I totally agree with you, and I think that Kojeve’s interpretation of Hegel is on the most interesting. Reading Kojeve is also one of the best choice to understand also our enemies and to get into contemporary philosophy of history (for example, Fukuyama and his idea of the end of History)
I read Mussolini’s Doctrine as well as Gentile’s, but have been told that it wasn’t real Fascism and decided it was pointless to invest any more effort.
In the end, all of the -isms are excuses, justifications and rationalizations to trick people to go along with a monarchy.
I don't think the State occupies the same psychic space as it did between the World Wars and following the breakdown of Monarchy. The State has lost immense credibility from 1965 - 2008 and continuing. People are way more passionate about their college football team.
This is a very thorough list and a useful map of the intellectual roots of fascism. At the same time, I think it’s important not to lose sight of what those ideas produced in practice: dictatorship, censorship, and violence on a massive scale. Yes, Gentile and Sorel gave it a philosophical framework, but when Mussolini and others put it into action, it meant real human suffering. To understand fascism fully, we need both the intellectual history and the lived consequences.
Talking About Intellectual Underpinnings of Fascism is Comical
There is Nothing Intellectual About It
Pseudo Intellectuals are Not Intellectuals
People that Talk About Being an intellectual or Mensa or polyglot are red flags. These are people dimming themselves an authority Because their arguments are weak.
It is really the old logical fallacy of appeal to authority
I can tread these types effortlessly.
They can't even make arguments.
But they will try to do is and try to intimidate people with their knowledge of philosophy of the topic and try to overwhelm them. It's really a variation of flat earthimg.
But what they don't do is they don't make sound arguments based on facts. that can withstand scrutiny by those far smarter and experienced and more moral
I find it surprising that you can include so much Gentile's books and yet not even one book on legal philosophy. At least one Carl Schmitt's book is necessary for a list like this.
On Hegel. Hegel was a - mostly classical - liberal who had to deal with heavy-handed Prussian censorship. So he wrote two versions of the Philosophy of Right, one published, which carefully avoided rocking the reactionary boat, and a real version only published around 1970.
So at any rate, the Hegel people mostly know is the self-censored Hegel. Real Hegel wrote things like we must base our laws on reason and not tradition.
Introduction to the Reading of Hegel by Alexandre Kojève is the easiest entry point into Hegel.
Absolutely no one can Raw Dog Phenomenology of Spirit and have any understanding of what is going on.
I totally agree with you, and I think that Kojeve’s interpretation of Hegel is on the most interesting. Reading Kojeve is also one of the best choice to understand also our enemies and to get into contemporary philosophy of history (for example, Fukuyama and his idea of the end of History)
We found the liberal
Thank you for this comprehensive list. Excited to get into it.
I’ll keep continuing to add on to it
I read Mussolini’s Doctrine as well as Gentile’s, but have been told that it wasn’t real Fascism and decided it was pointless to invest any more effort.
In the end, all of the -isms are excuses, justifications and rationalizations to trick people to go along with a monarchy.
Recommending the Phenomenology of Spirit as the first prerequisite is absolutely twisted lmao
Otherwise this is a great list.
Haha, i guess i should have prefaced by telling readers to skip Hegel until they are more comfortable with other readings
Yes
What do you make of “Fascism: The Career of a Concept”?
I don't think the State occupies the same psychic space as it did between the World Wars and following the breakdown of Monarchy. The State has lost immense credibility from 1965 - 2008 and continuing. People are way more passionate about their college football team.
This is a very thorough list and a useful map of the intellectual roots of fascism. At the same time, I think it’s important not to lose sight of what those ideas produced in practice: dictatorship, censorship, and violence on a massive scale. Yes, Gentile and Sorel gave it a philosophical framework, but when Mussolini and others put it into action, it meant real human suffering. To understand fascism fully, we need both the intellectual history and the lived consequences.
Nice list. I would add to the list ‘The Concept of the Political’ by Carl Schmitt. What do you think about this text?
So this what that guy meant that everyone should be reading Don Quixote than Hegel… German idealism actualized, dang
And, since Mussolini was a British agent, what do we make of this fact?
Talking About Intellectual Underpinnings of Fascism is Comical
There is Nothing Intellectual About It
Pseudo Intellectuals are Not Intellectuals
People that Talk About Being an intellectual or Mensa or polyglot are red flags. These are people dimming themselves an authority Because their arguments are weak.
It is really the old logical fallacy of appeal to authority
I can tread these types effortlessly.
They can't even make arguments.
But they will try to do is and try to intimidate people with their knowledge of philosophy of the topic and try to overwhelm them. It's really a variation of flat earthimg.
But what they don't do is they don't make sound arguments based on facts. that can withstand scrutiny by those far smarter and experienced and more moral
You’re historically illiterate
Okay but can we get a definition and oppose it to the inaccurate definitions that are rampant?
Im currently working on a piece defining Fascism and comparing it to incorrect definitions. I don’t know when it’ll be out but its a work in progress
Hoping its' shorter than 14 vague points.
Interesting.. you got a subscriber. Looking forward to the article.
I find it surprising that you can include so much Gentile's books and yet not even one book on legal philosophy. At least one Carl Schmitt's book is necessary for a list like this.
Ive been reading some good novels that deal with this topic, since January...
https://substack.com/@ocandeloro/note/p-175059679?r=zvhi
On Hegel. Hegel was a - mostly classical - liberal who had to deal with heavy-handed Prussian censorship. So he wrote two versions of the Philosophy of Right, one published, which carefully avoided rocking the reactionary boat, and a real version only published around 1970.
So at any rate, the Hegel people mostly know is the self-censored Hegel. Real Hegel wrote things like we must base our laws on reason and not tradition.