heiss93
16th November 2008, 05:27
http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/index.html
INTRODUCTION
p It would be a waste of effort to consider and analyse nihilism had it been a fixture solely of misanthropes, of eccentric people preaching that the world was coming to an end or of simply misfits in need of ordinary compassion, if not psychotherapy. But with the general crisis of capitalism, with the old society inevitably moving towards its last gasp, there is incontrovertible evidence of the widespread existence of nihilistic and pessimistic beliefs that have been a hallmark of the spiritual atmosphere in the bourgeois world.
p Distilled nihilism and pessimism (in the spirit of orthodox Schopenhauerism) would, of course, look old-fashioned today. Nonetheless, the ideas covertly propounding nihilism and pessimism are dissolved in many present-day bourgeois philosophical doctrines, social conceptions and futurological theories. Countless attempts have been made to prove that history is as blind as a mole, that truth is no more than a conventionality, a transient compromise, that human vices are ineradicable and all revolutionary programmes and actions are doomed, that man’s existence is chimerical, and so on and so forth.
p Conclusions of this sort are accepted not merely by the architects of these theories or a small group of fervent admirers. By devious means they migrate into the mass consciousness of the bourgeois world, linking up with the consonant albeit spontaneously shaped ideas and feelings of a certain segment of ordinary people. As a consequence, due to the momentous, fundamental historical changes and 8 the enormous growth of the consciousness and activity of the masses, nihilism is becoming a menace to society.
p Nihilism may be analysed by an internal and external critique of various systematised theories containing nihilistic views. Here the analysis would cover the substance of the criticised theories and their cognitive and social roots, and its purpose would be to show their untenability. We see our task in something quite different—in bringing to light nihilism’s designation and place in the modern battle of ideas. We therefore had to lay bare why and how nihilistic views and feelings have become a factor of the bourgeois mass consciousness, to show how this factor, sometimes called the sense of wretchedness (a term widely used by Hegel in The Phenomenology of Mind], took shape and functions, and also the social context of its mythology. On top of everything, it was necessary to go into the actual meaning of this conception, which the bourgeois theorists have tried hard to obscure.
p Since we have placed the accent on an examination of how nihilistic ideas undergo modifications and operate on the level of the bourgeois mass consciousness, on their evolution on this level, we do not mention the names, schools and orientations that would have had to be given in an academic analysis of the theoretical genealogy of nihilism and pessimism. We have reduced the number of quotations, literary footnotes, statistical and other data to a minimum. The circumstance that we have had to note or somehow touch upon many aspects of modern social and spiritual life compelled us to draw upon the most diverse sources (documents, articles in the press, philosophical, ethical, sociological and socio-psychological studies, works of art). With the exception of cases where this was required by gratitude, we did not refer the reader to the host of books and papers, on whose basis this book was conceived. This method of exposition, which did not require us to dwell on minutiae, enabled us to concentrate on a general outline of the dynamics of the bourgeois mass consciousness.
p Lastly, a few words on the compositional character of this book, which sprang from the following considerations. The notion that nihilism died away long ago has some foundation and is based on the fact that overlying the sense 9 of wretchedness are views and feelings that may be regarded as optimistic and which are usually designated as a sense of contentedness. The impression that this sense of contentedness predominates is what creates the illusion that pessimistic views and emotions are peripheral. But the contented consciousness is no more than false optimism. The sense of contentedness and wretchedness complement rather than exclude each other.
A parallel examination of these forms of bourgeois mass consciousness makes it possible to review its political and moral conflicts and prescribed stereotype behaviour patterns. It opens the way to comprehending the mutations of the bourgeois consciousness, its movement from contentedness to wretchedness, and helps to give a better understanding of the revolutionary character of the dialectical materialistic world outlook, which is the foundation of historical optimism.
INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE SENSE OF CONTENTEDNESS 10 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/1.1-Purpose) PURPOSE 12 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/1.2-Mechanism.of.Moulding) MECHANISM OF MOULDING 24 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/1.3-Consumer.Ideology) CONSUMER IDEOLOGY 39 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/1.4-Agony.of.Morals) AGONY OF MORALS CHAPTER TWO ANXIETIES AND MYTHS OF THE
SENSE OF CONTENTEDNESS 49 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.1-Self-Cognition) SELF-COGNITION “THREATS TO CIVILISATION” 53 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.2-quote.Threats.to.Civilisation.unquote) [introduction.] 53 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.2.1-Urbanisation) Urbanisation 57 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.2.2-Threat.to.Health) Threat to Health 61 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.2.3-Anti-Utopia.of.Neohedonism) Anti-Utopia of Neohedonism 64 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.3-Social.Reformism) THE SENSE OF CONTENTEDNESS
AND SOCIAL REFORMISM 70 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.4-Myths.of.Industrial.and.Post-.Society) MYTHS OF INDUSTRIAL AND -4
POSTINDUSTRIAL SOCIETY 86 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.5-Anarcho-Hedonism) ANARCHO-HEDONISM CHAPTER THREE SENSE OF WRETCHEDNESS 98 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/3.1-At.A.Crossroads) AT A CROSSROADS 108 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/3.2-Seduction.By.Nihilism) SEDUCTION BY NIHILISM 122 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/3.3-Mythology.of.Negation.and.Despair) MYTHOLOGY OF NEGATION AND DESPAIR 135 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/3.4-Demythologisation.of.Despair) DEMYTHOLOGISATION OF DESPAIR CHAPTER FOUR IDEALS OF THE SENSE OF WRETCHEDNESS THE QUEST FOR A WAY OUT 165 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/4.1-The.Quest.For.A.Way.Out-) [introduction.] 169 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/4.1.1-Quietism) Quietism 173 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/4.1.2-Stoicism) Stoicism 176 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/4.1.3-Anarcho-Asceticism) Anarcho-Asceticism 182 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/4.2-Morality.of.quote.Outlets.unquote) THE MORALITY OF “OUTLETS” 191 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/4.3-At.The.Crossroads.Again) AT THE CROSSROADS AGAIN CHAPTER FIVE IN FACE OF THE NEW SOCIAL REALITY 202 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/5.1-The.Fall) THE FALL 203 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/5.2-Socialism.and.the.New.Way.of.Life) SOCIALISM AND THE NEW WAY OF LIFE 210 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/5.3-Revolutionary-Critical.Orientation) REVOLUTIONARY-CRITICAL ORIENTATION
OF THE SOCIALIST CONSCIOUSNESS 222 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/6-Conclusion) CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
p It would be a waste of effort to consider and analyse nihilism had it been a fixture solely of misanthropes, of eccentric people preaching that the world was coming to an end or of simply misfits in need of ordinary compassion, if not psychotherapy. But with the general crisis of capitalism, with the old society inevitably moving towards its last gasp, there is incontrovertible evidence of the widespread existence of nihilistic and pessimistic beliefs that have been a hallmark of the spiritual atmosphere in the bourgeois world.
p Distilled nihilism and pessimism (in the spirit of orthodox Schopenhauerism) would, of course, look old-fashioned today. Nonetheless, the ideas covertly propounding nihilism and pessimism are dissolved in many present-day bourgeois philosophical doctrines, social conceptions and futurological theories. Countless attempts have been made to prove that history is as blind as a mole, that truth is no more than a conventionality, a transient compromise, that human vices are ineradicable and all revolutionary programmes and actions are doomed, that man’s existence is chimerical, and so on and so forth.
p Conclusions of this sort are accepted not merely by the architects of these theories or a small group of fervent admirers. By devious means they migrate into the mass consciousness of the bourgeois world, linking up with the consonant albeit spontaneously shaped ideas and feelings of a certain segment of ordinary people. As a consequence, due to the momentous, fundamental historical changes and 8 the enormous growth of the consciousness and activity of the masses, nihilism is becoming a menace to society.
p Nihilism may be analysed by an internal and external critique of various systematised theories containing nihilistic views. Here the analysis would cover the substance of the criticised theories and their cognitive and social roots, and its purpose would be to show their untenability. We see our task in something quite different—in bringing to light nihilism’s designation and place in the modern battle of ideas. We therefore had to lay bare why and how nihilistic views and feelings have become a factor of the bourgeois mass consciousness, to show how this factor, sometimes called the sense of wretchedness (a term widely used by Hegel in The Phenomenology of Mind], took shape and functions, and also the social context of its mythology. On top of everything, it was necessary to go into the actual meaning of this conception, which the bourgeois theorists have tried hard to obscure.
p Since we have placed the accent on an examination of how nihilistic ideas undergo modifications and operate on the level of the bourgeois mass consciousness, on their evolution on this level, we do not mention the names, schools and orientations that would have had to be given in an academic analysis of the theoretical genealogy of nihilism and pessimism. We have reduced the number of quotations, literary footnotes, statistical and other data to a minimum. The circumstance that we have had to note or somehow touch upon many aspects of modern social and spiritual life compelled us to draw upon the most diverse sources (documents, articles in the press, philosophical, ethical, sociological and socio-psychological studies, works of art). With the exception of cases where this was required by gratitude, we did not refer the reader to the host of books and papers, on whose basis this book was conceived. This method of exposition, which did not require us to dwell on minutiae, enabled us to concentrate on a general outline of the dynamics of the bourgeois mass consciousness.
p Lastly, a few words on the compositional character of this book, which sprang from the following considerations. The notion that nihilism died away long ago has some foundation and is based on the fact that overlying the sense 9 of wretchedness are views and feelings that may be regarded as optimistic and which are usually designated as a sense of contentedness. The impression that this sense of contentedness predominates is what creates the illusion that pessimistic views and emotions are peripheral. But the contented consciousness is no more than false optimism. The sense of contentedness and wretchedness complement rather than exclude each other.
A parallel examination of these forms of bourgeois mass consciousness makes it possible to review its political and moral conflicts and prescribed stereotype behaviour patterns. It opens the way to comprehending the mutations of the bourgeois consciousness, its movement from contentedness to wretchedness, and helps to give a better understanding of the revolutionary character of the dialectical materialistic world outlook, which is the foundation of historical optimism.
INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE SENSE OF CONTENTEDNESS 10 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/1.1-Purpose) PURPOSE 12 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/1.2-Mechanism.of.Moulding) MECHANISM OF MOULDING 24 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/1.3-Consumer.Ideology) CONSUMER IDEOLOGY 39 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/1.4-Agony.of.Morals) AGONY OF MORALS CHAPTER TWO ANXIETIES AND MYTHS OF THE
SENSE OF CONTENTEDNESS 49 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.1-Self-Cognition) SELF-COGNITION “THREATS TO CIVILISATION” 53 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.2-quote.Threats.to.Civilisation.unquote) [introduction.] 53 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.2.1-Urbanisation) Urbanisation 57 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.2.2-Threat.to.Health) Threat to Health 61 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.2.3-Anti-Utopia.of.Neohedonism) Anti-Utopia of Neohedonism 64 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.3-Social.Reformism) THE SENSE OF CONTENTEDNESS
AND SOCIAL REFORMISM 70 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.4-Myths.of.Industrial.and.Post-.Society) MYTHS OF INDUSTRIAL AND -4
POSTINDUSTRIAL SOCIETY 86 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/2.5-Anarcho-Hedonism) ANARCHO-HEDONISM CHAPTER THREE SENSE OF WRETCHEDNESS 98 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/3.1-At.A.Crossroads) AT A CROSSROADS 108 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/3.2-Seduction.By.Nihilism) SEDUCTION BY NIHILISM 122 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/3.3-Mythology.of.Negation.and.Despair) MYTHOLOGY OF NEGATION AND DESPAIR 135 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/3.4-Demythologisation.of.Despair) DEMYTHOLOGISATION OF DESPAIR CHAPTER FOUR IDEALS OF THE SENSE OF WRETCHEDNESS THE QUEST FOR A WAY OUT 165 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/4.1-The.Quest.For.A.Way.Out-) [introduction.] 169 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/4.1.1-Quietism) Quietism 173 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/4.1.2-Stoicism) Stoicism 176 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/4.1.3-Anarcho-Asceticism) Anarcho-Asceticism 182 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/4.2-Morality.of.quote.Outlets.unquote) THE MORALITY OF “OUTLETS” 191 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/4.3-At.The.Crossroads.Again) AT THE CROSSROADS AGAIN CHAPTER FIVE IN FACE OF THE NEW SOCIAL REALITY 202 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/5.1-The.Fall) THE FALL 203 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/5.2-Socialism.and.the.New.Way.of.Life) SOCIALISM AND THE NEW WAY OF LIFE 210 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/5.3-Revolutionary-Critical.Orientation) REVOLUTIONARY-CRITICAL ORIENTATION
OF THE SOCIALIST CONSCIOUSNESS 222 (http://www.leninist.biz/en/1977/NT228/6-Conclusion) CONCLUSION