and a#thentically tho#ght(
the thin$ing #nleashed by the enlightenment and imm#ni:ed against thin$ing is %assing oer into
a second re%resentatieness =Bildlich$eit>( an imageless and biased one. Amidst a net o!
relationshi%s in which h#man beings hae become entirely abstract to each other and to things(
the ca%acity o! abstraction disa%%ears. The alienation o! schemata and classi!ications !rom the
data s#bs#med #nder them( indeed the %#re 3#antity o! %rocessed materials( which has become
incommens#rable to the circ#m!erence o! indiid#al h#man ex%erience( constantly necessitates
the archaic retranslation into sens#o#s signs. The little stic$ !ig#res and ho#ses( scattered in
statistical texts li$e hierogly%hics( may a%%ear in eery s%eci!ic case to be accidental( a mere
means o! assistance. B#t it is not !or nothing that they loo$ so similar to co#ntless
adertisements( news%a%er stereoty%es( and toys. 1n them the re%resentation is ictorio#s oer
what is re%resented. 1ts o#tsi:ed( sim%listic and th#s !alse com%rehensibility rein!orces the
incom%rehensibility o! the intellect#al %rocesses( !rom which their !alseness 9 the blind( non.
conce%t#al s#bs#m%tion 9 cannot be se%arated. Gbi3#ito#s %ict#res are nothing o! the sort(
beca#se they sim#ltaneo#sly %resent the entire generality( the aerage( the standard model as
something #ni3#e( something %artic#lar( while ridic#ling s#ch. *en the abolition o! the
%artic#lar is derisiely t#rned into something %artic#lar. The demand !or this has already
sedimented itsel! as a need( and is re%rod#ced eerywhere by the mass c#lt#re( a!ter the model o!
the 4!#nnies5 =in *nglish in original>. 'hat was once called "%irit =Geist>( is dis%elled by the
ill#stration. 1t is not merely that h#man beings no longer hae the ca%acity to imagine what has
not been drilled into them and shown in abbreiated !orm. *en the 8o$e( in which at one time
the !reedom o! the "%irit =Geist> crashed into the !acts and ca#sed the latter to ex%lode( has
%assed oer into ill#stration. The %ictorial 8o$es which !ill the maga:ines( are !or the most %art
%ointless( em%ty o! meaning. They consist o! nothing other than a challenge to the eye o! a
com%etition with the sit#ation. "chooled by inn#merable %rior cases( one is s#%%osed to see
4what2s ha%%ening5 !aster than the signi!icant moments o! the sit#ation are deelo%ing. 'hat
s#ch %ict#res act o#t( in antici%ation o! their com%letion by the well.ersed obserer( is the
throwing o! all meaning oerboard li$e ballast in the sna%shot o! the sit#ation( in the #nresisting
s#b8#gation to the em%ty hegemony o! things. The state.o!.the.art 8o$e is the s#icide o! intention.
'hoeer commits it( is rewarded by acce%tance in the collectiity o! la#ghter( which has
horri!ying things on its side. *en i! one wanted to try to #nderstand s#ch 8o$es by thin$ing( one
wo#ld remain hel%lessly behind the tem%o o! #nleashed things( which race ahead een in the
sim%lest caricat#re( li$e the concl#ding chase at the end o! animated !ilms. "agacity t#rns
immediately into st#%idity in the !ace o! regressie %rogress. No other #nderstanding is le!t to
tho#ght than the horror o! what is incom%rehensible. ,#st as the sober.minded ga:e( which meets
the billboard smile o! a tooth%aste bea#ty( %erceies the misery o! tort#re in her man#!act#red
grin( so too does the death.sentence o! the s#b8ect( im%licit in the #niersal ictory o! s#b8ectie
reason( bristle !rom eery 8o$e and tr#ly eery is#al re%resentation.
CH
%ntention and copy =Abbild>. 9 The %se#dorealism o! the c#lt#re.ind#stry( its style( is not to be
ex%lained by the slea:y shenanigans o! !ilm magnates and their lac$eys( b#t was necessitated(
#nder the r#ling conditions o! %rod#ction( by the stylistic %rinci%le o! nat#ralism itsel!. 1! one
wished to blindly consecrate the !ilm to the re%resentation o! daily li!e( !or exam%le on the model
o! Bola( something which wo#ld in !act be %ossible with the means o! mobile %hotogra%hy and a
so#nd.trac$( then the res#lting entity =Gebilde> wo#ld be di!!#se( externally #nartic#lated(
!oreign to a %#blic acc#stomed to is#al s%ectacles. Radical nat#ralism( which the techni3#e o!
!ilm strongly s#ggests( wo#ld dissole eery context o! s#r!ace meaning and end #% as the
extreme o%%osite o! !amiliar realism. The !ilm wo#ld %ass oer into the associatie stream o!
images and receie its !orm solely as in their %#re( immanent constr#ction. Net i! instead o! this(
one attem%ted to choose words and gest#res which co#ld be related to an idea endowing them
with meaning 9 either on commercial gro#nds( or !or the sa$e o! ob8ectie intention 9 the
%erha%s #naoidable attem%t wo#ld end #% in an e3#ally #naoidable contradiction with the
%rere3#isites o! nat#ralism. The lesser density o! re%rod#cibility =Abbildlich$eit> in nat#ralistic
literat#re still le!t room !or intention: in the seamless mesh o! the d#%lication o! reality thro#gh
the technical a%%arat#s o! !ilm( eery intention( een i! it were itsel! the tr#th( t#rns into a lie.
'hen com%ared with the literal !idelity o! the co%y =Abbild>( the word which is s#%%osed to beat
the character o! the s%ea$er or the meaning o! the whole into the a#dience2s head so#nds
4#nnat#ral5. 1t 8#sti!ies the world as being as meaning!#l as itsel!( een be!ore the !irst %lanned
!ra#d( the !irst act#al distortion is committed. Noone tal$s that way( noone moes that way( while
the !ilm #rges oer and oer again( that2s how eeryone does it. <ne is tra%%ed: con!ormism is
ca#sed a %riori by meaning =Bede#ten: no#n !orm o! the erb 4bede#ten5( to mean> in itsel!(
regardless o! what the concrete signi!icance =Bede#t#ng: no#n !orm o! 4meaning5> may be(
while it is nonetheless only thro#gh meaning =Bede#ten> that con!ormism( the res%ectable
re%etition o! what is !act#al( co#ld be sha$en. Tr#e intentions wo#ld be %ossible only thro#gh the
ren#nciation o! intention. That this latter and realism are incom%atible( that the synthesis t#rned
into a lie( is rooted in the conce%t o! meaningness =De#tig$eit: meaning( signi!icance>. 1t is
ambig#o#s =:weide#tig>. 1t relates witho#t distinction to the organi:ation o! the thing as s#ch and
to its transmission to the a#dience. This ambig#ity howeer is no accident. ;eaningness
=De#tig$eit> indicates the %oint o! indi!!erence between ob8ectie reason and comm#nication. 1t
is right( inso!ar as the ob8ectie !orm( the reali:ed ex%ression( s%ea$s( t#rning itsel! o#twards o#t
o! itsel!( and wrong( inso!ar as it damages the !orm thro#gh calc#lations aimed at the a#dience.
*ery single artistic and also theoretical wor$ m#st show itsel! e3#al to the #rgent necessity o!
s#ch ambig#ity =Do%%elsinn>. The ex%licit =de#tliche> !orm( howeer esoteric( yields to
cons#merism@ the inex%licit $ind is dilettantish according to its immanent criteria. R#ality is
decided by the de%th( at which the entity =Gebilde> ta$es #% the alternaties within itsel! and so
masters them.
C)
0ue and cry ="taatsa$tion: great !#ss>. 9 The increasing im%ossibility o! the re%resentation o!
what is historical s%ea$s to the extinction o! art. That there is no ade3#ate drama on !ascism( is
d#e not to a lac$ o! talent( rather talent is withering away d#e to the insol#bility o! the most
#rgent tas$ !acing writers. They hae to choose between two %rinci%les( which are e3#ally
ina%%ro%riate to the s#b8ect.matter: %sychology and in!antilism. The !ormer( which has
meanwhile become aesthetically obsolete( has been handled by signi!icant artists as a tric$ and
with a bad conscience( eer since modern drama learned to see its ob8ect in %olitics. "chiller2s
%rolog#e to Fiesco states: 41! it is tr#e( that only sentiment awa$ens sentiment( then the %olitical
hero is not( 1 thin$( an a%%ro%riate s#b8ect !or the theater( to the extent that he m#st set aside the
h#man being( in order to be the %olitical hero. 1t was not my intent to breathe that liing glow
into my tale( which r#les thro#gh the ocal %rod#ct o! enth#siasm( b#t to s%in the cold( #n!r#it!#l
h#e and cry ="taatsa$tion> o#t o! the h#man heart( and %recisely thereby to reattach it to the
h#man heart 9 to inole the man thro#gh the head( which $nows the a!!airs o! the state 9 to
borrow sit#ations !or h#manity !rom inentie intrig#es 9 that was my intent. 1n addition( my
relationshi% with the bo#rgeois world made me more !amiliar with the heart( than with the
cabinet o! state( and %erha%s this %recise %olitical wea$ness has become a %oetic strength.5
?ardly. The lin$ between alienated history and the h#man heart was already a %retext in "chiller(
to 8#sti!y the inh#manity o! history as h#manly com%rehensible( and was gien the theatrical lie(
wheneer the techni3#e e3#ated the 4man5 to the 4head( which $nows the a!!airs o! the state5 9
!or exam%le( in the b#!!oonish.accidental m#rder o! 6eonore by the betrayer o! his own
cons%iracy. The tendency to aesthetic re%riati:ation %#lls the r#g !rom #nderneath the !eet o!
art( while it attem%ts to consere h#manism. The cabals o! the all too well constr#cted %lays o!
"chiller are %owerless intermediary constr#ctions between the %assions o! h#man beings and a
social and %olitical reality which is already incommens#rable with s#ch( and !or that reason no
longer gras%able in h#man motiations. The most recent sign o! this is the cra:e !or second.rate
biogra%hies( which bring !amo#s %eo%le closer as non.!amo#sly h#man. The same %ress#re !or
!alse h#mani:ation emerges in the calc#lated reintrod#ction o! 4%lots5 =in *nglish in original>( o!
the action as a harmonio#s( logically consistent context o! meaning. Gnder the %rere3#isites o!
%hotogra%hic realism( this wo#ld be #ntenable in !ilm. To ca%ricio#s restore it( is to !all behind
the ex%eriences o! the great noels( on which !ilm %arasitically lies@ they obtained their meaning
%recisely as the dissol#tion o! the context o! meaning.
1! one wished to clear the table o! all this and see$ to re%resent the %olitical s%here in its
abstraction and extra.h#manity( excl#ding the dece%tie mediations o! what is internali:ed( then
things wo#ld go no better. 7or it is %recisely the essential abstraction o! what tr#ly ha%%ened(
which sim%ly re!#tes the aesthetic %ict#re. 1n order to ma$e it ca%able o! any $ind o! ex%ression(
the writer is com%elled to translate it into a $ind o! children2s s%eech( into archety%es and th#s to
4bring it nearer5 a second time aro#nd 9 no longer to !eeling( b#t to that a#thority o!
com%rehending re!lection which still lies be!ore the constit#tion o! lang#age( which een e%ic
theater cannot eade. The a%%eal to these a#thorities already !ormally sanctions the dissol#tion o!
the s#b8ect in collectie society. The ob8ect howeer is scarcely less !alsi!ied by s#ch a labor o!
translation than the ded#ction o! a religio#s war to the erotic needs o! a 3#een. ?#man beings
today hae become as in!antile as the sim%listic drama( which ab8#res the !ormer2s
re%resentation. 1n lie# o! this( the %olitical economy which the latter charges itsel! with
re%resenting( tho#gh in %rinci%le #nchanged( is neertheless so di!!erentiated and adanced in
each o! its moments( that it eades schematic %arables. To %aint the decision.ma$ing inside large.
scale ind#stry as the wheeling and dealing o! croo$ed egetable.grocers s#!!ices !or a monetary
shoc$( b#t not howeer !or dialectical theater. The ill#stration o! late ca%italism thro#gh %ict#res
!rom the agrarian or criminal storeho#se does not allow the mischie! o! today2s society to emerge
!rom its wra%%ing in com%licated %henomena. Rather( the lac$ o! concern !or the %henomena(
which themseles wo#ld need to be deelo%ed o#t o! the essence( distorts the essence. 1t
inter%rets the con3#est o! %ower by the mightiest harmlessly( as machination o! rac$ets o#tside
o! society( not as the coming.to.itsel! o! society in its own right. The #nre%resentability o!
!ascism howeer stems !rom the !act that there is as little !reedom o! the s#b8ect anymore in
s#ch( as there is in the re!lection on it. Aons#mmated #n!reedom can be recogni:ed( not
re%resented. 'here !reedom a%%ears as a motie in %olitical stories today( as !or exam%le in the
%raise o! heroic resistance( it has the shame!#l 3#ality o! a %owerless reass#rance. The o#tcome
always ends #% being determined by world %olitics( and !reedom itsel! emerges as ideological( as
a s%eech abo#t !reedom( with stereoty%ical declamations( not in h#manly commens#rable
actions. A!ter the dissol#tion o! the s#b8ect( art is least o! all to be saed by being st#!!ed by a
taxidermist( and the ob8ect which today wo#ld alone be worthy o! it( namely what is %#rely
inh#man( esca%es it thro#gh both a lac$ o! meas#re and inh#manity.
C5
Damper and drum. 9 Taste is the tr#est seismogra%h o! historical ex%erience. 6i$e scarcely any
other !ac#lty( it is ca%able o! indicating een its own behaior. 1t reacts against itsel! and
recogni:es itsel! as tasteless. Artists( who re%el( who shoc$( s%o$es%ersons o! #nmitigated
cr#elty( are steered in their idiosyncrasy by taste: the genre o! the !iner things in li!e( the domain
o! neo.Romantic nero#s ty%es( the c#ltiation o! sensibility( is 9 een to their %rotagonists 9 as
coarse and cl#eless nowadays as the Ril$e erse( 47or %oerty is a great l#minosity !rom
within...5 The delicate sh#dder( the %athos o! being di!!erent are only normali:ed mas$s in the
c#lt o! o%%ression. 1t is %recisely the aesthetically adanced neres which !ind what is sel!.
righteo#sly aesthetic to be #nbearable. The indiid#al =1ndiid##m> is so thro#gh and thro#gh
historical( that it is ca%able o! rebelling against the !ine threads o! its late.bo#rgeois organi:ation
with the !ine threads o! late.bo#rgeois organi:ation. 1n the anti%athy towards all artistic
s#b8ectiism( towards ex%ression and so#l!#lness( the !lesh cree%s at the lac$ o! historical tact(
no di!!erently !rom how s#b8ectiism once drew bac$ !rom bo#rgeois conention. *en the
re8ection o! mimesis( the innermost concern o! !#nctionalism( is mimetic. The 8#dgement on the
s#b8ectie ex%ression does not !all !rom o#tside( in %olitical.social re!lection( b#t in immediate
im%#lses( eery one o! which t#rns its co#ntenance !rom the image in the mirror( com%elled in
iew o! the c#lt#re.ind#stry to shame. Right at the to% is the de!amation o! erotic %athos( which
the dis%lacement o! lyric accents testi!ies to not less than the sex#ality in the wor$s o! Ea!$a(
which stands #nder a collectie bale!#l s%ell. 1n art since ex%ressionism( the whore has become a
$ey !ig#re( while she is dying o#t in reality( beca#se it is solely in what is shameless that
sex#ality can be de%icted witho#t aesthetic shame. "#ch dis%lacements o! the dee%est modes o!
reaction hae reached the %oint( that art in its indiid#alistic !orm has decayed( witho#t ma$ing
its collectie !orm %ossible. 1t is not a 3#estion o! the !idelity and inde%endence o! indiid#al
artists( to #n!linchingly hold !ast to the s%here o! the ex%ressie and to o%%ose the br#tal
com%#lsion o! collectii:ation( it is rather that they m#st !eel this com%#lsion een in the most
secret cells o! their isolation( een against their will( i! they do not wish to hel%lessly and
#ntr#th!#lly remain( thro#gh an anachronistic h#manity( behind what is inh#man. *en
intransigent literary ex%ressionism( the lyrics o! "tramm( the dramas o! Eo$osch$a( hae a naie(
liberal.tr#st!#l as%ect as the !li% side o! their gen#ine radicalism. The adance beyond them
howeer is no less d#bio#s. 'or$s o! art which conscio#sly wish to remoe the harmlessness o!
absol#te s#b8ectiity( thereby raise the claim o! a %ositie comm#nity( which is not %resent in
themseles( b#t which is arbitrarily cited. That t#rns them into mere mo#th%ieces o! doom and to
the %rey o! the !inal naiete( which s#blates them 9 o! still being art at all. The a%oria o! the
res%onsible wor$ comes to bene!it irres%onsible ones. 1! there comes a time that the neres are
entirely abolished( then there will be no c#re against the renaissance o! the s%ringtime o! song(
and nothing will stand in the way o! the %o%#lar !ront stretching !rom barbaric !#t#rism to the
ideology o! the !ilm.
CJ
1anus palace. 9 1! one were so inclined as to %#t the system o! the c#lt#re.ind#stry in a grand(
world.historical %ers%ectie( then it wo#ld be de!ined as the %lanned ex%loitation o! the age.old
diide between h#man beings and their c#lt#re. The do#ble character o! %rogress( which
constantly deelo%ed the %otential o! !reedom sim#ltaneo#sly with the reality o! o%%ression( has
created a sit#ation where the ario#s %eo%les are eer more com%letely s#borned into the control
o! nat#re and social organi:ation( yet are at the same time inca%able o! #nderstanding how
c#lt#re goes beyond s#ch integration( d#e to the com%#lsion which c#lt#re in!licts on them. 'hat
is h#man in c#lt#re 9 what is nearest o! all( which re%resents their own a!!air against the world 9
has become alien to h#man beings. They ma$e common ca#se with the world against
themseles( and what is most alienated o! all 9 the #bi3#ity o! goods( their own recon!ig#ration
into a%%endages o! machinery 9 t#rns into the dece%tie image o! nearness. The great wor$s o!
art and %hiloso%hical constr#ctions hae remained #ncom%rehended not beca#se o! their all too
great distance !rom the core o! h#man ex%erience( b#t !or the o%%osite( and it is easy eno#gh to
trace the incom%rehension bac$ to an all too great #nderstanding: the shame o! %artici%ation in
#niersal in8#stice( which wo#ld become oer%owering( as soon as one %ermitted onesel! to
#nderstand it. Th#s they cling to what moc$s them( by con!irming the m#tilated !orm o! their
essence thro#gh the smoothness o! its own a%%earance. D#ring all %eriods o! #rban ciili:ation(
the lac$eys o! the existent hae made a %arasitic liing o!! s#ch #naoidable del#sion: the later
Attic comedy( the ?ellenistic arts and cra!ts are already $itsch( altho#gh they did not yet hae the
technics o! mechanical re%rod#cibility and that ind#strial a%%arat#s at their dis%osal( whose Gr.
%ict#re seems to be con8#red #% by the r#ins o! +om%ei. 1! one reads h#ndred.year.old
entertainment noels li$e those o! Aoo%er( then one !inds therein in r#dimentary !orm the entire
?ollywood schema. The stagnation o! the c#lt#re ind#stry is %robably not the res#lt o! its
mono%oli:ation( b#t was innate to so.called entertainment !rom the ery beginning. Eitsch is that
mesh o! inariants( which the %hiloso%hical lie ascribes to its solemn designs. Nothing therein
may !#ndamentally change( beca#se the entire nonsense drills it into h#manity( that nothing is
allowed to change. "o long howeer the co#rse o! ciili:ation %roceeded %lanlessly and
anonymo#sly( the ob8ectie "%irit =Geist> has not been conscio#s o! that barbaric element( as
something which necessarily dwells within it. Gnder the ill#sion o! immediately aiding !reedom(
where it mediated domination( it has at least disdained to immediately contrib#te to its
re%rod#ction. 1t de!amed the $itsch which accom%anied it li$e a shadow( with an enth#siasm
which to be s#re ex%resses the bad conscience o! high c#lt#re 9 a high c#lt#re which s#s%ects
that #nder domination it is nothing o! the sort( and which is reminded by $itsch o! its own
mischie!. Today( since the conscio#sness o! the r#lers is beginning to conerge with the total
tendency o! society( the tension between c#lt#re and $itsch is !alling a%art. A#lt#re no longer
drags its des%ised o%%onent behind it %owerlessly( b#t ta$es it #nder direction. By administering
the whole o! h#manity( it administers too the brea$ between h#manity and c#lt#re. *en the
cr#dity( %ig.headedness and narrowness( which are ob8ectiely in!licted on the dominated( are
accessed with s#b8ectie soereignty as h#mor. Nothing indicates the sim#ltaneo#sly integral and
antagonistic condition more exactly than s#ch embedding o! barbarism. Therein howeer the will
o! the administrators can call #%on the will o! the world. Their mass society did not !irst %rod#ce
8#n$ !or c#stomers( b#t the c#stomers themseles. These latter h#ngered !or !ilms( radio and
maga:ines@ whateer in them remained #nsatis!ied by the social order( which ta$es !rom them
witho#t giing bac$ what it %romises( hae %ined only !or the master o! the d#ngeon to
remember them and !inally o!!er with the le!t hand a stone !or the h#nger( !rom which the right
hand withholds the bread. Gnresistingly( !or a 3#arter cent#ry( elderly bo#rgeois who o#ght to
$now better hae been r#nning oer to the c#lt#re.ind#stry( which has so %recisely calc#lated
their staring hearts. They hae no reason to be o#traged oer the yo#ng %eo%le who were
corr#%ted to the marrow by 7ascism. Those who are s#b8ectless( those who are c#lt#rally
de%ried o! their heritage are the tr#e inheritors o! c#lt#re.
CK
Monad. 9 The indiid#al =1ndiid##m> owes its crystalli:ation to the !orms o! %olitical economy(
es%ecially the #rban mar$et%lace =;ar$twesen>. *en as an o%%onent o! the %ress#re o!
sociali:ation( it remains the latter2s own %rod#ct and similar to it. 'hat endows it with
resistance( with eery trait o! inde%endence( originates in the monadological indiid#al interest
and its %reci%itate as character. The indiid#al =1ndiid##m> mirrors %recisely in its indiid#ation
the %reordained social law o! ex%loitation( be it eer so mediated. This testi!ies howeer also to
the !act that its decay in the contem%orary %hase m#st not be deried indiid#alistically( b#t o#t
o! a social tendency( as something which s#cceeds by irt#e o! indiid#ation and not as its mere
enemy. Therein dierges the reactionary criti3#e o! c#lt#re !rom the other $inds. <!ten eno#gh(
the reactionary $ind achiees a certain insight into the decay o! indiid#ality and the crisis o!
society( b#t %#ts the ontological res%onsibility !or that on the indiid#ated =1ndiid##m> in itsel!(
as something detached and inward: the ob8ection o! s#%er!iciality( lac$ o! belieability( lac$ o!
s#bstance are the last words they hae to say( and t#rning bac$ is their only consolation.
1ndiid#alists li$e ?#xley and ,as%ers condemn the indiid#al =1ndiid##m> !or its mechanical
em%tiness and ne#rotic wea$ness( b#t the #%shot o! their condemnation is to sacri!ice it rather
than to criti3#e the social %rinci%i#m indiid#ationis =6atin: %rinci%le o! indiid#ation>. Their
%olemic is( as a hal! tr#th( already the entire #ntr#th. "ociety is regarded therein as the immediate
coexistence o! h#man beings( o#t o! whose attit#de !ollows the whole( as it were( instead o! as a
system( which does not merely embrace and de!orm them( b#t reaches een into that h#manity(
which once ordained them as indiid#als. Thro#gh the #niersally.h#man inter%retation o!
conditions( as they are( the cr#de materiality which binds h#man existence to inh#manity is
certi!ied( een in the com%laint against s#ch. 1n its better days( the bo#rgeoisie( where it re!lected
historically( was 3#ite conscio#s o! s#ch interwoenness( and only since its doctrine degenerated
to the st#bborn a%ologetics against socialism( hae they !orgotten abo#t them. Not the least o!
the achieements o! ,a$ob B#rc$hardt2s Gree$ c#lt#ral history is that to hae lin$ed the erosion
o! ?ellenistic indiid#ality not merely to the ob8ectie decay o! the %olis( b#t %recisely to the c#lt
o! the indiid#al =1ndiid##m>: 47ollowing the deaths o! Demosthenes and +ho$ion( the city
=Athens> was astonishingly %oor in %olitical %ersonalities( and not merely in %olitical ones( !or
*%ic#r#s( born in H)2 to an Attic cler#ch !amily in "amos( was the last world.historical Athenian
o! them all.5 -,a$ob B#rc$hardt( &ol. ).H. *d.( "t#ttgart /C0C( %g 5/50. The condition( in which
the indiid#al =1ndiid##m> disa%%eared( is sim#ltaneo#sly one o! #n!ettered indiid#alism( in
which 4eerything is %ossible5: 4Aboe all( indiid#als are celebrated instead o! gods.5 -1bid.( %g
5/J0. That the !reeing o! the indiid#al =1ndiid##m> by the hollowed o#t %olis did not
strengthen its resistance( b#t eliminated it and indeed indiid#ality itsel!( as trans%ired in the
dictator.states( is the model o! one o! the central contradictions which droe !rom the /C
th
cent#ry towards !ascism. Beethoen2s m#sic( whose setting consists o! socially comm#nicated
!orms( and which( ascetically o%%osed to the %riate ex%ression o! !eeling( resonates with the
determinately g#ided echo o! str#ggle( drawing %recisely o#t o! s#ch asceticism all the richness
and might =Gewalt> o! the indiid#al. Those o! Richard "tra#ss( entirely at the serice o!
indiid#al claim and directed towards the glori!ication o! the sel!.s#!!icient indiid#al
=1ndiid##m>( debases s#ch to the mere rece%tion.organ o! the mar$et( to the em#lator o! ideas
and styles selected willy.nilly. 1nside re%ressie society( the emanci%ation o! the indiid#al
=1ndiid##m> does not merely bene!it s#ch( b#t also red#ces it to an entry. 7reedom !rom society
robs it o! the energy !or !reedom. 7or as real as its relations to others may be( it is( considered as
something absol#te( a mere abstraction. 1t does not hae any sort o! content which is not socially
constit#ted( nor any im%#lse which goes beyond society( which wo#ld not be aimed at getting the
social condition to go beyond itsel!. *en the Ahristian doctrine o! death and immortality( in
which the notion o! absol#te indiid#ality is gro#nded( wo#ld be entirely oid( i! it did not
incl#de h#manity. The indiid#al who ho%ed !or immortality absol#tely and !or themseles
alone( wo#ld in s#ch limitation only enlarge the %rinci%le o! sel!.%reseration into the abs#rdity(
on which the wisdom 4one m#st lose( in order to win5 is the correctie. "ocially the
absol#ti:ation o! the indiid#al =1ndiid##m> mar$s the transition !rom the #niersal mediation
o! social relationshi%s( which as exchange also constantly demands the sim#ltaneo#s limitation
o! the interests reali:ed in s#ch( to immediate domination( where the strongest r#les. Thro#gh
this dissol#tion o! eerything mediating in the indiid#al =1ndiid##m> itsel!( by irt#e o! which
it was still a %iece o! a social s#b8ect( it is im%oerished( br#tali:ed and regresses to the condition
o! a mere social ob8ect. The indiid#al =1ndiid##m> s#blates itsel!( as in the ?egelian sense( in
something abstractly reali:ed: the myriads who $now nothing any more exce%t their na$ed(
rambling interest( are the same ones who ca%it#late as soon as organi:ation and terror ro%e them
in. 1! today the trace o! what is h#man seems to cling solely to the indiid#al =1ndiid##m> as
something which is %erishing( then it is a warning to %#t an end to that !atality( which
indiid#ates h#man beings solely in order to be able to com%letely brea$ them in their
se%aration. The saing %rinci%le is s#blated solely in its o%%osite.
CL
*egacy. 9 Dialectical thin$ing is the attem%t to brea$ thro#gh the com%#lsory character o! logic
with its own means. B#t inso!ar as it m#st em%loy these means( it is at eery moment in danger
o! !alling %rey to the com%#lsory character itsel!: the r#se o! reason wo#ld still li$e to %reail
against dialectics. The existent =Bestehende> cannot s#r%ass itsel! in any other way than by irt#e
o! the general( which the existent itsel! has borrowed. The general tri#m%hs oer the existent by
means o! its own conce%t( and that is why the %ower o! the merely existing ="eienden> threatens
to re%rod#ce itsel! in s#ch tri#m%h( o#t o! the same iolence( which it bro$e. Thro#gh the solitary
dominion o! the negation( the moement o! tho#ght( li$e that o! history( is led #ne3#iocally and
excl#siely according to the schemata o! the immanent contradiction( with im%lacable %ositiity.
*erything is s#bs#med by the historically a%%ro%riate ma8or economic %hases o! the entire
society and their deelo%ment: the entire thin$ing %rocess has something o! what the +arisian
artists called the genre chef doeu're =7rench: genre o! the master%iece>. That the calamity is
ca#sed %recisely by the stringency o! s#ch deelo%ment( that this latter is lin$ed to domination( is
at any rate not ex%licit in critical theory =i.e. ;arx>( which( li$e the traditional one =i.e. ?egel>(
ex%ected salation !rom linear %rogression. 1n !act stringency and totality( the bo#rgeois tho#ght.
ideals o! necessity and generality( circ#mscribe the !orm#lation o! history( yet !or that ery
reason re!lect the constit#tion o! society in the !ixed( stately( grand conce%ts( against which
dialectical criti3#e and %raxis are aimed. 1! Ben8amin obsered that history had been hitherto
written !rom the stand%oint o! the ictor and needed to be written !rom that o! the an3#ished(
then it sho#ld be added that while $nowledge =*r$enntnis> m#st indeed re%resent the bale!#l
linearity o! the s#ccession o! ictory and de!eat( it m#st at the same time t#rn to whateer does
not anish in s#ch a dynamic( and remains by the wayside 9 to a certain degree( the cast.o!!
materials and blind s%ots( which esca%ed dialectics. 1t is the essence o! what is an3#ished to
a%%ear inessential( dis%ensable( whimsical in its %owerlessness. 'hat transcends the r#ling
society is not merely the %otentiality deelo%ed by the latter( b#t e3#ally that which does not !it
into the historical laws o! moement. Theory is oriented to what is as$ew( what is im%enetrable(
what is not yet encom%assed( which as s#ch admittedly already bears something anachronistic in
itsel!( b#t does not exha#st itsel! in what is obsolete( beca#se it contains a dash o! the historical
dynamic. This is most easily seen in art. Ahildren2s boo$s s#ch as $lice in Wonderland or the
Stru""elpeter( which reb#$e any attem%t to classi!y them as %rogressie or reactionary as
abs#rd( contain incom%arably more s#btle ci%hers( een o! history( than the grand dramas o!
?ebbel( with their o!!icial thematics o! tragic g#ilt( the change o! the times( the co#rse o! the
world and the indiid#ated =1ndiid##m>@ and the disdain!#l and silly %iano %ieces o! "atie eo$e
!lashes o! ex%erience which the stringency o! the "chUnberg school( des%ite being bac$ed by the
entire %athos o! m#sical deelo%ment( cannot dream o!. +recisely the magni!icence o! logical
concl#sions may #nwittingly ass#me the character o! what is %roincial. Ben8amin2s writings are
the attem%t( in an eer new a%%roach( to ma$e that which is not already determined by grandiose
intentions %hiloso%hically !r#it!#l. ?is legacy consists o! the tas$ o! re!#sing to consign s#ch an
attem%t to the alienated %#::le.%ict#res o! tho#ght( b#t to rec#%erate what is deoid o! intention
ia the conce%t: the necessity( to thin$ sim#ltaneo#sly dialectically and #ndialectically.
CC old test. 9 Among the conce%ts to which bo#rgeois morality has shr#n$( !ollowing the
dissol#tion o! its religio#s norms and the !ormali:ation o! its a#tonomo#s ones( gen#ineness
=*chtheit> ran$s at the to%. 1! nothing else can be stringently demanded !rom h#man beings( then
at least( they sho#ld be entirely and wholly what they are. 1n the identity o! each indiid#al with
itsel!( the %ost#late o! incorr#%tible tr#th as well as the glori!ication o! what is !act#al are
trans!erred !rom the enlightened cognition to ethics =*thi$>. 1t is %recisely the critically
inde%endent thin$ers o! the late bo#rgeoisie( !ed #% with traditional 8#dgements and idealistic
%hrases( who agree with this. 1bsen2s admittedly re!ractory erdict on the li!elong lie(
Eier$egaard2s doctrine o! existence hae made the ideal o! gen#ineness =*chtheit> into a
to#chstone o! meta%hysics. 1n Niet:sche2s analysis( the word 4gen#ine5 already stands as
something #n3#estionable( something exem%t !rom the labor o! the conce%t. To the conerted
and #nconerted %hiloso%hers o! 7ascism( al#es s#ch as a#thenticity( heroic end#rance o! the
4thrownness5 o! indiid#al existence( the border sit#ation( #ltimately become a means o!
#s#r%ing religio#s.a#thoritarian %athos witho#t any sort o! religio#s content. This dries towards
the den#nciation o! eerything which is not so#nd eno#gh( which is not made o#t o! corn and
gristle( there!ore the ,ews: Richard 'agner hat already %layed o!! gen#ine German art against
!oreign =welsche: medieal German term !or !oreign> bric.a.brac and thereby mis#sed the
criti3#e o! the c#lt#re mar$et as an a%ology !or barbarism. "#ch mis#se is howeer not extrinsic
to the conce%t o! gen#ineness =*chtheit>. D#ring the sale o! its !aded liery( seams and damaged
%atches are coming o#t( which were already inisibly %resent in the great days o! o%%osition. The
#ntr#th l#r$s in the s#bstrate o! gen#ineness =*chtheit> itsel!( the indiid#al =1ndiid##m>. 1! the
law o! the co#rse o! the world is concealed in the %rinci%i#m indiid#ationis =6atin: %rinci%le o!
indiid#ation>( as the anti%odes o! ?egel and "cho%enha#er both recogni:ed( then the int#ition o!
the !inal and absol#te s#bstantiality o! the ego becomes the ictim o! an a%%earance ="chein>(
which %rotects the existing social order( while its essence is already decaying. To e3#ate
gen#ineness =*chtheit> with tr#th is not tenable. 1t is %recisely the #n!linching sel!.constit#tion 9
that mode o! cond#ct( which Niet:sche called %sychology 9 and th#s the insistence on the tr#th
abo#t onesel!( which %roes again and again( already in the !irst ex%eriences o! childhood( that
the im%#lses on which one re!lects are not entirely 4gen#ine5. They constantly contained
something o! imitation( %lay( wanting to be di!!erent. 1n %ressing towards what is #nconditionally
!ixed( towards the being ="ein> o! the existent ="eiendes>( the will( which immerses itsel! in its
own sel!same indiid#ality instead o! its social cognition( leads to %recisely the bad in!inity
which since Eier$egaard the conce%t o! gen#ineness =*chtheit> was s#%%osed to exorci:e. Noone
ex%ressed this more !orthrightly than "cho%enha#er. The 3#er#lo#s !orebear o! existential
%hiloso%hy and malicio#s inheritor o! great s%ec#lation tr#ly $new the hollows and raines o!
indiid#al absol#tism inside o#t. ?is insight is attached to the s%ec#latie thesis( that the
indiid#al =1ndiid##m> wo#ld be only the a%%earance( not the thing in itsel!. 4*ery indiid#al
=1ndiid##m>(5 goes a !ootnote in the !o#rth boo$ o! The World as Will and %dea( 4is on the one
hand the s#b8ect o! cognition( that is( the com%lementary condition o! %ossibility o! the entire
ob8ectie world( and on the other hand( the s%eci!ic a%%earance =*rschein#ng> o! the will( o! the
same one which ob8ecti!ies itsel! in each thing. B#t this d#%licity o! o#r essence does not rest on
a #nity existing !or itsel!: otherwise we wo#ld be able to be aware o! o#rseles in o#rseles(
inde%endently !rom the ob8ects o! cognition and o! will ='ollen>: this howeer we sim%ly cannot
do( or rather as soon as we try to enter o#rseles and( by directing o#r cognition inwards( wish to
!#lly constit#te o#rseles( we lose o#rseles in a bottomless oid( !inding o#rseles li$e the
crystal ball( o#t o! whose de%ths a oice s%ea$s( whose ca#se howeer is not !o#nd there( and by
wishing to gras% o#rseles( we catch( with a sh#dder( nothing b#t a wandering ghost.
-"cho%enha#er( Aollected 'or$s( Grand D#$e 'ilhelm.*rnst *dition( Boo$ /: The World as
Will and %dea. 1. 1ntrod#ction by *d#ard Grisebach. 6ei%:ig. /C20( %g HK/0. ?e thereby called
the mythical dece%tion o! the %#re sel! by its name( as n#gatory. 1t is an abstraction. 'hat ste%s
!orward as an original entity( as a monad( res#lts !irst !rom a social se%aration !rom the social
%rocess. +recisely as something absol#te( the indiid#al =1ndiid##m> is a mere re!lection.!orm
o! %ro%erty.relations. 1n it the !ictie claim is raised that what is biologically one wo#ld %recede(
according to its own lights( the social whole( !rom which only iolence isolates it( and its
contingency is #%held as a meas#re o! tr#th. 1t is not merely that the ego is enmeshed in society(
b#t that the !ormer owes the latter its existence in the most literal sense. All o! its content comes
!rom the latter( or in any case o#t o! the relation to the ob8ect. 1t becomes all the richer( the more
!reely it deelo%s the latter in itsel! and re!lects it( while conersely its delimitation and
hardening( which reclaims it as an origin( thereby ca#se it to be limited( im%oerished and
red#ced. 1t is not !or nothing that attem%ts to gras% the %lenit#de o! the indiid#al in its
withdrawal into itsel!( s#ch as Eier$egaard2s( are tantamo#nt to the sacri!ice o! the indiid#al and
to the sel!same abstraction( which Eier$egaard maligned in the idealistic systems. Gen#ineness
=*chtheit> is nothing other than the de!iant and obstinate %ersistence on the monadological !orm(
which social o%%ression stam%s on h#man beings. 'hat does not wish to wither away( sho#ld
rather ta$e the stigma o! the non.gen#ine on itsel!. 1t !eeds on the mimetic legacy. 'hat is h#man
is attached to imitation: a h#man being t#rns into a h#man being !irst by imitating other h#man
beings. 1n s#ch behaior( the Gr.!orm o! loe( the %riests o! gen#ineness scent traces o! that
#to%ia( which co#ld sha$e the a%%arat#s o! domination. That Niet:sche( whose re!lection droe
all the way into the conce%t o! tr#th( dogmatically drew bac$ !rom gen#ineness =*chtheit>( ma$es
him into what he #ltimately wanted to be( a 6#theran( and his o#tb#rsts against %lay.acting are
c#t !rom the same cloth as the anti."emitism which so o#traged him in the arch.actor 'agner.
?e sho#ld not hae re%roached 'agner with %lay.acting 9 !or all art( and m#sic es%ecially( is
related to acting( and in eery %eriod o! Niet:sche there rings the tho#sand.year echo o! the
rhetorical oices !rom the Roman senate 9 b#t the denial o! %lay.acting by the actor. 1ndeed it is
not only what is non.gen#ine( which %lays at retaining being =seinshaltig>( which is to be
conicted a lie( b#t rather what is gen#ine itsel! t#rns into a lie the moment it becomes something
gen#ine( that is to say in the re!lection on itsel!( in its %ositing as something gen#ine( s#ch that it
already ste%s beyond the identity which in the same breath it claims. The sel! cannot be s%o$en
o! as the ontological gro#nd( b#t solely in any case theologically( in the name o! what is cast in
God2s image =Gottesebenbildlich$eit>. 'hoeer holds !ast to the sel! and sha$es o!! theological
conce%ts( contrib#tes to the 8#sti!ication o! the deilish %ositie( o! cold.c#t interest. 1t borrows
!rom this last the a#ra o! signi!icance and t#rns the %ower o! command o! sel!.%resering reason
into a high.!lown s#%erstr#ct#re( while the real sel! has already become in the world( what
"cho%enha#er recogni:ed it as in intros%ection( a ghost. 1ts character o! a%%earance
="cheinchara$ter> can be #nderstood !rom the historical im%lications o! the conce%t o!
gen#ineness =*chtheit> as s#ch. 1n it hides the idea o! the s#%remacy o! the origin oer what is
deried. This is howeer already connected with social legitimism. All r#ling elites claim to be
the eldest o! all( a#tochthono#s. The entire %hiloso%hy o! inwardness( with the claim o! haing
contem%t !or the world( is the !inal s#blimation o! the barbaric br#tality( that whoeer was there
!irst( has the greatest rights( and the %riority o! the sel! is as #ntr#e as the %riority o! all who !eel
at home right where they are. Nothing changes( i! gen#ineness =*chtheit> !alls bac$ on the
o%%osition o! %hysei =6atin: what is %hysical> and thesei =6atin: what is arti!icial>( that what
exists witho#t the addition o! h#man actiity( wo#ld be better than what is arti!icial. The tighter
the net o! what h#man beings hae made is drawn oer the world( the more s%asmodically do
those who are doing the tightening( highlight their own %rimitiity and rootedness in nat#re. The
discoery o! gen#ineness =*chtheit> as the last b#lwar$ o! indiid#alistic ethics =*thi$> is a re!lex
o! ind#strial mass %rod#ction. <nly when co#ntless standardi:ed goods %retend( !or the sa$e o!
%ro!it( to be something #ni3#e( does the idea crystalli:e 9 as its antithesis( and yet according to
the same criteria 9 that what is not to be re%rod#ced is what is a#thentically gen#ine. +reio#sly(
the 3#estion o! gen#ineness =*chtheit> was no more a%%lied to intellect#al entities =Gebilde> than
the 3#estion o! originality( which was #n$nown een in the era o! Bach. The dece%tion o!
gen#ineness =*chtheit> goes bac$ to bo#rgeois del#sion regarding the exchange.%rocess. 'hat
a%%ears gen#ine( is what commodities and other means o! exchange can be red#ced to 9 aboe
all( gold. The gen#ineness =*chtheit> abstracted li$e a %ro%ortion o! a !ine metal t#rns( li$e gold(
into a !etish. Both are treated as it they were the s#bstrate( which is neertheless in tr#th a social
relationshi%( while gold and gen#ineness =*chtheit> ex%ress only the !#ngibility( the
com%arability o! things: they are %recisely not in themseles( b#t !or others. The non.
gen#ineness o! the gen#ine rests on the !act that it m#st %retend( in the society r#led by
exchange( to be what it stands !or( witho#t eer being tr#ly able to be s#ch. The a%ostles o!
gen#ineness =*chtheit> o! %ower( who dress down circ#lation( %er!orm the dance o! the money.
eil at this latter2s wa$e.
/00
Sur leau =7rench: at sea>. To the 3#estion o! the goal o! an emanci%ated society( one receies
answers s#ch as the !#l!illment o! h#man %ossibilities or the richness o! li!e. As illegitimate as
the ineitable 3#estion may be( so ineitable is the re%#lsie( o#t.tr#m%ing res%onse( which
recalls to mind the social democratic %ersonality.ideal o! the heaily bearded nat#ralists o! the
/LC0s( who wanted to lie it #%. Tenderness wo#ld be solely what is most cr#de: that noone
sho#ld stare any longer. Anything else wo#ld a%%ly( to a condition which o#ght to be
determined by h#man needs( a h#man behaior which is !ormed on the model o! %rod#ction as
its own %#r%ose. The #to%ian image o! the #nrestricted( energetic( creatie h#man being has been
in!iltrated by the commodity !etishism( which in bo#rgeois society brings with it inhibition(
%owerlessness( the sterility o! monotony. The conce%t o! dynamics( which com%lements
bo#rgeois 4ahistoricity5( is raised to something absol#te( while it neertheless( as the
anthro%ological re!lex o! the laws o! %rod#ction( m#st be critically con!ronted in the emanci%ated
society with need. The idea o! #n!ettered doing( o! #ninterr#%ted creating( o! ch#bby.chee$ed
insatiability( o! !reedom as intense actiity( !eeds on the bo#rgeois conce%t o! nat#re( which !rom
time immemorial has sered to %roclaim social iolence as irreocable( as a %iece o! healthy
eternity. 1t was d#e to this and not any %res#med e3#ali:ation that the %ositie designs o!
socialism( against which ;arx bristled( remained in barbarism. 'hat is to be !eared is not the
slac$ening o! h#manity in a li!e o! l#x#ry( b#t rather the dessicated ex%ansion o! what( in the
g#ise o! the all.nat#ral( is social 9 the collectiity as the blind rage o! ma$ing. The naiely
mandated #nambig#ity o! the tendency o! deelo%ment towards the raising o! %rod#ction is itsel!
a %iece o! that bo#rgeois nat#re =BFrgerlich$eit>( which %ermits deelo%ment only in one
direction( beca#se( integrated into the totality( r#led by 3#anti!ication( it is hostile to the
3#alitatie di!!erence. 1! one thin$s o! the emanci%ated society as one emanci%ated %recisely
!rom s#ch a totality( then alignments become isible( which hae little in common with the
raising o! %rod#ction and its h#man mirror.images. 1! #ninhibited %eo%le are by no means the
most %leasant( and are not een the !reest( then the society which !reed itsel! o! its !etters( co#ld
arrie at the tho#ght that een the %rod#ctie !orces are not the !inal s#bstrate o! h#man beings(
b#t are rather the historically s%eci!ic !orm o! these last #nder commodity %rod#ction. +erha%s
the tr#e society wo#ld become bored with deelo%ment( and wo#ld o#t o! !reedom leae
%ossibilities #n#sed( instead o! storming alien stars #nder a con!#sed com%#lsion. 'hat wo#ld
begin to dawn on a h#manity( which no longer $new #rgent necessity =Not: necessity( %riation>(
is 8#st how del#sory and !#tile all the arrangements hitherto created to esca%e %riation =Not>
hae been 9 arrangements which #sed wealth to re%rod#ce %riation =Not> on an ex%anded scale.
*n8oyment itsel! wo#ld be to#ched by this( 8#st as its contem%orary schema cannot be se%arated
!rom ind#strio#sness( %lanning( im%osing one2s will( s#b8#gation. Rien !aire comme #ne bVte
=7rench: Doing nothing( li$e an animal>( lying on the water and loo$ %eace!#lly into the heaens(
4being( nothing else( witho#t any !#rther determination and !#l!illment5 might ste% in %lace o!
%rocess( doing( !#l!illing( and so tr#ly delier the %romise o! dialectical logic( o! c#lminating in
its origin. None o! the abstract conce%ts comes closer to the !#l!illed #to%ia than that o! eternal
%eace. <nloo$ers o! %rogress s#ch as ;a#%assant and "ternheim hae hel%ed to ex%ress this
intention( shyly( in the only manner the !ragility o! the latter %ermits.
+art Three
/C)JO)K
Aalanche( e#x.t# m2em%orter dans ta ch#teM
=7rench: Aalanche( won2t yo# carry me o!! in yo#r !allM>
/audelaire
/0/
0othouse plant. 9 The tal$ o! early or late deelo%ment( seldom !ree o! the death.wish !or
the !ormer( is not binding. 'hoeer deelo%s early( lies in antici%ation. Their ex%erience
is an a %rioristic( int#itie sensibility( which gro%es in %ict#res and words !or what is later
redeemed in things and h#man beings. "#ch antici%ation( satiated in itsel!( as it were(
t#rns away !rom the external world and lends the color o! something ne#rotically %lay!#l
to the relationshi% to the latter. 1! early deelo%ers are more than 8#st the %ossessors o!
s$ills( they are th#s com%elled to catch #%( a com%#lsion which normal %eo%le are !ond o!
dressing #% as a moral commandment. <ne who deelo%s early m#st %ain!#lly con3#er
the s%ace o! the relation to the ob8ects( which is encom%assed by one2s ideation
=&orstell#ng>: they m#st een learn to s#!!er. The !eel !or the not.ego( which hardly eer
bothers s#%%osed late deelo%ers !rom within( becomes an #rgent necessity !or early
deelo%ers. The narcissistic direction o! the dries( indicated by the %re%onderance o!
imagination in its ex%erience( is %recisely what delays their deelo%ment. They ma$e
their way retros%ectiely( with crass iolence( thro#gh the sit#ations( !ears( and %assions
which were so!tened in their antici%ation( and these latter trans!orm themseles( in
con!lict with the narcissism o! the !ormer( into something sic$ly and cons#ming. Th#s
early deelo%ers !all %rey to what is childish( which they once mastered all too slight
exertion and which now demands its %rice@ they become immat#re and een silly( while
the others( who were at eery stage %recisely what they were ex%ected to be( are mat#re(
and these now !ind #n%ardonable( what oerwhelms !ormerly early deelo%ers o#tside o!
all %ro%ortion. *arly deelo%ers are stric$en by %assion@ sheltered all too long in the
sec#rity o! a#tar$y( now they reel hel%lessly( where they once b#ilt castles in the air. 1t is
not !or nothing that the handwriting o! early deelo%ers warns by its in!antile traits. They
are an embarrassment to the nat#ral social order( and malicio#s good health !eeds on the
danger which threatens them( 8#st as society mistr#sts them as the isible negation o! the
e3#ali:ation o! s#ccess and exertion. 'hat is !#l!illed in their internali:ed economy( is
the #nconscio#s yet im%lacable %#nishment which was always in store !or them. 'hat
was once %ro!!ered to them with ill#sory good will( is now cancelled o#t. *en in
%sychological destiny( an a#thority watches oer to ens#re that eerything is %aid !or. The
indiid#al law is a %#::le.%ict#re o! the exchange o! e3#ialents.
/02
$l"ays more slo"ly ahead. 9 R#nning on the street has the ex%ression o! terror. The !all
o! the ictim is imitated in the ery attem%t to esca%e the !all. The %ost#re o! the head(
which wo#ld li$e to remained raised( is that o! someone who is drowning( the tense !ace
resembles the grimace o! tort#re. They m#st loo$ straight ahead( cannot een glance
bac$( witho#t st#mbling( as i! the %#rs#er =&er!olger: !ollower( %ersec#tor> whose sight
wo#ld ca#se them to !ree:e were breathing down their nec$s. <nce one ran !rom dangers
which were too des%erate to stand and !ace( and those who are r#nning a!ter a b#s
s%eeding away still testi!y to this( witho#t $nowing it. The !low o! tra!!ic no longer has to
rec$on with wild animals( b#t at the same time it has not %aci!ied r#nning. This last
estranges the bo#rgeois wal$. The tr#th becomes a%%arent( that something is not right
abo#t sec#rity( that one m#st constantly eade the #nrestrained %owers o! li!e( een i!
these are only ehicles. The body2s habit o! wal$ing as something normal stems !rom the
good old days. 1t was the bo#rgeois manner o! getting somewhere: %hysical
demythologi:ation( !ree !rom the bane o! the hieratic ste%( the homeless !ellowshi% o! the
road( the breathless !light. ?#man dignity insisted on the right to the gait( a rhythm not
drilled into the body by command or terror. Going on %romenades( being a !lane#r were
%riate ways o! s%ending time( the legacy o! the !e#dal %leas#re.8a#nts o! the /C
th
cent#ry.
'al$ing is dying o#t along with the liberal e%och( een where a#tos are not being drien.
The yo#th moement( which gro%ed !or s#ch tendencies with #nmista$able masochism(
challenged the %arental "#nday exc#rsion and re%laced it with the ol#ntary march o!
%ower( which they christened with the medieal name o! tri% =7ahrt: 8o#rney( trael>(
while the 7ord model 3#ic$ly became aailable to the latter. +erha%s the c#lt o! technical
s%eediness( 8#st as in s%orts( conceals the im%#lse o! mastering the terror o! r#nning( by
t#rning it away !rom one2s own body and at the same time high.handedly o#tbidding it:
the tri#m%h o! the increasing mile.mar$er rit#ally attests to the !ear o! being %#rs#ed.
'heneer howeer h#man beings are told: 4r#n5( ranging !rom the children( who are
s#%%osed to !etch the mother a !orgotten handbag !rom #%stairs( all the way to the
%risoners( who are commanded by their escorts to !lee( in order to hae a %retext !or
m#rdering them( then the archaic iolence becomes a#dible( which otherwise ina#dibly
directs eery ste%.
/0H
/oy from the heath. 9 'hat one most !ears !or no real reason( a%%arently obsessed by a
!ixed idea( has the #nnering habit o! occ#rring. The 3#estion which one wo#ld at no
%rice li$e to hear( is as$ed by an assistant in a %er!idio#sly !riendly manner@ the %erson(
who one most wishes to $ee% distant !rom one2s beloed( will end initing the latter( een
i! the !ormer is three tho#sand miles away( than$s to a well.meaning recommendation(
leading to %recisely the circle o! ac3#aintances( !rom which the danger threatens. 1t is an
o%en 3#estion as to what extent one inites s#ch terrors onesel!@ i! one %erha%s elicits that
3#estion !rom the malicio#s one by an all too eager silence@ i! one %roo$es the !atal
contact( by re3#esting the mediator( o#t o! a !oolishly destr#ctie tr#st( not to mediate.
+sychology $nows( that whoeer enisions the calamity( also somehow wishes !or it. B#t
why does the latter seem to eager to meet themM "omething a%%eals( in the reality( to the
%aranoid !antasy which distorts s#ch. The latent sadism o! all #nerringly g#esses the
latent wea$ness o! all. And the %ersec#tion !antasy is in!ectio#s: whoeer enco#nters it as
a s%ectator is irresistibly drien to imitate it. This s#cceeds most easily( when one gies it
8#sti!iable gro#nds( by doing what the other !ears. 4<ne !ool ma$es many5 9 the abyssal
loneliness o! del#sion has a tendency towards collectii:ation( which cites the %ict#re o!
del#sion into li!e. This %athic mechanism harmoni:es with the socially determining one
o! today( wherein those who are sociali:ed into des%erate isolation h#nger !or
togetherness and band together in cold cl#m%s. Th#s !olly becomes e%idemic: agrant
sects grow with the same rhythm as large organi:ations. 1t is that o! total destr#ction. The
!#l!illment o! %ersec#tion manias stems !rom its a!!inity to bloody being ='esen: nat#re(
essence( character>. &iolence( on which ciili:ation is based( means the %ersec#tion o! all
by all( and those with %ersec#tion manias miss the boat solely( by dis%lacing what is
wro#ght by the whole onto their neighbors( in the hel%less attem%t to ma$e
incommens#rability commens#rable. They b#rn( beca#se they wish to immediately gras%(
with their bare hands( as it were( the ob8ectie ill#sion which they resemble( while the
abs#rdity consists %recisely o! the %er!ected mediacy =;ittelbar$eit>. They !all as ictims
to the %er%et#ation o! the context o! del#sion. *en the worst and most senseless
conce%tion o! eents( the wildest %ro8ections( contain the #nconscio#s e!!ort o!
conscio#sness( to recogni:e the !atal law( by irt#e o! which society %er%et#ates its li!e.
The aberration is act#ally only the short.circ#it o! ada%tation: the o%en !oolishness o! the
one mista$enly calls( in others( the !oolishness o! the whole by its correct name( and the
%aranoid are the moc$ing image o! the right li!e( by choosing on their own initiatie to
ma$e it similar to the wrong one. ,#st as s%ar$s !ly in a short.circ#it( so too does del#sion
comm#nicate with del#sion tr#ly li$e lightning. +oints o! comm#nication are the
oer%owering con!irmations o! %ersec#tion manias( which moc$ the one who is ill !or
being right( and thereby only %#sh them in dee%er. The s#r!ace o! existence immediately
closes #% again and %roes to them( that things are not that bad and that they m#st be
mad. They antici%ate s#b8ectiely the condition( in which ob8ectie madness and the
%owerlessness o! the indiid#al %ass( #nmediated( into each other( as in 7ascism( where
the dictatorshi% o! those who are %ersec#tion maniacs reali:es the !ears o! %ersec#tion o!
its ictims. The 3#estion o! whether an exaggerated s#s%icion is %aranoid or realistic( the
!aint %riate echo o! the t#m#lt o! history( can th#s be solely determined retros%ectiely.
+sychology does not reach into horror.
/0) olden ate =in *nglish>. 9 'hat dawns on those who are embarrassed or s%#rned(
ill#minates as harshly as the iolent %ain which wrac$s the body. They recogni:e( that in
the innermost core o! del#ded loe( which $nows nothing o! this and may $now nothing(
lies the demand o! what is #ndel#ded. They hae been wronged@ they derie their claim
o! 8#stice !rom this and m#st at the same time re8ect it( !or what they wish( can only come
o#t o! !reedom. 1n s#ch #rgent necessity( those who are re8ected become h#man beings.
,#st as loe inalienably betrays the generality to the %artic#lar( by which alone the
generality is honored( so too does the generality now t#rn !atally against loe( as the
a#tonomy o! those who are nearest. +recisely the re8ection( by which the generality
asserts itsel!( a%%ears to the indiid#al =1ndiid##m> as being excl#ded !rom the
generality@ whoeer loses loe( !eels deserted by all( which is why they des%ise
consolation. 1n the senselessness o! the withdrawal they come to !eel what is #ntr#e o! all
merely indiid#al !#l!illment. Thereby howeer they awa$en to the %aradoxical
conscio#sness o! the generality: o! the inalienable and #nim%eachable h#man right( to be
loed by the beloed. 'ith their %etition( !o#nded on no title or claim( they a%%eal to an
#n$nown co#rt( which o#t o! mercy accords to them what belongs to them and yet does
not belong to them. The secret o! 8#stice in loe is the s#blation o! rights( to which loe
%oints with s%eechless gest#res. 4"o m#st loe( deceied O silly yet eerywhere be5. =lines
by ?Ulderlin !rom Tr:nen( 4Tears5>
/05
+nly a ;uarter of an hour left. 9 "lee%less night: there is a !orm#la !or this( agoni:ing
ho#rs( stretching witho#t %ros%ect o! end or dawn( in the ain e!!ort to !orget the em%ty
d#ration. ?orri!ying( howeer( are the slee%less nights( in which time shrin$s and r#ns
!r#itlessly thro#gh one2s !ingers. <ne t#rns the light o#t in the ho%e !or long ho#rs o! rest(
which wo#ld assist one. B#t while one cannot still one2s tho#ghts( the healing
no#rishment o! the night is s3#andered( and when one is !inally ready( to see no more
#nder the b#rning eyelids( one $nows that it is too late( that soon the terri!ying morning
will arrie. The !inal ho#rs o! those who are condemned to death may ela%se the same
way( irresistibly( #n#sed. 'hat howeer is reealed by s#ch a contraction o! ho#rs( is the
co#nter%oint =Gegenbild> o! !#l!illed time. 1! in the latter the %ower o! ex%erience brea$s
the bale!#l s%ell o! d#ration and gathers what is %ast and what is !#t#re into the %resent(
then d#ration creates #nbearable horror in the h#rried( slee%less night. ?#man li!e
becomes a moment( not by s#blating d#ration( b#t by decaying to nothing( awa$ening to
its !#tility in !ace o! the bad in!inity o! time itsel!. 1n the oerly lo#d tic$s o! the cloc$(
one %erceies the moc$ery o! the eons !or the s%an o! one2s own existence. The ho#rs(
which are already %ast li$e seconds( be!ore the inner senses hae gras%ed them( and
swee% the latter away in their !all( register( how one incl#ding all o! memory is ordained
to !orgetting in the cosmic night. ?#man beings are made com%#lsorily aware o! this
today. 1n the condition o! com%lete %owerlessness( what li!e.s%an remains to the
indiid#al =1ndiid##m> a%%ears as little more than a brie! re%riee !rom the gallows. <ne
no longer ex%ects to lie o#t one2s li!e to the end. The %ros%ect o! iolent death and
martyrdom( %resent to eeryone( %er%et#ates itsel! in the !ear that the days are n#mbered(
that the length o! one2s own li!e stands #nder the sway o! statistics@ that becoming old has
become an #ns%o$en adantage( as it were( deried by beating the aerages. +erha%s the
li!e.3#ota %roided !or by society( reocable at any time( has been #sed #%. The body
registers s#ch !ear in the !light o! ho#rs. Time !lies.
/0J
$ll the little flo"ers. 9 The sentence( most li$ely !rom ,ean.+a#l( that memories are the
only %ro%erty which cannot be ta$en !rom #s( belongs in the storeho#se o! a %owerlessly
sentimental consolation( which wo#ld li$e to thin$ that the sel!.reno#ncing withdrawal o!
the s#b8ect into interiority is %recisely the !#l!illment( !rom which the consolation t#rns
away. By establishing the archie o! onesel!( the s#b8ect commandeers its own stoc$ o!
ex%erience as %ro%erty and thereby t#rns it once more into something entirely external to
the s#b8ect. The %ast inner li!e t#rns into !#rnit#re( 8#st as( conersely( eery %iece o!
Biedermeier !#rnit#re was memory made wood. The intDrie#r =7rench: interior>( in which
the so#l stores its collection o! c#riosities and memorabilia( is inalid. ;emories cannot
be %resered in drawers and !ile cabinets( b#t rather in them is indissol#bly interwoen
what is %ast with what is %resent. Noone has them at their dis%osal in the !reedom and
arbitrariness( whose %raise reso#nds in the swollen sentences o! ,ean.+a#l. +recisely
where they becomes controllable and ob8ectie( where the s#b8ect thin$s o! them as
wholly sec#re( memories !ade li$e so!t wall.%a%ers #nder harsh s#nlight. 'here howeer
they retain their energy( %rotected by what is !orgotten( they are endangered li$e anything
which is alie. The conce%tion o! Bergson and +ro#st( aimed against rei!ication(
according to which what is contem%orary( what is immediacy( constit#tes itsel! only
thro#gh memory( the reci%rocity o! what is now and what is then( has !or that reason not
merely a %roidential b#t also an in!ernal as%ect. ,#st as no earlier ex%erience tr#ly exists(
which was not detached !rom the rigor mortis o! its isolated existence by inol#ntary
memoriali:ation( so too is the conerse tr#e( that no memory is g#aranteed( as existing in
itsel!( indi!!erent towards the !#t#re o! the one who harbors it@ nothing which is %ast is
sa!e !rom the c#rse o! the em%irical %resent( thro#gh the transition into mere
re%resentation =&orstell#ng>. The most bliss!#l memory o! a h#man being can( according
to its s#bstance( be re%ealed by a later ex%erience. 'hoeer loed and betrayed loe(
does something aw!#l not only to the %ict#re o! what has been( b#t to this last itsel!. 'ith
incontroertible eidence( an #nwilling gest#re while awa$ening( a hollow cadence( a
!aint hy%ocrisy o! %leas#re( ineigles itsel! into the memory( ma$ing the nearness o!
yesterday already into the alienation( which it today has become. Des%air has the
ex%ression o! what is irreocable not beca#se things co#ldn2t go better next time( b#t
beca#se it draws the %reio#s time into its maw. That is why it is !oolish and sentimental(
to wish to %resere what is %ast as %#re in the midst o! the dirty !lood o! what is
contem%orary. This latter( deliered #n%rotected to calamity( is le!t with no other ho%e
than to emerge once more !rom this latter as something else. To those howeer who die in
des%air( their whole li!e was in ain.
/0K
-e cherche< plus mon coeur. =7rench: Don2t search !or my heart( line !rom Ba#delaire2s
%oem Causerie>. 9 The heir o! Bal:ac2s obsession( +ro#st( to who eery m#ndane
initation seemed to be the 4o%en sesame5 o! the reconstit#ted li!e( leads into the
labyrinths( where %rehistoric gossi% coneys to him the shadowy secrets o! eerything
which gleams( #ntil this latter becomes obt#se and crac$ed #nder the all too near and
longing eyes. B#t the %lacet !#tile =7rench: #seless %etition>( the concerns o! a historically
condemned l#x#ry class( which eery bo#rgeois co#ld calc#late as s#%er!l#o#s( the
abs#rd energy( which is wasted on the wasters( !inds itsel! more thoro#ghly rewarded
than the im%artial ga:e !or what is releant. The schema o! disassembly =Ber!alls:
disintegration( disincor%oration>( according to which +ro#st cites the %ict#re o! his
4society5 =in *nglish in original>( %roes to be one o! the great social tendencies o!
deelo%ment. 'hat goes to %ieces in Aharl#s( "aint.6o#% and "wann( is the same thing(
which the entire generation born a!terwards lac$ed( who no longer een $new the name
o! the latest %oet. The eccentric %sychology o! dDcadence =7rench: decadence> o#tlines
the negatie anthro%ology o! mass society: +ro#st gies an allergic acco#nting o! what
was later done to all loe. The exchange relationshi%( which this last %artially
contradicted d#ring the bo#rgeois e%och( has entirely absorbed it@ the last immediacy !alls
ictim to the distance o! all adersaries to all others. 6oe !ree:es !rom the al#e( which
the ego ascribes to itsel!. 1ts loe a%%ears to it as a loing more( and whoeer loes more(
does wrong. They inc#r the s#s%icions o! the beloed( and are thrown bac$ on
themseles( !alling ill d#e to their inclination to %ossessie cr#elty and sel!.destr#ctie
imagination. 4The relation to the beloed(5 goes a %assage in Temps retrou') =7rench:
time recoered( m#ltiol#me wor$ by +ro#st>( 4may remain %latonic o#t o! entirely
di!!erent reasons than the chastity o! the woman and also not !or the sa$e o! the sens#al
character o! loe( which she ins%ires. +erha%s the loer is inca%able( in the bo#ndlessness
o! his loe( o! waiting !or the moment o! !#l!illment with ade3#ate dissim#lation or
indi!!erence. ?e meets her incessantly( does not cease to write to her( attem%ts to isit
her@ she re!#ses( and he des%airs. 7rom this moment on she #nderstands that i! she only
grants him her com%any or !riendshi%( s#ch a !aor will a%%ear( to someone who had
already gien #% all ho%e( so great that she can s%are hersel! the tro#ble o! giing him any
more concessions( so that she can sec#rely wait( #ntil he !inds himsel! %re%ared( beca#se
he is inca%able o! going witho#t seeing her any longer( to end the war at any %rice: then
she can dictate the terms o! the %eace( whose !irst condition is the %latonic nat#re o! the
relationshi%... All this the woman g#esses instinctiely and $nows that she can a!!ord the
l#x#ry o! neer giing hersel! to the man whose #n3#enchable desire she !eels( i! he is
too well.bred to hide it !rom her !rom the ery beginning.5 The yo#ng male %rostit#te
;orel is stronger than his high.!lying loer. 4?e always retained the #%%er hand( by only
re!#sing himsel!( and in order to re!#se himsel!( it %robably s#!!iced !or him to $now he
was loed.5 The %riate motie o! Bal:ac2s D#chess 6angeais has s%read #niersally. The
3#ality o! each one o! the inn#merable a#tos( which t#rn eery "#nday eening bac$ to
New Nor$( corres%onds exactly to the %rettiness o! the girl sitting inside. 9 The ob8ectie
dissol#tion o! society mani!ests itsel! s#b8ectiely( by the !act that the erotic drie has
become too wea$( to bind sel!.%resering monads( as i! h#manity were imitating the
%hysics theory o! the ex%loding cosmos. The !rigid #nattainability o! the beloed2s nat#re
='esens>( meanwhile an ac$nowledged instit#tion o! the mass.c#lt#re( is answered by the
4#n3#enchable desire5 o! the loer. 'hen Aasanoa named a woman #n%re8#diced( he
meant that no religio#s conention hindered her !rom giing hersel!@ today the
#n%re8#diced woman is one who no longer beliees in loe( who doesn2t let hersel! be
ta$en !or a ride( by inesting any more than she can ex%ect bac$. "ex#ality( !or whose
sa$e neertheless the whole !#ss is %res#mably abo#t( has t#rned into the del#sion( which
consisted earlier in ren#nciation. By leaing no time anymore in the arrangements o! li!e
!or a %leas#re conscio#s o! itsel!( and re%lacing it with %hysiological exercises(
#ninhibited sex#ality is itsel! desex#ali:ed. Act#ally they no longer want the e#%horia
anymore( b#t merely the com%ensation( which stands !or the e!!ort( which they wo#ld
li$e most o! all to s%are themseles as s#%er!l#o#s.
/0L
Princess *i<ard. 9 The imagination is in!lamed %recisely by the women whose imagination has
worn away. Those who glow with the most color!#l nimb#s( t#rned #nremittingly to the o#tside(
are entirely sober. Their attraction stems !rom their lac$ o! conscio#sness o! themseles( indeed
the lac$ o! a sel! at all: <scar 'ilde inented the name o! the #nenigmatic s%hinx !or them. They
resemble their designated %ict#res: the %#rer their a%%earance ="chein> is( #ndist#rbed by any
sort o! im%#lse( the more similar they are to archety%es( +re:iosa( +eregrina( Albertine( who hint
that all indiid#ation is %recisely mere a%%earance ="chein> and who neertheless m#st always
disa%%oint again thro#gh that( which they are. Their li!e is #nderstood as am ill#stration or an
eerlasting children2s !estial( and s#ch %erce%tion does in8#stice to their needy em%irical
existence. "torm has dealt with this in the dee%ly symbolic children2s story 4+ole
+o%%ens%aeler5. The 7riesian boy !alls in loe with the little girl( who is traeling with a gro#%
!rom Baaria. 4'hen 1 !inally t#rned aro#nd( 1 saw a red dress a%%ear be!ore me@ and tr#ly( and
tr#ly( it was the little %#%%et.%layer@ in s%ite o! her tattered clothing she seemed to me to be
s#rro#nded by a !airy.tale glow. 1 gathered #% co#rage and s%o$e to her: S'o#ld yo# li$e to ta$e
a wal$( 6isaM2 "he loo$ed at me mistr#st!#lly with her blac$ eyes. STa$e a wal$M2 she re%eated at
length. SAh( yo# 9 yo#2re the limitP2 S'here do yo# want to goM2 9 S1 wanna to go to the dra%er2s
sho%P2 SNo# want to b#y a new dressM2 1 as$ed !oolishly eno#gh. "he la#ghed o#t lo#d. SGet o#t
o! hereP 9 No( only a little ragP2 S6ittle rag( 6isaM2 9 S"#re thingP ,#st some scra%s to dress #% the
doll@ costs only a little bitP2 +oerty !orces 6isa to limit hersel! to what is shabby 9 4rags5 9
altho#gh she hersel! wo#ld be ha%%y i! things were otherwise. ;is#nderstanding( she m#st
mistr#st eerything as exaggerated( which is not %ractically 8#sti!ied. 1magination ste%s too close
to %oerty. 7or what is shabby has magic only !or the obserer. And neertheless imagination
needs %oerty( to which it does iolence: the ha%%iness( which it clings to( is inscribed with the
traits o! s#!!ering. Th#s "ade names ,#stine( who !alls into one tra% o! tort#re a!ter another( notre
intDressante hDroine =7rench: o#r interesting heroine>( and een ;ignon( in the moment in which
she is beaten( the interesting child. The dream %rincess and the whi%%ing.girl are the same( and
they s#s%ect nothing o! this. Traces o! this are still eident in the relationshi% o! the northern
%eo%les to the so#thern: the well.heeled %#ritan see$s in ain !rom the br#nette !rom !oreign
lands( what the co#rse o! the world( which the !ormer commands( seers not merely !rom
themseles b#t aboe all !rom the agrants. Those who are rooted eny the nomads( the search
!or !resh %ast#res( and the green wagon is the ho#se on wheels( whose %ath is accom%anied by
stars. 1n!antility( ensorceled in #n%lanned moement( the #nha%%ily inconstant( momentary
%ress#re to contin#e to lie( stands !or something #ndistorted( !or !#l!illment( and yet
neertheless excl#des it( similar to the innermost core o! sel!.%reseration( !rom which it
%retends to redeem itsel! !rom. That is the circle o! bo#rgeois longing !or what is naie. 'hat is
so#lless in those who( at the borders o! c#lt#re( are daily !orbidden sel!.determination( charm and
tort#re at the same time( t#rns into a %hantasmagoria o! the so#l !or the well.heeled( who hae
learned !rom c#lt#re( to be ashamed o! the so#l. 6oe loses itsel! in what is so#lless as in the
ci%her o! what has so#l( beca#se the liing are the arena o! the des%erate desire !or salation(
which has its ob8ect only in what is lost: loe arises in the so#l !irst in its absence. 1t is %recisely
the ex%ression o! the eyes( which is closest to those o! an animal 9 the creat#rely ex%ression 9
which is h#man( distant !rom the re!lection o! the ego. 1n the end the so#l is itsel! the longing o!
the so#lless !or salation.
/0C *inutile &eaut). =7rench: #seless bea#ty>. 9 'omen o! es%ecial bea#ty are condemned to
#nha%%iness. *en those to hae all the adantages( who hae birth( wealth( and talent on their
side( seem as i! %#rs#ed or obsessed with the %ress#re to destroy o! themseles and all h#man
relationshi%s( in which they enter. An oracle %#ts be!ore them the choice o! dooms. *ither they
cleerly exchange bea#ty !or s#ccess. Then they %ay with ha%%iness !or its condition@ since they
can no longer loe( they %oison loe to others and remain em%ty.handed. <r the %riilege o!
bea#ty gies them the co#rage and sec#rity( to de!y the exchange.contract. They ta$e the
ha%%iness serio#sly( which is %romised in them( and do not limit themseles( th#s con!irmed by
the attraction o! all( that do not at !irst hae to %roe their worth. 1n their yo#th they hae the
choice. This ma$es them indiscriminate: nothing is de!initie( eerything can be re%laced. R#ite
early( witho#t m#ch consideration( they marry and dedicate themseles to %edestrian conditions(
relin3#ishing =entI#ssern: to relin3#ish( disclose( reali:e> to a certain extent the %riilege o!
in!inite %ossibility( degrading themseles to h#man beings. At the same time howeer they hold
!ast to their childhood dream o! hegemony( which their li!e !lashes be!ore them( and do not cease
9 therein #nbo#rgeois 9 to throw away what( tomorrow( co#ld be something better. That is their
ty%e o! destr#ctie character. +recisely beca#se they were once hors de conco#rs =7rench: o#tside
o! the com%etition>( they are rendered s#balterns in the com%etition( which they now manically
%#rs#e. "olely the gest#re o! irresistibility remains( while the latter already disintegrates
=:er!Illt>@ magic disintegrates =:er!Illt>( as soon as ex%resses itsel! as domesticated( instead o!
%ortraying itsel! as ho%e. "he who resists howeer is sim#ltaneo#sly the sacri!ice: she ends #%
#nder the social order( which she once !lew oer. ?er generosity is gien %#nishment. The !allen
woman as well as the obsessie one are martyrs o! ha%%iness. 1ncor%orated bea#ty has in the
meanwhile t#rned into a calc#lable element o! existence( a mere re%lacement !or the non.existing
li!e( witho#t reaching beyond the latter in the slightest. "he has bro$en her %romise o! ha%%iness
to hersel! and others. "he howeer( who stands !or this ha%%iness( ta$es on the a#ra o! calamity
and is hersel! oerta$en by calamity. Therein the enlightened world has com%letely and #tterly
absorbed mythos. The eny o! the gods has o#tlied them.
//0 Constance. 9 *erywhere bo#rgeois society insists on the exertion o! the will@ only loe is
s#%%osed to be inol#ntary( the %#re immediacy o! the !eelings. 1n the longing !or this( which
means the dis%ensation !rom labor( the bo#rgeois idea o! loe transcends bo#rgeois society.
?oweer by #nmediatedly %#tting #% what is tr#e as what is #niersally #ntr#e( it inerts the
!ormer into the latter. 1t is not merely that %#re !eelings( as !ar as they are still %ossible in the
economically determined system( socially t#rn thereby into the alibi !or the domination o!
interest and testi!ies to a h#manity( which does not exist. B#t rather the inol#ntariness o! loe
itsel!( een where it is not arranged 3#ite %ractically in adance( contrib#tes to that whole( as
soon as it establishes itsel! as a %rinci%le. 1! loe is s#%%osed to %ortray in society a better one(
then it is ca%able o! doing so not as a %eace!#l enclae( b#t only in conscio#s resistance. That
howeer re3#ires 8#st that moment o! ca%rice( which the bo#rgeois( to who loe can neer be
nat#ral eno#gh( !orbids it. 6oe means the ca%acity to not allow immediacy to wither !rom the
#bi3#ito#s %ress#re o! mediation( o! the economy( and in s#ch !idelity it is mediated in itsel!( as
tenacio#s co#nter.%ress#re. Those who loe are only those who hae the energy to hold !ast to
loe. 1! social adantage( s#blimated( still %re!orms the sex#al drie.im%#lse( ca#ses( thro#gh a
tho#sand shadings o! what is con!irmed by the social order( now this %erson and now that one to
a%%ear s%ontaneo#sly attractie( then the attraction which has once ta$en root contradicts this( by
%ersisting where the graity o! society( aboe all in the intrig#e which is reg#larly ta$en into
society2s serice( does not wish it to be. The test o! the !eelings is whether they end#re beyond
the !eeling thro#gh d#ration( een i! it were only obsession. The $ind which( #nder the
a%%earance ="chein> o! #nre!lectie s%ontaneity and %ro#d o! its %res#med #%rightness( rely
com%letely and #tterly on what it considers to be the oice o! the heart( and r#ns away( as soon as
it no longer thin$s it %erceies those oices( is in s#ch soereign inde%endence %recisely the tool
o! society. +assiely( witho#t $nowing it( it registers the n#mbers( which roll o#t o! the ro#lette
wheel o! their interests. By betraying the beloed( it betrays itsel!. The command o! !idelity(
which society legislates( is the means o! #n!reedom( b#t only thro#gh !idelity does !reedom
reali:e its ins#bordination against the command o! society.
/// Philemon and /aucis. =Gree$ mythology:> 9 The ho#sehold tyrant has his wi!e hel% him into
his coat. "he eagerly does the serice o! loe and accom%anies him with a glance( which says:
what am 1 s#%%osed to do( let him hae his little 8oys( that2s the way he is( only a man.
+atriarchal marriage reenges itsel! on the man thro#gh the ind#lgence( which the woman
%ractices and which has t#rned into a !orm#la in the ironic lament o! male #lnerability and
de%endence. 1nside o! the lying ideology( which %osits the man as s#%erior( lies a secret( not less
#ntr#e one( which red#ces him to something in!erior( to the ictim o! mani%#lation( mane#ers(
dece%tion. The hen.%ec$ed h#sband is the shadow o! the one who m#st ent#re o#t into hostile
li!e. Ahildren si:e #% ad#lts with the same narrow.minded %ers%icacity as the wi!e is.a.is the
h#sband. 1n the dis%ro%ortion between his a#thoritarian claim and his hel%lessness( which
necessarily comes to light in the %riate s%here( something ridic#lo#s is concealed. *ery
married co#%le a%%earing together is comic( and this is what the %atient #nderstanding o! the
wi!e attem%ts to balance o#t. There is scarcely any long.married woman( who does not disaow
their s%o#se by whis%ering abo#t small wea$nesses. 7alse nearness stim#lates malice( and in the
realm o! cons#m%tion( those who hae their hands on things are stronger. ?egel2s dialectic o!
master and slae is as alid then as now in the archaic social order o! the ho#se and is
strengthened( beca#se the wi!e tenacio#sly holds !ast to the anachronism. As s#%%ressed
matriarch she becomes the master there( where she m#st sere( and the %atriarch need only
a%%ear as s#ch( in order to become a caricat#re. "#ch a sim#ltaneo#s dialectic o! the e%och has
%resented itsel! to the indiid#alistic ga:e as the 4battle o! the sexes5. Both o%%onents are wrong.
1n the disenchantment o! the man( whose %ower rests on the earning o! money which %retends to
be h#man ran$( the woman ex%resses at the same time the #ntr#th o! the marriage( in which she
see$s her entire tr#th. No emanci%ation witho#t that o! society.
//2 ,t dona ferentes. =6atin: !ragment o! 4Timeo Danaos et dona !erentes(5 41 !ear the Gree$s
tho#gh bearing gi!ts.5> 9 The German %hilistines o! !reedom hae always %#t great store in the
=Goethean> %oem o! od and the /ayadere =bayadere: ?ind# tem%le dancing.girl>( with the
closing !an!are that immortals raise lost children in their !iery arms to heaen. The a%%roed
warm.heartedness is not to be tr#sted. 1t thoro#ghly a%%ro%riates the bo#rgeois 8#dgement on
bo#ght loe@ it attains the e!!ect o! all.!atherly #nderstanding and !orgieness only by im%#gning
the loely one to be saed with sh#ddering delight as someone who is lost. The act o! mercy is
bo#nd #% with reserations( which ma$e it ill#sory. 1n order to earn redem%tion 9 as i! an earned
redem%tion co#ld be anything o! the sort 9 the girl may hersel! %artici%ate in the 4bed2s %leasant
!estial5( 4neither !or %leas#re nor gain5. 'ell( then why elseM Doesn2t the %#re loe ex%ected o!
her cl#msily to#ch the magic( which Goethe2s dance.rhythm winds aro#nd her !ig#re and which
then indeed is no longer to be cancelled o#t by the tal$ o! dee% %erditionM B#t she is s#%%osed to
become the sort o! good so#l thro#gho#t( who !orgets hersel! only once. 1n order to be admitted
to the enclos#re o! h#manity( the %aramo#r( whose toleration h#manity brags abo#t( m#st !irst
cease to be one. The deity o! %enitent sinners re8oices =3#otation !rom Goethe2s %oem>. The
entire ex%edition to where the last ho#ses are( is a $ind o! meta%hysical 4sl#mming %arty5 =in
*nglish in original>( an eent o! %atriarchal meanness( in!lating itsel! twice oer( by !irst raising
the distance between the male "%irit =Geist> and !emale nat#re into something immeas#rable and
then dra%ing the s#%reme %ower( which ta$es bac$ een its sel!.created distinction( as the highest
beneolence. The bo#rgeoisie needs the bayadere( not merely !or the sa$e o! %leas#re( which
they sim#ltaneo#sly begr#dge her !or( b#t in order to !eel li$e a god. The closer they a%%roach
the edge o! their realm and !orget their dignity( the crasser the rit#al o! iolence. The night has its
%leas#re( b#t the whore is neertheless b#rnt. The rest is the idea.
//H
Spoilsport. 9 The a!!inity between asceticism and e#%horia( noted by the h#mdr#m wisdom o!
%sychology( the loe.hate between saints and whores( has the ob8ectiely alid gro#nd( that
asceticism accords to !#l!illment more o! its rights than c#lt#ral installment.%ayments. The
hostility to %leas#re is certainly not to be se%arated !rom the consens#s with the disci%line o! a
society( which has its essence ='esen> in demanding more than it grants in ret#rn. B#t there is
also a mistr#st against %leas#re which comes !rom the int#ition( that the latter is in this world
nothing o! the sort. A constr#ction o! "cho%enha#er #nconscio#sly ex%ressed something o! this
int#ition. The transition !rom the a!!irmation to the re%#diation o! the will to li!e occ#rs in the
deelo%ment o! the tho#ght( that in eery delimitation o! the will by a barrier 4which is %laced...
between it and its !ormer goal5 there is s#!!ering@ in contrast( 4its attainment o! the goal5 wo#ld
be 4satis!action( well.being( ha%%iness.5 'hile s#ch 4s#!!ering5( according to "cho%enha#er2s
intransigent cognition( co#ld easily eno#gh grow to the %oint that death itsel! wo#ld be
%re!erable( the condition o! 4satis!action5 is itsel! #nsatis!ying( beca#se 4as soon as a shelter is
granted to h#man beings !rom #rgent necessity and s#!!ering( boredom is so close at hand( that it
re3#ires the $illing o! time. 'hat occ#%ies all liing beings and $ee%s them in motion( is the
striing !or existence =Dasein>. They don2t $now what to do with existence( howeer( what it is
ass#red: th#s the second thing( which they set into motion( is the striing to be !ree o! the b#rden
o! existence( to ma$e it im%erce%tible( Sto $ill time2( that is( to esca%e boredom.5 -"cho%enha#er(
Aollected 'or$s( Grand D#$e 'ilhelm.*rnst *dition( &ol#me 1: The 'orld as 'ill and 1dea. 1.
1ntrod#ction by *d#ard Grisebach. 6ei%:ig /C20( %g )/50. B#t the conce%t o! this boredom
which is s#blated to s#ch #ns#s%ected dignity( is something which "cho%enha#er2s sensibility(
which is hostile to history( wo#ld least li$e to admit 9 bo#rgeois thro#gh and thro#gh. 1t is( as
the ex%erience o! antithetical 4!ree time5( the com%lement o! alienated labor( whether this !ree
time is s#%%osed to merely re%rod#ce ex%ended energy( or whether it is b#rdened by the
extraction o! alien labor as a mortgage. 7ree time remains the re!lex o! the rhythm o! %rod#ction
as something im%osed heteronomo#sly( to which the !ormer is com%#lsorily held !ast een in
%eriods o! weariness. The conscio#sness o! the #n!reedom o! all existence( which the %ress#re o!
the demands o! commerce( and th#s #n!reedom itsel!( does not allow to a%%ear( emerges !irst in
the interme::o o! !reedom. The nostalgie d# dimanche =7rench: "#nday nostalgia> is not
homesic$ness !or the wor$wee$( b#t !or the condition which is emanci%ated !rom this@ "#ndays
are #nsatis!ying( not beca#se they are obsered( b#t beca#se its own %romise immediately
re%resents itsel! at the same time as something #n!#l!illed@ li$e the *nglish one( eery "#nday is
too little "#nday. Those !or who time %ain!#lly extends itsel!( who wait in ain( are disa%%ointed
that it !ailed to ha%%en( that tomorrow goes %ast once more 8#st li$e yesterday. The boredom o!
those howeer who do not need to wor$( is not !#ndamentally di!!erent !rom this. "ociety as a
totality im%oses( on those with administratie %ower( what they do to others( and what these
latter may not do( the !ormer will scarcely %ermit themseles. The bo#rgeoisie hae t#rned
satiety( which o#ght to be the close relation o! ecstasy( into an e%ithet. Beca#se others go h#ngry(
ideology demands that the absence o! h#nger sho#ld co#nt as #lgar. Th#s the bo#rgeoisie indict
the bo#rgeoisie. Their own existence( as exem%t !rom labor( %reents any %raise o! la:iness: the
latter wo#ld be boring. The hectic b#stle( which "cho%enha#er re!ers to( is d#e less to the
#nbearable nat#re o! the %riileged condition than to its ostentation( which according to the
historical sit#ation either enlarges the social distance or seemingly red#ces s#ch thro#gh
%res#mably im%ortant eents and ceremonies( which are s#%%osed to em%hasi:e the #se!#lness o!
the masters. 1! those at the to% tr#ly !elt bored( this stems not !rom too m#ch ha%%iness( b#t !rom
the !act that they are mar$ed by the general #nha%%iness@ by the commodity character( which
consigns the %leas#res to idiocy( by the br#tality o! command( whose terri!ying echo reso#nds in
the high s%irits o! the r#lers( !inally by their !ear o! their own s#%er!l#o#sness. Noone who
%ro!its !rom the %ro!it.system is ca%able o! existing therein witho#t shame( and it distorts een
#ndistorted %leas#re( altho#gh the excesses( which the %hiloso%hers eny( may by no means be
so boring as they ass#re #s. That boredom wo#ld disa%%ear in reali:ed !reedom( is something
o#chsa!ed by many ex%eriences stolen !rom ciili:ation. The saying omne animal %ost coit#m
triste =6atin: all animals are sad a!ter mating> was deised by bo#rgeois contem%t !or h#manity:
nowhere more than here does what is h#man disting#ish itsel! !rom creat#rely sorrow. Not
e#%horia b#t socially a%%roed loe elicits disg#st: the latter is( in 1bsen2s word( stic$y. Those
who are dee%ly moed by erotic sentiment trans!orm !atig#e into the %lea !or tenderness( and
momentary sex#al inca%acity is #nderstood as accidental( entirely external to %assion. 1t is not !or
nothing that Ba#delaire tho#ght the bondage o! erotic obsession together with the ill#minating
s%irit#ali:ation( naming $iss( scent and conersation e3#ally immortal. The transience o!
%leas#re( on which asceticism sta$es its claim( stands !or the !act that exce%t in the min#tes
he#re#ses =7rench: ha%%y min#tes>( in which the !orgotten li!e o! the loer radiates !rom the
arms and limbs o! the beloed( there is no %leas#re yet at all. *en the Ahristian den#nciation o!
sex in Tolstoy2s =reut<er Sonata cannot entirely cancel o#t the memory o! this in the middle o!
all the Aa%#cin.style %reaching. 'hat he re%roaches sens#o#s loe !or( is not only the
grandiosely oerweening theological moti! o! sel!.denial( that no h#man being may t#rn another
into an ob8ect 9 act#ally th#s a %rotest against %atriarchal control 9 b#t at the same time the
memoriali:ation o! the bo#rgeois mal!ormation o! sex( in its m#r$y entanglement with eery
material interest( in marriage as a h#miliating com%romise( howeer m#ch o! an #nderc#rrent o!
Ro#ssea#2s resentment against %leas#re raised to re!lection r#ns in this. The attac$ on the %eriod
o! the engagement is aimed at the !amily %hotogra%h( which resemblance the word
4bridegroom5. SAnd moreoer there was that ridic#lo#s c#stom o! giing sweets( o! coarse
gormandi:ing on sweets( and all those abominable %re%arations !or the wedding: remar$s abo#t
the ho#se( the bedroom( beds( wra%s( dressing.gowns( #nderclothing( cost#mes.2 =The =reut<er
Sonata( trans. R. G#sta!son( <x!ord G+: /CCK( %g /0K> ?e similarly moc$s the honeymoon(
which is com%ared to the disa%%ointment a!ter isiting an Sextremely #ninteresting2 !airgro#nd
booth( extolled by a haw$er. The exha#sted senses are less to blame !or this dDgoWt =7rench:
disg#st> than what is instit#tionali:ed( ordained( %re!abricated in %leas#re( its !alse immanence in
the social order which ad8#sts it and t#rns it into something deathly sad( in the moment it is
decreed. "#ch contrariness may grow to the %oint that all e#%horia #ltimately %re!ers to cease(
inside ren#nciation( rather than iolating the conce%t o! e#%horia thro#gh its reali:ation.
//)
0eliotrope. 9 Those awaiting the isit o! the %arents2 g#ests( !ind their hearts beating with greater
ex%ectation than be!ore Ahristmas. 1t is not d#e to the %resents( b#t to a trans!ormed li!e. The
%er!#me( which the lady g#est %laces on the b#rea#( while one is %ermitted to watch the
#n%ac$ing( has a scent li$e memory( een when it is inhaled !or the !irst time. The l#ggage with
the stic$ers !rom the ?otel "#retta =!amo#s hotel in "t. ;orit:( "wit:erland> and ;adonna di
Aam%iglio =!amo#s hotel in Domolite mo#ntains o! 1taly( near Trentino> are chests( in which the
%recio#s gems o! Aladdin and Ali Baba( wra%%ed in ex%ensie cloth( the $imonos o! g#ests( are
borne o#t o! the caraanserais o! "wit:erland and so#th Tyrol on slee%ing.wagon c#shions !or
sated obseration. And 8#st as !airies tal$ to children in !airy.tales( so too does the g#est tal$
earnestly( witho#t condescension( to the children o! the ho#se. They as$ $nowledgeably abo#t
lands and %eo%les( and the g#est( not ac3#ainted with their daily habits and seeing nothing b#t
the !ascination in their eyes( answers with %ro!o#nd statements abo#t the !eeble.mindedness o! a
brother.in.law and the marital s%ats o! the ne%hews. Th#s the children !eel acce%ted at a stro$e
into the mighty and secret alliance o! ad#lts( the magic circle o! reasonable %eo%le. The r#les o!
the day are s#s%ended 9 %erha%s tomorrow they may een be allowed to s$i% school 9 along with
the borders between the generations( and whoeer has not been sent to bed by eleen o2cloc$ has
an in$ling o! tr#e %romisc#ity. The single isit ordains Th#rsday as a !estial( in whose e#%horia
all o! h#manity seems to be inited. 7or the g#est comes !rom !ar away. The g#est2s a%%earance
%romises the children something beyond the !amily and reminds them that this latter is not the
only thing. The longing !or inchoate ha%%iness( in the %ond o! salamanders and stor$s( which the
child %ain!#lly learned to restrain and which is distorted by the bogeyman o! the blac$ man( o!
the illain who wishes to $idna% them 9 here the children !ind that longing again( witho#t !ear.
Amidst the nearest and dearest( there a%%ears the !ig#re o! what is di!!erent. The !ort#ne.telling
gy%sy( who is let into the !ront door( is absoled in the lady isitor and trans!ig#red into a
resc#ing angel. "he dis%els the c#rse on the ha%%iness o! what is nearest o! all( by wedding it to
what is most distant. The entire being =Dasein> o! the child waits !or this( and whoeer does not
!orget the best %art o! childhood( m#st still be able to wait li$e this. 6oe co#nts the ho#rs #ntil
the moment the %arents2 g#ests ste% oer the threshold and once again reconstr#ct the washed.o#t
li!e thro#gh something im%erce%tible: 4?ere 1 am again O bac$ !rom the wide world5. =lines !rom
;Uri$e2s +eregrina>
//5
Pure "ine =%art o! !ig#ratie German ex%ression( 4to gie someone %#re wine5( i.e. to tell
someone the #narnished tr#th>. 9 There is an almost !ool%roo! criteri#m !or determining
whether a h#man being means yo# well: how they %ass on #n!riendly or hostile comments abo#t
yo#. "#ch re%orts are mostly s#%er!l#o#s( nothing b#t %retexts !or ex%ressing ill.wishes witho#t
res%onsibility( een in the name o! what is good. ,#st as all ac3#aintances !eel the inclination( to
occasionally say something bad abo#t someone( %robably beca#se they rebel against the greyness
o! the ac3#aintance( so is eeryone sim#ltaneo#sly sensitie to the iews o! eeryone else and
secretly wish that they were loed( een where they do not loe: the alienation between h#man
beings is no less indiscriminate and #niersal than the longing to brea$ thro#gh it. The news.
haw$er blossoms in this climate( !or there is neer any lac$ o! material or calamities( and they
can always co#nt on the !act that those who wish to be li$ed by all( are agog to hear news o! the
o%%osite. <ne sho#ld relay derogatory remar$s only when they immediately and trans%arently
in!l#ence common decisions( to 8#dgements o! h#man beings one m#st rely #%on( or with whom
one has to wor$. The more disinterested the re%ort( the m#r$ier the interest( the s#%%ressed
%leas#re( in in!licting %ain. 1t is still harmless( i! story.tellers sim%ly wish to set two %arties
against each other while sim#ltaneo#sly %#tting their own 3#alities in the s%otlight. ;ore o!ten
they re%resent themseles as the #nelected arbiters o! %#blic o%inion and thereby im%ress(
%recisely thro#gh their a!!ectless ob8ectiity( the entire iolence o! anonymity #%on the ictim(
be!ore which this last is s#%%osed to bow. The lie becomes isible in the #nnecessary concern !or
the honor o! the one in8#red( who $nows nothing o! the in8#ry( !or clear relationshi%s( !or inner
%#rity: #%holding these latter in the entangled world only enco#rages( on the model o! Gregers
'erle =character in 1bsen2s Wild Duck>( entanglement. By irt#e o! moral !eror( the well.
meaning t#rn into destroyers.
//J
$nd >ust hear# ho" e'il he "as. 9 Those who hae #nex%ectedly ended #% !acing li!e.threatening
dangers( sheer catastro%hes( o!ten re%ort that they were to a s#r%rising extent !ree o! !ear. The
general terror does not t#rn s%eci!ically against them( b#t stri$es them as mere inhabitants o! a
city( members o! a larger association. They ada%t to what is accidental( what is inanimate( as it
were( as i! it didn2t really concern them. The lac$ o! !ear has its %sychological ex%lanation in the
lac$ o! readiness to be a!raid is.a.is the oer%owering blow. The !reedom o! eyewitnesses has
something damaged abo#t it( something related to a%athy. The %sychic organism( li$e the body( is
com%atible with ex%eriences o! an order o! magnit#de similar to itsel!. 1! the ob8ect o! ex%erience
is raised o#t o! %ro%ortion to the indiid#al =1ndiid##m>( then the latter act#ally doesn2t
ex%erience it anymore( b#t registers the !ormer #nmediatedly( thro#gh the non.int#itie conce%t(
as something external to itsel!( something incommens#rable( to which the latter relates as coldly
as to the catastro%hic shoc$. There is an analogy to this in what is moral. 'hoeer commits acts(
which are egregio#sly #n8#st according to ac$nowledged norms( s#ch as ta$ing reenge on
enemies( or re!#sing to be sym%athetic( is scarcely conscio#s o! their g#ilt and comes to reali:e
this only with %ain!#l e!!ort. The doctrine o! reasons o! state( the se%aration o! ethics =;oral> and
%olitics is not #nto#ched by this state o! a!!airs. 1ts meaning stems !rom the extreme o%%osition
between %#blic essence ='esen> and indiid#al existence. The ma8or crime %resents itsel! to the
indiid#al =1ndiid##m> in large %art as a mere misdemeanor against conention( not merely
beca#se the norms which it in8#res are themseles something conentional( !ro:en( #nbinding on
the liing s#b8ect( b#t beca#se their ob8ecti!ication as s#ch( een where they are !o#nded on
s#bstance( eades the moral inneration( the realm o! the conscience. The tho#ght o! s%eci!ic acts
o! tactlessness howeer( the microorganisms o! in8#stice( which %erha%s noone else noticed 9
that someone sits down too early in com%any( or %#t the g#ests2 name.tags down d#ring tea.time(
rather than at dinner( as is c#stomary 9 s#ch triialities may !ill the delin3#ent one with
irre%roachable remorse and a %assionately bad conscience( at times with s#ch a b#rning shame(
that they cannot allow themseles to be %ardoned by any other h#man being and %re!erably not
een by themseles. They are therein by no means as noble as all that( !or they $now( that the
society which has no ob8ections against inh#manity( ob8ects all the more strongly to miscond#ct(
and that a man who sends away his loer and o#ches !or himsel! as an #%right man( can be s#re
o! social a%%roal( while the man who res%ect!#lly $isses the hand o! an oerly yo#ng girl !rom a
good !amily( earns himsel! ridic#le. ?oweer these l#x#rio#sly narcissistic concerns a!!ord a
second as%ect: that o! the re!#ge o! ex%erience( which rebo#nds !rom the ob8ecti!ied social order.
The s#b8ect reaches into the smallest !eat#res o! what is correct or incorrect and is ca%able o!
o#ching !or itsel! therein as acting rightly or wrongly@ its indi!!erence towards moral g#ilt(
howeer( is tinged with the conscio#sness that the %owerlessness o! one2s own decision grows
with the dimension o! their ob8ect. 1! one established in retros%ect( that by !ailing to call one2s
girl!riend a!ter an #gly 3#arrel( this in !act ended the relationshi%( then there is something !aintly
comic in the conce%tion o! this@ it so#nds li$e the m#te girl in +ortici =character in Daniel
A#ber2s /L2L o%era The Mute irl of Portici>. 4;#rder5( goes an *llery R#een detectie noel(
4is so... news%a%ery. 1t doesn2t ha%%en to yo#. No# read abo#t it in a %a%er( or in a detectie story(
and it ma$es yo# wriggle with disg#st( or sym%athy. B#t it doesn2t mean anything.5 =R#ote in
*nglish in original> That is why a#thors li$e Thomas ;ann hae described the catastro%hes
broadcast in the news%a%ers( ranging !rom train accidents to crimes o! %assion( grotes3#ely 9
ensorceling( as it were( the irresistible la#ghter which the solemn %om% o! a b#rial wo#ld
otherwise %roo$e( by ma$ing it the a!!air ="ache> o! the %oetic s#b8ect. 1n contrast to this(
minimal iolations are !or that reason releant( beca#se we can see good and eil in them(
witho#t smiling( een i! o#r earnestness is a bit del#sory. 1n them we learn to deal with what is
ethical =;oralischen>( !eeling it in o#r s$in 9 as bl#shing 9 ma$ing it the s#b8ect2s own( the
s#b8ect which glances as hel%lessly at the gigantic moral.law in itsel! as at the star.st#dded
heaens( which the !ormer is badly modeled a!ter. That these occ#rrences wo#ld be amoral in
themseles( while neertheless s%ontaneo#sly good im%#lses( h#man sym%athy witho#t the
%athos o! maxims( also occ#rs( does not deal#e the in!at#ation in what is %ro%er. 7or by
ex%ressing the generality straightaway( witho#t bothering abo#t alienation( the good im%#lse
easily eno#gh %ermits the s#b8ect to a%%ear as something alienated !rom itsel!( as a mere agent o!
commandments( with which that s#b8ect imagines itsel! to be as one: as a s%lendid h#man being.
Aonersely( those whose ethical im%#lse is oriented to what is external( !etishistic conention( is
ca%able o! gras%ing the generality( in the s#!!ering o! the #ns#r%assable diergence o! inner and
o#ter 9 indeed by holding !ast to this diergence in its hardening 9 witho#t sacri!icing
themseles and the tr#th o! their ex%erience to s#ch. Their oer.oltage =Xbers%ann#ng> o! all
distance intends reconciliation. That is why the behaior o! monomaniacs is not witho#t some
8#sti!ication in the ob8ect. 1n the s%here o! daily interactions( on which they insist( all a%orias o!
the !alse li!e ret#rn( and what their blind alley has to do with the whole( is that only there can
they carry o#t the %aradigmatic con!lict in strictness and !reedom( which otherwise esca%es their
reach. 1n contrast( whoeer con!orms in their mode o! reaction with social reality( !inds their
%riate li!e cond#cting itsel! as !ormlessly( as the estimation o! %ower.relations which com%els
its !orm on them. They hae the inclination( whereer they esca%e the s#%erision o! the external
world( whereer they !eel at home in the ex%anded realm in their own ego( to reeal themseles
to be inconsiderate and br#tal. They reenge themseles on those who are near to them( !or all
the disci%line and all the ren#nciation o! the immediate ex%ression o! aggression( which was
im%osed on the !ormer !rom a distance. They behae %olitely and with co#rtesy on the o#tside(
towards ob8ectie enemies( b#t with coldness and hostility in !riendly circles. 'here ciili:ation
as sel!.%reseration does not com%el them towards h#manity( they gie !ree reign to their rage
against s#ch and reb#t their own ideology o! home( !amily and comm#nity. 1t is against this
which ethics =;oral>( howeer micrologically del#ded( is aimed. 1t detects in the relaxed
!amiliarity( in what is !ormless( the mere %retext !or iolence( the a%%eal to be good to each other(
in order to be as maleolent as one wants to be. 1t s#b8#gates what is intimate to the critical
claim( beca#se intimacies alienate( gro%e towards the inconceiably !ine a#ra o! the other( which
!irst crowns them to a s#b8ect. "olely the ac$nowledgment o! distance in who or what is most
near =NIchste> mitigates !oreignness: acce%ted into conscio#sness. ?oweer the claim o!
#ndiminished( already achieed nearness( the !lat denial o! !oreignness( does the #tmost in8#stice
to the other( irt#ally negating them as %artic#lar h#man beings and thereby what is h#man in
them( 4adds them #%5( incor%orates them into the inentory o! %ro%erty. 'hereer what is
#nmediated %osits and ensconces itsel!( the bad mediacy o! society is thereby insidio#sly
a!!irmed. The iss#e ="ache> o! immediacy can be ta$en #% only by the most ca#tio#s o!
re!lections. The test o! this is made in the smallest o! all things.
//K
%l ser'o padrone. =1talian: the master as serant> 9 1n regards to the d#ll.witted tas$s( which are
demanded by the r#ling c#lt#re !rom s#bordinate classes( these latter become ca%able o! s#ch
solely thro#gh %ermanent regression. +recisely what is #n!ormed in them is the %rod#ct o! social
!orm. The creation o! barbarians thro#gh c#lt#re is howeer constantly de%loyed by this latter( in
order to %resere its own barbaric essence. Domination delegates the %hysical iolence( on which
it rests( to the dominated. 'hile these latter are gien the o%%ort#nity o! letting o!! steam with
their war%ed instincts in what is collectiely 8#sti!ied and %ro%er( they learn to %ractice what the
noble ones re3#ire( so that they hae what it ta$es to let the noble ones remain noble. The sel!.
ed#cation o! the r#ling cli3#e( with all o! the disci%line( throttling o! eery immediate im%#lse(
cynical s$e%ticism and blind %leas#re in command it demands( wo#ld not exist i! the o%%ressor
did not in!lict( thro#gh those who are o%%ressed( a %iece o! the o%%ression on themseles( which
they in!lict on others. That is why the %sychological di!!erences between the classes are so m#ch
slighter than the ob8ectie.economic ones. The harmony o! what is irreconcilable comes to
bene!it the contin#ation o! the bad totality. The nastiness o! the higher.#%s and the g#tsiness o!
the low.born #nderstand each other. 7rom the serants and goernors( who b#lly the children o!
good ho#seholds to teach them a lesson abo#t li!e( to the teachers !rom 'esterwald( who drie
the #sage o! !oreign words as well as all %leas#re in lang#age o#t o! them( to the o!!icials and
cler$s( who ma$e them stand in line( the %etty o!!icers( who ste% on them( things go straight as a
rail to the tort#rers o! the Gesta%o and the b#rea#crats o! the gas chambers. The im%#lses o! the
#%%er classes themseles s%ea$ early in !aor o! the delegation o! iolence to the lower ones.
'hoeer !ears the good breeding o! the %arents( !lees into the $itchen and warms themseles on
the energetic ex%ressions o! the coo$( which are secretly gien oer to the %rinci%le o! %arental
good.breeding. The !ine %eo%le are drawn to the #nre!ined ones( whose br#tality dece%tiely
a#g#rs( what the c#lt#re o! the !ormer is s#%%osed to bring. They do not $now( that what is
#nre!ined( which a%%ears to them as anarchic nat#re( is nothing b#t the re!lex o! the com%#lsion(
against which they sti!!en themseles. 'hat mediates between the class solidarity o! the #%%er
classes and their ingratiation towards the delegates o! the lower classes is their 8#sti!ied !eeling
o! g#ilt towards the %oor. 'hoeer who doesn2t !it in( who learns howeer to !it in( who is
sat#rated by 4that2s how things are done here5 into the innermost core( #ltimately t#rns into one
themseles. Bettelheim2s obseration on the identi!ication o! the ictims with the exec#tioners o!
the Na:i cam%s contains a 8#dgement on the higher seeding.gro#nds o! c#lt#re( the *nglish
4%#blic school5 =in *nglish in original>( the German o!!icer academy. The abs#rdity %er%et#ates
itsel!: domination re%rod#ces itsel! all the way thro#gh the dominated.
//L
Do"n"ards and e'er further. =3#ote !rom "ch#bert song> 9 The %riate relations between h#man
beings seem to !orm themseles according to the model o! the ind#strial 4bottlenec$5 =in *nglish
in original>. *en in the smallest comm#nity( the leel is determined by the most s#baltern o! its
members. 'hoeer says something in a conersation which is beyond the gras% o! a single
%erson( becomes tactless. 7or the sa$e o! h#manity( the conersation is restricted to what is
nearest( most d#ll.witted and banal( een i! only one inh#man isage is %resent. "ince the world
has stolen s%eech !rom h#man beings( those who cannot be tal$ed to are in the right. They need
only st#bbornly insist on their interest and their constit#tion( in order to %reail. The !act that the
other( trying in ain to establish contact( ends #% #sing a %leading or soliciting cadence( ma$es
them wea$er. "ince the 4bottlenec$5 =in *nglish in original> $nows no a#thority( which wo#ld be
higher than what is !act#al( while tho#ght and s%eech necessarily re!er to s#ch an a#thority(
intelligence t#rns into naiete( and this is what the $n#c$leheads irre!#tably %erceie. The
o!!icial !ealty to what is %ositie acts li$e graity( drawing eeryone down. 1t shows its
s#%eriority to the o%%osing im%#lse( by re!#sing to een deal with the latter. Those who are more
di!!erentiated( who do not wish to %erish( remain strictly constrained by the consideration o!
eeryone who is inconsiderate. These latter need no longer be %lag#ed by the dis3#iet o!
conscio#sness. 1ntellect#al wea$ness( con!irmed as a #niersal %rinci%le( a%%ears as the energy to
lie. 7ormalistic.administratie tas$ management( the des$.drawer se%aration o! eerything
which only has meaning as something inse%arable( the b#ll.headed insistence on arbitrary
o%inions in the absence o! any !o#ndation( in short the %ractice o! rei!ying eery stage o! the
!ailed ego.!ormation( withdrawing the latter !rom the %rocess o! ex%erience and then maintaining
it as a !inal 4that2s 8#st how 1 am5( s#!!ices to con3#er im%regnable %ositions. <ne may be as
certain o! the #nderstanding o! others( who are similarly mal!ormed( as o! one2s own adantage.
1n the cynical sel!.tr#m%eting o! one2s own de!ect l#r$s the int#ition( that the ob8ectie "%irit
=Geist> is li3#idating the s#b8ectie one at the contem%orary stage. They are 4down to earth5 =in
*nglish in original> li$e the :oological !orebears( be!ore these latter stood erect on their hind
legs.
//C
Model 'irtue. 9 1t is well.$nown how o%%ression and ethics =;oral> conerge in the ren#nciation
o! the dries. B#t the ethical ideas do not merely o%%ress other ones( b#t are immediately deried
!rom the existence o! the o%%ressor. "ince ?omer( the conce%ts o! good and wealth are
intertwined in the Gree$ lang#age. The $alo$agathie =Gree$: %er!ection>( which was #%held by
the h#manists o! modern society as a model o! aesthetic.ethical harmony( has always %#t a heay
em%hasis on %ro%erty( and Aristotele2s Politics o%enly con!essed the !#sion o! inner al#e with
stat#s in the determination o! nobility( as 4inherited wealth( which is connected with excellence5.
The conce%t o! the %olis =Gree$: city.state> in classical anti3#ity( which #%held internali:ed and
externali:ed nat#re ='esen>( the alidity o! the indiid#al =1ndiid##m> in the city.state and the
indiid#al2s sel! as a #nity( %ermitted it to ascribe moral ran$ to wealth( witho#t inciting the
cr#de s#s%icion( which the doctrine already at that time co#rted. 1! the isible e!!ect on an
existent state establishes the meas#re o! a h#man being( then it is nothing b#t consistency to
o#chsa!e the material wealth( which tangibly con!irms that e!!ect( as the characteristic o! the
%erson( since the latter2s moral s#bstance 9 8#st as later in ?egel2s %hiloso%hy 9 is s#%%osed to be
constit#ted on nothing other than their %artici%ation in the ob8ectie( social s#bstance.
Ahristianity !irst negated that identi!ication( in the %hrase that it wo#ld be easier to %ass a camel
thro#gh the eye o! a needle than !or a rich %erson to enter heaen. B#t the %artic#lar theological
%remise on ol#ntary chosen %oerty indicates how dee%ly the general conscio#sness is stam%ed
by the ethos =;oralitIt> o! %ro%erty. 7ixed %ro%erty is to be disting#ished !rom the nomadic
disorder( against which all norms are directed@ to be good and to hae goods( coincided !rom the
beginning. Good %eo%le are those who control themseles as their own %ossessions: their
a#tonomo#s nat#re ='esen> is modeled on material dis%osition. The rich are there!ore not to be
acc#sed o! being #nethical 9 that re%roach has eer belonged to the armat#re o! %olitical
o%%ression 9 b#t gien to #nderstand( that they re%resent ethics =;oral> to others. 1n this latter is
re!lected haing =?abe>. 'ealth as goodliness =G#tsein: haing goodsObeing good> is an element
o! the mortar o! the world: the hard.bitten a%%earance ="chein> o! s#ch identity hinders the
con!rontation o! the moral idea with the social order( in which the rich are right( while at the
same time determinations o! what is ethical di!!erent than those deried !rom wealth cannot be
conce%t#ali:ed. The more that the indiid#al =1ndiid##m> and society later dierged in the
com%etition o! interests( and the more the !ormer is thrown bac$ on itsel!( the more st#bbornly
do indiid#als hold onto the conce%tion o! moral nat#re ='esen> as wealth. 1t is s#%%osed to
o#ch !or the %ossibility o! re#ni!ying what has been diided in two( into inside and o#tside.
That is the secret o! the inner.worldly asceticism( which ;ax 'eber wrongly hy%ostati:ed as the
limitless exertion o! the b#sinessman ad ma8orem dei gloriam =6atin: to the greater glory o!
God>. ;aterial s#ccess binds indiid#al =1ndiid##m> and society not merely in the com!ortable
and meanwhile d#bio#s sense( that the rich can esca%e loneliness( b#t in a !ar more radical sense:
i! the blind( isolated sel!.interest is drien only !ar eno#gh( then it %asses oer( along with the
economic one( into social %ower and reeals itsel! to be the incarnation o! a #niersally binding
%rinci%le. 'hoeer is rich or ac3#ires wealth( ex%eriences what is attained by the ego( 4by one2s
own initiatie5( as what the ob8ectie "%irit =Geist>( the tr#ly irrational %redestination o! a society
held together by br#tal economic ine3#ality( has willed. Th#s the rich may rec$on as
beneolence( what testi!ies only to its absence. To themseles and to others( they ex%erience
themseles as the reali:ation o! the general %rinci%le. Beca#se this latter is in8#stice( that is why
the #n8#st t#rn reg#larly into the 8#st( and not as mere ill#sion( b#t borne o#t o! the hegemony o!
the law( according to which society re%rod#ces itsel!. The wealth o! the indiid#al is inse%arable
!rom %rogress in society as 4%rehistory5. The rich dis%ose oer the means o! %rod#ction.
Aonse3#ently the technical %rogress( in which the entire society %artici%ates( is acco#nted !or
%rimarily as 4their5 %rogress( today that o! ind#stry( and the 7ords necessarily a%%ear to be
bene!actors( to the same degree which they in !act are( gien the !ramewor$ o! the existing
relations o! %rod#ction. Their %riilege( already established in adance( ma$es it seem as i! they
were giing #% what is theirs 9 namely the increase on the side o! #se.al#e 9 while those who
are receiing their administered blessings are getting bac$ only %art o! the %ro!it. That is the
gro#nd o! the character o! del#sion o! ethical hierarchy. +oerty has indeed always been glori!ied
as asceticism( the social condition !or the ac3#isition o! %recisely the wealth in which morality
="ittlich$eit> is mani!ested( b#t neertheless 4what a man is worth5 =in *nglish in original>
signi!ies( as eeryone $nows( the ban$ acco#nt 9 in the 8argon o! the German merchants( 4the
man is good5( i.e. they can %ay. 'hat howeer the reasons o! state o! the almighty economy so
cynically con!esses( reaches #nac$nowledged into the mode o! cond#ct o! indiid#als. The
generosity in %riate interco#rse( which the rich can %res#mably allow themseles( the re!lected
glow o! ha%%iness( which rests on them( and something o! this !alls on eeryone who they
consort with( all this eils them. They remain nice( 4the right %eo%le5 =in *nglish in original>( the
better ty%es( the good. 'ealth distances itsel! !rom immediate in8#stice. The g#ard beats stri$ers
with a billy cl#b( the son o! the !actory.owner may occasionally drin$ a whis$y with the
%rogressie a#thor. According to all desiderata o! %riate ethics =;oral>( een the most adanced
$ind( the rich co#ld( i! they only co#ld( in !act always better be than the %oor. This %ossibility(
while tr#ly indeed le!t #n#sed( %lays its role in the ideology o! those who do not hae it: een the
conicted con artist( who may anyway be %re!erable to the legitimate boss o! the tr#sts( is !amo#s
!or haing s#ch a bea#ti!#l ho#se( and the highly %aid exec#tie t#rns into a warm h#man being(
the moment they sere an o%#lent dinner. Today2s barbaric religion o! s#ccess is accordingly not
sim%ly co#nter.ethical =widermoralisch>( rather it is the home.coming o! the 'est to the
enerable morals ="itten> o! the !athers. *en the norms( which condemn the arrangement o! the
world( owe their existence to the latter2s own mischie! =Gnwesen>. All ethics =;oral> is !ormed
on the model o! what is #nethical =Gnmoral>( and to this day re%rod#ces the latter at eery stage.
"lae.ethics ="$laenmoral> is in !act bad: it is still only master.ethics =?errenmoral>.
/20
=night of the rose. =<%era by Richard "tra#ss> 9 *legant %eo%le are attractie d#e to the
ex%ectation that they are !ree in %riate !rom the greed !or the adantages( which !low to them
!rom their %osition( and !rom the st#bborn %re8#dice in the closest relationshi%s( which is ca#sed
by the narrowness o! these last. <ne has con!idence in their %leas#re o! adent#re in tho#ght(
soereignty is.a.is the state o! their own interests( and re!inement o! !orms o! reaction(
thin$ing that their sensitiity wo#ld t#rn at least in "%irit =Geist> against the br#tality on which
their %riilege de%ends( while the ictims scarcely hae the %ossibility to recogni:e what ma$es
them s#ch. 1! howeer the se%aration o! %rod#ction and the %riate.s%here #ltimately %roes to
be a %iece o! necessary social a%%earance ="cheins>( then this ex%ectation o! #nbo#nd s%irit#ality
m#st be disa%%ointed. *en the most s#btle snobbery has nothing o! dDgoWt =7rench: disg#st>
is.a.is its ob8ectie %rere3#isite( b#t rather seals itsel! o!! !rom its cognition. 1t is an o%en
3#estion as to what extent the 7rench aristocracy o! the /L
th
cent#ry too$ %art( %lay!#lly.
s#icidally( in the enlightenment and the %re%aration !or the reol#tion( a %artici%ation which the
anti%athy against the terrorists o! irt#e was so glad to imagine. The bo#rgeoisie in any case has
$e%t itsel! !ree in its later %hase !rom s#ch inclinations. Noone dances anymore on the olcano(
otherwise they wo#ld be declassed. "#b8ectiely( too( the 4society5 =in *nglish in original> is so
thoro#ghly stam%ed by the economic %rinci%le( whose manner o! rationality concerns the whole(
that the emanci%ation !rom interests 9 een merely as intellect#al l#x#ry 9 is !orbidden. ,#st as
they are not ca%able o! en8oying their immeas#rably ex%anded wealth( they are e3#ally inca%able
o! thin$ing against themseles. The search !or !riolity is in ain. 'hat hel%s to eternali:e the
real distinction between the #%%er and lower strata( is the !act that the distinction between the
modes o! conscio#sness( both here and there( is anishing more and more. The %oor are
%reented !rom thin$ing by the disci%line o! others( the rich !rom that o! their own. The
conscio#sness o! the r#lers is inscribing in all "%irit =Geist>( what %reio#sly religion end#red.
A#lt#re t#rns !or the high bo#rgeoisie into an element o! re%resentation. That one is cleer or
ed#cated( is ran$ed #nder the 3#alities which ma$e one worthy o! initation or marriage( li$e
horse.riding s$ills( loe o! nat#re( charm or a !a#ltlessly tailored s#it. They are not c#rio#s abo#t
cognition. 7ree o! cares( they mostly b#sy themseles with m#ndane details( 8#st li$e the small
bo#rgeoisie. They !#rnish ho#ses( throw %arties( ma$e hotel and air%lane reserations with
irt#osity. <therwise they no#rish themseles on the re!#se o! *#ro%ean irrationalism. They
bl#ntly 8#sti!y their own hostility to the intellect =Geist!eindscha!t>( already s#s%ecting 9 and not
#n8#stly 9 something s#bersie in thin$ing itsel!( in the inde%endence !rom anything which is
already gien or already existing. ,#st as in Niet:sche2s time( when ed#cated %hilistines belieed
in %rogress( the #ni!ormly higher deelo%ment o! the masses and the greatest %ossible ha%%iness
o! the greatest %ossible n#mber( so too do they beliee today( witho#t 3#ite $nowing it( in the
o%%osite: the reocation o! /KLC( the incorrigibility o! h#man nat#re( the anthro%ological
im%ossibility o! ha%%iness 9 act#ally only that things are all too good !or the wor$ers. The
%ro!#ndity o! yesteryear has recoiled into the most extreme banality. <! Niet:sche and Bergson(
the last canoni:ed %hiloso%hers( nothing remains b#t the m#r$iest anti.intellect#alism in the
name o! the nat#re( which its a%ologists m#tilate. 4Nothing is more annoying to me abo#t the
Third Reich5( said in /CHH the ,ewish woman o! a general director( who was later m#rdered in
+oland( 4than the !act that we can no longer #se the word earthly( beca#se the Na:is hae
im%o#nded it5( and een a!ter the down!all o! the 7ascists( the attractie A#strian lady o! a
wealthy ho#se( on meeting a labor #nion leader at a coc$tail %arty with a re%#tation as a radical(
$new no better way to ex%ress her enth#siasm !or his %ersonality than the bestial ex%ression:
4and moreoer he is totally #nintellect#al( totally #nintellect#al5. 1 remember my own shoc$(
when an aristocratic girl o! shadowy origins( who co#ld barely s%ea$ German to me with a thic$
!oreign accent( ex%ressed her sym%athy !or ?itler( with whose %ict#re her own seemed
incom%atible. At that time 1 tho#ght( sheer idiocy %reents her !rom seeing who she is. B#t she
was more cleer than 1( !or what she re%resented( no longer existed( and by cancelling o#t her
indiid#al determination( her class conscio#sness hel%ed her being.in.hersel!( her social
character( to brea$ thro#gh. Those at the to% are integrating with s#ch iron !orce( that the
%ossibility o! s#b8ectie deiation !alls away and nowhere can di!!erence be so#ght anymore than
in the disting#ished c#t o! an eening gown.
/2/
2e;uiem for +dette. =!emale character in +ro#st2s S"anns Way> 9 The Anglomania o! the #%%er
classes o! continental *#ro%e is based on the !act that !e#dal %ractices are rit#ali:ed on the
British isle( which are s#%%osed to s#!!ice in themseles. A#lt#re is maintained there not as the
diided s%here o! ob8ectie "%irit =Geistes>( as %artici%ation in art or %hiloso%hy( b#t rather as a
!orm o! em%irical existence. The 4high li!e5 =in *nglish in original> wishes to be the bea#ti!#l
li!e. 1t brings those( who %arta$e in it( ideological %leas#re.winnings. By t#rning the sha%ing o!
existence into a tas$( in which one !ollows g#idelines( %reseres arti!icial styles( and $ee%s the
delicate e3#ilibri#m o! correctness and inde%endence( existence itsel! a%%ears as meaning!#l and
calms the bad conscience o! those who are socially s#%er!l#o#s. The incessant demand( to say
and do that which is exactly a%%ro%riate to one2s stat#s and sit#ation( demands a $ind o! moral
e!!ort. 1t becomes di!!ic#lt( to be who yo# are( and this is belieed to be s#!!icient !or the
%atriarchal noblesse oblige =7rench: obligation o! the high.born>. At the same time the
dis%lacement o! c#lt#re !rom its ob8ectie mani!estations into the immediate li!e dissoles the
ris$ that one2s own immediacy will be sha$en by the "%irit =Geist>. This last is re%roached !or
dist#rbing ass#red styles( !or being tasteless( altho#gh not with the embarrassing br#tality o! the
*ast +r#ssian ,#n$er( b#t rather according to a s%irit#al criterion( as it were 9 the aesthetici:ation
o! eeryday li!e. This gies rise to the !lattering ill#sion( that one has been s%ared the s%lit
between s#%erstr#ct#re and in!rastr#ct#re( c#lt#re and cor%oreal reality. B#t rit#als !all( in all
their aristocratic tra%%ings( into the late bo#rgeois habit o! hy%ostati:ing the attainment o!
something meaningless in itsel! as meaning!#l( degrading the "%irit =Geist> to the do#bling o!
that which exists anyway. The norm which one !ollows is !ictie( its social %rere3#isites hae
anished along with its model( the co#rt ceremony( and it is ac$nowledged not beca#se it is
ex%erienced as binding( b#t !or the sa$e o! legitimating the social order( !rom whose illegitimacy
one bene!its. +ro#st th#s obsered( with the incorr#%tibility o! someone s#sce%tible to sed#ction(
that Anglomania and the c#lt o! a !orm.drien mode o! liing are to be !o#nd less in aristocrats
than in those who wish to ascend into the heights: it is only a ste% !rom snob to %aren#. Th#s
the a!!inity o! snobbery and ,#gendstil =Art No#ea#>( the attem%t by a class de!ined by
exchange( to %ro8ect themseles into a %ict#re o! egetable bea#ty( as it were( %#ri!ied o!
exchange. That the li!e which organi:es its own eents is not any more o! a li!e( becomes
a%%arent in the boredom o! the coc$tail %arties and the wee$end initations to the co#ntryside( in
the gol!( symbolic o! the entire s%here( and in the organi:ation o! 4social a!!airs5 =in *nglish in
original> 9 %riileges( where noone has any real !#n and with which the %riileged only deceie
themseles( abo#t how little o%%ort#nity !or 8oy in the #nha%%y whole exists een !or them. 1n
the latest %hase( the bea#ti!#l li!e is red#ced to what &eblen characteri:ed it as thro#gho#t the
ages( ostentation( the mere being.selected( and the %ar$ o!!ers no other %leas#re anymore than
that o! the wall( against which those o#tside can %ress their noses. 'hat can be crassly obsered
in the #%%er classes( whose malice is in any case being irresistibly democrati:ed( is what has long
been tr#e !or society: li!e has t#rned into the ideology o! its own absence.
/22
Monograms. 9 <di %ro!an#m #lg#s et arceo =1 hate the #lgar rabble and sh#n it>( said the son
o! the !reed slae.
'hen it comes to tr#ly eil %eo%le( one cannot really imagine them dying.
To say 4we5 and to mean 415 is one o! the choicest o! all slights.
Between 41 dreamt5 =es trI#mte mir> and 41 dreamed5 =ich trI#mte> lie ages o! the world. B#t
which is tr#erM "o little do s%irits send dreams( so little is it the ego which dreams.
Be!ore the eighty.!i!th birthday o! an in all res%ects well cared.!or man( 1 dreamed that 1 as$ed
mysel! the 3#estion( what co#ld 1 gie him which wo#ld ma$e him tr#ly ha%%y( and immediately
receied the answer: a g#ide thro#gh the realm o! the dead.
That 6e%orello com%lained abo#t ins#!!icient %roisions and too little money( is a reason to
do#bt the existence o! Don ,#an.
1n early childhood 1 saw the !irst snow.shoelers in thin shabby clothes. 1n answer to my
3#estion: those are men witho#t wor$( who were gien this 8ob so they can earn their bread.
"eres them right( that they hae to shoel snow( 1 cried o#t angrily( b#rsting into #ncontrollable
tears.
6oe is the ability( to %erceie what is similar in what is dissimilar.
+arisian circ#s adertisement be!ore '' 11: +l#s s%ort 3#e le thDQtre( %l#s iant 3#e le cinDma
=7rench: more s%orting than the theater( more liing than the cinema>.
A !ilm which !ollowed the code o! the ?ays <!!ice to the strictest letter might s#cceed in being a
great wor$ o! art( b#t not in a world in which a ?ays <!!ice exists.
&erlaine: the %ardonable #n%ardonable sin =literally: the enial mortal sin>.
Brideshead Reisited by *elyn 'a#gh: sociali:ed snobbism.
Bille gies misery a sla% on the b#tt.
"cheler: the bedroom in %hiloso%hy =in 7rench in original>.
A %oem o! 6iliencron describes a military !an!are. 7irst it goes: 4And aro#nd the corner crashing
brays( li$e th#m%ing t#bas on ,#dgement Day(5 and it closes: 4Did a bright b#tter!ly dart O ching.
ching boom( aro#nd the cornerM5 A %oetic %hiloso%hy o! history o! iolence( with ,#dgement
Day at the beginning and the b#tter!ly at the end.
1n Tra$l2s $long there is the erse: 4"ay how long we hae been dead5@ in DI#bler2s olden
Sonnet: 4?ow tr#e( that we hae all long since died5. The #nity o! ex%ressionism consisted o!
ex%ressing the !act that the h#man beings into which li!e has withdrawn( wholly alienated !rom
each other( are t#rned thereby into the dead.
Among the !orms which Borchardt tested( there is no lac$ o! rewor$ings o! !ol$ songs. ?e
aoided saying 41n %eo%les2 tone5( and wrote instead: 41n the tone o! the %eo%le5. This so#nds
howeer 8#st li$e 4in the name o! the law5. The restoratie %oet recoils into the +r#ssian %olice
o!!icer.
Not the least o! the tas$s which stands be!ore tho#ght( is %#tting all the reactionary arg#ments
against 'estern c#lt#re into the serice o! adancing enlightenment.
The only tr#e tho#ghts are those( which do not #nderstand themseles.
'hen the little old woman dragged wood to the stac$ o! $indling( ?#s called: sancta sim%licitas
=6atin: oh holy sim%licity>. B#t what abo#t the reason !or his sacri!ice( the 6ast "#%%er in both
its !ormsM *ery re!lection seems naie beside the higher one( and nothing is sim%le( beca#se
eerything becomes sim%le in the disconsolate !light.%ath o! !orgetting.
No# are loed( solely where yo# may show yo#rsel! as wea$( witho#t %roo$ing strength.
/2H
The &ad comrade. 9 Act#ally 1 sho#ld hae been able to ded#ce 7ascism !rom the memory o! my
childhood. 1t sent its emissaries there in adance( li$e a con3#eror into the most distant %roince(
long be!ore it arried: my school comrades. 1! the bo#rgeois class harbored since time
immemorial the dream o! the wild %o%#lar comm#nity( the o%%ression o! all by all( then children
with !irst names li$e ?orst and ,Frgen and last names li$e Bergenroth( Bo8#nga and *c$hardt(
theatrically staged the dream( be!ore the ad#lts were historically ri%e eno#gh to reali:e it. 1 !elt
the iolence o! the image o! horror they were striing !or so clearly( that all ha%%iness a!terwards
seemed to be reocable and borrowed. The o#tbrea$ o! the Third Reich did indeed s#r%rise my
%olitical 8#dgement( yet not my !ear!#l %remonitions. "o closely had all the moti!s o! the
%ermanent catastro%he br#shed against me( so inexting#ishably were the warning signs o! the
German awa$ening b#rned into me( that 1 recogni:ed each one all oer again in the !eat#res o!
the ?itler dictatorshi%: and o!ten it a%%eared to my !oolish horror( as i! the total state had been
inented solely against me( in order to in!lict on me what 1 had been hitherto s%ared in my
childhood( that state2s %rehistory. The !ie %atriots who attac$ed a single schoolmate( beat him #%
and( when he com%lained to the teacher( de!amed him as a classroom snitch 9 aren2t they the
same ones( who tort#red %risoners( in order to %roe the !oreigners wrong( who said that tort#re
was occ#rringM 'hose h#llaboo $new no end( when the smartest st#dent made a mista$e 9 didn2t
they s#rro#nd the ,ewish cam% %risoner( grinning and embarrassed( ma$ing !#n o! him( a!ter he
all too cl#msily so#ght to hang himsel!M 'ho co#ldn2t write a single decent sentence( b#t !o#nd
eery one o! mine too long 9 didn2t they abolish German literat#re and re%lace it thro#gh their
scribing ="chri!tt#m>M ;any coered their chests with mysterio#s insignia and wanted to become
naal o!!icers in a landloc$ed co#ntry: they declared themseles leaders o! storm troo%ers and
detachments( the legitimi:ers o! illegitimation. The inol#ted intelligent ones( who had as little
s#ccess in class as the gi!ted tin$erer witho#t connections #nder liberalism@ who !or that reason
c#rried !aor with their %arents with woodsaw wor$( or indeed drew !or their own %leas#re on
drawing.boards with colored in$s d#ring long a!ternoon days( hel%ed the Third Reich to its cr#el
e!!iciency and are being betrayed once again. Those howeer who always de!iantly stirred #%
tro#ble against the teacher and( as one called it( dist#rbed the lesson( the day 9 indeed( the ho#r 9
they grad#ated !rom high school( they sat down with the same teachers at the same table with the
same beer( as a con!ederation o! men( who were born !ollowers( rebels( whose im%atient blows
o! the !ist on the table already dr#mmed the worshi% o! the masters. They need only stay %#t( to
catch #% with those who were %romoted to the next class( and reenge themseles on them. "ince
they( o!!icials and candidates !or death sentences( hae ste%%ed isibly o#t o! my dreams and
hae ex%ro%riated my %ast li!e and my lang#age( 1 don2t need to dream o! them any longer. 1n
7ascism( the nightmare o! childhood has reali:ed itsel!.
=written in> /CH5
/2)
Pu<<le(picture. 9 'hy( in s%ite o! a historical deelo%ment which has drien towards oligarchy(
wor$ers are eer less able to $now that they are s#ch( can be gleaned !rom many obserations.
'hile the relationshi% o! %ro%erty.owners and %rod#cers is ob8ectiely congealing eer more
rigidly( s#b8ectie class.membershi% is !l#ct#ating more and more. This is abetted by economic
deelo%ment itsel!. The organic com%osition o! ca%ital demands( as has o!ten been noted( control
by technical managers rather than !actory owners. These latter were the co#nter.%arty( as it were(
to liing labor( the !ormer corres%onded to the share o! machinery in ca%ital. The 3#anti!ication
o! technical %rocesses( howeer( its com%artmentali:ation in the smallest o%erations( !or the most
%art inde%endent o! ex%erience and ed#cation( t#rns the ex%ert stat#s o! the new.styled directors
to a considerable extent into a mere ill#sion( behind which is concealed the %riilege o! being
a%%ointed. That technical deelo%ment has reached a state( that all !#nctions wo#ld act#ally be
accessible to all 9 this immanent.socialistic element o! %rogress is traestied by late
ind#strialism. ;embershi% in an elite a%%ears achieable !or eeryone. <ne waits only !or the
coo%tation. *ligibility consists in a!!inity( ranging !rom the libidino#s cathexis o! all wheeling
and dealing( to so#nd technocratic sensibility( to !reshly.c#red real%oliti$. They are ex%erts only
o! control. That anyone can do s#ch( has not led to its end( b#t only that eeryone may be called
#%on to do s#ch. +re!erence is gien to those who !it in most exactly. 'hile the chosen ones
certainly remain a anishing minority( the str#ct#ral %ossibility s#!!ices to s#ccess!#lly %resere
the a%%earance ="chein> o! an e3#al chance #nder the system( which has eliminated the !ree
com%etition which lied on that a%%earance ="chein>. That the technical !orces wo#ld %ermit a
non.%riileged condition( is credited by all( een those in the shadows( to the social relationshi%s(
which hinder it. 1n general( s#b8ectie class.membershi% today shows a mobility( which ca#ses
the !ixity o! economic social order to be !orgotten: what is rigid is also what can be moed abo#t.
*en the %owerlessness o! the indiid#al( to calc#late o#t its economic destiny( contrib#tes to
s#ch a consoling mobility. 'hat decides on the !all is not lac$ o! %ro!iciency( b#t an o%a3#e
hierarchal web( in which noone( not een at the ery to%( may !eel sa!e: the egalitarianism o! the
condition o! being threatened. 'hen the heroic !lying ca%tain ret#rns home( in the most
s#ccess!#l bloc$b#ster !ilm o! the year( to be b#llied by %etit bo#rgeois caricat#res as a 4soda
8er$5 =in *nglish in original>( he does not only satis!y the schaden!re#de o! the s%ectators( b#t
een strengthens them moreoer in the conscio#sness( that all h#man beings are tr#ly brothers
=re!erence to the /C)J The /est 4ears of +ur *i'es>. The most extreme in8#stice t#rns into the
dece%tie image o! 8#stice( the dis3#ali!ication o! h#man beings into their e3#ality. "ociologists
howeer are con!ronted with the grimly 8o$ing 3#estion: where is the %roletariatM
/25
+let. =6atin: %ec#nia non olet( 4money does not stin$5>9 1n *#ro%e( the %re.bo#rgeois %ast has
s#ried in the shame o! haing %ersonal serices or !aors %aid !or. The new continent $nows
nothing o! this anymore. *en in the old one( noone did anything !or nothing( b#t this was !elt as
a wo#nd. To be s#re( excl#sieness( which stems !rom nothing better than a gro#nd.mono%oly( is
ideology. B#t it was neertheless im%rinted dee%ly eno#gh into the character( to sti!!en its nec$
against the mar$et. The German r#ling class dis%araged any way o! earning money o#tside o!
%riileges or control o! %rod#ction well into the 20
th
cent#ry. 'hat was considered disre%#table
abo#t artists or the ed#cated( was what these latter most rebelled against( rem#neration( and the
%riate t#tor ?Ulderlin as well as the %ianist 6is:t( had therein %recisely those ex%eriences( which
set them in o%%osition to the r#ling conscio#sness. 'ell into o#r day( the membershi% o! h#man
beings in the #%%er or lower classes has been cr#dely determined by whether they too$ money or
not. At times the bad arrogance recoiled into conscio#s criti3#e. *ery child o! the *#ro%ean
#%%er cr#st bl#shed at the gi!ts o! money( which relaties gae them( and altho#gh the %rimacy
o! bo#rgeois #tility 3#elled s#ch reactions and oercom%ensated !or them( do#bts remained
nonetheless as to whether h#man beings were made merely !or exchange. The remnants o! what
was older were( in the *#ro%ean conscio#sness( the !erment o! what was new. 1n America by
contrast no child o! similarly well.o!! %arents has any 3#alms abo#t earning a !ew cents thro#gh
news%a%er delieries( and s#ch tho#ghtlessness is ex%ressed in the habit#s o! ad#lts. That is why
Americans a%%ear to #nt#tored *#ro%eans on the whole as a %eo%le witho#t dignity( ready !or
%aid serices( 8#st as conersely the !ormer are inclined to consider the latter agabonds and
cardboard royalty. The sel!.eidence o! the maxim( that there2s no shame in wor$ing( the
g#ileless absence o! any snobbery is.a.is what in the !e#dal sense is dishonorable in mar$et
relationshi%s( the democracy o! the %rinci%le o! commerce contrib#tes to the contin#ation o!
what is #tterly anti.democratic( o! economic in8#stice( o! h#man degradation. 1t occ#rs to noone(
that there might be certain serices which wo#ld not be ex%ressible in exchange.al#e. That is
the real %rere3#isite !or the tri#m%h o! that s#b8ectie reason( which is not een ca%able o!
thin$ing something which is tr#e and obligated to itsel!( %erceiing it solely as something which
exists !or others( something exchangeable. 1! %ride was the ideology oer there =i.e. *#ro%e>(
here it is deliering to c#stomers. This a%%lies as well to the creations o! the ob8ectie "%irit
=Geistes>. The immediate sel!.adantage inherent in the act o! exchange( th#s what is
s#b8ectiely most limited( %rohibits the s#b8ectie ex%ression. &alori:ability =&erwertbar$eit>( the
a %riori o! %rod#ction consistently oriented to the mar$et( does not %ermit the s%ontaneo#s need
!or s#ch( !or the thing itsel!( to arise. *en the c#lt#ral %rod#cts %rod#ced and distrib#ted
thro#gho#t the world with the greatest o! ex%endit#res( re%eat the gest#res 9 een i! only by
irt#e o! an o%a3#e machinery 9 o! traeling m#sicians( who $ee% an eye %eeled on the %late by
the %iano( while hammering o#t the !aorite melodies o! their %atrons. The b#dgets o! the c#lt#re
ind#stry r#n into the billions( b#t the law o! !orm o! their %rod#ctions is the ti%. 'hat is
excessiely blan$( hygienically clean in ind#striali:ed c#lt#re( is the sole r#diment o! that shame(
an ad8#ratory %ict#re( com%arable to the s#its o! the highest hotel managers( who( in order not to
loo$ li$e head waiters( o#tclass the aristocrats in elegance and thereby ma$e themseles
recogni:able as head waiters.
/2J
%.?. 9 The modes o! cond#ct a%%ro%riate to the most %rogressie technical state o! deelo%ment
are not limited to the sectors( in which they are act#ally %romoted. Th#s thin$ing s#bmits to the
social s#%erision o! its serices not only where it is !orced to do so by its occ#%ation( b#t comes
to resembles s#ch in its entire com%lexion. Beca#se tho#ght has been well.nigh inerted into the
sol#tion o! tas$s assigned to it( what is not assigned is also dealt with according to the schema o!
the tas$. Tho#ght( haing lost its a#tonomy( no longer tr#sts itsel! to com%rehend something real
!or its own sa$e( in !reedom. This it leaes( with res%ect!#l ill#sion( to the highest.%aid( and
ma$es itsel! meas#rable !or this. 1t tends to behae( !or its own %art( as i! it had to #nceasingly
%ortray its #se!#lness. *en where there is no n#tshell to crac$( thin$ing t#rns into training =in
*nglish in original> !or some sort o! exercise or other. 1t relates to its ob8ects as mere h#rdles( as
a %ermanent test o! its own being in !orm. Aonsiderations( which wo#ld li$e to be res%onsible !or
the relation to the material ="ache> and thereby !or themseles( inite the s#s%icion that they are
ain( oerblown( asocial sel!.satis!action. ,#st as the neo.%ositiists s%lit cognition into the
scra%.hea%s o! em%iricism and logical !ormalism( the intellect#al actiity o! the ty%es( who
regard the #nity o! the sciences as written on their !oreheads( is %olari:ed in the inentory o! the
$nown and the test sam%le o! the ca%acity !or tho#ght: to them( eery tho#ght t#rns into a 3#i: o!
whether they are in!ormed or o! their 3#ali!ications. "omewhere the correct answers m#st
already be %osted. 1nstr#mentalism( the latest ersion o! %ragmatism( has long since become not
merely an a!!air o! the a%%lication o! thin$ing( b#t rather the a %riori o! its own !orm. 'hen
o%%ositional intellect#als ca#ght in s#ch a s%ell wish to a%%roach the content o! society
di!!erently( they are cri%%led by the sha%e o! their own conscio#sness( which is modeled in
adance on the needs o! this society. 'hile their tho#ght has !orgotten how to thin$ !or itsel!( it
has sim#ltaneo#sly t#rned into the absol#te exam.a#thority o! itsel!. Thin$ing means nothing
other than chec$ing at eery moment( as to whether one can thin$. Th#s the as%hyxiating 3#ality
o! eery seemingly inde%endent intellect#al %rod#ction( the theoretical ones no less than the
artistic ones. The sociali:ation o! the "%irit =Geistes> holds it( roo!ed oer( ensorceled( #nder a
glass( as long as society is itsel! tra%%ed. 'here thin$ing %reio#sly internali:ed obligations
im%osed !rom o#tside( today it today incor%orates its integration into the all.embracing
a%%arat#s( and goes to %ieces( een be!ore its economic and %olitical erdict can oerta$e it.
/2K
Wishful thinking. =1n *nglish in original> 9 1ntelligence is a moral category. The se%aration o!
!eeling and #nderstanding( which ma$es it %ossible to say( !ree and blessed are the $n#c$leheads(
hy%ostati:es the historically achieed s%lintering o! h#man beings into !#nctions. The %raise o!
sim%licity =*in!alt> resonates with the anxiety that whateer has been se%arated might re#nite
and th#s %#t an end to the mischie!. 41! yo# hae #nderstanding and a heart5( goes a co#%let by
?Ulderlin( 4show only one o! each O Both condemn yo#( i! yo# dis%lay them together.5 =!rom
?Ulderlin2s %oem ood $d'ice> The denigration o! restricted #nderstanding in com%arison with
in!inite reason which echoes in %hiloso%hy( a reason which( as in!inite( is at the same time
#ndiscoerable by the #ltimately !inite s#b8ect( echoes in s%ite o! its critical 8#sti!ication the old
saw: 4Be eer tr#e and !aith!#l5 =3#otation !rom ;o:art song>. 'hen ?egel demonstrated to
reason its st#%idity( he not only bro#ght the isolated determination o! re!lection( the %ositiism o!
eery name( to its meas#re o! #ntr#th( b#t became com%licit in the ban on tho#ght( seering the
negatie labor o! the conce%t( which the method claimed to achiee( and swears by the highest
height o! s%ec#lation li$e the +rotestant %riest( who recommended to his !loc$ to remain one(
instead o! relying on their own wea$ light. Rather( it is #% to %hiloso%hy to see$ o#t the #nity
between !eeling and #nderstanding %recisely in their contrast: in the moral #nity. 1ntelligence( as
the %ower o! 8#dgement( o%%oses in its carrying o#t what is already gien( by sim#ltaneo#sly
ex%ressing it. The ca%acity o! 8#dgement( which seals itsel! o!! !rom the drie.im%#lse( does
8#stice to this last %recisely by a moment o! co#nter.%ress#re against the social one. The %ower o!
8#dgement is meas#red by the sta#nchness o! the ego. Thereby( howeer( also in that dynamics o!
the dries( which is handed oer by the diision o! labor o! the so#l to the !eelings. 1nstinct( the
will to stand !ast( is an im%lication o! the meaning o! logic. By !orgetting itsel!( showing itsel!
incorr#%tible( the 8#dging s#b8ect wins its ictory. By contrast( 8#st as the narrowest circle o!
h#man beings d#mb themseles down( where their interests begin( and then t#rn their resentment
against what they do not wish to #nderstand( %recisely beca#se they co#ld #nderstand it all too
well( so too is the %lanetary st#%idity( which %reents the contem%orary world !rom seeing the
abs#rdity o! its own arrangement( the %rod#ct o! the #ns#blimated( #ns#blated interest o! the
r#lers. "hort.term and yet irresistible( it hardens itsel! into the anonymo#s schemata o! the
historical tra8ectory. This corres%onds to the st#%idity and obstinacy o! the indiid#al@ the
inca%acity( to conscio#sly #nite the %ower o! bias and b#stle. 1t is reg#larly !o#nd in con8#nction
with moral de!ects( a lac$ o! a#tonomy and res%onsibility( while so m#ch is tr#e in "ocratic
rationalism( that a cleer %erson( whose tho#ghts are directed at ob8ects and do not circle
!ormalistically aro#nd themseles( can scarcely be conceied o! as eil. 7or the motiation o!
eil( blind %re8#dice in the contingency o! what is one2s own( tends to dissi%ate in the medi#m o!
tho#ght. "cheler2s comment( that all cognition is !o#nded in loe( was a lie( beca#se he
demanded that loe be something immediately iewed. B#t it wo#ld become the tr#th( i! loe
%ressed !or the dissol#tion o! all a%%earance ="cheins> o! immediacy and thereby( to be s#re(
became irreconcilable with the ob8ect o! cognition. Neither the synthesis o! %sychic
com%artments( alienated !rom each other( nor the thera%e#tic dis%lacement o! the ratio with
irrational !erments( is any hel% against the s%litting o! tho#ght( b#t rather the sel!.constit#tion o!
the element o! the wish( which antithetically constit#tes thin$ing as thin$ing. <nly when that
element is com%letely dissoled( witho#t any heteronomo#s remnant in the ob8ectiity o!
tho#ght( does it drie towards #to%ia.
/2L
2egressions. 9 ;y earliest memory o! Brahms( and certain not only mine( is Cradle Song. A
com%lete mis#nderstanding o! the text: 1 didn2t $now that NIglein =!lowers> was a word !or lilacs
or in many districts !or %in$ !lowers( b#t imagined the word meant little nail( the n#mero#s %ins
by which the c#rtain aro#nd the heaenly bed( my own( was !astened( so that the child( %rotected
in its dar$ness !rom eery trace o! light( co#ld slee% endlessly long( witho#t !ear 9 4#ntil the
cows come home5( as they say in ?essen. ?ow distant the blossoms remain !rom the tenderness
o! s#ch c#rtains. 7or #s( nothing stands !or #ndiminished brightness other than the #nconscio#s
dar$@ nothing !or what we once co#ld be( other than the dream( that we had neer been born.
4"lee% in %eace( slee% O close yo#r little eyes so sweet O listen to the rain!all dri% O hear the
neighbors2 doggy yi% O Doggy bit the beggar man O tore a hole in his %ants O %ast the gate( the
beggar !lees O slee% in %eace( slee%.5 The !irst line o! Ta#bert2s l#llaby is terri!ying. And yet both
its !inal lines bless slee% with the %romise o! %eace. This is not entirely d#e to bo#rgeois
hardness( the com!orting tho#ght( that the intr#der was scared o!!. The slee%ily listening child
has already hal!.!orgotten the exile o! the !oreigner( who loo$s in "chott2s song boo$ li$e a ,ew(
and int#its in the erse 4%ast the gate( the beggar !lees5 %eace witho#t the misery o! others. "o
long as there is een a single beggar( goes a !ragment in Ben8amin( there is mythos@ only with the
disa%%earance o! the latter wo#ld mythos be reconciled. 'o#ld not iolence itsel! be !orgotten as
in the onr#shing wae o! the child2s slee%M 'o#ld not in the end the disa%%earance o! the beggar
neertheless entirely com%ensate( !or what was done to him and which co#ld not be com%ensated
!orM Doesn2t there l#r$ in all %ersec#tion by h#man beings( who( along with the little dog( incite
the whole o! nat#re against the wea$( the ho%e that the last trace o! %ersec#tion wo#ld be
extir%ated( which is itsel! the share o! what is nat#ralM 'o#ld not the beggar( who is !orced o#t
o! the gates o! ciili:ation( !ind re!#ge in his homeland( which is emanci%ated !rom the bane
=Bann> o! the *arthM 4Now rest and let yo#r worries %ass( the beggar comes home at last5.
7or as long as 1 can thin$( 12e been ha%%y with the song( 4Between mo#ntain and dee%( dee%
alley5: by the two rabbits who were st#!!ing themseles with grass( who were shot at by
h#nters( and #%on reali:ing they were still alie( ran o!!. B#t 1 only #nderstood the lesson 3#ite
late: reason can end#re only in des%air and crisis@ it re3#ires the abs#rd( in order to not be
oercome by ob8ectie madness. <ne sho#ld act exactly li$e the rabbits@ when the shot rings o#t(
!all !oolishly to the gro#nd as i! dead( collect onesel! and one2s senses( and i! one still has any
breath( r#n li$e bla:es. The energy to !ear and that !or ha%%iness are the same( the limitless state
o! o%en.mindedness !or ex%erience( raised to sel!.sacri!ice( in which the one who is oercome
can !ind themseles again. 'hat wo#ld any ha%%iness be( which did not meas#re itsel! according
to the immeas#rable sorrow o! what isM 7or the co#rse o! the world is dee%ly #nsettled. 'hoeer
ca#tio#sly ada%ts to it( %arta$es o! its madness( while only the eccentric holds !ast and
commands the abs#rdity to halt. <nly the latter may naigate the a%%earance ="chein> o!
calamity( the 4#nreality o! des%air5( and innerate !rom this( not merely that one still lies( b#t
that there is still li!e. The c#nning o! the %owerless hares redeems( along with themseles( een
the h#nters( whose g#ilt they %il!er.
/2C
Customer ser'ice. 9 The c#lt#re ind#stry sanctimonio#sly claims to !ollow its cons#mers and to
delier what they want. B#t while it re!lexiely denigrates eery tho#ght o! its own a#tonomy
and %roclaims its ictims as 8#dges( its eiled high.handedness o#tbids all the excesses o!
a#tonomo#s art. 1t is not so m#ch that the c#lt#re ind#stry ada%ts to the reactions o! its
c#stomers( as that it !eigns these latter. 1t rehearses them( by behaing as i! it itsel! was a
c#stomer. <ne co#ld almost s#s%ect( the entire 4ad8#stment5 =in *nglish in original>( which it
claims to obey( is ideology@ that the more h#man beings try( thro#gh exaggerated e3#ality(
thro#gh the oath o! !ealty to social %owerlessness( to %artici%ate in %ower and to drie o#t
e3#ality( the more they attem%t to ma$e themseles resemble others and the whole. 4The m#sic
listens !or the listeners5( and the !ilm %ractices on the scale o! a tr#st the des%icable tric$ o!
ad#lts( who( when s%ea$ing down to a child( !all oer the gi!t with the lang#age which s#its only
them( and then %resent the #s#ally d#bio#s gi!t with %recisely the ex%ression o! li%.smac$ing 8oy(
that is s#%%osed to be elicited. The c#lt#re ind#stry is tailored according to mimetic regression( to
the mani%#lation o! s#%%ressed imitation.im%#lses. Therein it aails itsel! o! the method( o!
antici%ating its own imitation by its iewers( and sealing the consens#s that it wishes to establish(
by ma$ing it a%%ear as i! it already existed. 'hat ma$es this all the easier( is that it can co#nt on
s#ch a consens#s in a stable system and can rit#ally re%eat it( rather than act#ally haing to
%rod#ce it. 1ts %rod#ct is by no means a stim#l#s( b#t a model !or modes o! reaction o!
nonexistent stim#li. Th#s the enth#siastic m#sic titles on the siler screen( the moronic children2s
s%eech( the eye.win$ing !ol$siness@ een the close.#% o! the start calls o#t 4?ow bea#ti!#lP5( as it
were. 'ith this %roced#re the c#lt#ral machine goes so !ar as to dress down iewers li$e the
!rontally %hotogra%hed ex%ress train in a moment o! tension. The cadence o! eery !ilm howeer
is that o! the witch( who seres so#% to the little ones she wants to ensorcel or deo#r( with the
hideo#s m#rm#r( 4N#mmy so#%( y#mmy so#%M No#2ll en8oy it( yo#2ll en8oy it...5 1n art( this
$itchen !ire.magic was discoered by 'agner( whose ling#istic intimacies and m#sical s%ices are
always tasting themseles( and who sim#ltaneo#sly demonstrated the entire %roced#re( with the
geni#s2 com%#lsion o! con!ession( in the scene o! the 2ing( where ;ime o!!ers "ieg!ried the
%oisoned %otion. 'ho howeer is s#%%osed to cho% o!! the monster2s head( now that its blond
loc$s hae lain !or a long time #nder the linden treeM =Gnter den 6inden: !amo#s bo#leard in
Berlin>
/H0
rey and grey. 9 Not een its bad conscience can hel% the c#lt#re ind#stry. 1ts "%irit =Geist> is so
ob8ectie( that it sla%s all its s#b8ects in the !ace( and so the latter( agents all( $now what the story
is and see$ to distance themseles thro#gh mental reserations !rom the nonsense which they
create. The ac$nowledgment( that !ilms broadcast ideology( is itsel! a broadcast ideology. 1t is
dealt with administratiely by the rigid distinction between synthetic day.dreams on the one
hand( ehicles o! !light !rom daily li!e( 4esca%e5 =*nglish in original>@ and well.meaning
%rod#cts on the other hand( which %romote correct social behaiors( %roiding in!ormation(
4coneying a message5 =in *nglish in original>. The %rom%t s#bs#m%tion #nder 4esca%e5 =in
*nglish in original> and 4message5 =in *nglish in original> ex%resses the #ntr#th o! both ty%es.
The moc$ery against 4esca%e5 =in *nglish in original>( the standardi:ed o#trage against
s#%er!iciality( is nothing b#t the %athetic echo o! the old.!ashioned ethos( which deno#nces
gambling( beca#se it cannot %lay along with s#ch in the %reailing %raxis. The esca%e.!ilms are
so dread!#l not beca#se they t#rn their bac$ on an existence s3#ee:ed dry( b#t beca#se they do
not do so energetically eno#gh( beca#se they are s3#ee:ed 8#st as dry( beca#se the satis!actions
which they %retend to gie( conerge with the h#miliation o! reality( with ren#nciation. The
dreams hae no dream. ,#st as the technicolor heroes don2t allow #s to !orget !or a second that
they are normal h#man beings( ty%ecast %rominent !aces and inestments( what is #nmista$ably
reealed #nder the thin !l#tter o! schematically %rod#ced !antasy is the s$eleton o! cinema.
ontology( the entire %rescribed hierarchy o! al#es( the canon o! what is #nwanted and what is to
be imitated. Nothing is more %ractical than 4esca%e5 =in *nglish in original>( nothing is more
wedded to b#stle: one is $idna%%ed into the distance only to hae it hammered into one2s
conscio#sness( that een at a distance( the laws o! the em%irical mode o! li!e are #ndist#rbed by
em%irical deiations. The 4esca%e5 =in *nglish in original> is !#ll o! 4message5 =in *nglish in
original>. That is how the 4message5 =in *nglish in original>( the o%%osite( loo$s( which wishes
to !lee !rom !light. 1t rei!ies the resistance against rei!ication. <ne need only hear ex%erts tal$
abo#t how a s%lendid wor$ o! the siler screen has( next to other merits( also a constit#tion( in
the same tone o! oice that a %retty actress is described as een haing 4%ersonality5 =in *nglish
in original>. The exec#tie can easily decide at the con!erence( that the esca%e.!ilm m#st be
gien( next to more ex%ensie additions( an ideal s#ch as: h#man beings sho#ld be noble( hel%!#l
and good. "e%arated !rom the immanent logic o! the entity( !rom the thing( the ideal t#rns into
something %rod#ced on ta%( the re!orm o! ameliorable grieances( trans!ig#red charity( thereby
sim#ltaneo#sly tangible and oid. They %re!er most o! all to broadcast the rehabilitation o!
dr#n$s( whose im%oerished e#%horia they eny. By re%resenting a society hardened in itsel!(
according to anonymo#s laws( as i! good will alone were eno#gh to hel% matters( that society is
de!ended een where it is honestly attac$ed. 'hat is re!lected is a $ind o! %o%#lar !ront o! all
%ro%er and right.thin$ing %eo%le. The %ractical "%irit =Geist> o! the 4message5 =in *nglish in
original>( the tangible demonstration o! how things can be done better( allies itsel! with the
system in the !iction( that a total social s#b8ect( which does not exist at %resent( can ma$e
eerything o$ay( i! one co#ld only assemble all the %ieces and clear #% the root o! the eil. 1t is
3#ite %leasant( to be able to o#ch !or one2s e!!iciency. 4;essage5 =in *nglish in original> t#rns
into 4esca%e5 =in *nglish in original>: those swe%t #% in cleaning the ho#se in which they lie(
!orget the gro#nd on which it was b#ilt. 'hat 4esca%e5 =in *nglish in original> wo#ld really be(
the anti%athy( t#rned into a %ict#re( against the whole( all the way into what is !ormally
constit#ted( co#ld recoil into a 4message5 =in *nglish in original>( witho#t ex%ressing it( indeed
%recisely thro#gh tenacio#s asceticism against the s#ggestion.
/H/
Wolf as grandmother. 9 The strongest arg#ment o! the a%ologists !or !ilm is the cr#dest( its
massie cons#m%tion. They declare the drastic medi#m o! the c#lt#re ind#stry to be %o%#lar art.
The inde%endence o! norms o! the a#tonomo#s wor$ is s#%%osed to discharge it !rom aesthetic
res%onsibility( a res%onsibility whose standards %roe to be reactionary in relation to !ilm( 8#st as
in !act all intentions o! the artistic ennoblement o! !ilm hae something awry( something badly
eleated( something lac$ing in !orm 9 something o! the im%ort !or the connoisse#r. The more
that !ilm %retends to be art( the more !ra#d#lent it becomes. 1ts %rotagonists can %oint to this and
een( as critics o! the meanwhile $itschy interiority( a%%ear aant.garde next to its cr#de material
$itsch. 1! one grants this as a gro#nd( then they become( strengthened by technical ex%erience
and !acility with the material( nearly irresistible. The !ilm is not a mass art( b#t is merely
mani%#lated !or the dece%tion o! the massesM B#t the wishes o! the masses ma$e themseles !elt
incessantly thro#gh the mar$et@ its collectie %rod#ction alone wo#ld g#arantee its collectie
essence ='esen>@ only someone com%letely o#tside o! reality wo#ld %res#me to see cleer
mani%#lators in the %rod#cers@ most are talentless( certainly( b#t where the right talents coincide(
it can s#cceed in s%ite o! all the restrictions o! the system. The mass taste which the !ilm obeys(
is by no means that o! the masses themseles( b#t !oisted on themM B#t to s%ea$ o! a di!!erent
mass taste than the one they hae now( wo#ld be !oolish( and what is called %o%#lar art( has
always re!lected domination. According to s#ch logic( it is only in the com%etent ada%tation o!
%rod#ction to gien needs( not in consideration o! a #to%ian a#dience( that the nameless general
will can ta$e sha%e. 7ilms are !#ll o! lying stereoty%esM B#t stereoty%ing is the essence o!
%o%#lar art( !airy.tales $now the resc#ing %rince and the deil 8#st as !ilms hae the hero and
illain( and een the barbaric cr#elty( which diided the world into good and eil( is something
!ilm has in common with the greatest !airy.tales( which hae the ste%mother dance to death in
red.hot iron shoes.
All this is can be co#ntered( only by consideration o! the !#ndamental conce%ts
%res#%%osed by the a%ologists. Bad !ilms are not to be charged with incom%etence: the most
gi!ted are re!racted by the b#stle( and the !act that the #ngi!ted stream towards them( is d#e to the
electie a!!inity between lies and swindlers. The idiocy is ob8ectie@ im%roements in %ersonnel
co#ld not create a %o%#lar art. The latter2s idea was !ormed in agrarian relationshi%s or sim%le
commodity economies. "#ch relationshi%s and their character o! ex%ression are those o! lords
and ser!s( %ro!iteers and disadantaged( b#t in an immediate( not entirely ob8ecti!ied !orm. They
are to be s#re not less !#rrowed by class di!!erences than late ind#strial society( b#t their
members are not yet encom%assed by the total str#ct#re( which red#ces indiid#al s#b8ects to
mere moments( in order to #nite them( as those who are %owerless and isolated( into the
collectie. That there are no longer !ol$ does not howeer mean that( as Romanticism
%ro%agated( the masses are worse. <n the contrary( what is reealed %recisely now in the new(
radical alienated !orm o! society is the #ntr#th o! the older one. *en the traits( which the c#lt#re
ind#stry reclaims as the legacy o! %o%#lar art( become thereby s#s%ect. The !ilm has a retroactie
energy: its o%timistic horror brings to light what always sered in8#stice in the !airy.tale( and
eo$es in the %arade o! illains the co#ntenances o! those( which the integral society condemns
and whose condemnation was eer the dream o! sociali:ation. That is why the extinction o!
indiid#al art is no 8#sti!ication !or one which acts as i! it its s#b8ect( which reacts archaically(
were the nat#ral one( while this last is the syndicate( albeit #nconscio#s( o! a %air o! giant !irms.
1! the masses themseles( as c#stomers( hae an in!l#ence on the !ilm( this remains as abstract as
the tic$et st#b( which ste%s into the %lace o! n#anced a%%la#se: the mere choice between yes and
no to something o!!ered( str#ng between the discre%ancy o! concentrated %ower and scattered
%owerlessness. 7inally( the !act that n#mero#s ex%erts( also sim%le technicians( %artici%ate in the
ma$ing o! a !ilm( no more g#arantees its h#manity than the decisions o! com%etent scienti!ic
bodies is.a.is bombs and %oison gas.
The high.!lown tal$ o! !ilm art stands indeed to bene!it scribblers( who wish to get ahead@
the conscio#s a%%eal to naiete( howeer( to the bloc$.headedness o! the s#balterns( long since
%ermeated by the tho#ghts o! the master( will not do. 7ilm( which today clings as #naoidably to
h#man beings( as i! it was a %iece o! themseles( is sim#ltaneo#sly that which is most distant
!rom their h#man determination( which is reali:ed !rom one day to the next( and its a%ologetics
lie on the resistance against thin$ing thro#gh this antinomy. That the %eo%le who ma$e !ilms are
by no means intrig#ers( says nothing against this. The ob8ectie "%irit =Geist> o! mani%#lation
%reails thro#gh r#les o! ex%erience( estimations o! sit#ations( technical criteria( economically
#naoidable calc#lations( the entire deadweight o! the ind#strial a%%arat#s( witho#t een haing
to censor itsel!( and een those who 3#estioned the masses( wo#ld !ind the #bi3#ity o! the system
re!lected bac$ at them. The %rod#cers !#nction as little as s#b8ects as their wor$ers and b#yers(
b#t solely as %arts o! an inde%endent machinery. The ?egelian.so#nding commandment(
howeer( that mass art m#st res%ect the real taste o! the masses and not that o! negatiistic
intellect#als( is #s#r%ation. The o%%osition o! !ilm( as an all.encom%assing ideology( to the
ob8ectie interests o! h#man beings( its entanglement with the stat#s 3#o o! the %ro!it.system( its
bad conscience and dece%tion can be s#ccinctly cogni:ed. No a%%eal to a !act#ally accessible
state o! conscio#sness wo#ld hae the right o! eto against the insight( which reaches beyond this
state o! conscio#sness( by disclosing its contradiction to itsel! and to ob8ectie relationshi%s. 1t is
%ossible( that the 7ascist %ro!essor was right and that een the !ol$ songs( as they were( lied
!rom the degraded c#lt#ral heritage o! the #%%er class. 1t is not !or nothing that all %o%#lar art is
cr#mbly and( li$e !ilms( not 4organic5. B#t between the old in8#stice( in whose oice a lament is
still a#dible( een where it trans!ig#res itsel!( and the alienation which #%holds itsel! as
connectedness( which c#nningly creates the a%%earance ="chein> o! h#man intimacy with
lo#ds%ea$ers and adertising %sychology( there is a distinction similar to the one between the
mother( who soothes the child who is a!raid o! demons with a !airy.tale in which the good are
rewarded and the eil are %#nished( and the cinema %rod#ct( which dries the 8#stice o! each
world order into the eyes and ears o! a#diences o! eery land harshly( threateningly( in order to
teach them anew( and more thoro#ghly( the old !ear. The !airy.tale dreams which call so eagerly
!or the child in the ad#lt( are nothing b#t regression( organi:ed by total enlightenment( and where
they ta% the a#dience on the sho#lder most intimately( they betray them most thoro#ghly.
1mmediacy( the comm#nity %rod#ced by !ilms( is tantamo#nt to the mediation witho#t a
remainder( which degrades h#man beings and eerything h#man so com%letely to things( that
their contrast to things( indeed een the bane =Bann> o! rei!ication itsel!( cannot be %erceied
anymore. 7ilm has s#cceeded in trans!orming s#b8ects into social !#nctions so indiscriminately(
that those who are entirely in its gras%( #naware o! any con!licts( en8oy their own
deh#mani:ation as h#man( as the ha%%iness o! warmth. The total context o! the c#lt#re ind#stry(
which leaes nothing o#t( is one with total social del#sion. That is why it so easily dis%atches
co#nter.arg#ments.
/H2
,.pensi'e reproduction. =+i%erdr#c$> 9 "ociety is integral( be!ore it eer becomes r#led as
totalitarian. 1ts organi:ation encom%asses een those who !e#d against it( and normali:es their
conscio#sness. *en intellect#als who hae all the %olitical arg#ments against bo#rgeois
ideology handy( are s#b8ected to a %rocess o! standardi:ation which( whether in crassly
contrasting content or thro#gh the readiness on their %art to be com!ortable( brings them closer to
the %reailing "%irit =Geist>( s#ch that their stand%oint ob8ectiely becomes always more
arbitrary( de%endent on !limsy %re!erences or their estimation o! their own chances. 'hat a%%ears
to them as s#b8ectiely radical( ob8ectiely belongs thro#gh and thro#gh to the com%artment o! a
schema( resered !or them and their $ind( so that radicalism is degraded to abstract %restige( the
legitimation o! those who $now what today2s intellect#als sho#ld be !or and against. The good
things( !or which they o%t( hae long since been ac$nowledged( their n#mbers accordingly
limited( as !ixed in the al#e.hierarchy as those in the st#dent !raternities. 'hile they deno#nce
o!!icial $itsch( their sensibility is de%endent( li$e obedient children( on no#rishment already
so#ght o#t in adance( on the cliches o! hostility to cliches. The dwellings o! yo#ng bohemians
resemble their s%irit#al ho#sehold. <n the wall( dece%tiely original color %rints o! !amo#s
artists( s#ch as &an Gogh2s Sunflo"ers or the Caf) at $rles( on the boo$shel! deriatie wor$s on
socialism and %sychoanalysis and a little sex.research !or the #ninhibited with inhibitions. 1n
addition( the Random ?o#se edition o! +ro#st 9 "cott ;oncrie!!2s translation desered a better
!ate 9 excl#siity at red#ced %rices( whose exterior alone( the com%act.economic !orm o! the
omnib#s( is a moc$ery o! the a#thor( whose eery sentence $noc$s a receied o%inion o#t o!
action( while he now %lays( as a %ri:e.winning homosex#al( the same role with yo#th as boo$s
on animals o! the !orest and the North +ole ex%edition in the German home. Also( the record
%layer with the 6incoln cantata o! a brae so#l( which deals essentially with railroad stations(
next to the obligatory eye.catching !ol$lore !rom <$lahoma and a %air o! brassy 8a:: records(
which ma$e one !eel sim#ltaneo#sly collectie( bold and com!ortable. *ery 8#dgement is
a%%roed by !riends( they $now all the arg#ments in adance. That all c#lt#ral %rod#cts( een the
non.con!ormist ones( are incor%orated into the mechanism o! distrib#tion o! large.scale ca%ital(
that in the most deelo%ed lands a creation which does not bear the im%rimat#r o! mass
%rod#ction can scarcely reach any readers( obserers( or listeners( re!#ses the material in adance
!or the deiating longing. *en Ea!$a is t#rned into a %iece o! inentory in the rented a%artment.
1ntellect#als themseles are already so !irmly established( in their isolated s%heres( in what is
con!irmed( that they can no longer desire anything which is not sered to them #nder the brand
o! 4highbrow5 =in *nglish in original>. Their sole ambition consists o! !inding their way in the
acce%ted canon( o! saying the right thing. The o#tsider stat#s o! the initiates is an ill#sion and
mere waiting.time. 1t wo#ld be giing them too m#ch credit to call them renegades@ they wear
oerlarge horn.rimmed glasses on their mediocre !aces( solely to better %ass themseles o!! as
4brilliant5 to themseles and to others in the general com%etition. They are already exactly li$e
them. The s#b8ectie %recondition o! o%%osition( the non.normali:ed 8#dgement( goes extinct(
while its tra%%ings contin#e to be carried o#t as a gro#% rit#al. "talin need only clear his throat(
and they throw Ea!$a and &an Gogh on the trash.hea%.
/HH
Contri&ution to intellectual history. 9 1n the bac$ o! my co%y o! Barathr#stra( dated /C/0( there
are %#blisher2s notices. They are all tailored to that clan o! Niet:sche readers( as imagined by
Al!red EUrner in 6ei%:ig( someone who o#ght to $now. 4%deal *ife(goals by Adalbert "oboda.
"oboda has ignited a brightly shining beacon in his wor$s( which cast light on all %roblems o!
the inestigatie "%irit o! h#man beings =;enschengeist> and reeal be!ore o#r eyes the tr#e
ideals o! reason( art and c#lt#re. This magni!icently conceied and s%lendidly reali:ed boo$ is
gri%%ing !rom beginning to end( enchanting( stim#lating( instr#ctie and has the same e!!ect on
all tr#ly !ree "%irits =Geister> as a nere.steeling bath and !resh mo#ntain air.5 "igned: ?#manity(
and almost as recommendable as Daid 7riedrich "tra#ss. 4+n @arathrustra by ;ax *rnst.
There are two Niet:sches. <ne is the world.!amo#s !ashionable %hiloso%her( the da::ling %oet
and %henomenally gi!ted master o! style( who is now the tal$ o! all the world( !rom whose wor$s
a !ew mis#nderstood slogans hae become the intellect#al baggage o! the ed#cated. The other
Niet:sche is the #n!athomable( inexha#stible thin$er and %sychologist( the great discerner o!
h#man beings and al#er o! li!e o! #ns#r%assable s%irit#al energy and %ower o! tho#ght( to who
the most distant !#t#re belongs. To bring this other Niet:sche to the most imaginatie and
serio#s.minded o! contem%orary h#man beings is the intent o! the !ollowing two essays
contained in this short boo$.5 1n that case 1 wo#ld still %re!er the !ormer. The other goes: 4$
Philosopher and a -o&le 0uman /eing# a Contri&ution to the Characteristics of Friedrich
-iet<sche( by ;eta on "alis.;arschlins. The boo$ grabs o#t attention by the !aith!#l
re%rod#ction o! all the sensations which Niet:sche2s %ersonality eo$ed in the sel!.conscio#s
so#l o! a woman.5 Don2t !orget the whi%( instr#cted Barathr#stra. 1nstead o! this( is o!!ered: 4The
Philosophy of 1oy by ;ax Berbst. Dr. ;ax Berbst starts o#t !rom Niet:sche( b#t stries to
oercome a certain one.sidedness in Niet:sche... The a#thor is not gien to cool abstractions( it is
rather a hymn( a %hiloso%hical hymn to 8oy( which he deliers in s%ades.5 6i$e a st#dent s%ree.
<nly no one.sidedness. Better to r#n straight to the heaen o! the atheists: 4The Four ospels(
German( with introd#ction and commentary by Dr. ?einrich "chmidt. 1n contrast to the
corr#%ted( heaily edited !orm( in which the gos%els hae been deliered to #s as literat#re( this
new edition goes bac$ to the so#rce and may be o! high al#e not only !or tr#ly religio#s h#man
beings( b#t also !or those Santi.Ahrists2( who %ress !or social action.5 The choice is di!!ic#lt( b#t
one can ta$e com!ort !rom the !act that both elites will be as agreeable as the syno%ticists: 4The
ospel of Modern 0umanity A$ Synthesis: -iet<sche and ChristB by Aarl ;artin. An asto#nding
treatise o! edi!ication. *erything which is ta$en #% in the science and art o! the %resent has
ta$en #% the str#ggle with the "%irits =Geistern> o! the %ast( all o! this has ta$en root and
blossomed ( in this mat#re and yet so yo#ng mind =GemFt>. And mar$ well: this Smodern2(
entirely new h#man being creates !or itsel! and #s the most reii!ying %otion !rom an age.old
s%ring: that other message o! redem%tion( whose %#rest so#nds resonate in the "ermon on the
;o#nt... *en in the !orm o! the sim%licity and grande#r o! those wordsP5 "igned: *thical
A#lt#re. The miracle %assed away nearly !orty years ago( %l#s twenty more or so( since the
geni#s in Niet:sche 8#sti!iably decided to brea$ o!! comm#nication with the world. 1t didn2t hel%
9 exhilarated( #nbelieing %riests and ex%onents o! that organi:ed ethical c#lt#re( which later
droe !ormerly well.to.do ladies to emigrate and get by as waitresses in New Nor$( hae thried
on the %osth#mo#s legacy o! someone who once worried whether someone was listening to him
sing 4a secret barcarole5. *en then( the ho%e o! leaing behind a message in a bottle amidst the
rising tide o! barbarism was a !riendly ision: the des%erate letters hae been le!t in the m#d o!
the age.old s%ring( and hae been rewor$ed by a band o! noble.minded %eo%le and other
sco#ndrels to highly artistic b#t low.%riced wall decorations. <nly since then has the %rogress o!
comm#nication tr#ly gotten into gear. 'ho are we to cast as%ersion on the !reest s%irits =Geister>
o! them all( whose tr#stworthiness %ossibly een o#tbids those o! their contem%oraries( i! they no
longer write !or an imaginary %osterity( b#t solely !or the dead GodM
/H)
1u'enals error. 9 1t2s di!!ic#lt to write satire. 1t is not merely beca#se o! a condition( which
needs the latter more than eer( which moc$s all moc$ery. The means o! irony hae ended #% in
contradiction with the tr#th. 1rony conicts the ob8ect( by ta$ing it !or what it claims to be( and
witho#t 8#dgement( by bloc$ing o#t( as it were( the re!lecting s#b8ect( meas#ring it by its being.
in.itsel!. 1t %oints o#t the negatie by con!ronting the %ositie with its own claim to %ositiity. 1t
s#blates itsel!( as soon as it adds the inter%reting word. 1t th#s %res#%%oses the idea o! what is
sel!.eident( originally o! social resonance. <nly where a com%elling consens#s o! s#b8ects is
ass#med( is s#b8ectie re!lection( the !#l!illment o! the conce%t#al act( s#%er!l#o#s. Those who
hae la#ghter on their side( don2t need %roo!. ?istorically( oer the millenia( all the way to the
age o! &oltaire( satire has been ha%%y to consort with those who are stronger and co#ld be relied
#%on( with a#thority. Ty%ically it agitated !or older strata( threatened by the newer stages o! the
enlightenment( which so#ght to s#%%ort their traditionalism with enlightened means: its
immemorial ob8ect was the decline o! morals ="itten>. That is why what once !lashed li$e a
ra%ier( a%%ears to those born to later generations li$e a thic$ tr#ncheon. The do#ble.tong#ed
s%irit#ali:ation o! the a%%earance =*rschein#ng> always wishes to show the satirist as am#sing(
as the height o! %rogress@ the metric howeer is that which is endangered by %rogress( which
remains neertheless so widely disseminated as a alid ideology( that the %henomenon singled
o#t !or den#nciation is dismissed( witho#t een being granted a !air trial. The comedies o!
Aristo%hanes( in which obscene tales are s#%%osed to ex%ose !ornication( !#nctioned as the
modernistic la#datio tem%oris acti =6atin: %raise !or times %ast> !or the rabble( which it de!amed.
'ith the ictory o! the bo#rgeois class in the Ahristian era( the !#nction o! irony loosened #%. 1t
has at times r#n oer to the side o! the o%%ressed( es%ecially where these latter were in tr#th no
longer anything o! the sort. Admittedly( as something im%risoned in its own !orm( it has an
a#thoritarian legacy( which neer totally diested itsel! o! an #n%rotesting nastiness. <nly with
the decline o! the bo#rgeoisie did it s#blimate itsel! into the a%%eal o! an idea o! h#manity( which
no longer %ermitted any reconciliation with the existent and its conscio#sness. B#t een to these
ideas( sel!.eidence was what co#nted: no do#bt in the ob8ectie.immediate eidence arose@ no
witticism o! Earl Era#s hesitates to decide who is res%onsible and who is a sco#ndrel( what is
"%irit =Geist> and what is st#%idity( what is lang#age and what is a news%a%er. The ehemence
=Gewalt: iolence( %ower> o! his sayings is d#e to his 3#ic$.wittedness. ,#st as they sto% at no
3#estion( in the lightning.3#ic$ conscio#sness o! the matter.at.hand ="acherhalts>( so too do
they leae no 3#estion o%en. The more em%hatically howeer the %rose o! Era#s %osits its
h#manism as an inariant( the more it ta$es on restoratie 3#alities. 1t condemns corr#%tion and
decadence( the literati and the 7#t#rists( witho#t haing anything to commend itsel! oer the
:ealots o! the nat#ral condition other than the cognition o! their aw!#lness. That in the end the
intransigence against ?itler showed itsel! to be yielding in the case o! "ch#schnigg( does not
attest to a lac$ o! co#rage( b#t the antinomy o! satire. This latter needs something to hold on to(
and he( who called himsel! the gro#ch =NUrgler>( bent to its %ositiity. *en the den#nciation o!
"chmoc$ =stereoty%ical hac$ 8o#rnalist> contains( beside its tr#th( its critical element( something
o! the 4common sense5 =in *nglish in original>( which cannot stand the !act that someone tal$s in
s#ch windy terms. The hatred o! those who wo#ld li$e to seem more than what they are( holds
them !ast with the !acts o! their constit#tion. The incorr#%tibility is.a.is what is arti!icial( !or
the sim#ltaneo#sly #nredeemed and commercially oriented %retension o! the "%irit =Geistes>(
#nmas$s those who !ailed to meas#re #% to what stands be!ore their eyes as something eleated.
This eleation is %ower and s#ccess and stands reealed( thro#gh the botched identi!ication( as
itsel! a lie. B#t the !aise#r =7rench: miracle.wor$er> always embodies at the same time #to%ia:
een !alse 8ewels radiate with a %owerless childhood dream( and this latter is condemned(
beca#se it !ailed( add#cing itsel!( as it were( be!ore the !or#m o! s#ccess. All satire is blind to the
!orces( which are released d#ring disassembly =Ber!all: disintegration>. That is why terminal
decline has absorbed the %owers o! satire. The scorn o! the leaders o! the Third Reich !or emigres
and liberal state o!!icials was the latest ersion o! this( a scorn whose %ower consisted solely in
m#scle.!lexing. The im%ossibility o! satire today is not to be blamed( as sentimentality wo#ld
hae it( on the relatiism o! al#es( on the absence o! binding norms. Rather( consens#s itsel!( the
!ormal a %riori o! irony( has t#rned into the content.based #niersal consens#s. As s#ch( it wo#ld
be the sole worthy ob8ect o! irony and sim#ltaneo#sly %#lls the r#g !rom #nderneath it. 1ts
medi#m( the di!!erence between ideology and tr#th( has anished. The !ormer is resigned to the
con!irmation o! reality thro#gh its mere d#%lication. 1rony once ex%ressed: this is what it claims
to be( b#t that is what it is@ today howeer the world alleges that things are 8#st so( een in the
radical lie( and that s#ch a sim%le !inding coincides with what is good. There is no crac$ in the
sheer cli!! o! the existent( to which the gras% o! the ironist may cling. Those who !all are regaled
by the hellish la#ghter o! the treachero#s ob8ect( which disem%owers them. The gest#re o! the
non.conce%t#al 4that2s that5 is exactly the one which the world t#rns against each o! its ictims(
and the transcendental consens#s( which dwells in irony( becomes l#dicro#s be!ore the real
consens#s o! those which it sho#ld attac$. Against the blood.drenched serio#sness o! the total
society( which has absorbed its co#nter.a#thority as the hel%less ob8ection which irony !ormerly
str#c$ down( there stands solely blood.drenched serio#sness( the #nderstood tr#th.
/H5
Sacrificial lam&. 9 Dictating is not merely more com!ortable( and is not merely a s%#r to the
concentration( b#t has in addition an ob8ectie adantage. Dictation ma$es it %ossible !or the
a#thor to slide into the %osition o! the critic d#ring the earliest %hases o! the %rod#ction %rocess.
'hat one %#ts down is non.binding( %roisional( mere material !or rewor$ing@ once transcribed(
howeer( it a%%ears as something alienated and to a certain extent ob8ectie. <ne need not !ear
establishing anything( which o#ght not to remain( !or one does not hae to write: one ta$es
res%onsibility by %laying a %ractical 8o$e on res%onsibility. The ris$ o! !orm#lation ta$es the
harmless initial !orm o! e!!ortlessly %resented memos( then wor$ on something which already
exists( so that one can no longer een %erceie one2s own temerity. 1n iew o! the di!!ic#lty(
which has increased to des%erate leels( o! any theoretical ex%ression( s#ch tric$s are a blessing.
They are a technical means o! assistance o! dialectical %roced#re( which ma$es statements( in
order to ta$e them bac$ and neertheless hold them !ast. Than$s howeer are d#e to those who
ta$e dictation( when they !l#sh o#t the a#thor at the right moment thro#gh contradiction( irony(
nero#sness( im%atience and lac$ o! res%ect. They draw rage to themseles. This rage is
channeled !rom the storeho#se o! the bad conscience( with which a#thors otherwise mistr#st their
own texts and which the a#thor wo#ld be that m#ch more st#bborn abo#t leaing in the
%res#mably holy text. The emotional a!!ect( which #ngrate!#lly t#rns against the b#rdensome
hel%er( beneolently %#ri!ies the relation to the matter ="ache>.
/HJ
,.hi&itionist. =in *nglish in original>9 Artists do not s#blimate. 1t is a %sychoanalytic ill#sion to
thin$ that they neither satis!y their desires nor re%ress them( b#t trans!orm them into socially
acce%table achieements( into their entities =Gebilde>@ incidentally( legitimate wor$s o! art are
today witho#t exce%tion socially #nacce%table. <n the contrary( artists dis%lay iolent( !ree.
!loating instincts( which sim#ltaneo#sly collide with reality and are mar$ed by ne#rosis. *en
the %etty bo#rgeois stereoty%e o! the dramatist or iolinist as a synthesis o! nere.b#ndles and
heart.brea$ing is closer to the mar$ than the no less %etty bo#rgeois drie.economy( according to
which the "#nday2s children o! ren#nciation are let loose in sym%honies and noels. Their %art is
rather a hysterically exaggerated lac$ o! inhibition is.a.is all h#manly conceiable !ears@ a
narcissism drien to the borders o! %aranoia. Against what is s#blimated( they hae
idiosyncrasies. They are irreconcilable to the aesthetes( indi!!erent to c#ltiated milie#s( and they
recogni:e in the taste!#l mode o! li!e the in!erior reaction.!ormation towards the %ro%ensity !or
what is in!erior( as s#rely as the %sychologists who mis#nderstand them. They hae been
attracted( eerywhere !rom the letters o! ;o:art to his yo#ng A#gsb#rg co#sin to the word.8o$es
o! the embittered t#tor( to what is o!!.color( !oolish( im%ro%er. They do not !it into 7re#dian
theory( beca#se it lac$s an ade3#ate conce%t o! ex%ression( in s%ite o! all its insight into the
!#nctioning o! symbolism o! dreams and ne#roses. 1t is certainly ill#minating( that an #ncensored
drie.im%#lse( once ex%ressed( cannot be called re%ressed( een when it no longer wishes to
demand a goal which it does not !ind. <n the other hand( the analytic distinction between
locomotor 9 4real5 9 and hall#cinatory satis!action %oints in the direction o! the di!!erence o!
satis!action and #ndistorted ex%ression. B#t ex%ression is not hall#cination. 1t is a%%earance
="chein>( meas#red by the reality.%rinci%le( and wo#ld li$e to by%ass this latter. 'hat is
s#b8ectie neer see$s( howeer( to s#bstit#te itsel! thro#gh the a%%earance ="chein> in del#sie
!ashion( as thro#gh a sym%tom( in %lace o! reality. *x%ression negates the reality( by holding #%
to it( what does not resemble it( b#t it does not deny it@ it loo$s at the con!lict straight in the eye 9
the con!lict which otherwise res#lts in the blind sym%tom. 'hat the ex%ression has in common
with re%ression( is that the im%#lse !inds itsel! bloc$ed by reality. That im%#lse( and the entire
context o! ex%erience which belongs to it( is denied immediate comm#nication with the ob8ect.
As ex%ression it comes to the #n!alsi!ied %henomenon =*rschein#ng> o! itsel! and thereby o!
resistance( in sens#o#s imitation. 1t is so strong( that it ex%eriences its modi!ication to a mere
%ict#re( the %rice o! s#rial( witho#t being m#tilated on its way o#tside. 1nstead o! setting the
goal o! its own s#b8ectie.censoring 4%rocessing5( it sets something ob8ectie: its %olemical
reelation =<!!enbar#ng>. This disting#ishes it !rom s#blimation: eery s#ccess!#l ex%ression o!
the s#b8ect( one might say( is a small ictory oer the %lay o! !orces o! its own %sychology. The
%athos o! art stems !rom the !act that %recisely by withdrawing into the imagination( it gies the
hegemony o! reality what is its d#e( and neertheless does not resign itsel! to ada%tation( does
not %er%et#ate the iolence o! what is externali:ed in the de!ormation o! what is internali:ed. 7or
that reason( those who achiee this m#st witho#t exce%tion %ay dearly as indiid#als( beca#se
they are le!t hel%lessly behind their own ex%ression( which o#t%aces their %sychology. Thereby
howeer they awa$en( no less than their %rod#cts( do#bts in the ran$ing o! wor$s o! art #nder
c#lt#ral achieements ex de!initione =6atin: by de!inition>. No wor$ o! art can( in the social
organi:ation( eade its membershi% in c#lt#re( b#t none( which is more than arts.and.cra!ts(
exists which does not t#rn to c#lt#re with a dismissie gest#re: that it became a wor$ o! art. Art
is as hostile to art as artists. 1n the ren#nciation o! the drie.goal it $ee%s !aith with this drie.
goal( #nmas$ing what is socially desirable( which 7re#d naiely glori!ied as s#blimation( which
in all li$elihood does not exist.
/HK
Small pains# great songs. 9 Aontem%orary mass c#lt#re is historically necessary not merely as
the conse3#ence o! the embrace o! the entire li!e by monster enter%rises( b#t as the conse3#ence
o! what today seems most #tterly o%%osed to the %reailing standardi:ation o! conscio#sness(
aesthetic s#b8ecti!ication. 1ndeed the more that artists went towards the inner( the more they
learned to reno#nce the in!antile !#n o! imitating o! what is external. B#t at the same time( they
learned( by irt#e o! re!lecting on the so#l( to control themseles more and more. The %rogress o!
its technics( which constantly bro#ght greater !reedom and inde%endence !rom what is
heterogeno#s( res#lted in a $ind o! rei!ication( the techni!ication o! inwardness as s#ch. The
greater the irt#osity by which artists ex%ress themseles( the less m#st they 4be5 what they
ex%ress( and the more what is to be ex%ressed( indeed the content o! s#b8ectiity itsel!( becomes
a mere !#nction o! the %rod#ction %rocess. Niet:sche sensed this( when he acc#sed 'agner( the
tamer o! ex%ression( o! hy%ocrisy( witho#t recogni:ing that it was not a 3#estion o! %sychology(
b#t o! a historical tendency. The trans!ormation o! ex%ressie content !rom an #ng#ided im%#lse
into a material !or mani%#lation ma$es it howeer sim#ltaneo#sly tangible( %resentable( salable.
The lyric s#b8ecti!ication in ?eine( !or exam%le( does not stand in a sim%le contradiction to his
commercial traits( rather what is salable is itsel! a s#b8ectiity administered by s#b8ectiity. The
irt#oso #sage o! the 4scale5( which has de!ined artists since the /C
th
cent#ry( crosses oer o#t o!
its own drie.energy into 8o#rnalism( s%ectacle( and calc#lation( not %rimarily thro#gh betrayal.
The law o! moement o! art( which amo#nts to the control and thereby the ob8ecti!ication o! the
s#b8ect by itsel!( means its down!all: the hostility to art o! !ilm( which administratiely loo$s
oer all materials and emotions( in order to delier them to the c#stomer( the second exteriority(
originates in art as the increasing domination oer inner nat#re. The o!t.cited %lay.acting o! the
modern artists( howeer( their exhibitionism( is the gest#re( thro#gh which they %#t themseles
as goods on the mar$et.
/HL
Who is "ho. =in *nglish in original> 9 The sel!.!lattering coniction o! the naiety and %#rity o!
artists or %ro!essors lies on in its inclination( to ex%lain away di!!ic#lties by the c#nning
interestedness( the %ractically calc#lating "%irit =geist> o! the co#nter.%arties. B#t 8#st as eery
constr#ction( in which one is 8#sti!ied and the world is #n8#sti!ied( eery insistence on one2s own
title( tends to 8#sti!y the world in onesel!( so too do things stand with the antithesis o! %#re will
and slyness. The intellect#al o#tsider( who $nows what to ex%ect( behaes re!lectiely today(
steered by a tho#sand %olitical tactical considerations( ca#tio#s and s#s%icio#s. The ones who
#nderstand each other( howeer( whose realm has long since conerged across %arty lines on the
way to liing.s%ace =6ebensra#m: notorio#s term o! Na:i %ro%aganda>( no longer consider the
calc#lations necessary( which they were once ca%able o!. They are so reliably committed to the
r#les o! reason( their state o! interests hae sedimented themseles so trans%arently into their
tho#ght( that they hae once again become innoc#o#s. 1! one inestigates their shadowy %lans(
their 8#dgements are meta%hysically tr#e( beca#se they are related to the gloomy co#rse o! the
world( b#t %sychologically !alse: they end #% in the ob8ectiely increasing %ersec#tion.mania.
Those who commit betrayal and ini3#ity according to their !#nction and sell themseles and their
!riends to %ower( re3#ire no c#nning or #lterior motiation !or this( no %lanning instit#tion o! the
ego( b#t conersely need only rely on their reactions and the #nthin$ing satis!action o! the
demands o! the moment( in order to easily !#l!ill( what others co#ld achiee solely thro#gh
tort#o#sly com%lex machinations. They ins%ire tr#st( by %roclaiming it. They watch to see how
things !all o#t !or them( lie hand to mo#th( and recommend themseles as sim#ltaneo#sly
#negoistic and as s#bscribers to a condition( which ens#res that they will lac$ !or nothing.
Beca#se all o! them solely %#rs#e their %artic#lar interest( witho#t con!lict( this interest a%%ears
once more as general and disinterested( as it were. Their gest#res are o%en( s%ontaneo#s(
disarming. They are nice and their critics are eil. Beca#se they are not een le!t with the
inde%endence o! action( which wo#ld o%%ose the interest( they de%end on the good will o! others
and are themseles o! good will. The abstract interest( as something entirely mediated( creates a
second immediacy( while those who are not yet com%letely encom%assed are #nnat#rally
com%romised. 1n order to not be gro#nd beneath the wheel( these latter m#st thoro#ghly o#tbid
the world in worldiness and are easily conicted o! cl#msy oercom%ensation. "#s%icion( l#st !or
%ower( lac$ o! camaraderie( !alsity( anity and lac$ o! serio#sness are what they are
com%#lsiely re%roached !or. "ocial enchantment #naoidably t#rns those who do not %lay
along into sel!.see$ing ty%es( while those witho#t a sel!( who lie according the reality %rinci%le(
are called sel!less.
/HC
$ddress unkno"n. 9 A#ltiated %hilistines are wont to demand that the wor$ o! art sho#ld gie
them something. They are no longer o#traged at what is radical( b#t draw bac$ with the
shamelessly modest assertion( that they 8#st don2t #nderstand. This latter clears away the
resistance( the last negatie relation to the tr#th( and the o!!ending ob8ect is catalog#ed with a
smile #nder its own( #nder cons#mer goods( between which one has a choice and which one can
re8ect( witho#t inc#rring any res%onsibility. <ne is 8#st too d#mb( too o#tmoded( one 8#st can2t
$ee% #%( and the smaller one ma$es onesel! o#t to be( the more reliably do they %artici%ate in the
mighty #nison o! the ox inh#mana %o%#li =6atin: inh#man oice o! the %eo%le>( in the g#iding
!orce =Gewalt> o! the %etri!ied s%irit o! the age =Beitgeist>. 'hat is not com%rehensible( !rom
which noone gets anything( t#rns !rom an o#traging crime into mere !oolishness( desering o!
%ity. They dis%lace the tem%tation along with the s%i$e. That someone is s#%%osed to be gien
something( by all a%%earances the %ost#late o! s#bstantiality and !#llness( c#ts o!! these latter and
im%oerishes the giing. Therein howeer the relationshi% o! h#man beings comes to resemble
the aesthetic one. The re%roach that someone gies nothing( is execrable. 1! the relation is sterile(
then one sho#ld dissole it. Those howeer who hold !ast to it and neertheless com%lain( always
lac$ the organ o! sensation: imagination. Both m#st gie something( ha%%iness as %recisely what
is not exchangeable( what cannot be com%lained abo#t( b#t s#ch giing is inse%arable !rom
ta$ing. 1t is all oer( i! the other is no longer reachable by what one !inds !or them. There is no
loe( that wo#ld not be an echo. 1n myths( the g#arantor o! mercy was the acce%tance o!
sacri!ice@ loe( howeer( the a!ter.image o! the sacri!icial act( %leads !or the sa$e o! this
acce%tance( i! it is not to !eel itsel! to be #nder a c#rse. The decline o! gi!t.giing today goes
hand in hand with the hardening against ta$ing. 1t is tantamo#nt howeer to that denial o!
ha%%iness( which alone %ermits h#man beings to hold !ast to their manner o! ha%%iness. The wall
wo#ld be breached( where they receied !rom others( what they themseles m#st re8ect with a
so#r grimace. That howeer is di!!ic#lt !or them d#e to the exertion which ta$ing re3#ires o!
them. 1solated in technics( they trans!er the hatred o! the s#%er!l#o#s exertion o! their existence
onto the energy ex%endit#re( which %leas#re re3#ires as a moment o! its being ='esen> all the
way into its s#blimations. 1n s%ite o! co#ntless small moments o! relie!( their %raxis remains an
abs#rd toil@ the s3#andering o! energy in ha%%iness( howeer( the latter2s secret( they do not
tolerate. That is why things m#st go according to the *nglish ex%ression( 4relax and ta$e it easy5
=in *nglish in original>( which comes !rom the lang#age o! n#rses( not the one o! ex#berance.
?a%%iness is o#tmoded: #neconomic. 7or its idea( sex#al #ni!ication( is the o%%osite o! being at
loose ends( namely ecstatic tension( 8#st as that o! all s#b8#gated labor is disastro#s tension.
/)0
Consecutio temporum. =6atin: se3#ence o! tenses> 9 'hen my !irst com%osition instr#ctor tried
to drie the atonal nonsense o#t o! me and !ailed to %ers#ade me thro#gh tales o! the erotic
scandals o! the atonal com%osers( he !ell bac$ on trying to %in me down( where he tho#ght my
wea$ness lay( in the wish to be #%.to.date. The #ltra.modern( so ran his arg#ment( was already
no longer modern( the stim#l#s 1 so#ght had already !aded away( the !ig#res o! ex%ression( which
excited me( belonged to an o#tmoded sentimentality( and the new yo#th had( as he li$ed to call it(
more red blood cells in them. ?is own %ieces( where orientalist themes were reg#larly extended
thro#gh the chromatic scale( %roed s#ch hy%er.s#btle considerations to be the mane#ering o! a
concert director with a bad conscience. B#t 1 was soon to discoer( that the !ashion which he
#%held against my modernity( did in !act resemble( in the Gr.homeland o! the great salons( what
he had coo$ed #% in the %roinces. Neoclassicism( that ty%e o! reaction which does not
ac$nowledge itsel! to be s#ch( b#t goes so !ar as to %ortray the reactionary moment as adanced(
was the leading indicator o! a massie tendency( which #nder !ascism and in mass.c#lt#re
3#ic$ly learned to deal with the tender considerations o! the artistes( who were always
hy%ersensitie anyway( and to #nite the s%irit =Geist> o! Ao#rths.;ahler with that o! technical
%rogress. 'hat is modern has tr#ly become #nmodern. ;odernity is a 3#alitatie category( not a
chronological one. The less it can be red#ced to an abstract !orm( the more necessary is its
re8ection o! the conentional s#%er!icial context( o! the a%%earance ="chein> o! harmony( o! the
social order( which is rein!orced by mere d#%lication. The 7ascist street th#gs( who clamored
!#rio#sly against 7#t#rism( #nderstood more in their rage than the ;oscow censors( who %#t
A#bism on the index o! banned wor$s( beca#se it remained behind the "%irit =Geist> o! the
collectie times in %riate im%ro%riety( or the im%#dent theater critics( who !ind a %lay by
"trindberg or 'ede$ind %assD =7rench: obsolete>( b#t !ind an #ndergro#nd news re%ort 4#%.to.
date5 =in *nglish in original>. Neertheless the sm#g banality ex%resses a dread!#l tr#th: that in
the wa$e o! the train o! the entire society( which wo#ld li$e to dragoon all ex%ressions into its
organi:ation( what remains behind is what o%%oses the wae o! the !#t#re( as the wi!e o!
6indbergh called it 9 the critical constr#ction o! essence ='esen>. This latter is by no means
merely ostraci:ed by a corr#%ted %#blic o%inion( b#t the abs#rdity a!!ects the matter ="ache>. The
hegemony o! the existent( which constrains the "%irit =Geist> to do exactly what it does( is so
oer%owering( that een the #nassimilated ex%ression o! %rotest ass#mes the as%ect o! something
tac$ed together( disoriented( cl#eless is.a.is the !ormer( and recalls that %roincialism( which
once %ro%hetically s#s%ected modernity o! being retrograde. The %sychological regression o!
indiid#als( who exist witho#t an ego( goes hand in hand with a regression o! the ob8ectie "%irit
=Geistes>( in which d#ll.wittedness( %rimitiity and the sell.o#t %#sh thro#gh what has long since
historically decayed as the most modern historical %ower and thereby consign eerything which
does not enth#siastically 8oin the train o! regression to the erdict o! yesteryear. "#ch a 3#id %ro
3#o o! %rogress and reaction ma$es orientating onesel! is.a.is contem%orary art nearly as
di!!ic#lt as is.a.is %olitics( and moreoer cri%%les %rod#ction itsel!( s#ch that whoeer holds
!ast to extreme intentions is made to !eel li$e a bac$woods hic$( while the con!ormists no longer
sit shyly in their arbors =Gartenla#be: arbor( also the name o! /C
th
cent#ry !amily maga:ine>( b#t
barrel ahead li$e roc$ets into the %l#%er!ect tense.
/)/
*a nuance C encor2. =7rench: 4n#ance O once more5@ 3#otation !rom &erlaine2s Poetic $rt> The
demand that thin$ing and $nowing sho#ld reno#nce n#ances is not to be s#mmarily dismissed( as
merely giing in to the %reailing d#ll.wittedness. 1! the ling#istic n#ance co#ld no longer be
%erceied( then that wo#ld concern it itsel! and not merely rece%tion. 6ang#age is( according to
its own ob8ectie s#bstance( social ex%ression( een where it se%arated itsel! as something
br#s3#ely indiid#al !rom society. The changes which it enco#nters in comm#nication( reach
into the non.comm#nicatie material o! the a#thor. 'hat is s%oiled in the words and s%eech.
!orms o! common #sage( arries in the se3#estered wor$sho% as damaged. ?oweer the
historical damage cannot be re%aired there. ?istory does not merely in!l#ence lang#age( b#t also
occ#rs in the midst o! it. 'hat contin#es to be #sed in s%ite o! c#stomary #sage( %resents itsel! as
!at#o#sly %roincial or #nh#rriedly restoratie. All n#ances are so thoro#ghly attac$ed and
inerted into 4!laor5 =in *nglish in original>( that een adanced literary s#btleties recall
degraded words li$e gleaming( tho#ght!#l( sn#g( aromatic. The instit#tions against $itsch become
$itschy( artsy.cra!tsy( with an oertone o! something idiotically consoling !rom the world o!
women( whose so#l!#lness( re%lete with !l#tes and !ol$.cost#mes( became standard iss#e in
Germany. 1n the obligatory leel o! 8#n$( with which ha%%ily s#riing intellect#als a%%ly to the
acant %osts o! c#lt#re( what yesterday still styli:ed itsel! as conscio#sly ling#istic and hostile to
conention reads today li$e <ld 7ran$ish !o%%ery. German c#lt#re seems to be !aced with the
alternatie o! a dread!#l second Biedermeier or %a%er.administratie banality. The sim%li!ication(
howeer( which is s#ggested not merely by mar$et interest( b#t !rom excellent %olitical moties
and !inally !rom the historical conscio#sness o! lang#age itsel!( does not so m#ch oercome the
n#ance( as tyrannically %romote its decay. 1t o!!ers the sacri!ice to the omni%otence o! society.
B#t this latter is( %recisely !or the sa$e o! its omni%otence( as incommens#rable with the s#b8ect
o! cognition and !oreign as it was in more innoc#o#s times( when it aoided daily lang#age. That
h#man beings are being absorbed into the totality( witho#t the totality being mastered by h#man
beings( ma$es instit#tionali:ed s%eech !orms as oid as the naiely indiid#al ale#rs =7rench:
standards>( and the attem%t to re!#nction s#ch by acce%ting them into the literary medi#m
remains 8#st as !r#itless: the engineering %ose o! those who cannot read a diagram. The collectie
lang#age( which l#res a#thors( who mistr#st their isolation as Romanticism( is no less Romantic:
they #s#r% the oices o! those !or whom they cannot at all immediately s%ea$( as one o! them(
beca#se their lang#age( thro#gh rei!ication( is so se%arated !rom them as eeryone is !rom
eeryone else@ beca#se the contem%orary sha%e o! the collectie is in itsel! s%eechless. No
collectie today( which is entr#sted with the ex%ression o! the s#b8ect( is already a s#b8ect.
'hoeer does not !ollow the dictates o! the o!!icial hymn.tone to !estials o! liberation( which
are s#%erised by totalitarians( b#t means in earnest what Roger Aaillois ambig#o#sly eno#gh
recommended as ariditD =7rench: aridity>( ex%eriences the ob8ectie disci%line solely as %riation(
witho#t getting bac$ a concrete generality !or this. The contradiction between the abstraction o!
that lang#age( which wishes to clean ho#se with what is the bo#rgeois.s#b8ectie( and its
ex%ressly concrete ob8ects( lies not in the inca%acity o! the a#thor( b#t in a historical antinomy.
That s#b8ect wishes to cede itsel! to the collectie( witho#t being s#blated in it. That is why
%recisely its ren#nciation o! the %riate maintains something %riate( something chimerical. 1ts
lang#age mimics( on its own initiatie( the strict constr#ction o! society and imagines that it
co#ld ma$e the ery cement s%ea$. As %#nishment( the #ncon!irmed common lang#age
incessantly commits !a#x %as =7rench: misste%( mista$e> o! materiality ="achlich$eit> at the
ex%ense o! the material ="ache>( not so di!!erent !rom the bo#rgeoisie( when they wax rhetorical.
The logical conse3#ence o! the decay o! n#ance is neither to obstinately hold !ast to what is
decaying( nor to extir%ate eery single one( b#t whereer %ossible to o#tbid the ery 3#ality o!
being n#anced( to drie it so !ar( #ntil it recoils !rom s#b8ectie shading into the %#rely s%eci!ic
determination o! the ob8ect. The writer m#st ta$e the greatest care to ens#re that the word means
the thing and only this thing( witho#t sidelong glances( in connection with the chiseling o! eery
t#rn o! %hrase( listening with %atient e!!ort !or what bears the ling#istic( in itsel!( and what does
not. Those who are a!raid( howeer( o! !alling in s%ite o! eerything behind the s%irit o! the times
=Beitgeist> and o! being thrown on the trash.hea% o! discarded s#b8ectiity( are to be reminded
that what is newly arried and what is( according to its content( %rogressie( are no longer as one.
1n a social order( which li3#idates the modern as retrograde( then what may be!all what is
retrograde( i! it is oerta$en by the 8#dgement( is the tr#th oer which the historical %rocess rolls.
Beca#se no tr#th can be ex%ressed( than the one which is ca%able o! !illing the s#b8ect( the
anachronism becomes the re!#ge o! what is modern.
/)2
Which follo"s erman song. =concl#sion o! ?Ulderlin2s +atmos> 9 Artists li$e George hae
re8ected !ree erse as an in!erior !orm( as a hybrid o! meter and %rose. They are reb#tted by
Goethe and ?Ulderlin2s late hymns. Their technical ga:e ta$es !ree erse( !or what it considers
itsel!. They are dea! to the history( which stam%s its ex%ression. <nly in the e%och o! its decay
are !ree rhythms nothing b#t intermittent %rose sections( set in an eleated tone. 'here !ree erse
%roes itsel! to be a !orm o! its own essence ='esens>( it has emerged !rom the metrical stro%he(
%ressing beyond s#b8ectiity. 1t t#rns the %athos o! the meter against its own claim( the strict
negation o! what is most strict( 8#st as m#sical %rose( emanci%ated !rom the symmetry o! the
eight.beat meter( is d#e to the im%lacable %rinci%les o! constr#ction( which mat#red in the
artic#lation o! what is tonally reg#lar. 1n !ree rhythm( the r#bble o! artistically rhymeless anti3#e
stro%hes !inds its oice. These latter( !oreign( extend into modern lang#ages and sere( by irt#e
o! s#ch !oreignness( to ex%ress what is not exha#sted in comm#nication. B#t they gie way(
#nsalageably( to the !lood o! lang#age in which they were raised. They signi!y( with brittleness(
in the midst o! the realm o! comm#nication and not to be se%arated !rom the latter by any
ca%rice( distance and styli:ation 9 incognito( as it were 9 and witho#t %riilege( #ntil the wae o!
dreams washes oer the hel%less erses( as in Tra$ls lyrics. 1t is not !or nothing that the e%och o!
!ree erse was the 7rench reol#tion( the deb#t o! h#man dignity and h#man e3#ality. B#t isn2t
the conscio#s %roced#re o! s#ch erse similar to the law( which lang#age aboe all obeys in its
#nconscio#s historyM 1sn2t all wor$ed %rose act#ally a system o! !ree rhythms( the attem%t to
%roide coer !or the magic bane =Bann> o! what is absol#te and the negation o! its a%%earance
="cheins>( an exertion o! the "%irit =Geistes>( to resc#e the meta%hysical !orce =Gewalt> o! the
ex%ression by irt#e o! its own sec#lari:ationM 1! this were so( then a ray o! light wo#ld !all on
the labor o! "isy%h#s( which eery %rose a#thor has ta$en on themseles( since
demythologi:ation has %assed oer into the destr#ction o! lang#age itsel!. 6ing#istic 3#ixotry has
become a commandment( beca#se eery sentence str#ct#re contrib#tes to the decision as to
whether lang#age as s#ch( ambig#o#s !rom Gr.times to the %resent( !alls %rey to the b#stle and
the dedicated lies( which belong to s#ch( or whether it becomes a sacred text( by ma$ing itsel!
dem#re towards the sacred element( !rom which it lies. The ascetic sealing o!! o! %rose against
erse is tantamo#nt to an oath o! !ealty to song.
/)H
%n nuce. =6atin: in the $ernel> 9 The tas$ o! art today is to bring chaos into order =<rdn#ng:
social order>.
Artistic %rod#ctiity is the ca%acity o! olition in inolition.
Art is magic( emanci%ated !rom the lie o! being the tr#th.
"ince wor$s o! art were at one time deried !rom the !etishes 9 can one blame the artists( when
they behae 8#st a little !etishistically towards their %rod#ctsM
The art.!orm which since time immemorial raised the re%resentation o! the idea to the highest
%itch o! s%irit#ali:ation =&ergeistig#ng>( drama( is sim#ltaneo#sly according to its innermost
%rere3#isites oriented towards an a#dience.
'hen Ben8amin remar$ed( that the d#mb lang#age o! things is translated in %ainting and
sc#l%t#re into a higher( yet related one( then one can ass#me in the case o! m#sic that it resc#es
the name as %#re so#nd 9 b#t at the %rice o! its se%aration !rom things.
+erha%s the strict and %#re conce%t o! art is to be deried only !rom m#sic( while great %oetry
and great %ainting 9 %recisely the greatest 9 necessarily carry along with them something
material( something which strides beyond the aesthetic ensorcelment( something not dissoled
into the a#tonomy o! !orm. The dee%er and more conse3#ential aesthetics becomes( the more
ina%%ro%riate it is to( say( the signi!icant noels o! the /C
th
cent#ry. ?egel %erceied this interest
in his %olemic against Eant.
The belie! disseminated by aesthetes( that the wor$ o! art( as an ob8ect o! immediate int#ition
=Anscha##ng>( is to be #nderstood %#rely o#t o! itsel!( is not alid. The wor$ o! art has its
bo#ndary by no means merely in the c#lt#ral %rere3#isites o! an entity( its 4lang#age5( which
only the initiated can !ollow. Rather( een where there are no s#ch di!!ic#lties in the way( the
artwor$ demands more( than 8#st abandoning onesel! to it. 'hoeer wishes to !ind the
Fledermaus bea#ti!#l( m#st $now( that it is the Fledermaus: their mother m#st ex%lain to them(
that it is not abo#t an animal with wings b#t abo#t a cost#me mas$@ they m#st remember( that
someone said: tomorrow yo# may go to the Fledermaus. To stand in the tradition meant: to
ex%erience the wor$ o! art as something con!irming( a!!irming@ in it( one ta$es %art in the
reactions o! all those who eer saw it be!ore. 1! that once !alls away( then the wor$ is ex%osed in
its bareness and !allibility. The %rod#ction t#rns !rom a rit#al into idiocy( the m#sic t#rns !rom a
canon o! meaning!#l %hrases into stale and worn.o#t ones. 1t is tr#ly no longer so bea#ti!#l. ;ass
c#lt#re draws !rom this its right to ada%tations. The wea$ness o! all traditional c#lt#re o#tside o!
its tradition deliers the %retext( to im%roe it and thereby to barbarically iolate it.
'hat is consoling in the great artwor$s lies less in what they ex%ress( than the !act that they
s#cceeded in de!ying existence =Dasein>. ?o%e is closest o! all to those who are inconsolable.
Ea!$a: the soli%sist witho#t i%se =6atin: something>
Ea!$a was an enth#siastic reader o! Eier$egaard( b#t he is connected to the existential
%hiloso%her only inso!ar as one can s%ea$ o! 4annihilated existences5.
"#rrealism brea$s the %romesse d# bonhe#r =7rench: %romise o! ha%%iness>. 1t sacri!ices the
a%%earance ="chein> o! ha%%iness( which mediated eery integral !orm( to the tho#ght o! its tr#th.
/))
Magic flute. 9 That c#lt#rally conseratie ideology( which casts enlightenment and art as a
sim%le o%%osition( is #ntr#e inso!ar as it !ails to recogni:e the moment o! enlightenment in the
genesis o! what is bea#ti!#l. *nlightenment does not merely dissole all the 3#alities( which
adhere to what is bea#ti!#l( b#t sim#ltaneo#sly %osits the 3#ality o! what is bea#ti!#l in the !irst
%lace. The disinterested %leas#re which wor$s o! art excite according to Eant( can only be
#nderstood by irt#e o! a historical antithesis( which trembles in eery aesthetic ob8ect. 'hat is
considered with disinterest is %leas#rable( beca#se it once claimed the most extreme interest and
exactly thereby cancels o#t contem%lation. This latter is a tri#m%h o! enlightened sel!.disci%line.
Gold and %recio#s gems( in whose %erce%tion bea#ty and l#x#ry are still mixed #% in each other(
were enerated as magical. The light which they re!lected( co#nted as their sel!same essence
='esen>. 'hat was str#c$ by that light( !ell sway to their bane =Bann>. That bane sered early
attem%ts to control nat#re. They saw in them instr#ments to s#b8#gate the co#rse o! the world
with its own energy( c#nningly wrested !rom s#ch. The magic adheres to the a%%earance ="chein>
o! omni%otence. "#ch a%%earance ="chein> !ell a%art with the sel!.enlightenment o! the "%irit
=Geistes>( b#t the magic lied on as the %ower o! l#mino#s things oer h#man beings( who once
trembled in awe o! them( and whose eyes remained ensorceled by s#ch a iew( een where its
stately claim was seen thro#gh. Aontem%lation( as the remainder o! the stoc$ o! !etishistic
worshi%( is sim#ltaneo#sly a stage o! its oercoming. By giing #% its magical claim( by
reno#ncing the iolence( as it were( with which the s#b8ect endowed it and tho#ght to %ractice
with its hel%( l#mino#s things trans!orm themseles into %ict#res o! something !ree o! iolence(
into the %romise o! a ha%%iness c#red o! the domination oer nat#re. That is the Gr.history o!
l#x#ry( which has migrated into the meaning o! all art. 1n the magic o! what reeals itsel! in
absol#te %owerlessness( o! what is bea#ti!#l( com%lete and oid in one( the a%%earance ="chein>
o! omni%otence is negatiely re!lected bac$ as ho%e. 1t has esca%ed eery test o! strength. Total
%#r%oselessness denies the totality o! what is %#r%ose!#l in the world o! domination( and only by
irt#e o! s#ch re%#diation( which the existent !#l!ills in its own %rinci%le o! reason o#t o! the
latter2s conse3#entiality( has the existing society( to this day( become conscio#s o! a %ossible one.
The bliss o! contem%lation consists o! disenchanted magic. 'hat radiates( is the reconciliation o!
mythos.
/)5
$rt(figure. 9 To the #n%re%ared( the hea%ed #% atrocities o! ho#sehold ornaments are shoc$ing
d#e to their a!!inity with art.wor$s. *en the hemis%herical %a%erweights( which show a !ir.tree
landsca%e #nder glass with the title( greetings !rom Bad 'ild#ngen( somehow recalls to mind
"ti!ter2s green 7ichta#( and the %olychrome garden gnome recalls a wight o#t o! Bal:ac or
Dic$ens. Neither the s#b8ects nor the abstract similarity o! all aesthetic a%%earances ="cheins> are
at !a#lt here. <n the contrary( the existence o! !oolish and blatant 8#n$ ex%resses the tri#m%h( that
h#man beings managed to %rod#ce o#t o! themseles a %iece o! what otherwise ensorcels them
as toilers( and symbolically brea$ the com%#lsion o! ada%tation( by themseles creating what
they !eared@ and the echoes o! the same tri#m%h resonate !rom the mightiest wor$s( een tho#gh
they reno#nce that tri#m%h and style themseles as %#re seles witho#t relation to something
imitated. 1n both cases( !reedom !rom nat#re is celebrated and remains thereby mythically
entangled. 'hat h#man beings were in awe o!( t#rns into their own dis%osable thing. 'hat
%ict#res and %ostcards hae in common( is that they ma$e the Gr.%ict#res tangible. The
ill#stration 462a#tomne5 =7rench: a#t#mn> in the reading.boo$ is a dD8Y # =7rench: already
seen>( the *roica =Beethoen2s Third "ym%hony>( li$e great %hiloso%hy( re%resents the idea as
total %rocess( yet as i! this latter were immediately( sens#o#sly %resent. 1n the end the o#trage
oer $itsch is the rage( that it wallows shamelessly in the ha%%iness o! imitation( which has
meanwhile been oerta$en by a taboo( while the %ower o! art.wor$s is still secretly being !ed
!rom imitation. 'hat esca%es the bane =Bann> o! existence( its %#r%oses( is not only what is
better and %rotests( b#t also what relates to sel!.%reseration as what is less ca%able and d#mber.
This st#%idity grows the more that a#tonomo#s art idoli:es its diided( allegedly innocent sel!.
%reseration( instead o! the real( g#iltily im%erial one. By %resenting the s#b8ectie instit#tion as
a s#ccess!#l resc#e o! ob8ectie meaning( it becomes #ntr#e. 'hat conicts it o! this is $itsch@
the latter2s lie does not een !eign the tr#th. 1t draws hostility to itsel!( beca#se it s%ills the beans
abo#t the secret o! art and the a!!inity o! c#lt#re to what is saage. *ery wor$ o! art has its
indissol#ble contradiction in the 4%#r%ose!#lness witho#t %#r%ose5( by which Eant de!ined the
aesthetic@ by re%resenting an a%otheosis o! ma$ing( the ca%acity to control nat#re( which %osits
itsel! as the creation o! second nat#re 9 absol#te( !ree o! %#r%ose( existing.in.itsel! 9 while
nonetheless the ma$ing o! things( and indeed the radiance o! the arti!act( is inse%arable !rom
%recisely the %#r%ose!#l rationality which art wishes to brea$ o#t o!. The contradiction between
the ma$ing o! things and the existent is the li!e.element o! art and circ#mscribes its law o!
deelo%ment( b#t it is also its shame: by !ollowing( howeer mediatedly( the %reexisting schema
o! material %rod#ction and 4ma$ing5 its ob8ects( it cannot !or its %art esca%e the 3#estion o! the
4what !or5( whose negation is %recisely its %#r%ose. The closer the mode o! %rod#ction o! the
arti!act stands to material mass %rod#ction( the more naiely( as it were( does it %roo$e that !atal
3#estion. 'or$s o! art howeer see$ to silence the 3#estion. 4'hat is %er!ect5( in Niet:sche2s
words( 4sho#ld not be something which has become.5 -0uman# $ll Too 0uman( &ol. 1( A%horism
/)50( namely it sho#ld not a%%ear as something made. The more conse3#entially howeer it
distanced itsel! by %er!ection !rom the ma$ing o! things( the more brittle its own existence( as
something made( necessarily and sim#ltaneo#sly becomes: the endless %ains ta$en to wi%e away
the trace o! the ma$ing o! things( damages artwor$s and condemns them to something
!ragmentary. A!ter the disassembly =Ber!all: disintegration> o! magic( art has #nderta$en to
%resere %ict#res !or %osterity. 1n this wor$ howeer it aails itsel! o! the same %rinci%le which
destroyed %ict#res: the root o! its Gree$ name is the same as that o! technics. 1ts %aradoxical
interweaing in the %rocess o! ciili:ation brings it into con!lict with its own idea. The
archety%es o! today( synthetically %re%ared by !ilm and hit.songs !or the desolate int#ition o! the
late.ind#strial era( do not merely li3#idate art( b#t blast the del#sion into existence( thro#gh
!lagrant idiocy( which is already imm#red in the oldest wor$s o! art and which lends %ower to
een the most mat#re. The horror o! the end casts a harsh light on the dece%tion o! the origin. 9 1t
is the chance and limitation o! 7rench art( that it neer com%letely #%rooted the %ride in the
ma$ing o! small %ict#res( 8#st as it di!!erentiates itsel! most stri$ingly !rom the German $ind( in
the !act that it does not ac$nowledge the category o! $itsch. 1n co#ntless signi!icant
mani!estations it throws a reconciling ga:e on what is %leasing( beca#se it was s$ill!#lly
%rod#ced: what is s#blimely artistic holds on to sens#o#s li!e thro#gh a moment o! harmless
%leas#re in the bien !ait =7rench: well done>. 'hile this reno#nces the dialectic o! tr#th and
a%%earance ="chein>( and thereby the absol#te claim o! what has not yet become %er!ection( the
#ntr#th o! those who ?aydyn called the grand mog#ls is also aoided 9 those who wo#ld #tterly
re8ect the !#n o! little dolls or %ostcards and !all %rey to !etishism %recisely by driing o#t the
!etish. Taste is the ca%acity to balance in art the contradiction between what is made( and the
a%%earance ="chein> o! what has not yet become@ the tr#e art.wor$s howeer( neer as one with
taste( are those which deelo% that contradiction to the extreme and come to themseles( by
going to %ieces on s#ch.
/)J
Traders shop. 9 ?ebbel raises the 3#estion( in a s#r%rising diary entry( as to what 4wo#ld ta$e
the magic !rom li!e in one2s later years5. 4Beca#se we see in all the brightly colored( 8er$ily
moing %#%%ets( the rotor which sets them in motion( and beca#se 8#st !or that reason the
enticing m#lti%licity o! the world dissoles into a wooden monotony. 'hen a child sees the
acrobats singing( the m#sicians %laying( the girl carrying water( the coachmen driing( it thin$s
to itsel!( all this is ha%%ening d#e to %leas#re and 8oy in the matter@ it cannot een begin to
imagine that these %eo%le also eat and drin$( go to bed and get #% again. 'e howeer $now( what
it2s all abo#t.5 Namely( abo#t ac3#isition( which commandeers all those actiities as mere means(
red#cing them to abstract labor.time( as something exchangeable. The 3#ality o! things t#rns
!rom their essence ='esen> into the arbitrary %henomenon =*rschein#ng: a%%earance> o! their
al#e. The 4e3#ialent.!orm5 dis!ig#res all %erce%tions: what is no longer ill#minated by light o!
one2s own determination as 4%leas#re in the thing5( %ales be!ore the eyes. The organs do not
gras% anything sens#al in isolation( b#t obsere whether the color( tone and moement is there
!or itsel! or !or something else@ they grow weary o! the !alse diersity and s#bmerge eerything
in grey( disa%%ointed by the dece%tie claim o! 3#alities that they still exist at all( while they are
g#ided by the %#r%ose o! a%%ro%riation( to which they !or the most %art owe their existence. The
disenchantment o! the world o! int#ition is the reaction o! the sensori#m to its ob8ectie
determination as a 4world o! commodities5. <nly things cleansed o! a%%ro%riation wo#ld be
sim#ltaneo#sly color!#l and #se!#l: neither can be reconciled #nder #niersal com%#lsion.
Ahildren howeer are not so m#ch entangled in ill#sions abo#t the 4enticing m#lti%licity5 as
?ebbel thin$s( rather it is that their s%ontaneo#s %erce%tion still com%rehends the contradiction
between the %henomenon and !#ngibility( which the resigned one o! ad#lts no longer een dares
to reach( and see$s to esca%e it. +lay is their co#nterstri$e =Gegenwehr: co#nter( resistance>.
'hat stri$es incorr#%tible children is the 4%ec#liarity o! the !orm o! e3#ialence5: 4Gse.al#e
t#rns into the !orm o! a%%earance o! its o%%osite( al#e.5 -;arx( Capital %( &ienna /CH2( %age
J/0. 1n their non.%#r%osie doing they de%loy a !eint on the side o! the #se.al#e against
exchange.al#e. +recisely by diesting the things which they handle o! their mediated #tility(
they see$ to resc#e in their interaction with them whateer has good will towards h#man beings(
rather than towards the exchange relationshi% which de!orms h#man beings and things in e3#al
meas#re. The little wagons on wheels lead nowhere( and the tiny barrels on them are em%ty@ b#t
they $ee% !aith with its destination =Bestimm#ng: determination>( by neither %racticing nor
ta$ing %art in the %rocess o! the abstractions which leel o#t that destination =Bestimm#ng:
determination>( b#t rather %resere them as allegories o! what they are s%eci!ically are. They
wait( scattered to the winds and neertheless #nentangled( to see i! society !inally cancels o#t the
social stigma on them@ to see whether %raxis( the li!e.%rocess between the h#man being and the
thing( will cease to be %ractical. The #nreality o! games anno#nces that what is real( is not yet
real. They are #nconscio#s %ractice exercises o! the right li!e. The relationshi% o! children to
animals rests entirely on the !act that in the latter( which ;arx een begr#dged the s#r%l#s al#e
they delier to wor$ers( #to%ia is cloa$ed. Beca#se animals exist witho#t any mission
recogni:able to h#man beings( they re%resent their own names as ex%ression( as it were 9 as what
is #tterly not exchangeable. This endears them to children and ma$es their contem%lation a 8oy. 1
am a rhinoceros( signi!ies the !orm o! the rhinoceros. 7airy.tales and o%erettas $now s#ch
%ict#res( and the l#dicro#s 3#estion o! the woman( who as$ed how we $now that <rion is really
called <rion( rises to the stars.
/)K -o'issumum +rganum. =The newest organon: re!erence to Bacon2s -o'um +rganum( the
new organon> 9 6ong ago it was shown that wage.labor !ormed the modern masses( and indeed
has %rod#ced the wor$ers themseles. The indiid#al =1ndiid##m> is #niersal not merely as the
biological s#bstrate( b#t sim#ltaneo#sly as the !orm o! re!lection o! the social %rocess( and its
conscio#sness o! itsel! as something existing in itsel!( as the a%%earance ="chein> which it
re3#ires to raise its ca%acity o! achieement( whereas indiid#als !#nction in the modern
economy as mere agents o! the law o! al#e. The inner com%osition o! the indiid#al
=1ndiid##m> is to be deried in itsel!( not merely o#t o! its social role. 'hat is decisie in the
contem%orary %hase is the category o! the organic com%osition o! ca%ital. 'hat this meant in the
theory o! acc#m#lation was( 4the growth in the mass o! means o! %rod#ction( com%ared with the
mass o! labor.%ower which brings it to li!e5 -;arx( Capital %( &ienna /CH2( %age J550. 'hen the
integration o! society( es%ecially in the totalitarian states( determines s#b8ects eer more
excl#siely as %artial moments in the !ramewor$ o! material %rod#ction( then the 4trans!ormation
in the technical com%osition o! ca%ital5 %er%et#ates itsel! thro#gh the technological demands o!
the %rod#ction %rocess in those it not only encom%asses( b#t indeed !irst constit#tes. The organic
com%osition o! h#man beings is increasing. That thro#gh which s#b8ects are determined in
themseles as means o! %rod#ction and not as liing %#r%oses( rises 8#st li$e the share o!
machinery is.a.is ariable ca%ital. The %realent tal$ o! the 4mechani:ation5 o! h#man beings
is misleading( beca#se it thin$s these latter as something static( which #ndergoes certain
de!ormations d#e to an 4o#tside in!l#ence5( as am ada%tation to conditions o! %rod#ction external
to them. B#t there is no s#bstrate o! s#ch 4de!ormations5( nothing which is ontically interiori:ed(
on which social mechanisms merely act !rom o#tside: the de!ormation is not the illness o!
h#man beings( b#t the illness o! the society( which raises its children as 4hereditarily
disadantaged5( 8#st as biologism %ro8ects onto nat#re. 1t is only by means o! the %rocess( which
initiates the trans!ormation o! labor.%ower into a commodity( %ermeating h#man beings #tterly
and com%letely and ma$ing eery one o! their im%#lses sim#ltaneo#sly commens#rable and
ob8ecti!ied into an a %riori ariety o! the exchange.relationshi%( is it %ossible !or li!e to re%rod#ce
itsel! #nder the dominating relations o! %rod#ction. 1ts organi:ational !ollow.thro#gh
=D#rchorganisation> demands the amalgamation o! what is dead. The will to lie sees itsel!
re!erred to the re%#diation o! the will to lie: sel!.%reseration ann#ls li!e in s#b8ectiity. 1t
!ollows that all the achieements o! ada%tation( all the acts o! con!orming described by social
%sychology and c#lt#ral anthro%ology( are mere e%i%henomena. The organic com%osition o!
h#man beings re!ers by no means only to s%eciali:ed technical ca%abilities( b#t 9 and this is
something the #s#al c#lt#ral criti3#e wishes at no %rice to reeal 9 e3#ally to their o%%osite( the
moment o! what is nat#ral( which indeed !or its %art already originated in the social dialectic and
now !alls %rey to it. 'hat still di!!ers in h#man beings !rom technics( is incor%orated as a $ind o!
l#brication o! technics. +sychological di!!erentiation( as it originally emerged in !reedom and o#t
o! the diision o! labor and the com%artmentali:ation o! h#man beings according to sectors o!
the %rod#ction %rocess( itsel! ste%s in the end into the serice o! %rod#ction. 4The s%eciali:ed
irt#oso5( wrote a dialectician thirty years ago( 4the seller o! their ob8ecti!ied and s#bstantiali:ed
=ersachlichten> intellect#al ca%acities... ends #% in a contem%latie attit#de towards the
!#nctioning o! their own ob8ecti!ied and s#bstantiali:ed =ersachlichten> ca%acities. This
str#ct#re shows itsel! most grotes3#ely in the case o! 8o#rnalism( where it is %recisely
s#b8ectiity itsel! 9 $nowing things( moods( the ca%acity to ex%ress 9 which t#rns into something
abstract( as inde%endent !rom the %ersonality o! the Sowner2 as !rom the material.concrete
essence o! the ob8ects( which are dealt with inde%endently and nomothetically =eigengeset:lich>
as i! by a moing mechanism. The Slac$ o! sensibility2 o! 8o#rnalists( the %rostit#tion o! their
ex%eriences and conictions( is only com%rehensible as the %ea$ o! ca%italist rei!ication.5
=citation !rom Gyorgy 6#$acs( 0istory and Class Consciousness( 6ondon: /CK/( %age /00> 'hat
was here established as the 4%henomena o! degeneration5 o! the bo#rgeoisie( which it itsel! still
deno#nced( has meanwhile emerged as the social norm( as the character o! !#ll.!ledged existence
#nder late ind#strialism. 1t has long since ceased to be merely a 3#estion o! the sale o! what is
liing. Gnder the a %riori o! salability( what is liing ma$es itsel!( as the liing( into a thing( into
e3#i%age. The ego conscio#sly ta$es the entire h#man being into serice as its a%%arat#s. 1n this
reorgani:ation( the ego gies( as a $ind o! enter%rise director( so m#ch o! itsel! to the ego as a
means o! directing the enter%rise( that it becomes wholly abstract( a mere re!erence.%oint: sel!.
%reseration loses its sel!. +ersonal characteristics( !rom gen#ine !riendliness to hysterical
o#tbrea$s o! rage( become sericeable( #ntil they !inally slide %er!ectly into their sit#ation.
s%eci!ic assignment. 'ith their mobili:ation( they trans!orm themseles. They remain only as
light( !ixed and em%ty shells o! im%#lses( as material trans%ortable at will( deoid o! %ersonal
traits. They are no longer s#b8ects( b#t the s#b8ect directs itsel! at them as its internali:ed ob8ect.
1n their bo#ndless accessibility toward the ego( they are sim#ltaneo#sly alienated !rom the latter:
entirely %assie( they no longer no#rish it. That is the social %arthogenesis o! schi:o%hrenia. The
se%aration o! %ersonal characteristics as m#ch !rom the basis o! the dries as !rom the sel!( which
commands them where it %reio#sly merely held them together( ca#ses h#man beings to %ay !or
their increasing inner organi:ation with growing disintegration. The diision o! labor which is
!#l!illed in the indiid#al =1ndiid##m>( its radical ob8ecti!ication( ends #% as its diseased
s%litting. Th#s the 4%sychotic character5( the anthro%ological %rere3#isite !or all totalitarian mass
moements. +recisely the transition !rom !ixed characteristics to %#shb#tton modes o! behaior 9
seemingly enliening 9 is the ex%ression o! the rising organic com%osition o! h#man beings.
R#ic$ reactions( !ree o! any mediation thro#gh constit#ted being( do not restore s%ontaneity( b#t
establish the %erson as a meas#ring instr#ment( at the dis%osal o! and read by the center. The
more immediate their signal( the dee%er in tr#th is mediation re!lected in them: in %rom%tly
answering( non.resisting re!lexes( the s#b8ect is entirely dissoled. "o too with the biological
re!lexes( models o! the contem%orary social ones( which meas#red by s#b8ectiity are something
ob8ecti!ied( something !oreign: it is not !or nothing they are o!ten called 4mechanical5. The
closer organisms come to death( the more they regress to 8er$iness. 1t !ollows that the destr#ctie
tendencies o! the masses( which ex%lode in the totalitarian states o! both $inds( are not so m#ch
death.wishes as mani!estations o! what they hae already become. They m#rder( so that
whateer seems liing to them( resembles them.
/)L
=nackers yard. 9 The meta%hysical categories are not merely the eiling ideology o! the social
system( b#t sim#ltaneo#sly ex%ress its essence ='esens>( the tr#th abo#t it( and in its
trans!ormations are %reci%itated those o! the most central ex%eriences. Th#s death !alls into
history( and conersely this latter conersely is #nderstood thro#gh the !ormer. 1ts dignity
resembled that o! the indiid#al =1ndiid##ms>. The a#tonomy o! s#ch( which originated in the
economy( !#l!illed itsel! in the conce%tion o! its absol#teness( as soon as the theological ho%e o!
its immortality( which em%irically relatii:ed it( !aded away. This corres%onded to the em%hatic
%ict#re o! death( which entirely wi%ed o#t the indiid#ated =1ndiid##m>( the s#bstrate o! all
bo#rgeois cond#ct and thin$ing. Death was the absol#te %rice o! absol#te al#e. Now it !alls(
along with the socially dissoled indiid#ated =1ndiid##m>. 'here it is clothed with the old
dignity( it chatters away with the lie( which already stood ready in its conce%t: to name what is
im%enetrable( to %redicate what is s#b8ectless( to %re!abricate what !alls o#t. 1n the administered
conscio#sness( howeer( the tr#th and #ntr#th o! its dignity are done !or( not by irt#e o! an
otherworldly ho%e( b#t in iew o! the ho%eless lac$ o! energy o! the sec#lar world. 46e monde
moderne5( noted the radical Aatholic Aharles +Dg#y already in /C0K( 4a rD#ssi Y ailir ce 3#2il y
a %e#t.Vtre de %l#s di!!icile Y ailir a# monde( %arce 3#e c2est 3#el3#e chose 3#i a en soi( comme
dans sa text#re( #ne sorte %artic#liZre de dignitD( comme #ne inca%acitD sing#liZre d2Vtre aili: il
ailit la mort. =7rench: The modern world has s#cceeded in debasing something which %erha%s is
the most di!!ic#lt thing to debase in the world( beca#se it is something which in itsel!( as its
text#re( has a %ec#liar sort o! dignity( a sing#lar inca%acity to be debased: it debases death.> -Men
and Saints( New Nor$ /C))( %age CL0. 1! the indiid#ated =1ndiid##m> which death annihilates
is n#ll( deoid o! sel!.control and o! one2s own being( then the annihilating %ower also becomes
n#ll( as i! in 8est at the ?eideggerian !orm#la o! the nihilating =nichtenden> nothingness. The
radical re%laceability o! the indiid#al %ractically ma$es its death 9 in com%lete contem%t 9 to
something reocable( as it was once conce%t#ali:ed in Ahristianity with %aradoxical %athos.
Death howeer becomes totally incor%orated as a 3#antitD nDgligeable =7rench: negligible
3#antity( min#te smidgeon>. 7or eery h#man being( with all their !#nctions( society stands ready
with a waiting re%lacement( who regards the !ormer !rom the ery beginning as the bothersome
holder o! the 8ob( as a candidate !or death. The ex%erience o! death is accordingly trans!ormed
into the exchange o! !#nctionaries( and what does not com%letely go !rom the nat#ral relationshi%
o! death into the social one( is consigned to hygiene. Beca#se death is no longer %erceied as
anything more than as the dro%%ing o#t o! a nat#ral li!e.!orm !rom the social cl#b o! society( this
has !inally domesticated it: dying merely con!irms the absol#te irreleance o! the nat#ral li!e.
!orm in relation to what is socially absol#te. 1! the c#lt#re ind#stry anywhere testi!ies to the
trans!ormations in the organic com%osition o! society( then it is thro#gh the scarcely concealed
con!ession o! this state o! a!!airs. Gnder its lens( death begins to become comic. The la#ghter
which greets it in a certain genre o! %rod#ction is in all li$elihood ambig#o#s. 1t still registers the
!ear o! something amor%ho#s #nder the net which the society has s%#n oer the entirety o!
nat#re. B#t the eil is so ast and tightly.$nit( that the memory o! what is not coered seems
!oolish( sentimental. "ince the decline o! the detectie noel in the wor$s o! *dgar 'allace(
which seemed to moc$ their readers thro#gh increasingly less rational constr#ctions( #nsoled
mysteries and crass exaggerations( and neertheless magni!icently antici%ated therein the
collectie imago o! the totalitarian horror( the genre o! the m#rder.comedy has !ormed. 'hile it
contin#es to %o$e !#n at the !alse sh#dder( it demolishes the %ict#res o! death. 1t re%resents the
cor%se as what it has t#rned into( as a stage %ro%. 1t still resembles h#man beings and is
neertheless only a thing( as in the !ilm $ Slight Case of Murder( where cor%ses are incessantly
trans%orted to and !ro( allegories o! what they already %reio#sly were. Aomedy saors the !alse
abolition o! death( which Ea!$a described long ago in the history o! the 0unter racchus with
%anic: !or the same reason( m#sic is also beginning to be comic. 'hat the Na:is %er%etrated on
millions o! h#man beings( the modeling o! the liing on the dead( then the mass %rod#ction and
chea%ening o! death( threw its shadow in adance on those who are s%#rred to la#gh at cor%ses.
'hat is decisie is the assimilation o! biological destr#ction in the conscio#s social will. <nly a
h#manity( which is as indi!!erent to death as to its members 9 one which itsel! has died 9 can
administratiely in!lict death on myriads. Ril$e2s %rayer !or one2s own death is the %iti!#l
dece%tion o! the !act that h#man beings still only croa$.
/)C
Come off it. 9 The criti3#e o! the tendencies o! contem%orary society is a#tomatically co#ntered(
be!ore it is !#lly ex%ressed( by saying that things hae eer been so. The excitement thereby so
%rom%tly ab8#red( testi!ies merely to the lac$ o! insight into the inariance o! history 9 to an
#nreason( which %ro#dly diagnoses eeryone as hysterical. ;oreoer( the critic2s attac$s are said
to be merely hamming it #% !or the gallery( a means o! claiming s%ecial %riileges( while
whateer they are nonetheless #%set abo#t is well $nown and triial( so that noone can be
ex%ected to waste their attention on s#ch. The eidence o! the calamity comes to bene!it its
a%ologists: beca#se eeryone $nows eerything( noone is s#%%osed to say anything( and it may
then contin#e #nchallenged( hidden by silence. 'hat is a!!irmed is what %hiloso%hies o! all
%olitical stri%es hae tr#m%eted into the heads o! h#man beings: that whateer has the %ersistent
graity o! existence on its side( is thereby right. <ne need only be dissatis!ied to be already
s#s%ected o! being a global dreamer ='elterbesserer>. The consens#s em%loys the tric$ o!
ascribing to o%%onents a reactionary thesis o! decay( which is #ntenable 9 !or is not horror in !act
%erennialM 9 by discrediting the concrete insight into the negatie thro#gh its alleged !ail#re o!
tho#ght( and those who rise #% against the shadow( are maligned as agents o! the shadow. B#t
een i! things were eer so( altho#gh nonetheless neither Tim#r nor Genghis Ehan nor the British
colonial administration o! 1ndia deliberately b#rst the l#ngs o! millions o! h#man beings with
%oison gas( then the eternity o! horror is reealed by the !act that each o! its new !orms o#tbids
the older ones. 'hat end#res is no inariant 3#ant#m o! s#!!ering( b#t o! its %rogress towards
hell: that is the meaning o! the tal$ abo#t the growth o! antagonisms. Any other $ind wo#ld be
innoc#o#s and wo#ld %ass oer into mediating %hrases( the ren#nciation o! the 3#alitatie lea%.
Those who register the death.cam%s as a minor accident in the ictory %rocession o! ciili:ation(
the martyrdom o! the ,ews as world.historically insigni!icant( do not merely !all behind the
dialectical insight( b#t inert the meaning o! one2s own %olitics: o! sto%%ing the extremity.
R#antity recoils into 3#ality( not only in the deelo%ment o! the %rod#ctie !orces( b#t also in the
increase o! the %ress#re o! domination. 1! the ,ews are exterminated as a gro#%( while the society
contin#es to re%rod#ce the li!e o! wor$ers( then the comment that these !ormer are bo#rgeois and
their destiny #nim%ortant to the larger dynamic( t#rns into economic s%leen( een inso!ar as mass
m#rder is in !act ex%licable by the decline o! the %ro!it.rate. The horror consists o! the !act that it
always remains the same 9 the contin#ation o! 4%rehistory5 9 b#t #nremittingly reali:es itsel! as
something di!!erent( something #n!oreseen( oerwhelming all ex%ectations( the !aith!#l shadow
o! the deelo%ing %rod#ctie !orces. The same d#ality a%%lies to iolence( which the criti3#e o!
%olitical economy %ointed o#t in material %rod#ction: 4There are determinations common to all
stages o! %rod#ction( which are generally !ixed by tho#ght( b#t the so.called #niersal conditions
o! all %rod#ction are nothing b#t... abstract moments( by which no real stage o! %rod#ction can be
#nderstood.5 =;arx( rundrisse( %age LL> 1n other words( to abstract o#t what is historically
#nchanged is not ne#tral towards the matter ="ache>( by irt#e o! its scienti!ic ob8ectiity( b#t
seres( een where it is on target( as a !og in which what is tangible and assailable disa%%ear.
This latter is %recisely what the a%ologists do not wish to concede. <n the one hand they are
obsessed by the derniZre no#ea#tD =7rench: latest noelty> and on the other hand they deny the
in!ernal machine( which is history. <ne cannot bring A#schwit: into analogy with the destr#ction
o! the Gree$ city.states in terms o! a mere grad#al increase o! horror( regarding which one
%reseres one2s %eace o! mind. Aertainly( the martyrdom and degradation s#!!ered by those in the
cattle.cars( com%letely witho#t %recedent( casts a harsh( deathly light on the most distant %ast( in
whose obt#se and #n%lanned iolence the scienti!ically organi:ed $ind was already teleologically
at wor$. The identity lies in the non.identity( in what has not yet been( which deno#nces what has
been. The statement that it2s always been the same( is #ntr#e in its immediacy( tr#e only thro#gh
the dynamic o! the totality. 'hoeer allows the cognition o! the increase o! horror to esca%e
them( does not merely !all %rey to cold.hearted contem%lation( b#t !ails to recogni:e( along with
the s%eci!ic di!!erence o! what is newest !rom what has gone be!ore( sim#ltaneo#sly the tr#e
identity o! the whole( o! horror witho#t end.
/50
,.tra edition. 9 Aentral %assages in +oe and Ba#delaire set #% the conce%t o! what is new. 1n the
!ormer( in the descri%tion o! the maelstrom( whose sh#dder is e3#ated with 4the noel5 =in
*nglish in original>( which none o! the traditional re%orts is s#%%osed to ade3#ately gie any idea
o!@ in the latter( in the last lines o! the cycle *a Mort =7rench: death>( which chooses the %l#nge
into the abyss( indi!!erent as to whether it is heaen or hell( 4a# !ond de l2inconn# %o#r tro#er
d# no#ea#5 =7rench: to the bottom o! the #n$nown to !ind the new>. Both times it is an
#n$nown threat( which the s#b8ect entr#sts itsel! to( and which in a di::ying recoil %romises
%leas#re. 'hat is new( a blan$ s%ot o! conscio#sness( which one awaits with closed eyes( as it
were( seems to be the !orm#la by which %leas#re can be ta$en in horror and des%air( as stim#l#s.
al#e. 1t ca#ses eil to !lower. B#t its star$ o#tline is a cry%togram o! the most #nambig#o#s
reaction. 1t circ#mscribes the %recise in!ormation( which is comm#nicated by the s#b8ect to a
world become abstract( the ind#strial e%och. 'hat is rebelled against in the c#lt o! the new and
thereby in the idea o! what is modern( is the !act that there is no longer anything new. The
#nchanging #ni!ormity =1mmergleichheit> o! machine.%rod#ced goods( the net o! sociali:ation(
which in e3#al meas#re catches and assimilates ob8ects and the ga:e at those ob8ects( trans!orms
eerything which is enco#ntered into something which has already been( to the accidental
exem%lar o! a s%ecies( to the model2s do%%elganger. The layer o! what has not yet been tho#ght(
what is witho#t intention( in which alone intention !lo#rishes( seems to be cons#med. The idea o!
the new dreams o! this layer. 1tsel! #nattainable( it %#ts itsel! in %lace o! the !allen god in iew o!
the !irst conscio#sness o! the decline o! ex%erience. B#t its conce%t remains #nder the bane
=Bann> o! its illness( and its abstraction testi!ies to this( t#rning %owerlessly to the concretion
which glides away !rom it. ;#ch co#ld be learned abo#t the 4Gr.history o! what is modern5
=conce%t !rom 'alter Ben8amin> by analy:ing the change in the meaning o! the word 4sensation5
9 the exotic synonym !or Ba#delaire2s no#ea# =7rench: new>. The word became #niersali:ed
in *#ro%ean ed#cation thro#gh e%istemology. 1n 6oc$e( it mean the sim%le( immediate
%erce%tion( the o%%osite o! re!lection. 1t later became the great #n$nown and !inally( what is
exciting on a mass scale( destr#ctiely intoxicating( the shoc$ as cons#mer good. To still be able
to %erceie anything at all( regardless o! 3#ality( re%laces ha%%iness( beca#se omni%otent
3#anti!ication has ta$en away the %ossibility o! %erce%tion itsel!. 1nstead o! the !#l!illed relation
o! ex%erience to the thing( something what emerges is something at once merely s#b8ectie and
%hysically isolated( sensation( which exha#sts itsel! in the reading o! a manometer. Th#s the
historic emanci%ation o! being.in.itsel! is recon!ig#red into the !orm o! the int#ition( a %rocess
which the sense.%sychology o! the /C
th
cent#ry allowed !or( by red#cing the s#bstrate o!
ex%erience to a mere 4basal stim#l#s5( !rom whose %artic#lar constit#ted nat#re the s%eci!ic
energies o! the senses were s#%%osedly inde%endent. Ba#delaire2s %oetry howeer is !illed with
that !lash o! light( which the closed eye sees when str#c$ by a blow. As %hantasmagoric as this
light( so %hantasmagoric is the idea o! the new itsel!. 'hat !lashes( while sedate %erce%tion still
only achiees the socially %re!ormed mold o! things( is itsel! re%etition. The new( so#ght !or its
own sa$e( to a certain extent re%rod#ced in the laboratory( hardened to a conce%t#al schema(
t#rns in the abr#%t a%%earance =*rscheinen> into the com%#lsory ret#rn o! what is old( not so
dissimilar to the tra#matic ne#roses. To the da::led( the eil o! tem%oral s#ccession tears away
!rom the archety%es o! #nchanging #ni!ormity =1mmergleichheit>: that is why the discoery o!
the new is satanic( eternal ret#rn as damnation. +oe2s allegory o! the noel consists o! the
breathlessly circling moement( nonetheless at a standstill( as it were( o! the boat s%inning in the
whirl%ool. The sensations( in which masochists abandon themseles to the new( are as m#ch
regressions. This m#ch is tr#e o! %sychoanalysis( that the ontology o! Ba#delaire2s modernity(
li$e eery other one which !ollowed it( answers to the in!antile %artial drie. 1ts %l#ralism is the
color!#l !ata morgana =6atin: mirage>( in which what the monism o! bo#rgeois reason glosses as
allegorical ho%e( is that reason2s sel!.destr#ction. This %romise com%rises the idea o! what is
modern( and !or the sa$e o! its core( !or #nchanging #ni!ormity =1mmergleichheit>( eerything
which is modern ta$es on( once it is barely aged( the ex%ression o! something archaic. Tristan(
which rises in the /C
th
cent#ry as an obelis$ o! modernity( is at the same time the towering
mon#ment to the re%etition.com%#lsion. The new has been ambig#o#s since its enthronement.
'hile it lin$s eerything which %resses beyond the #nity =*inheit> o! the eer more !ixed
existent( it is at the same time the absor%tion by the new( which( #nder the %ress#re o! that #nity(
decisiely %romotes the disassembly =Ber!all> o! the s#b8ect into con#lsie moments in which
the s#b8ect deceies itsel! that it is still alie( and thereby #ltimately %romotes the entire society(
which dries o#t the new in state.o!.the.art style. Ba#delaire2s %oem o! the !emale martyr o! sex(
the m#rder ictim( allegorically celebrates the sanctity o! %leas#re in the terri!yingly
emanci%ating still.li!e o! crime( b#t the intoxication in iew o! the na$ed headless body is
already similar to that which droe the %ros%ectie ictims o! the ?itler regime to b#y
news%a%ers( greedily and %owerlessly( in which the meas#res were anno#nced %ortending their
doom. 7ascism was the absol#te sensation: in a declaration d#ring the time o! the !irst %ogroms(
Goebbels boasted that at least the Na:is weren2t boring. The abstract terror o! news and r#mors
was en8oyed in the Third Reich as the only stim#lation( which s#!!iced to momentarily heat the
wea$ened sensori#m o! the masses white.hot. 'itho#t the nearly irresistible iolence o! the
desire !or headlines( which ca#sed the heart to sei:e as i! thr#st bac$ into %rimeal times( the
#ns%ea$able co#ld not hae been borne by the onloo$ers( let alone the %er%etrators. 1n the co#rse
o! the war( eent#ally the most terri!ying news was s%read among the Germans and the slow
military colla%se was not h#shed #%. Aonce%ts li$e sadism and masochism no longer s#!!ice. 1n
the mass society o! technical dissemination they are mediated by sensation( by the comet.li$e( !ar
remoed( to.the.extreme new. 1t oerwhelms the %#blic( which s3#irms #nder the shoc$ and
!orgets who the monstrosity is being %er%etrated on( onesel! or others. The content o! the shoc$
becomes tr#ly indi!!erent is.a.is its stim#l#s al#e( 8#st as it ideally was in the inocations o!
the %oets@ it is een %ossible that the horror saored by +oe and Ba#delaire( once reali:ed by
dictators( loses its sensational 3#ality( b#rns o#t. The iolent resc#e o! 3#alities in the new was
deoid o! 3#alities. *erything can( as the new( diested o! itsel!( be en8oyed( 8#st as the n#mbed
mor%hine addict !inally reaches indiscriminately !or any dr#g( een atro%ine. *ery 8#dgement
%erishes in sensation( along with the distinction o! 3#alities: that is what act#ally allows
sensation to become an agent o! catastro%hic retrogression. 1n the terror o! regressie dictators(
what is modern( the dialectical %ict#re o! %rogress( c#lminates in an ex%losion. The new in its
collectie !orm( something already hinted at by the 8o#rnalistic traits in Ba#delaire as m#ch the
noise o! dr#ms in 'agner( is in !act external li!e( coo$ed #% as a stim#lating and enerating dr#g:
it is not !or nothing that +oe( Ba#delaire and 'agner were addictie %ersonalities. The new t#rns
into the merely eil !irst thro#gh totalitarian g#idance( wherein that tension o! the indiid#al
=1ndiid##ms> to society( which once reali:ed the category o! the new( is canceled o#t. Today the
a%%eal to the new 9 regardless o! what $ind( %roided only it is archaic eno#gh 9 has become
#niersal( the #bi3#ito#s medi#m o! !alse mimesis. The decom%osition o! the s#b8ect is
com%leted by handing itsel! oer to a constantly di!!erent( #nchanging #ni!ormity
=1mmergleichheit>. This s#c$s eerything !ixed o#t o! %ersonal character. 'hat Ba#delaire was
ca%able o! achieing by irt#e o! the %ict#re( deoles to !ascination deoid o! will. Breach o!
!aith and #n.identity( the %athic catering to the sit#ation( are actiated by the stim#l#s o!
something new( which as a stim#l#s is already no longer stim#lating. +erha%s h#manity2s re!#sal
to hae children is thereby ex%lained( beca#se eeryone can %ro%hesy the worst: what is new is
the secret !ig#re o! eeryone not yet born. ;alth#s belongs to the Gr.!athers o! the /C
th
cent#ry(
and Ba#delaire had reason to exalt what is in!ertile. ?#manity( which des%airs o! its
re%rod#ction( #nconscio#sly casts the wish to s#rie onto the chimera o! neer $nown things(
b#t these latter resemble death. They %oint to the down!all o! an entire constit#tion( which
irt#ally no longer needs its members.
/5/
Theses against the occult. 9 1. The %enchant !or the occ#lt is a sym%tom o! the regression o!
conscio#sness. 1t has lost the energy to thin$ what is #nconditional and to withstand the
conditional. 1nstead o! determining both( in #nity and di!!erence( in the labor o! the conce%t( it
heedlessly mixes them #%. 'hat is #nconditional t#rns into a !act( what is conditional becomes
immediately essential =wesenha!t>. ;onotheism cr#mbles into a second mythology. 41 beliee in
astrology( beca#se 1 don2t beliee in God5( res%onded an interiewee in an American social
%sychological st#dy. The 8#ridically.minded =rechts%rechenden> reason( which raised itsel! to the
conce%t o! a god( seems to be ca#ght #% in the latter2s !all. The "%irit =Geist> dissociates itsel!
into s%irits =Geister: s%irits( ghosts> and thereby !or!eits the ca%acity to recogni:e( that the latter
no longer exist. The eiled tendency o! calamity o! society cons its ictims in the !alse
reelation( in the hall#cinatory %henomenon. They ho%e( in ain( that its !ragmentary
obio#sness will enable them to loo$ at the total doom in the eye and withstand it. +anic brea$s
o#t once again a!ter millenia o! enlightenment on a h#manity( whose domination oer nat#re as
domination oer h#man beings s#r%asses in horror whateer h#man beings had to !ear !rom
nat#re.
11. The second mythology is een more #ntr#e than the !irst. The latter was the %reci%itate o! the
state o! cognition o! its e%ochs( each o! which showed its conscio#sness o! the blind nat#ral
context to be somewhat !reer than the %reio#s one. The !ormer( dist#rbed and entangled( throws
away the cognition it once achieed o! itsel! in the middle o! a society( which eliminates thro#gh
the all.embracing exchange relationshi% een what is most elementary( which the occ#ltists
claim to control. The ga:e o! the mariner at the Diosc#ri =twin g#ardian deities o! sea.oyagers
in ancient Greece( rendered as stat#es on the shi%2s %row>( the animism o! trees and streams( in
all the del#sory beda::lement at what is inex%licable( were a%%ro%riate to the historical
ex%eriences o! the s#b8ect is.a.is its action.ob8ects. As a rationally #tili:ed reaction towards
the rationali:ed society( howeer( in which the booths and cons#ltation rooms o! the s%irit.seers
o! all grades( the reborn animism denies the alienation to which it testi!ies and on which it lies(
and s#rrogates a nonexistent ex%erience. The occ#ltist draws the most extreme concl#sion !rom
the !etish.character o! the commodity: threateningly ob8ecti!ied labor s%rings at them !rom
ob8ects in the g#ise o! co#ntless demons. 'hat is !orgotten in a world which has t#rned into
%rod#cts( its %rod#cedness =+rod#:iertsein> by h#man beings( is recalled in diided( inerted
!orm( as something existing in itsel! which is added to and e3#ated with the in.themseles o!
ob8ects =An sich der <b8e$te>. Beca#se these latter hae !ro:en #nder the light o! reason( losing
the a%%earance ="chein> o! being animated( that which animates them( its social 3#ality( ma$es
itsel! something nat#rally.s#%ernat#rally inde%endent( a thing among things.
111. The regression to magical thin$ing #nder late ca%italism assimilates tho#ght to late.ca%italist
!orms. The d#bio#s.asocial marginal %henomena o! the system( the ramshac$le instit#tions
which s3#int thro#gh the crac$s in its walls( indeed reeal nothing o! what wo#ld be o#tside( b#t
mani!est the energies o! disassembly =Ber!alls> in the interior that m#ch more. The small.time
sages( who terrori:e their clients in !ront o! a crystal ball( are toy models o! the big.time ones(
who hold the destiny o! h#manity in their hands. The obsc#rantists behind 4+sychic Research5
=in *nglish in original> are as 3#arrelsome and cons%iratorial as society itsel!. The hy%nosis
exerted by occ#lt things resembles totalitarian terror: in contem%orary %rocesses( both conerge
with each other. The smile o! the a#g#ry has oergrown itsel! into the scorn!#l la#ghter o!
society@ it !eeds on the immediate material ex%loitation o! so#ls. The horosco%e corres%onds to
the directies o! b#rea#s on nationalities =&Ul$er: literally %eo%les or nations( b#t meaning a
homogeno#s ethnic gro#%>( and n#mber.mysticism is %re%aration !or administratie statistics and
cartel %rices. 1ntegration %roes in the end to be the ideology o! the disintegration into %ower.
gro#%s( which exterminate each other. 'hoeer casts their lot with them( is lost.
1&. The occ#lt is a re!lex.moement o! the s#b8ecti!ication o! all meaning( the com%lement o!
rei!ication. 'hen the ob8ectie reality seems more dea! to the liing than eer be!ore( they see$
to worm o#t its meaning thro#gh an abracadabra. ;eaning is indiscriminately ascribed to the
next worse thing: the rationality o! what is real( which is no longer 3#ite conincing( is re%laced
with dancing tables and rays !rom hea%s o! earth. The re!#se o! the world o! %henomena
=*rschein#ngswelt> t#rns into the m#nd#s intelligibilis =6atin: world o! intelligible realities> o!
the ailing conscio#sness. 1t comes close to being the s%ec#latie tr#th( 8#st as Ea!$a2s <drade$
wo#ld almost be an angel( and is neertheless( in a %ositiity which leaes o#t the medi#m o!
tho#ght( only barbaric error( the s#b8ectiity which has relin3#ished =entI#sserte> itsel! and
thereby !ails to recogni:e itsel! in the ob8ect. The more com%lete the disdain!#lness o! what is
%assed o!! as 4"%irit5 =Geist> 9 and in anything more animated the enlightened s#b8ect wo#ld o!
co#rse recogni:e itsel! 9 the more the meaning sensed there( which in !act is totally absent( t#rns
into the #nconscio#s( com%#lsory %ro8ect o! the historically 9 i! not necessarily clinically 9
disintegrating =:er!allenden> s#b8ect. 1t wo#ld li$e to ma$e the world similar its own disassembly
=Ber!all>: that is why it deals with stage.%ro%s and malicio#s wishes. 4The third reads o#t o! my
hand O 1t wants to read my mis!ort#neP5 1n the occ#lt( the "%irit =Geist> groans #nder its own
bane =Bann> li$e those ca#ght in a bad dream( whose torment increases with the !eeling( that they
are dreaming( witho#t being able to wa$e #%.
&. The iolence o! the occ#lt( 8#st li$e 7ascism( to which it is lin$ed by tho#ght.schemata o! the
sort which %#rey anti."emitism( is not only %athic. 1t consists rather o! the !act that in the lesser
%anaceas( coer.%ict#res( as it were( the conscio#sness h#ngry !or tr#th thin$s it can gras% the
dimly %resent cognition( which o!!icial %rogress o! eery ty%e assid#o#sly withholds. 1t is that
society( by irt#ally excl#ding the %ossibility o! the s%ontaneo#s recoil( graitates towards total
catastro%he. The real abs#rdity is the model !or the astrological one( which %#ts !orward the
im%enetrable context o! alienated elements 9 nothing is more !oreign than the stars 9 as
$nowledge abo#t the s#b8ect. The threat which is read o#t o! the constellations( resembles the
historical one( which rolls on in #nconscio#sness( in what is s#b8ectless. They can bear the
tho#ght that eeryone is a %ros%ectie ictim o! a whole( which is merely !ormed !rom
themseles( only by trans!erring that whole away !rom themseles onto something similar(
something external to it. 1n the miserable idiocy which they %ro%agate( the em%ty horror( they
allow themseles to let o#t the cl#msy misery( the crass !ear o! death and neertheless to
contin#e to re%ress it( as they m#st i! they wish to contin#e to lie. The brea$ in the li!e.line
which indicates a hidden cancer is a !ra#d only in the %lace where it is asserted( in the hand o!
the indiid#al =1ndiid##ms>@ where it wo#ld not gie a diagnosis( in the collectie( it wo#ld be
correct. <cc#ltists rightly !eel drawn to childishly monstro#s nat#ral.scienti!ic !antasies. The
con!#sion they create between their emanations and the isoto%es o! #rani#m( is #ltimate clarity.
The mystic rays are modest antici%ations o! the technical ones. "#%erstition is cognition( beca#se
it sees all o! the ci%hers o! destr#ction together( which are scattered on the social s#r!ace@ it is
!oolish( beca#se in still clings to ill#sions( in all o! its death.drie: glossing the answer( !rom the
trans!ig#red !orm o! society( dis%laced into the heaens( which can only be %roided by the real
trans!ig#ration o! society.
&1. The occ#lt is the meta%hysics o! $n#c$leheads. The s#balternity o! medi#ms is no more
accidental than the a%ocry%hal nat#re and triiality o! what is reealed. "ince the early days o!
s%iritism( the beyond has anno#nced nothing more %ortento#s than a greeting !rom a dead
grandmother next to a %rediction( that a 8o#rney is in the o!!ing. The exc#se that the s%irit.world
cannot comm#nicate to !eeble h#man reason any more than this latter is able to ta$e in( is 8#st as
silly( the a#xiliary hy%othesis o! the %aranoid system: the l#men nat#rale =6atin: 4nat#ral light5(
in the sense o! eeryday h#man reasoning> achieed greater things than the tri% to the
grandmother( and i! the s%irits do not wish to ac$nowledge this( then they are mannerless
$obolds( with whom one had better brea$ o!! all contact. The obt#sely nat#ral content o! the
s#%ernat#ral message betrays its #ntr#th. 'hile it h#nts o#tside !or what is lost( what it r#ns into
there is only its own nothingness. 1n order not to !all o#t o! the grey %rosaicness( in which they
!eel right at home as incorrigible realists( they ad8#st the meaning( on which they re!resh
themseles( into what is meaningless( be!ore which they !lee. The %honey magic is nothing other
than the %honey existence( which the !ormer ill#minates. That is why it ma$es itsel! at home with
what is down to earth. 7acts( which di!!er !rom what is the case( only in that they are nothing o!
the sort( are wor$ed #% into the !o#rth dimension. Their 3#alitas occ#lta =6atin: hidden 3#ality> is
solely their non.being. They delier the world.iew o! idiocy. Abr#%tly( drastically( the
astrologists and s%iritists iss#e a res%onse to eery 3#estion( which does not een sole the latter(
b#t cancels any %ossible sol#tion thro#gh cr#de s#%%ositions. Their s#blime realm( conceied as
analogo#s to s%ace( no more needs to be tho#ght than chairs and !lower.ases. 1t thereby
rein!orces con!ormism. Nothing %leases the existent more( than the %osition that existence( as
s#ch( is s#%%osed to be meaning.
&11. The great religions hae either( as in the ,ewish one( $e%t in mind the salation o! the dead(
a!ter the ban on graen images( with silence( or ta#ght the res#rrection o! the !lesh. They hae
their graity in the inse%arability o! what is s%irit#al =Geistigen> and what is cor%oreal. There is
no intention( there is nothing 4intellect#al5 =4geistiges5>( which wo#ld not somehow be gro#nded
in cor%oreal %erce%tion and demand cor%oreal !#l!illment. To the occ#ltists( who consider
themseles aboe the tho#ght o! res#rrection and do not at all wish !or act#al salation( this is
too cr#de. Their meta%hysics( which een ?#xley can no longer disting#ish !rom meta%hysics(
rests on the axiom: 4The so#l swings high into the air O the body rests on the co#ch oer there5.
The !eistier the s%irit#ality( the more mechanistic: not een Descartes se%arated it so cleanly. The
diision o! labor and rei!ication are drien to the extreme: body and so#l are c#t !rom each other
in a %erennial iisection( as it were. The so#l is s#%%osed to d#st itsel! o!!( in order to contin#e(
in lighter regions( its eager actiity right at the %oint it was interr#%ted. 1n s#ch a declaration o!
inde%endence( howeer( the so#l t#rns into the chea% imitation o! what it was !alsely
emanci%ated !rom. 1n %lace o! the reci%rocity( which een the most rigid %hiloso%hy #%held( the
astral body sets #% sho%( the ignominio#s concession o! the hy%ostati:ed "%irit =Geist> to its
o%%onent. <nly in the allegory o! the body is the conce%t o! the %#re "%irit =Geists> is to be
gras%ed at all( and the !ormer sim#ltaneo#sly s#blates the latter. 'ith the rei!ication o! the s%irits(
the s%irits are already negated.
&111. <cc#ltists !#lminate against materialism. B#t they want to weigh the astral body. The
ob8ects o! their interest are s#%%osed to sim#ltaneo#sly s#r%ass the %ossibility o! ex%erience and
be ex%erienced. *erything is s#%%osed to be done strictly scienti!ically@ the greater the h#mb#g(
the more care!#lly controlled the test arrangement. The %om%osity o! scienti!ic controls is ta$en
ad abs#rd#m =6atin: to the %oint o! abs#rdity>( where there is nothing to control !or. The same
rationalistic and em%iristic a%%arat#s which %#t an end to the s%irits( is em%loyed to mandatorily
!oist them o!! on those who no longer tr#st in their own ratio. As i! any elementary s%irit wo#ld
!lee !rom the tra% o! the control oer nat#re( which is %osited by their !leeting essence ='esen>.
B#t een this the occ#ltists ma$e #se o!. Beca#se the s%irits don2t li$e controls( a door m#st be
held o%en to them in the middle o! sec#rity %reca#tions( so that they can ma$e their a%%earance
#ndist#rbed. 7or the occ#ltists are %ractical ty%es. They aren2t drien by idle c#riosity( they see$
ti%s. Things go in a 8i!!y !rom the stars to !#t#res trading =TermingeschI!t: !#t#re transactions(
!#t#res( o%tions>. ;ostly the in!ormation amo#nts to ill tidings !or some ac3#aintance( who was
ho%ing !or something.
1[. The cardinal sin o! the occ#lt is the contamination o! "%irit =Geist> and existence( the latter o!
which t#rns into an attrib#te o! the "%irit =Geistes>. This last originated in existence( as an organ
designed to %resere li!e. "ince existence is re!lected in the "%irit =Geist>( this latter t#rns at the
same time into something else. 'hat exists negates itsel! as the memoriali:ation =*ingeden$en>
o! itsel!. "#ch negation is the element o! the "%irit =Geistes>. To ascribe it once more to %ositie
existence( een i! it were that o! a higher social order( wo#ld delier it to that which it stands
against. 6ater bo#rgeois ideology had made it once more into what it was in %re.animism(
something existing.in.itsel! according to the meas#re o! the social diision o! labor( o! the brea$
between %hysical and intellect#al labor( and o! the %lanned domination oer the !ormer. 1n the
conce%t o! the "%irit =Geistes> which exists in itsel!( the conscio#sness ontologically 8#sti!ies and
eternali:es %riilege( by ma$ing it inde%endent o! the social %rinci%le( which constit#tes it. "#ch
ideology ex%lodes into occ#ltism: the latter is an idealism which has come into itsel!( as it were.
+recisely by irt#e o! the rigid antithesis o! being and "%irit =Geist>( this latter t#rns into a
de%artment o! being. 1! idealism had %romoted the idea solely !or the whole( that being wo#ld be
"%irit =Geist> and this latter wo#ld exist( then the occ#lt draws the abs#rd conse3#ence !rom this(
that existence means determinate being: 4*xistence is( according to its becoming( aboe all being
with something non.being( so that this non.being is ta$en #% in sim%le #nity with being. The
non.being th#s ta$en #% in being( the !act that the concrete whole is in the !orm o! being( o!
immediacy( com%rises the determination as s#ch. 4 -?egel( Science of *ogic %( ed. Gloc$ner(
"t#ttgart /C2L( %age /2H0. The occ#ltists ta$e not.being as a 4sim%le #nity with being5 literally(
and their $ind o! concreity is a !ra#d#lent abbreiation o! the %ath !rom the whole to the
determinate( which can claim that the whole( as something once determined( is thereby nothing
o! the sort anymore. They call to meta%hysics( hic Rhod#s hic salta =6atin: here is Rhodes( here
is where yo# 8#m%>: i! the %hiloso%hical inestment o! "%irit =Geist> with existence can be
determined( then( they !eel( any random( scattered existence m#st #ltimately 8#sti!y itsel! as a
%artic#lar "%irit =Geist>. Aonse3#ently( the doctrine o! the existence o! the "%irit =Geist>( the
most extreme exaltation o! bo#rgeois conscio#sness( wo#ld already teleologically bear the belie!
in s%irits( its #tmost denigration. The transition to existence( always 4%ositie5 and 8#sti!ication
!or the world( im%lies at the same time the thesis o! %ositiity o! the "%irit =Geist>( its arrest as a
thing =Ding!estmach#ng>( the trans%osition o! what is absol#te into the %henomenon
=*rschein#ng>. 'hether the entire tangible world( as 4%rod#ct5( is s#%%osed to be "%irit =Geist>
or any sort o! thing any sort o! "%irit =Geist>( becomes irreleant and the world.s%irit t#rns into
the highest s%irit =Geist>( to the g#ardian angel o! what exists( o! what is de.s%irit#ali:ed. The
occ#ltists lie on this: their mysticism is the en!ant terrible =7rench: scandalo#s yo#ng g#ard> o!
the mystical moment in ?egel. They drie the s%ec#lation to de!ra#ding ban$r#%tcy. By %assing
o!! the determinate being as "%irit =Geist>( they s#b8ect the ob8ecti!ied "%irit =Geist> to the test o!
existence( and it m#st t#rn o#t negatiely. No "%irit =Geist> is there.
/52
-ot to &e misused. 9 Dialectics originated in so%histry( a %roced#re o! disc#ssion designed to
sha$e dogmatic assertions( and( as %#blic %rosec#tors and comics call it( to ma$e the wea$er
word into the stronger. 1t !ormed as a conse3#ence o! the %erennial method o! criti3#e which
o%%osed %hiloso%hia %erennis =6atin: age.old %hiloso%hy>( the asyl#m o! all tho#ghts o! the
o%%ressed( een what they themseles co#ld neer thin$. B#t as a means o! being right( it was
!rom the ery beginning also a means o! domination( the !ormal technics o! a%ologetics with no
concern !or content( sericeable to those who co#ld %ay: the %rinci%le( o! always and
s#ccess!#lly t#rning the tables. That is why tr#th or #ntr#th does not stand in the method as s#ch(
b#t in its intention in the historical %rocess. The s%lit o! the ?egelian school into a le!t and right
wing was gro#nded in the ambig#ity o! the theory no less than in the %olitical sit#ation o! the
immediate %re./L)L %eriod. Dialectics encom%asses not 8#st the ;arxian doctrine( that the
%roletariat becomes( as the absol#te ob8ect o! history( its !irst social s#b8ect( ca%able o! reali:ing
the conscio#s sel!.determination o! h#manity( b#t also the 8o$e( which G#stae DorD %#t into the
mo#th o! a %arliamentary re%resentation o! the ancien rDgime =7rench: !e#dal order>: that witho#t
6o#is [&1 the reol#tion wo#ld neer hae ha%%ened( there!ore this latter is to be than$s !or
h#man rights. Negatie %hiloso%hy( #niersal dissol#tion( constantly dissoles too that which
dissoles. B#t the new !orm( in which both what is dissoled and dissoling claim to be s#blated(
can neer ste% !orwards %#rely in antagonistic society. 7or as long as domination re%rod#ces
itsel!( so too will the old 3#ality recr#desce in the dissol#tion o! what dissoles: in a radical
sense( there is no %#re lea%. That wo#ld !irst o! all be the emanci%atory eent( which act#ally
ha%%ens. Beca#se the dialectical determination o! the new 3#ality sees itsel! re!erred bac$ to the
iolence o! the ob8ectie tendency( which hands down the bane =Bann> o! domination( it stands
#nder the almost #naoidable com%#lsion( wheneer it achiees the negation thro#gh the labor o!
the negation( to s#bstit#te what is bad abo#t the old !or the non.existent other. The %ro!#ndity(
with which it %l#mbs the de%ths o! ob8ectiity( is bo#ght at the %rice o! %artici%ating in the lie(
that ob8ectiity wo#ld already be the tr#th. By strictly delimiting itsel! to extra%olating the non.
%riileged condition( !rom what owes to the %rocess the %riilege o! existing( it bows to
restoration. This is registered by %riate existence. ?egel ob8ected to the latter !or its n#llity.
;ere s#b8ectiity( insisting on the %#rity o! its own %rinci%le( wo#ld entangle itsel! in
antinomies. 1t wo#ld go to %ieces on its mischie! =Gnwesen>( hy%ocrisy and maleolence( to the
extent it does not ob8ecti!y itsel! in society and the state. *thics =;oral>( a#tonomy %osited on
%#re sel!.certainty( and een the conscience are mere a%%earance ="chein>. 1! 4there is nothing
ethically real5 -?egel( Phenomenology of the Spirit( ed. 6asson( 2nd +rinting( 6ei%:ig /C2/( %age
HCK0( then it logically !ollows in the Philosophy of *a" that marriage is %laced higher than the
conscience( and that this latter is said( een on its own gro#nds 9 which ?egel( along with
Romanticism( designates as irony 9 to be 4s#b8ectie anity5 in a do#ble #nderstanding o! the
term. This moti! o! dialectics( which o%erates thro#gh all layers o! the system( is sim#ltaneo#sly
tr#e and #ntr#e. Tr#e( beca#se it #neils the %artic#lar as necessary a%%earance ="chein>( the
!alse conscio#sness o! what is s%lit o!!( o! being only itsel! and not a moment o! the whole@ and it
ca#ses this !alse conscio#sness to melt away thro#gh the energy o! the whole. Gntr#e( beca#se
the moti! o! ob8ecti!ication( 4disclos#re5 =*ntI#sser#ng: relin3#ishment( disclos#re( reali:ation>(
is degraded into a mere rationali:ation( into a %retext !or %recisely the bo#rgeois sel!.
%reseration o! the s#b8ect( as long as the ob8ectiity( which tho#ght #%holds in o%%osition to
what is badly s#b8ectie( is #n!ree( regressing behind the critical labor o! the s#b8ect. The word
disclos#re =*ntI#sser#ng>( which ex%ects the redem%tion o! %riate ca%rice !rom the obedience
o! the %riate will( ac$nowledges( by ex%ressly holding !ast to what is external as what is
instit#tionally o%%osed to the s#b8ect( in s%ite o! all %rotestations o! reconciliation( the end#ring
irreconcilability o! s#b8ect and ob8ect( which !or its %art com%rises the theme o! dialectical
criti3#e. The act o! sel!.disclos#re ="elbstentI#sser#ng> is tantamo#nt to ren#nciation( which
Goethe described as salational( and thereby 8#sti!ication !or the stat#s 3#o( then as now. <#t o!
the insight( !or exam%le( into the m#tilation o! women thro#gh %atriarchal society( in the
im%ossibility o! wi%ing away the anthro%ological de!ormation witho#t its %rere3#isite( it is
%recisely im%lacable dialecticians( witho#t ill#sions( who may ded#ce the stand%oint o! the
master.in.the.ho#se( s%ea$ing on behal! o! the remaining stoc$ o! the %atriarchal relationshi%. 1n
this they lac$ neither !or good reasons( s#ch as the im%ossibility o! relations o! a di!!erent nat#re
='esen> #nder contem%orary conditions( nor een h#manity towards the o%%ressed( who hae to
%ay the bill !or !alse emanci%ation@ b#t all this. tho#gh tr#e( wo#ld t#rn into ideology in the
hands o! masc#line interest. Dialecticians $now the #nha%%iness and the abandonment o! the
#nmarried s%inster( o! what is m#rdero#s in se%arations. By anti.romantically awarding %riority
to the ob8ecti!ied marriage oer the e%hemeral %assion( not s#blated into the common li!e( they
wo#ld t#rn themseles into the re%resentaties o! those who %ro%agate marriage at the cost o!
a!!ection( who loe what they are married to( there!ore the abstract %ro%erty.relationshi%. The
!inal ste% o! s#ch wisdom wo#ld be( that the %erson really doesn2t matter so m#ch( i! they wo#ld
only ada%t to the gien constellation and do their d#ty. To %rotect itsel! !rom s#ch tem%tations( an
enlightened dialectics re3#ires the #nceasing s#s%icion against eery a%ologetic( restoratie
element( which neertheless com%rises a %art o! what is #nnaie. The threatening rela%se o!
re!lection into what is #nre!lected is betrayed by the s#%eriority( which switches on the
dialectical %roced#re and holds !orth( as i! it were itsel! that immediate $nowledge o! the whole(
which is excl#ded %recisely by the %rinci%le o! dialectics. The stand%oint o! the totality is
ass#med( in order to sla% down eery determinate negatie 8#dgement by the o%%onent with the
sign o! the ca#tionary 4that2s not what was meant5( and sim#ltaneo#sly to iolently brea$ o!! the
moement o! the conce%t( s#s%ending dialectics with re!erence to the ins#rmo#ntable graity o!
!acts. The calamity occ#rs thro#gh the thema %roband#m =6atin: sel!.eident s#%%osition> one
ma$es #se o! the dialectic instead o! losing onesel! in it. Then the soereignly dialectical tho#ght
wo#ld regress bac$ to the %re.dialectical stage: the sedate ex%osition( that eery thing has its two
sides.
/5H
$t the end. 9 The only %hiloso%hy which wo#ld still be acco#ntable in the !ace o! des%air( wo#ld
be the attem%t to consider all things( as they wo#ld be %ortrayed !rom the stand%oint o!
redem%tion. Aognition has no other light than that which shines !rom redem%tion o#t #%on the
world@ all else exha#sts itsel! in %ost.constr#ction and remains a %iece o! technics. +ers%ecties
m#st be %rod#ced which set the world beside itsel!( alienated !rom itsel!( reealing its crac$s and
!iss#res( as needy and distorted as it will one day lay there in the messianic light. To win s#ch
%ers%ecties witho#t ca%rice or iolence( wholly by the !eel !or ob8ects( this alone is what
thin$ing is all abo#t. 1t is the sim%lest o! all things( beca#se the condition irre!#tably call !or s#ch
cognitions( indeed beca#se com%leted negatiity( once it comes !#lly into iew( shoots
=:#sammenschiesst> into the mirror.writing o! its o%%osite. B#t it is also that which is totally
im%ossible( beca#se it %res#%%oses a stand%oint at a remoe( were it een the tiniest bit( !rom the
bane =Bann$reis> o! the existent@ meanwhile eery %ossible cognition m#st not only be wrested
!rom that which is( in order to be binding( b#t !or that ery reason is stric$en with the same
distortedness and neediness which it intends to esca%e. The more %assionately tho#ght seals itsel!
o!! !rom its conditional being !or the sa$e o! what is #nconditional( the more #nconscio#sly( and
thereby catastro%hically( it !alls into the world. 1t m#st com%rehend een its own im%ossibility
!or the sa$e o! %ossibility. 1n relation to the demand thereby im%osed on it( the 3#estion
concerning the reality or non.reality o! redem%tion is howeer almost inconse3#ential.