Domenico Losurdo
Encyclopedia
Domenico Losurdo is an Italian
philosopher, historian
, political theorist and Marxist intellectual
.
. He is Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Urbino.
, especially in the works of Hannah Arendt
. He argues that totalitarism is a polysemic concept with origins in Christian theology
, and that applying it to the political sphere requires an operation of abstract schematism which makes use of isolated elements of historical reality to place fascist regimes and the USSR in the dock together, serving the anti-communism of Cold War
-era intellectuals rather than reflecting authentic intellectual research.
Losurdo asserts that the origins of fascism and Nazism are to be found in the colonialist and imperialist policies of the West, in which administrative genocide
s and political control over entire populations were carried out for the first time, as well as in the traditions of racism
and anti-semitism
, including slavery
and racism in the USA, where the Ku Klux Klan
and the legal exclusion of black
population were important influences on Nazi leaders.
Losurdo examines the intellectual and political positions of intellectuals on modernity
. In his view, Kant and Hegel were the greatest thinkers of modernity, while Nietzsche was its greatest critic, followed by Marxist thinkers such as Max Horkheimer
, Ernst Bloch
, Marx and Gramsci, who were at the same time critics and defenders of modernity.
Nazisme racisme colonialisme - Domenico Losurdo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2I5RAEjNjU
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
philosopher, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, political theorist and Marxist intellectual
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
.
Life
Losurdo obtained his doctorate in 1963 from the University of UrbinoUniversity of Urbino
The University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" is an Italian university located in Urbino, a walled hill-town in the region of Marche, located in the north-eastern part of central Italy. The university was founded in 1506, and currently has about 20,000 students, many of whom are from overseas...
. He is Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Urbino.
Thought
Losurdo criticizes the concept of totalitarianismTotalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
, especially in the works of Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt was a German American political theorist. She has often been described as a philosopher, although she refused that label on the grounds that philosophy is concerned with "man in the singular." She described herself instead as a political theorist because her work centers on the fact...
. He argues that totalitarism is a polysemic concept with origins in Christian theology
Christian theology
- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...
, and that applying it to the political sphere requires an operation of abstract schematism which makes use of isolated elements of historical reality to place fascist regimes and the USSR in the dock together, serving the anti-communism of Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
-era intellectuals rather than reflecting authentic intellectual research.
Losurdo asserts that the origins of fascism and Nazism are to be found in the colonialist and imperialist policies of the West, in which administrative genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
s and political control over entire populations were carried out for the first time, as well as in the traditions of racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and anti-semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, including slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
and racism in the USA, where the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
and the legal exclusion of black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
population were important influences on Nazi leaders.
Losurdo examines the intellectual and political positions of intellectuals on modernity
Modernity
Modernity typically refers to a post-traditional, post-medieval historical period, one marked by the move from feudalism toward capitalism, industrialization, secularization, rationalization, the nation-state and its constituent institutions and forms of surveillance...
. In his view, Kant and Hegel were the greatest thinkers of modernity, while Nietzsche was its greatest critic, followed by Marxist thinkers such as Max Horkheimer
Max Horkheimer
Max Horkheimer was a German-Jewish philosopher-sociologist, famous for his work in critical theory as a member of the 'Frankfurt School' of social research. His most important works include The Eclipse of Reason and, in collaboration with Theodor Adorno, The Dialectic of Enlightenment...
, Ernst Bloch
Ernst Bloch
Ernst Bloch was a German Marxist philosopher.Bloch was influenced by both Hegel and Marx and, as he always confessed, by novelist Karl May. He was also interested in music and art . He established friendships with Georg Lukács, Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Theodor W. Adorno...
, Marx and Gramsci, who were at the same time critics and defenders of modernity.
Works
- Autocensura e compromesso nel pensiero politico di Kant, Napoli, 1984
- Hegel und das deutsche Erbe. Philosophie und nationale Frage zwischen Revolution und Reaktion, Köln, 1989
- La comunità, la morte, l'Occidente. Heidegger e l' "ideologia della guerra", Torino, 1991. Traducido al castellano como La comunidad, la muerte, Occidente : Heidegger y la "ideología de la guerra" Buenos Aires : Losada, 2003
- Hegel e la libertà dei moderni, Roma, 1992
- Democrazia o bonapartismo: trionfo e decadenza del suffragio universale, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino, 1993;
- La Seconda Repubblica. Liberismo, federalismo, postfascismo, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino, 1994.
- Controstoria del liberalismo, Roma-Bari : Laterza, 2005. Traducido al castellamo como Contrahistoria del liberalismo Mataró (Barcelona)] : El Viejo Topo, D.L. 2007
- Il linguaggio dell'Impero : lessico dell'ideologia americana Roma- Bari : Laterza, 2007
External links
- http://domenicolosurdopresentazazing.blogspot.com/
Nazisme racisme colonialisme - Domenico Losurdo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2I5RAEjNjU