The German Genius: Europe's Third Renaissance, the Second Scientific Revolution, and the Twentieth Century

“The atheists were predominantly French and were known as mechanists (as the intellectual heirs of Newton they were inspired by the idea of a mechanical universe). Voltaire was just one who thought that science had shown that the universe was governed by “natural laws,” which applied to all men and that countries—kingdoms, states—should be governed in the same way.’’Natural law controls all atoms. Human are atoms. Therefore, human life can/should be controlled by elite scientists. The overwhelming problem with this - is the rejection, even destruction - of free-will.Huge disconnect!“Voltaire convinced himself that, through work, religious ideas would eventually be replaced by scientific ones.’’What ideas?“The idea that if the rest of the universe was governed by (relatively) simple laws—accessible to figures like René Descartes, Isaac Newton, Gottfried Leibniz, Antoine Lavoisier, and Carl Linnaeus—then surely human nature itself should be governed by equally simple and accessible general laws. With this went a further profound change—the reconceptualization of the soul as the mind, the mind increasingly understood by reference to consciousness, language, and its relationship with this world, in contrast to the soul, with its immortality and preeminent role in the next world.’’How important, how significant, how overwhelming?“This was, in other words, the replacement of theology by biology. As we shall see—and if an ugly neologism be allowed—the “biologification” of the world took place preeminently in Germany.’’This ‘replacing of religion by science’ has proven to be horrible!Watson explains that Darwinism achieved overwhelming influence in Germany. However, one problem . . .“The great problem with evolution was that it could not be observed directly, unlike the familiar phenomena of physics, such as falling stones or boiling water. Evolution, plainly, can only be inferred and only then can such evidence as fossils or stratification be adduced.’’Why then did this (unprovable) idea become so significant, so controlling?“Beginning with the Kantian notion of ideal reality, they explained variations in organisms as a result of the gradual development—the evolution—which “instantiated” progressive variations of the ideal forms. This was not Darwinian evolution, but rather dynamische Evolution, as Schelling termed it.’’Note this pre-Darwin belief in evolution as a ‘philosophical’ idea from Kant!“The Naturphilosophen also accepted that nature was teleologically ordered. From Herder, Goethe, and Schelling on, they opposed the mechanical ideal as developed by Descartes and Newton. Instead, they believed that nature was steadily transformed from a simpler, less organized, earlier state to a higher, more developed, later state.’’Now - Herder, Goethe and Schelling, etc.,etc.. Newton’s Science is the basis in English world. Kant in Germany. Completely different!Ideas are important. Look what happened!This work is outstanding presentation of why, how, who and what happened in/to Germany.Part One - The Great Turn in German Life1 Germanness Emerging2. Bildung and the Inborn Drive toward PerfectionPart Two - A Third Renaissance, between Doubt and Darwin3. Winckelmann, Wolf, and Lessing: the Third Greek Revival and the Origins of Modern Scholarship5. New Light on the Structure of the Mind6. The High Renaissance in Music: The Symphony as Philosophy7. Cosmos, Cuneiform, Clausewitz8. The Mother Tongue, the Inner Voice, and the Romantic SongPart Three The Rise of the Educated Middle Class: the Engines and Engineers of Modern Prosperity10. Humboldt’s Gift: The Invention of Research and the Prussian (Protestant) Concept of Learning11. The Evolution of Alienation12. German Historicism: “A Unique Event in the History of Ideas”13. The Heroic Age of Biology14. Out from “The Wretchedness of German Backwardness”15. “German Fever” in France, Britain, and the United States16. Wagner’s Other Ring—Feuerbach, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche20. The Dynamics of Disease: Virchow, Koch, Mendel, FreudPart Four The Miseries and Miracles of Modernity21. The Abuses of History22. The Pathologies of Nationalism29 The Great War between Heroes and TradersPart Five Songs of the Reich: Hitler and the “Spiritualization of the Struggle”34. Nazi Aesthetics: The “Brown Shift”35. Scholarship in the Third Reich: “No Such Thing as Objectivity”36. The Twilight of the Theologians38. Exile, and the Road into the OpenPart Six Beyond Hitler: Continuity of the German Tradition under Adverse Conditions39. The “Fourth Reich”: The Effect of German Thought on America40. “His Majesty’s Most Loyal Enemy Aliens”41. “Divided Heaven”: From Heidegger to Habermas to RatzingerConclusion: German Genius: The Dazzle, Deification, and Dangers of InwardnessAnother divergence in German thought . . .“The other important consequence of the Ranke mind-set was how it affected notions of freedom. Freedom, the historians insisted, can only be achieved within and through the state. . . . Historicism thus provided a theoretical basis for the traditional political and social structure of nineteenth-century Prussia and Germany. This represents a major cultural divergence of Germany from “the West.” For German historians, the reformed Prussian monarchy represented a “high point” in the history of freedom: it was a society where the individual was fully free, but at the same time integrated into a social whole. This “German idea of freedom” was a core belief.’’Is this ‘freedom only through the state’ now basis of culture?The conclusion connects the multiple threads and weaves a vivid tapestry . . .“It was only natural, in the circumstances, for theology to be replaced by speculative philosophy in the era between doubt and Darwin. The successes of these developments led to the resurgence of German culture and intellectual life in general, to the concept of Bildung, of education as cultivation, essentially a secular form of salvation, and to inwardness as a way of approaching the truth—not just in Idealistic philosophy, but in Romanticism and in music. All this may be characterized as the growth of inwardness.’’‘Growth of inwardness’ is a key theme. Explains a lot. Another keen insight . . .“A further consequence of the advent of doubt was the growth of the idea of a redemptive community. Helping people in this life was a natural ethic to emerge from the collapse of the idea of a future state, the Afterlife, so integral to Christianity. After the death of God, community—the basis of living together with other people—was perhaps the only ethical space left to explore. A concern with the redemptive powers of community runs across German scholarship, culture, and politics throughout the modern period.’’Does this seem familiar?“This was the context for what Hannah Arendt said when she argued that what happened in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s was a temporary alliance of the educated elite with the mob.’’‘Educated elite allied with the mob’!“She also noted that the First World War was itself “the true father of a new world order,” the “constant murderous abitrariness” being “the great equaliser” that broke down the classes and transformed them into “the masses.” This, she felt, had created a “community of fate” in which the aim, going forward, was to do something “heroic or criminal” in which both the mob and the educated elite could express their “frustration, resentment and blind hatred, a kind of political expressionism…” This collective bitterness, she said, was the “pre-totalitarian atmosphere” in which the ultimate end was the death of respectability, in which the difference between truth and falsehood “ceases to be objective and becomes a mere matter of power and cleverness.”‘Death of respectability’? ‘Difference of true and false ceases’! Wow! Is this now everywhere?“Julien Benda agreed and so did Niall Ferguson. Benda thought that a barbaric nationalism had been sparked in Germany, initiated by its intellectuals. In The War of the World (2006), Ferguson wrote: “An academic education, far from inoculating people against Nazism, made them more likely to embrace it.”‘Academic education embraces Nazism’! Why?“Hannah Arendt said, much later, that only educated people can have a private life, and that fits together nicely with Eliot’s argument about skepticism being the great aim of education that we must never forget—it provides people with enough of a private space for them to develop a healthy skepticism.’’‘Private life’ meaning personal, meditative, individual, private, self constructed, identity. Who does this?“People without a private life soon become a mob, where everything that matters, or seems to matter, takes place on the streets.’’Think overwhelming influence of social media, entertainment, music, etc., etc.. Who opts out?Watson provides detailed, even exhaustive, explanation of German development. He obviously believes the philosophical/religio/political ideas are key. Explains them carefully and concisely (as possible). Some, Kant, Hegel, Marx, etc., require serious thought. Nevertheless, I think Watson does credible job.(Isaiah Berlin, Frank Manuel, Ronald Stromberg, Mark Perry, Peter Gay and others tackle same themes. The recent work by Arthur Herman - “1917: Wilson, Lenin and the birth of the new world disorder’’ is a insightful addition.The work “The Holocaust and the Crisis of Human Behavior’’ by George M Kren, provides a marvelous analysis of German intellectual history. Complements Watson’s book with some slightly different views. Great!)Appendix lists thirty-five underrated Germans.About two thousand notes and references (not linked). Tremendous scholarship!Thousands of searchable terms listed in index. Not linked, designed for search function.No photographs.

The book is intended as a history of German ideas over the last 250 years or so, and specifically not a political, economic, or comprehensive "national" history of Germany. The narrative begins near the end of Bach's life (1685-1750), well prior to a German nation having been achieved (1871), and continues beyond the events of 1989 and the subsequent re-unification of what we recall as East and West Germany.The book considers German ideas as being those of German people, which exceeds the bounds of citizenship in any German nation but instead also includes people of German cultural background from Austria, Bohemia, Moravia and other territories where German-speaking peoples lived en masse. A reader may no doubt quibble with some of the persons who are included as being "German" by the author, but a disagreement over any one person is indeed a quibble, not an indictment of the underlying premise.The book would seem to have at least three purposes:1) By documenting the immense fertility of German culture in generating powerful advances in the arts, science and the humanities the author attempts to restore (for those for whom it is needed) a wider, more balanced perspective on Germany than apparently currently exists. Without any attempt to minimize, dismiss, or overlook the evil of the Nazi's and the Holocaust (for which "Germany" has been stigmatized), the narrative offers a reminder of great achievements that were not accidental, but a product of German culture and society.2) By explaining the elements of German culture that gave rise to those fertile developments, an explanation is also proposed for reasons that some of those same elements could ironically allow or make possible the barbaric (and distinctly uncultured) Third Reich. The exploration of these German cultural elements that "cut both ways" seems even-handed, and consistent with a mature perspective that there is much in life that is ambiguous, with the potential for both good and unintended, tragic outcomes. Again without minimizing the horror of the Holocaust or the role of the German people, the author offers a nuanced view of the cultural ground soil within which the Nazi's were allowed to grow and seize power.3) To follow the widening influence of German ideas throughout the Western Civilization, part of which reflects the mass emigration of talented Germans during the Third Reich (principally Jewish-German artists and scientists) and part of which reflects the sheer impact of notable Germans. As a quote from Erich Heller presented as an epigram to the book states, "Defeated in two world wars, Germany appeared to have invaded vast territories of the World's minds" or in the author's own words, "The United States and Great Britain may speak English but, more than they know, they think German."Of noteworthiness is the scope of this book. Reporting that it is 849 pages (plus an author's note, an appendix, and end-notes) does not adequately convey the amount of information contained within. Short biographical sketches for noteworthy individuals pepper the text, usually arrayed to tell the story of the development of a branch of science, commerce or the arts.The sheer bulk of this information may test one's patience, but it is the supporting evidence for the author's themes.Well, enough about length, what of substance?Both the Introduction, titled 'Blinded by the Light: Hitler, the Holocaust, and "the Past That Will Not Pass Away"' and the final chapter, titled 'German Genius: The Dazzle, Deification, and Dangers of Inwardness' are, quite literally, excellent summary bookends to the book's themes, which in some ways have to be culled out of the extensive narrative of people, events and achievements that are documented in between. Reading the introduction and conclusion in sequence proved very helpful.The book delivers a compelling case for considering such persistent cultural elements as Prussian Pietism (which became institutionalized early through professorships of theology in both Halle and Göttengen), the development of the German university ideal (whose trained graduates fed the burgeoning need for skilled thinkers and bureaucrats in an increasingly centralized world), the search for an agreeable concept of "nationality" for a group of people who had never shared a "nation" before (the concept of the volk was conceived to satisfy the search), and other notable elements (such as the concept of Bildung, a secular version of Pietism) as cultural influences that "cut both ways." These led to both outstanding achievements in the arts, industry and science, as well as led to a national mindset that made Nazi power a possibility and an unfortunate reality.Quite correctly, there is nothing in this book that would be considered sympathetic to Nazi Germany. In fact, many prominent Nazi "thinkers" are quietly pilloried (like Theodor Frisch, a theologian who argued that Jesus was not a Jew, but that Galileans were actually Gauls, and therefore Jesus was really German!)or scientists Lenard and Stark (both Nobel Prize winners) who dismissed relativity as "a bogus Jewish science"... after the theory had been confirmed by experiment. The author appears interested only in a more complete understanding of the period and of the German people, which includes some empathy for the course of ordinary human lives and the human condition.The author points out that, like many cultures, Germany was deeply influenced by a respect for classic antiquity. Greek models of the arts and intellectual thought materially shaped German culture. Which makes it doubly unfortunate then, that there was a collective failure to learn from one of the greatest of Greek achievements, tragic drama. The unfortunate experience of Germany and the victims of Nazi Germany appear as a cruel, ironic enactment of Greek Tragedy. Choices made for seemingly well-intended purposes result in, perhaps many years later, the preconditions for an enormous amount of suffering. The protagonists cannot foresee the looming disaster despite the chorus that tries to warn them. Perhaps one of the points of The German Genius, though, is that because of certain German cultural elements, the chorus wasn't loud enough to be heard.As the author further points out, strains of the German Genius are still with us (including an emphasis upon science and technology, as well as an emphasis on "inwardness" - his description of the effects of Pietism or Bildung - at the expense of community involvement). Read this book, it is both a history and a timeless story.

The crux of this book is to examine the historiography of post-war Germany, which is to say, from 1945 onwards. Despite what Thomas and Matthias Matussek and Gebbhardt von Moltke may think about a British obsession with the twelve years of Nazi rule, there is good reason to focus on this period. One could reasonably argue that Goethe, Schiller and Beethoven, whilst significant actors in their chosen fields, were not fascist dictators responsible for mass genocide. Equally, German literature, particularly school history books have traditionally skirted around the Nazi era. If fact, it was the late Professor Eric Hobsbawm who first coined the term 'The Short Twentieth Century'. He also perceived that when asked about the Twentieth Century, most people thought in terms of its history starting in 1914 and ending in 1945. Germany's history before 1914; during the inter-war years - which means the Weimar Republic - and from the end of World War II seemed lost. What Peter Watson achieves in The German Genius is to argue that there are many other aspects to Germany's historiography throughout the Twentieth Century which should not be overlooked if one is to gain a better understanding of Germany's more recent history. Whether we are 'three generations out of date' when it comes to teaching German history, as ex-minister Joschka Fischer argues, is open to debate. The German Genius is not light reading. It is a well researched study, one which will no doubt be a good secondary source for academics, or anyone who wishes to take a wider view of Germany's post war achievements. A masterly piece of writing.

I am halfway through this very large book (almost 1,000 pages) and I know I will finish it, which is positivetestimony in itself. Watson's scope is enormous and conveys the achievements of so many brilliant German thinkers, artists and scientists. It is grippingly written, well organised, and admirably fulfils its aim of reminding us of the eminence of German intellectual life. As the author says, the vast majority of British schoolkids know nothing about Germany apart from its 12 years of Nazi shame, and this is a tragic oversight. A fantastic book that fuels the spirit.

Despite being a long mammoth read the impression I gained from the final 100 or so pages was that Peter Watson was rushing it just a little bit. This is not a criticism at all.The book traces the historical transition between theology and biology, between the soul and the mind and argues that the transformation took place largely in Germany in the years "between doubt and Darwin".All nationalities are unique. Are our German friends uniquely unique? I do not think so. I feel that the book would gain - as would all of Peter Watson's books - from at least a nodding acquaintance with "eastern" thought and its influence on "western" thinkers. The books of Harry Oldmeadow would be a good place to start.That said, this is a fine book, that seeks some sort of answer as to how and why the Nazi's and their way of being arose in Germany - as a necessary culmination of what had gone before or as an aberration? And in seeking that answer Peter Watson seeks to point a way forward for all of us as we grapple with our crazy mixed up modern world that yet has so much potential for good.This is the third - rather large - book I have read by this author. It was as good as "The Age of Nothing" and "A Terrible Beauty". Hopefully I have gained a lot. Thank you.

Make no mistake, this is a challenging read, at some 850 pages and assuming a pretty decent level of general/background knowledge. However, it is very much worth the effort, slowly creating a vast and in depth picture of German development over the last 400 years, the author has clearly done a monumental amount of research. For those of us who grew up being directly, or indirectly, led to believe that Britain had invented ¾ of things worth inventing, and led almost every field from science to cultural freedoms, it is certainly an eye opening read; within the first few pages, for example, it is noted that prior to 1939 Germany had earned more Nobel prizes that Britain & America combined, which had me briefly doing a guppy fish impression, something which was repeated as numerous times throughout the book!

It is very important to remember that Germany should not be viewed only through the perspective of the first half of the 20th century history. There is so much more to that fascinating country and nation. And the book is so brilliantly written, so despite its hefty size, it is a breeze to read. However, it is inevitable to ask oneself how that great people could sometimes stoop so low. It is a lesson for us somewhere here.