Ernst Bloch and the Obscenity of Hope
Introduction to the Special Section on Ernst Bloch
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4071440 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jack Zipes (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1988 |
| Issue | 45 |
| Pages | 3 |
| Publication date | 1988-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | New German Critique (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0094-033X • E-ISSN: 1558-1462 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/488091 |
| OpenAlex | W2326048489 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
In the spring of 1985, a colloquium entitled Reification et Utopie: Ernst Bloch et Gy6rgy Luktcs was held in Paris to mark the centennial celebration of the births of Bloch and Lukics.' During this three-day conference in honor of the two philosphers and there were others held in Europe during that year hardly a word was mentioned about the relationship of their philosophies to Stalinism. It was as though their support of the Soviet Union and the show trials was totally incidental to their philosophical works. Yet, when Das Prinzip Hoffnung finally made its appearance in English translation in 1986, thirty years after its publication in German, Leon Wieseltier commented, Bloch's reputation as an unorthodox Marxist appears to have escaped the fact that he was also an orthodox Communist. He was never a member of the party, but membership would have been redundant. 'The Principle of Hope' is the most monumental apology for the Soviet Union I have ever read. ... How can a man consecrate himself completely to the idea of human perfection and collaborate in the justification of millions of human deaths? The answer, of course, is: that's how. In its time, our time, hope is obscene (44).2
Section (typography · Special section · Political Economy and Marxism
| Citations per year | 0.15 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2006 - 2020 (15) |
| Highly cited | No |