Conservatism and Crisis: The Anti-Modernist Perspective in Twentieth Century German Philosophy

What happens to a culture when it’s most basic assumptions are questioned and rejected, but no new ones are offered to replace them? This book critically analyzes anti-modernist philosophy, the (perhaps futile) attempt to recover traditional worldviews and belief systems in order to cope with the void of meaning engendered by the upheavals of modernity. The textual focus of this book is interwar Germany, as it provides a dramatic and relatively recent example of cultural crisis, with a rich philosophical literature. The writings of Heidegger, Junger, Spengler, and others are discussed in detail. Key themes will be applied to our contemporary post-modern condition as well. The book examines the dangers of anti-modernism, both past and the present, but also discusses some of its implicit appeals.

Table of Contents:
Preface Chapter One: Aporia: Modernity’s Philosophical Legacy Chapter Two: Abyss and Ground in Weimar Chapter Three: Retreat from Modernity Chapter Four: Fear and Hope in Post-Modernity

About the Author :
David J. Rosner is assistant professor in the School of Management at Metropolitan College of New York.

Review :
David J. Rosner’s Conservatism and Crisis: The Anti-Modernist Perspective in Twentieth Century German Philosophy allows us to learn from the past how to perceive the current state of world affairs in the 21st century. The book discusses both the appeals and the dangers inherent in looking to conservatism and tradition for solutions for a civilization beset by economic decline, ethical aporia, and spiritual decadence. In this book David Rosner introduces the reader to an interesting field — the cultural collapse in Germany in the interwar period and its impact on the nation’s soul, with reverberations well beyond its borders. In a well structured discourse and engaging style, the author offers an informative and substantial interpretation of modernism, a competent introduction into the Weimar anti-modernist critique and its relevance for the current post-modern situation. The book is an excellent resource for the ongoing dialogue regarding the historical and cultural criticism in general and that of modernism — post-modernism in particular. David Rosner thinks things profoundly. Like an arrow’s arc, he finds direct lines between Weimar Germany and our own times—a culture in search of meaning; prevailing trends toward existential anxiety, anomie, and the unheimlich (uncanny, baffling or “un-home-like”) nothingness that surrounds economic crisis; an emergent abandonment of true meaning in favor of (fascist or religious) fanaticism; and philosophical striving, such as Heiddegger’s, to find a ground, a home for meaning that will answer the fears of the times. “Professor David J. Rosner’s, Conservatism and Crisis—The Anti-Modernist Perspective in Twentieth-Century German Philosophy is a valuable contribution to the history of Weimar era anti-modernist philosophy in Germany.”