Walter Benjamin, once a failed Germanist, is now revered for his contributions to literature and philosophy. His essays explore modernity in art, technology, and politics, sparking ongoing debates about interpretation. This introduction clarifies misconceptions and highlights Benjamin as a visionary thinker ahead of his time.
The concept of revolution is of crucial importance for the self-perception of modernity. For the American and French Revolutions, grounded in the declaration of human rights, references to classical antiquity play a central role: the appeal to antiquity allows for the revolutionary break from tradition. On both sides of the Atlantic, classical antiquity provides ideals of humanity that both celebrate and criticize the achievements of modernity. This volume examines the relationship between humanism and revolution from both European and American perspectives: central themes are the foundations of humanism, the relationships among politics, law, and art, but also the Scientific Revolution and the geography of revolution as it comes to the fore in the circulation of ideas between Europe and the „New World“. How modern, in other words, is the humanism of the eighteenth century.
Zu Lebzeiten als Germanist gescheitert, nach seinem Tode als Ideengeber der Literatur und Philosophie geschätzt. Warum erscheint Benjamins Denken heute so aktuell? Immer wieder variierte er in Essays und Kritiken sein großes Thema: die Moderne in Kunst, Technik und Politik. Motiv für zahlreiche Kontroversen um die gültige Auslegung. Die Einführung entrümpelt das Werk von falschen Vereinnahmungen und zeigt einen Denker, der seiner Zeit voraus war.