Hope and Memory: Lessons from the Twentieth CenturyPrinceton University Press, 2003 - 337 pagini Both a political history and a moral critique of the twentieth century, this is a personal and impassioned book from one of Europe's most outstanding intellectuals. Identifying totalitarianism as the major innovation of the twentieth century, Tzvetan Todorov examines the struggle between this system and democracy and its effects on human life and consciousness. Totalitarianism managed to impose itself because, more than any other political system, it played on people's need for the absolute: it fed their hope to endow life with meaning by taking part in the construction of a paradise on earth. As a result, millions of people lost their lives in the name of a higher good. While democracy eventually won the struggle against totalitarianism in much of the world, democracy itself is not immune to the pitfall of do-goodery: moral correctness at home and atomic or "humanitarian" bombs abroad. Todorov explores the history of the past century not only by analyzing its spectacular political conflicts but also by offering moving profiles of several individuals who, at great personal cost, resisted the strictures of the communist and Nazi regimes. Some--Margarete Buber-Neumann, David Rousset, Primo Levi, and Germaine Tillion--were deported to concentration camps. Others--Vasily Grossman and Romain Gary--fought courageously in World War II. All became exemplary witnesses who described with great lucidity and humanity what they had endured. This book preserves the memory of the past as we move into the twenty-first century--arguing eloquently that we must place the past at the service of a just future. |
Din interiorul cărții
Rezultatele 1 - 5 din 79
... less and less under the control of states . At most , states can defend their borders , but money does not stop at border crossings . By the mere click of a mouse , individuals or groups with no political legitimacy whatsoever can ...
... less openly . Simultaneously attracted by the wealth of the Western world and humiliated by their exclusion from it , they seethe with resent- ment . Moreover , they are offended by what they perceive ( with some justification ) as the ...
... less lethal response ? Since real life is not a scientific laboratory , all we can do is speculate . A complementary issue added confusion to the debate : not only was the Taliban regime guilty of sheltering Al Qaeda ; it was also an ...
... less impressive increase in life expectancy , and the ensuing alter- ation of the demographics of Western societies must count as the most salient features of the twentieth century . Many presumably count the great strides made by ...
Ne pare rău, conținutul acestei pagini este restricționat.
Alte ediții - Afișează-le pe toate
Hope and Memory: Lessons from the Twentieth Century Tzvetan Todorov,Cvetan Todorov Previzualizare limitată - 2016 |
Hope and Memory: Lessons from the Twentieth Century Tzvetan Todorov Nu există previzualizare disponibilă - 2003 |
Hope and Memory: Reflections on the Twentieth Century Tzvetan Todorov Nu există previzualizare disponibilă - 2005 |
Termeni și expresii frecvente
Pasaje populare
Referințe la această carte
The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce Deirdre Nansen McCloskey Previzualizare limitată - 2010 |
Where Have All the Soldiers Gone?: The Transformation of Modern Europe James J. Sheehan Nu există previzualizare disponibilă - 2008 |