Walter Benjamin "Theses on the Philosophy of History"

                  There is a famous phrase which states that those who do not know their history do not have a future. When we speak of history, this and other such phrases are ones that have worried me in my few years of life, not because I was unable to comprehend it but simply because it’s difficult to explain or define something with which you have not been a part of from its beginning. Thus scientists and other such minds are left to simply speculate and theorize but in so doing they leave room for judgment. In the first section of Walter Benjamin’s work he attempts to tackle this same topic and essentially disproves every notion which I had previously existed in my mind. In his work he purports a dichotomy between the past and present: a significant separation in fact. In the present our happiness is defined by one of the seven deadly sins known as envy. Essentially envy suggests that there are those who are better than ourselves and thus in attempting to attain of something greater than our current state we are simply attempting to redeem ourselves. Benjamin makes a tie with this idea and the relation between the past and the present in relation to historical material. In his eyes history is not defined by its culture or its mere interaction but by the materials and economic transactions which existed. This develops the idea that if the present really does and can lay claim to the past it must also entail the same definitions and limitations.  In which case there is an explanation for capitalism which it seems underlies this entire thesis. 

walter benjamin

1.       What is the difference between cult value and exhibition value in art? How does Benjamin see these values in relation to politics?

Cult value is the way in which an image is interpreted, meaning it can be viewed differently by different people. Exhibition value is how the painting actually come across to the eye itself.
2. What is the difference between Erfahrung and Erlebnisse? How does it relate to art?

–erfahrung is refered to as intergrated experience while erlebnisse refers to isolated experienced. Erfahrung is looking at art from a point of view of someone who has a background about the image. While erlebnisse (isolated experience) is an individual looking at something without having any back ground information about it.
3. Explain some of the positive and negative effects of the destruction of the "aura" in art.

A positive affect of “aura” is it allows professionals to alter a certain image to represent what it is that they are trying to convey to the audience. A negative aspect of this as Benjamin state it that, interference with the aura of an image takes away the initial felling or experience that one is suppose to get from viewing it.
4. How would you judge or evaluate the impact of forms of mass culture like film in contemporary life? Have they changed human perception? Are they are important part of creating political consciousness in the public?

mass culture impacts life in a major way because it translate reality differently. Mass culture tend to give the people what they want to see, in other words people are often shield away from the actual tragedies going on in life, instead the media portrays things differently to the people, making it seem as though life situations are not actual. 

ON PAIN

1.How would you judge Jünger's thesis that pain is the central experience of life?

i dont quite agree but i sort of understand what he is talking about, my understanding is that no matter what we do and how different we live our lives today pain is like a revolving door that is bound to coming around in ones life sooners or later.

2. What does "post-liberal" refer to and how does it relate to the idea of progress?

Junger refers the phrase post- liberal to life after liberalism or asn said in the reading to be a time when government believed that as technical and material development increased that social problems whould become more manageable. it relates to progress in the sense that "progress is the foundation of liberaism"meaning progress is the goal hoped to achive with liberaism. 

3. Why is photography the "evil eye" according to Jünger?

phoyography is the evil eye because it tells us the truth, it grasps things we miss and allow us to see certaing things in different ways

 

4. What is the relationship between specialized education and the "worker type."

5. How does submission to totalitarian authorities protect an individual from pain?

 

 

"The profussion of violetn imagery, and the fast pace and constant danger of modern life nforcesn people to become more tolerant of pain and death."

i chose this quote from this weeks reading because i agree with what it means. i think this quote means that due to the way life is as we know it has made us more accustom to things that happen throughtout the course of life. for example almost everyday on the news there is a dead person or another, when most people turn on the TV they are either expecting to hear simmilar strories or they arent much moved by the news of sad story simply because they have become use to hearing such things. this quote says that we take life the way we live.

Nazi in Germany

1. What were some of the major reasons that led to the rise of Nazi Germany?
one of the major reasons of the Nazi rise to power was the crash of the stock market, this  left the country so devastated and vulnerable  that when Hitler proposed him self as the one to bring the country out of the bad state that it was, people saw reason with the things he was saying.
2. How did Nazis resolve conflicts between workers and owners and why was this an attractive model for business executives?
the Nazis resolved the conflicts between workers and owners by distracting them with a more "attractive" matter. instead of being against each other he called for them to unify and come against the Jews claiming the they were responsible for both communism and capitalism.
3. What is the significance of the phrase "Arbeit Macht Frei?"
mu understanding of this phrase is that those who where kept in concentration camps were given some type  of freedom only if they worked for it, for little or no pay. Hitler only used this to increase his power because he had his captives work for companies in exchange for their support of him, verbally, financially of materially.
4. What is state capitalism and how does it relate to Nazi Germany?
state capitalism is when businesses operate in the interest of the state to increase national power. the nazis portrayed themselves as having the interest of the businesses at heart by having slaves work for little or no pay, which created big profit, but in return these businesses would supply them with means of transportation, uniform etc. But Hitlers only interest was to broaden his horizon of power.
5. How would you evaluate the psychological causes of anti-semitism in the context of German society?
Germany was in a state of great vulnerability in which Hitler used to his advantage to manipulate his way to power. he proposed him self as being for the people(the "real Germans) and claiming to have ideas that would put Germany as a whole back on top (restore Germany's greatness). the people of Germany weren't really aware of how catastrophic it would be to allow Hitler gain so much power until he was unstoppable.


"Despite the obvious benefits and advantages given to major industries during the Nazi era, not all are convinced that the Nazi regime was an outgrowth of monopoly capitalism. For one this kind of analysis still retains the Marxist tendency to put the economic realm above everything else. Some like economist Fredrick Pollock described the Nazi regime as a form of “state capitalism” where  he says, “the power motive takes precedence over the profit motive”

i chose this part of the reading because it ties last weeks reading very well it helped me to better understand Weber s point of objective over self-intoxication
           Although  Hitlers  beliefs were inhumane and unethical one most give credit to him that he did what most people who truly have the interest of the people at heart weren't able to do. He unified people to support his views, he created and army, and he found ways to fund his operations. despite the fact that i do not agree with anything Hitler did, i must acknowledge how clever he was to turn Germany against its self under his control for years.i believe Hitler depicts what Weber said to be objective over self intoxication. Hitlers hunger for power contributed to how he was able to accomplish all he did. he live for his power and not off his power, he did not become self intoxicated with his own desires, rather he was he self intoxication was gaining power..