Auschwitz

There is no question

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There is no question in my mind that we live in one of the truly bestial centuries in human history. There are plenty of signposts for the future historian, and what do they say? They say ‘Auschwitz’ and ‘Dresden’ and ‘Hiroshima’ and ‘Vietnam’ and ‘Napalm.’ For many years we all woke up to the daily … Read more

Those who cannot remember

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Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it without a sense of ironic futility. Errol Morris

The Auschwitz praxis was

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The Auschwitz praxis was based on a new principle: for one portion of mankind, existence itself is a crime, punishable by humiliation, torture, and death. And the new world produced by this praxis included two kinds of inhabitants, those who were given the \”punishment\” and those who administered it. Emil Fackenheim

For Christians, the first

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For Christians, the first priority may be theological self-understanding. For Jews it is, and after Auschwitz must be, simple safety for their children. In pursuit of this goal, Jews seek – are morally required to seek – independence of other people’s charity. They therefore seek safety – are morally required to seek it – through … Read more

The concept of emotional

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The concept of emotional or spiritual survival has an honorable history, but it does invite self-indulgence. In my own case, the worst I ever survived was severe personal and political confusion, the temptation to various sorts of craziness and a couple of bad acid trips. It felt pretty horrendous at the time, and some of … Read more