Archiwa: barbarism - Krzysztof Piotr Skowroński

This is the recorded version of my speech “Santayana’s Philosophy of Education Against Barbarism and Fanaticism” given at the 5th international conference on Santayana, entitled “The Life of Reason in the Age of Terrorism” within American and European Values-Berlin Edition series of conferences that was organized by Berlin Practical Philosophy International Forum e.V, in Berlin (July 11-14, 2016).

I am very sad that just hours after this lecture an act of terror took place on the streets of Nice, France. Below is a statement of the organizers of the “Life of Reason in the Age of Terrorism” conference:

Berlin Forum wishes to express our deepest sympathy for the families and friends of those who have been brutally killed and injured in the barbarian terrorist attack in Nice.

On this terrible occasion we do not want to forget similar acts of terror that took place at other places, including Istambul, Bagdad, Orlando, and, unfortunately, many more.

Tragedies like this leave us – philosophers, that is people who are dedicated in our job to do our best to understand – speechless, confused, and sad.

For last four days, we have been discussing the problem of terrorism during an international conference in Berlin. The Nice terrorism act erupted just hours after our conference.

Today, philosophizing and attempting to understand gives way to silence and compassion.

Santayana on barbarism. The notion of ‘barbarism’ in Santayana has predominantly (though not exclusively) a form of something that can be called a ‘cultural barbarism’ as opposed to ‘civilization,’ and, in this sense, does not refer directly to any indiscriminate killings or plundering, as it is frequently associated in the popular usage of this term. According to him, barbarism in this cultural form can be found both in the ancient past, when “barbarian genius infused into Christianity” (LR 228) – the Gothic cathedrals having been an example of such an infusion -, and in the modern era, when such eminent representatives of the “poetry of barbarism” can be found as Walt Whitman and Robert Browning. By employing the opposition ‘barbarian-civilized’ in many of his texts, he wanted to tell us that the civilized way of thinking lies in having a clear vision of a perfect life along with the recognition of the ultimate justification of the machinery of life, understanding it with its ideals, wisdom, and beauty (cf. IPR, 166-168); contrary to that, barbarian means “undisciplined, rebellious against the nature of things” (L4, 45). [Read more…]

Santayana’s Philosophy of Education Against Barbarism and Fanaticism

Santayana on Barbarism

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives