Shortly after the Nazi government fell; a philosophy professor at Heidelberg University lectured on a subject that burned the consciousness and conscience of thinking Germans. “Are the German people guilty?†These lectures by Karl Jaspers; an outstanding European philosopher; attracted wide attention among German intellectuals and students; they seemed to offer a path to sanity and morality in a disordered world. Jaspers; a life-long liberal; attempted in this book to discuss rationally a problem that had thus far evoked only heat and fury. Neither an evasive apology nor a wholesome condemnation; his book distinguished between types of guilt and degrees of responsibility. He listed four categories of guilt: criminal guilt (the commitment of overt acts); political guilt (the degree of political acquiescence in the Nazi regime); moral guilt (a matter of private judgment among one’s friends); and metaphysical guilt (a universally shared responsibility of those who chose to remain alive rather than die in protest against Nazi atrocities). Karl Jaspers (1883–1969) took his degree in medicine but soon became interested in psychiatry. He is the author of a standard work of psychopathology; as well as special studies on Strindberg; Van Gogh and Nietsche. After World War I he became Professor of Philosophy at Heidelberg; where he achieved fame as a brilliant teacher and an early exponent of existentialism. He was among the first to acquaint German readers with the works of Kierkegaard. Jaspers had to resign from his post in 1935. From the total isolation into which the Hitler regime forced him; Jaspers returned in 1945 to a position of central intellectual leadership of the younger liberal elements of Germany. In his first lecture in 1945; he forcefully reminded his audience of the fate of the German Jews. Jaspers’s unblemished record as an anti-Nazi; as well as his sentient mind; have made him a rallying point center for those of his compatriots who wish to reconstruct a free and democratic Germany.
#394307 in Books Duke University Press Books 2013-02-18 2013-02-18Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .50 x 6.00l; .60 #File Name: 0822354217200 pages
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Valuable Contribution to Women's StruggleBy K. Kelsey-powellThis is a book that treats the development of the women's movement in Brazil quite exhaustively. The authors had established relationships with the various participants in the movement and therefore had intimate knowledge of the beginning and progress of the work; however; the authors have not treated the specific theme or title of the work: "Sustaining Activism". That information is available only through a reader's deliberate search "between the lines." The book does make a considerable contribution toward understanding the struggle of women in Brazil in particular and vis-a-vis; women's struggle general.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Storytelling and a social movementBy Jacob LevineIf you have any interest in the history of social movements; I highly recommend this book.I loved that Jeffrey and Emma chose to write chapters separately; rather than under a singular identity. That choice made their story-telling infinitely more personal and transparent; and made me feel like an active participant in the conversations and interviews they conducted.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A most engaging bookBy Judy HellmanA most informative and engaging book in which the process of research and collaboration -- carried out; in this case; by a highly unusual pairing of a father and daughter -- offers readers perspectives that would be unlikely to come from a single author. "Jeff's" chapters; as they are referred to; offer us the kinds of insights that a long-time student of social movements (in his case; in Juchitán; Mexico) can bring to the work of moving beyond the slogans and well intentioned idealization of social movement activity to understand the complexities and difficulties that movements like these inevitable face. Emma at first seems more credulous and idealistic than Jeff; as we might expect from someone who first came into contact with the Brazilian women's movement at age 15. But Emma proves herself to be a sharp observer of complex reality and her ability to connect with the women she interviews and their obvious affection for her provide a path of entry into their world that goes beyond the fact that she is a woman or that these Brazilian activists took up their struggle when they; themselves; were 15.This book provides the historical background that enables readers to understand modern Brazil; but also to develop a comparative perspective with the kinds of social movements that have developed in other Latin American countries. What I appreciated most and will be eager to use in my teaching; is the insights it offers into the process of fieldwork and the role that age; gender; and other personal attributes of the researcher play in shaping the fieldwork experience; our relationships with those we study; and; in the end; the findings that we manage to find.
