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The Shipwrecked Mind: On Political Reaction

Book by Mark Lilla · 1 quotes · Historiography, History, Michel Houellebecq

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AllHistoriographyHistoryMichel HouellebecqPhilosophy Of HistoryReactionary Politics

The Shipwrecked Mind: On Political Reaction Quotes

“Narratives of progress, regress, and cycles all assume a mechanism by which historical change happens. It might be the natural laws of the cosmos, the will of God, the dialectical development of the human mind or of economic forces. Once we understand the mechanism, we are assured of understanding what really happened and what is to come. But what if there is no such mechanism? What if history is subject to sudden eruptions that cannot be explained by any science of temporal tectonics? These are the questions that arise in the face of cataclysms for which no rationalization seems adequate and no consolation seems possible. In response an apocalyptic view of history develops that sees a rip in time that widens with each passing year, distancing us from an age that was golden or heroic or simply normal. In this vision there really is only one event in history, the kairos separating the world we were meant for from the world we must live in. That is all we can know, and must know, about the past.”

HistoryHistoriographyPhilosophy Of HistoryReactionary Politics
Book:The Shipwrecked Mind: On Political Reaction
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