Walter Benjamin
Critic and philosopher: progress seen from the standpoint of the defeated, as one single catastrophe piling up.
Life
German philosopher and critic, born in Berlin, close to the Frankfurt School. He wrote on art, the city, translation and history. He died in 1940 at Portbou, on the Spanish border, while fleeing the Nazis. His Theses on the Concept of History criticise the idea of continuous progress.
Main works
Reads history from the standpoint of the defeated and rejects continuous progress.
Analyses how technical reproduction changes the nature of art.
A study of German baroque drama and allegory.
In his own words
« Where a chain of events appears before us, he sees one single catastrophe, which unceasingly piles wreckage upon wreckage and hurls it at his feet. »
Wo eine Kette von Begebenheiten vor uns erscheint, da sieht er eine einzige Katastrophe, die unablässig Trümmer auf Trümmer häuft und sie ihm vor die Füße schleudert.
« What we call progress is this storm. »
Das, was wir den Fortschritt nennen, ist dieser Sturm.
Positions
click a row to see the evidenceHe uses theological and messianic ideas to think about history, without clearly asserting a God; how literally he meant them is debated.
Benjamin, On the Concept of History / Theses on the Philosophy of History (written 1940, published 1942)