Rational destruction

Author: Lukács
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: We believe that this fact belongs to one of Germany'sshameful pages in history. Therefore, it is necessary to delve deeply into it so that the Germans can fundamentally overcome it and powerfully prevent its continuation or resurgence. A nation that has had Dürer, Thomas Müntzer, Goethe, and Marx, and has achieved many great things in history, will also have a bright future. It has no reason to fear, shrink, or fail to make a ruthless reckoning with its dangerous past and its harmful, threatening legacy. In this dual—German and international—sense, this book is willing to offer a warning and a lesson to every honest intellectual.
—(Hungary) Lukács
Lukács, the renowned Hungarian scholar, wrote his book The Destruction of Reason against the backdrop of World War II, undertaking an ideological reckoning with German fascism in the form of "holding past deeds accountable." In the book, the author traces the rise of German fascism and the blame of World War II to irrationalist ideologies, systematically examining and critiquing the origins, evolution, and social consequences of Western irrationalist trends since the 20th century. He unceremoniously puts life philosophies represented by figures like Schopenhauer and Nietzsche on trial, demanding that they take "intellectual responsibility" for the rise of German fascism and the outbreak of World War II. Although some of the book's viewpoints and conclusions may not be entirely correct, at least in the study of fascism and World War II, it contains many novel ideas and unique values worthy of further in-depth discussion.