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Fire Alarm: Reading Walter Benjamin's 'On the Concept of History'
This illuminating study of Benjamin’s final essay helps unlock the mystery of this great philosopher
Revolutionary critic of the philosophy of progress, nostalgic of the past yet dreaming of the future, romantic partisan of materialism—Walter Benjamin is in every sense of the word an “unclassifiable” philosopher. His essay “On the Concept of History” was written in a state of urgency, as he attempted to escape the Gestapo in 1940, before finally committing suicide.
In this scrupulous, clear and fascinating examination of this essay, Michael Löwy argues that it remains one of the most important philosophical and political writings of the twentieth century. Looking in detail at Benjamin’s celebrated but often mysterious text, and restoring the philosophical, theological and political context, Löwy highlights the complex relationship between redemption and revolution in Benjamin’s philosophy of history.
Revolutionary critic of the philosophy of progress, nostalgic of the past yet dreaming of the future, romantic partisan of materialism—Walter Benjamin is in every sense of the word an “unclassifiable” philosopher. His essay “On the Concept of History” was written in a state of urgency, as he attempted to escape the Gestapo in 1940, before finally committing suicide.
In this scrupulous, clear and fascinating examination of this essay, Michael Löwy argues that it remains one of the most important philosophical and political writings of the twentieth century. Looking in detail at Benjamin’s celebrated but often mysterious text, and restoring the philosophical, theological and political context, Löwy highlights the complex relationship between redemption and revolution in Benjamin’s philosophy of history.
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2001
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1102 people want to read
About the author
Michael Löwy
161 books120 followersFrench-Brazilian Marxist sociologist and philosopher. He is presently the emerited research director in social sciences at the CNRS (French National Center of Scientific Research) and lectures at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS; Paris, France). Author of books on Karl Marx, Che Guevara, Liberation Theology, György Lukács, Walter Benjamin and Franz Kafka, he received the Silver Medal of the CNRS in 1994.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
January 31, 2020
Nada como um pensador judeu de esquerda para destrinchar as teses sobre o conceito de história de Benjamin sem cair nem para o lado do misticismo messiâncio de Scholem, nem para uma leitura marxista de cartilha. Pelo contrário, com clareza impressionante, Löwy concilia os dois polos de leitura, rastreia todas as referências - explícitas, implícitas ou até mesmo ocultas - do texto original e o renova ao associar as teses - escritas em 1940 - a situação da América Latina contemporânea. Eu me pergunto o que Löwy escreveria agora, vendo o que aconteceu no Brasil. Não dá para dizer que Benjamin não fez soar o alarme.
May 23, 2013
For the past two months I have been participating in a weekly Benjamin study group. We mostly read the more philosophical writings, taking them line by line to work out what exactly this mysterious writer is actually saying. "On the Concept of History" has by far been the most opaque essay for us. We pored over each thesis, while planning for more informed discussions after reading Benjamin's writings that are referenced in the Theses, along with Löwy's book.
This book is incredibly useful for understanding Benjamin's "Theses." Each thesis is explored in depth, and Löwy does a fantastic job tracing the sources Benjamin consulted and had in mind while writing. The idea that Benjamin exists in a realm of being both secular and Jewish is a thought that helps me figure out my own tepid relationship to Jewishness and messianism. Benjamin was far ahead of his time, and though almost all contemporary philosophers are familiar with Benjamin, few seem to truly be informed by his lucid rejection of positivism in favor of a conception of history blown open by a human Messiah.
The only differing interpretation (which I am willing to concede) is that Benjamin is still a sort of historical materialist. My/our reading is that Benjamin is lambasting both historicism and historical materialism in its pure form, rather than the form posited by Marxist ideologues. But this naming of ideas is a minor point when finding common ground with Löwy's analysis and Benjamin's thoughts.
This book is incredibly useful for understanding Benjamin's "Theses." Each thesis is explored in depth, and Löwy does a fantastic job tracing the sources Benjamin consulted and had in mind while writing. The idea that Benjamin exists in a realm of being both secular and Jewish is a thought that helps me figure out my own tepid relationship to Jewishness and messianism. Benjamin was far ahead of his time, and though almost all contemporary philosophers are familiar with Benjamin, few seem to truly be informed by his lucid rejection of positivism in favor of a conception of history blown open by a human Messiah.
The only differing interpretation (which I am willing to concede) is that Benjamin is still a sort of historical materialist. My/our reading is that Benjamin is lambasting both historicism and historical materialism in its pure form, rather than the form posited by Marxist ideologues. But this naming of ideas is a minor point when finding common ground with Löwy's analysis and Benjamin's thoughts.
December 17, 2024
The true radical conception of time, is a mistrusting one which foresees innumerable catastrophes up ahead, unless we act right now, this very instant.
In other words: 'Pessimism all along the line. Absolutely. Mistrust in the fate of literature, mistrust in the fate of freedom, mistrust in the fate of European humanity, but three times mistrust in all reconciliation: between classes, between nations, between individuals. And unlimited trust only in IG Farben and the peaceful perfecting of the air force.'
In other words: 'Pessimism all along the line. Absolutely. Mistrust in the fate of literature, mistrust in the fate of freedom, mistrust in the fate of European humanity, but three times mistrust in all reconciliation: between classes, between nations, between individuals. And unlimited trust only in IG Farben and the peaceful perfecting of the air force.'
December 5, 2023
Extraordinari llibre! De Benjamin a Flâneur n'havia llegit Carrer de sentit únic, però m'havia semblat força críptic... aquest ho canvia tot. M'ha semblat realment meravellós tant com a introducció i petita biografia de Benjamin, com explicació de les seves tesis sobre la història. Les explicacions, els insights que fa Löwy són esplèndids i demostren una feina terrible al darrere: sens dubte, diria que aconsegueix contextualitzar, desxifrar i potenciar cadascuna de les tesis benjamianes. N'he quedat penjada, d'un pensament que combina el messianisme amb el materialisme històric i, lluny de quedar esotèric, potencia l'acció humana.
November 22, 2015
Μια εξαιρετική ερμηνευτική προσέγγιση των "Θέσεων για τη Φιλοσοφία της Ιστορίας".
Μας δίνει οπτικές που δεν θα είχαμε φανταστεί!
Ο Walter Benjamin,αν και μιλά απλά,μιλά κυρίως διφορούμενα και με πάρα πολλά μηνύματα.
Οπότε η ερμηνείες είναι πολλές.
Ειδικά για κάποιον που καταπιάνεται για 1η φορά με το έργο του,το παρόν βιβλίο είναι ένας εξαιρετικός οδηγός ανάγνωσης του.
"Η Ιστορία είναι ανοιχτή,το "καινούριο" είναι δυνατό,διότι το μέλλον δεν είναι γνωστό εκ των προτέρων."
"Το έργο του WB φωτίζει έναν ορίζοντα νέων στοχασμών:την αναζήτηση ενός διαλεκτικού ορθολογισμού."
Μας δίνει οπτικές που δεν θα είχαμε φανταστεί!
Ο Walter Benjamin,αν και μιλά απλά,μιλά κυρίως διφορούμενα και με πάρα πολλά μηνύματα.
Οπότε η ερμηνείες είναι πολλές.
Ειδικά για κάποιον που καταπιάνεται για 1η φορά με το έργο του,το παρόν βιβλίο είναι ένας εξαιρετικός οδηγός ανάγνωσης του.
"Η Ιστορία είναι ανοιχτή,το "καινούριο" είναι δυνατό,διότι το μέλλον δεν είναι γνωστό εκ των προτέρων."
"Το έργο του WB φωτίζει έναν ορίζοντα νέων στοχασμών:την αναζήτηση ενός διαλεκτικού ορθολογισμού."
June 1, 2023
ok, pela primeira vez vou fazer uma review séria nessa rede. chega a ser assustador o quanto benjamin é assertivo ao falar sobre o estudo histórico e o conceito de história. só consigo pensar em como essas teses deveriam ser leituras obrigatórias pra maioria dos cursos de humanas e principalmente pro de história. para além das teses, as explicações de Lowy são essenciais pra vc conseguir decifrar oq benjamin tá falando. é analogia em cima de analogia e metáfora em cima de metáfora, o que dificulta demaissss o entendimento das teses. se vc não domina o básico dos conceitos marxistas parece que é grego. lowy é muito didático e trás muito pano pra manga nas interpretações dele. rende boas discussões e deixa espaço pra diversas críticas. enfim, apesar de ser uma leitura difícil, é um livro pro resto da vida que deve ser revisitado constantemente.
Read
November 28, 2023Amb els vençuts tenim un deute històric, no només de recordar el seu patiment, la seva causa, sinó també d'aconseguir la victòria. No remmemorem les seves victòries sinó utilitzem les seves derrotes per encendre l'espurna de la ràbia que atravessa la història, de passat a present en el moment revolucionari. Bon llibre opino.
September 7, 2024
É ótimo estudar a visão de Benjamin sobre a história como um campo aberto, onde o passado e o presente estão sujeitos a interpretações alternativas, especialmente em meio a tanta disseminação de perspectivas pós-modernas em detrimento do materialismo.
Considero imprescindível a crítica benjaminiana ao progresso linear e inevitável, questionando a ideia de que a história é escrita pelos vencedores. Desafia-se a noção de que a variante histórica que triunfou era a única possível.
Os marxistas não lutam contra a exploração, opressão e violência generalizada apenas por promoverem o desenvolvimento das forças produtivas ou um progresso histórico predeterminado. Muito menos combatem esses males apenas porque foi provado cientificamente que isso levará ao socialismo. Lutamos contra a exploração, injustiça e alienação porque essas condições são desumanas e indignas, sendo essa uma justificativa moral suficiente para a ação.
Inspirado pela filosofia de Marx e a ideia de um imperativo categórico ético, Benjamin nos lembra que a ação política não deve se basear apenas em previsões ou no desenvolvimento produtivo, mas no compromisso com a dignidade humana, independentemente das chances de sucesso ou das previsões "científicas" sobre o futuro. O futuro e o passado não estão determinados: eles são fruto das ações que tomamos no presente. Gosto como a melancolia e o "pessimismo" benjaminiano está muito longe da inércia e da apatia. Aviso de Incêndio alerta para a urgência do momento e a necessidade de agir, com a incerteza do resultado sendo, paradoxalmente, o que nos motiva a maior atividade. Afinal, essa tempestade é o que chamamos de progresso. A importância do engajamento na luta por um mundo mais justo e humano é o nosso combustível, independente do triunfo.
Como canta Don L:
Lutar do lado errado é já perder a guerra
Do lado certo a gente vence mesmo quando perde
E quando vence, vence duas vezes
Triunfamos e eles terão que retroceder
Novo alvorecer e agora terão que reconhecer
A volta da vitória
Considero imprescindível a crítica benjaminiana ao progresso linear e inevitável, questionando a ideia de que a história é escrita pelos vencedores. Desafia-se a noção de que a variante histórica que triunfou era a única possível.
Os marxistas não lutam contra a exploração, opressão e violência generalizada apenas por promoverem o desenvolvimento das forças produtivas ou um progresso histórico predeterminado. Muito menos combatem esses males apenas porque foi provado cientificamente que isso levará ao socialismo. Lutamos contra a exploração, injustiça e alienação porque essas condições são desumanas e indignas, sendo essa uma justificativa moral suficiente para a ação.
Inspirado pela filosofia de Marx e a ideia de um imperativo categórico ético, Benjamin nos lembra que a ação política não deve se basear apenas em previsões ou no desenvolvimento produtivo, mas no compromisso com a dignidade humana, independentemente das chances de sucesso ou das previsões "científicas" sobre o futuro. O futuro e o passado não estão determinados: eles são fruto das ações que tomamos no presente. Gosto como a melancolia e o "pessimismo" benjaminiano está muito longe da inércia e da apatia. Aviso de Incêndio alerta para a urgência do momento e a necessidade de agir, com a incerteza do resultado sendo, paradoxalmente, o que nos motiva a maior atividade. Afinal, essa tempestade é o que chamamos de progresso. A importância do engajamento na luta por um mundo mais justo e humano é o nosso combustível, independente do triunfo.
Como canta Don L:
Lutar do lado errado é já perder a guerra
Do lado certo a gente vence mesmo quando perde
E quando vence, vence duas vezes
Triunfamos e eles terão que retroceder
Novo alvorecer e agora terão que reconhecer
A volta da vitória
May 28, 2020
Dps dessa leitura, descobri que sou semi-analfabeto, pq entendi 1% das Teses.
Löwy fez uma análise muito boa do Benjamin, pq ele saca bastante as referências judaicas do waltão
Aqui, o Walter Benjamin é retratado fundamentalmente como um crítico da crença inquestionável ao progresso e do conformismo, praticado tanto pela social-democracia quanto pelos marxistas
Dois aspectos brilhantes do livro:
* o autor faz uma análise bastante minuciosa das teses; ele também evita analisar o benjamin somente pela perspectiva materialista, teológica ou crítica. Na real, ele vê o waltão com o olhar marxista E teológico.
** Löwy cita desdobramentos do pensamento benjaminiano na América-Latina, como a Teologia da Libertação. Não faz um relação direta entre os dois, porém demonstra como esta é uma prática do pensamento daquele.
Löwy fez uma análise muito boa do Benjamin, pq ele saca bastante as referências judaicas do waltão
Aqui, o Walter Benjamin é retratado fundamentalmente como um crítico da crença inquestionável ao progresso e do conformismo, praticado tanto pela social-democracia quanto pelos marxistas
Dois aspectos brilhantes do livro:
* o autor faz uma análise bastante minuciosa das teses; ele também evita analisar o benjamin somente pela perspectiva materialista, teológica ou crítica. Na real, ele vê o waltão com o olhar marxista E teológico.
** Löwy cita desdobramentos do pensamento benjaminiano na América-Latina, como a Teologia da Libertação. Não faz um relação direta entre os dois, porém demonstra como esta é uma prática do pensamento daquele.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2021
O que mais gosto neste livro é como Michael Löwy consegue destrinchar bem as analogias e os contextos a que Walter Benjamin se refere sem ser um texto pomposo com mais analogias e referências e, é claro, sem ser superficial ou simplista. Além de deixar Benjamin um pouco mais fácil de ser ccompreendido (a partida pode parece fácil, mas olha...), o livro ainda ajuda a renovar as esperanças de que há jeito pras coisas, de que, assim como o passado, o futuro não é algo estanque.
January 20, 2023
Took me ages to read this book as it was the first book of philosophy, or concerning philosophy, I’ve read. Altho dense it really had some extremely poignant points and lifted my spirits in an increasingly difficult time. Would recommend to anyone looking to be inspired to bring forth a better world
September 17, 2021
Muito legal o spark notes que o löwy fez das teses sobre o conceito de historia!!!
October 30, 2024
"Pero ¿en qué consiste la tradición de los oprimidos, si no en la serie discontinua de los raros momentos en que se rompieron las cadenas de la dominación?"
Todo se resume al meme de los dos pasajeros en el tren. De un lado el que está triste: la historia está abierta 😔
Y del otro lado la historia está abierta!!!!😄
Gran momento para leer a Benjamin.
Todo se resume al meme de los dos pasajeros en el tren. De un lado el que está triste: la historia está abierta 😔
Y del otro lado la historia está abierta!!!!😄
Gran momento para leer a Benjamin.
Read
February 23, 2018Mark this as my first "I was very biased towards this argument, but I don't quite buy it" read of the year. I'm entirely about the way Lowy's Benjamin fits in nicely with so many of my other preoccupations: ecosocialism, liberation theology (lots of shoutouts to Latin American liberation struggles, though it reads nicely w/ of course Jewish liberation theology but also say Cone's Black theology), a certain reclamation of dialectical historical materialism from deadeyed historical determinism, etc. etc...and trust me, anything that can let me read Proust (thru Benjamin) without feeling the ghost of Malcolm X on my shoulder judging me is my thing. I like Lowy's Benjamin a lot. I just don't know if it's actually *Benjamin*. Very often, going from Lowy's exegesis back to the actual text, I scratch my head wondering how on earth he could have read some of the things he did---they'd never occur to me that way. Especially, I think, when Lowy goes out of his way to argue that Benjamin is arguing also against positivism in Stalin (retrogressively read back into Lenin)---however you feel about that project, I'm not really sure Benjamin was about it.
At anyrate, this book makes a small promise, and I do think it largely succeeds in keeping: it blows fresh (South American?) air over and through one of the most poetic, intriguing and hermetic philosophical/historical/political texts of the early 20th century, and lets that wind wash around you as you march. I think we need more of that.
At anyrate, this book makes a small promise, and I do think it largely succeeds in keeping: it blows fresh (South American?) air over and through one of the most poetic, intriguing and hermetic philosophical/historical/political texts of the early 20th century, and lets that wind wash around you as you march. I think we need more of that.
July 29, 2015
This book offers a really thorough and honestly quite helpful unpacking of Benjamin's final and most brilliant (but therefore quite dense) text. Trivia: the "theses" weren't necessarily meant for public consumption, but rather were a sort of despairing letter written by Benjamin and mailed to his closest friends. In this way, it is almost like a coded message which he is trying to convey in the final hour. (He all but says this in the first thesis). Anyways, Lowy does a really nice job of explaining the context behind every line of the text. Occasionally he takes things towards political conclusions that are less than interesting, but if you can follow his methodology to your own conclusions you will get a lot out of this book. I'd also recommend it to anyone interested in Benjamin but doesn't know where to start.
July 11, 2017
De Benjamin solo tenía prejuicios, que no creo que sea algo negativo per se. Son inevitables, y sirven para pararse en un lugar, y poder moverse. El problema es cuando uno no quiere dejar atras los prejuicios, y se queda ahí, a pesar de todos los caminos que se ofrecen.
Esta lectura a través de Löwy de las tesis de la historia de Benjamin, tienen una ventaja: no son objetivas. Y no pueden serlo, ya que están escritas en un lenguaje simbólico y alegórico, que no pueden tener un solo significado. Pero sobre todo, viniendo de un autor tan eclectico como Benjamin, es imposible llegar a su "verdad". Löwy las ve a traves del lente del marxismo contemporáneo, no el que está anclado a principios del siglo XX, sino que el que necesitamos ahora. Una muy buena forma de leer las tesis.
Esta lectura a través de Löwy de las tesis de la historia de Benjamin, tienen una ventaja: no son objetivas. Y no pueden serlo, ya que están escritas en un lenguaje simbólico y alegórico, que no pueden tener un solo significado. Pero sobre todo, viniendo de un autor tan eclectico como Benjamin, es imposible llegar a su "verdad". Löwy las ve a traves del lente del marxismo contemporáneo, no el que está anclado a principios del siglo XX, sino que el que necesitamos ahora. Una muy buena forma de leer las tesis.
August 27, 2008
This book is about Walter Benjamin's approach to marxism and historic materialism, as shown in "On the concept of history". Benjamin introduces the idea of "redemption" into revolution, that is, a teological approach to the memory of all the vanquisheds in history as the motor for future revolutions. He also fight the faith in "progress", even within the leftists, and thinks that progress already contains barbarities as the Holocaust.
January 1, 2026
Here are the book's main themes, extracted from my highlights by Mistral's Large 3 LLM. Altogether this looks like a pertinent x-ray of Benjamin's thinking. Nevertheless I found the book to be a bit of a slog, despite its brevity. And in cobbling together my own interpretation of Benjamin's final work I deviated from Löwy's more orthodox line. See my review here.
1. Benjamin’s Unclassifiable Thought: A Constellation of Influences
Hybrid Philosophy: Benjamin’s work is a unique synthesis of German Romanticism, Jewish messianism, and Marxism. He is neither purely a philosopher, literary critic, nor theologian, but a thinker who defies categorisation. His thought is fragmentary, poetic, and resistant to systematisation, yet it aims for a radical reimagining of history and emancipation.
Critique of Progress: He rejects the Enlightenment and Marxist orthodoxies of linear, inevitable progress. Instead, he sees history as a site of catastrophe, rupture, and revolutionary possibility, drawing on pre-capitalist and pre-modern references to critique capitalist modernity.
Dialectical Tension: His ideas are marked by paradoxes—nostalgia for the past as a method for revolutionary change, materialism infused with theology, and a pessimism that fuels active, urgent struggle.
2. The Philosophy of History: Messianic Materialism
Against Historicism: Benjamin opposes the idea of history as a continuous, homogeneous flow. He argues for Jetztzeit ("now-time")—moments of interruption where the past and present collide, creating opportunities for revolutionary action.
Theology and Marxism: He insists that historical materialism needs theology to "win the game." Theology here is not about divine contemplation but about remembrance (Eingedenken) and redemption (Erlösung)—rescuing the oppressed of the past and realising their unfinished struggles in the present.
Apokatastasis/Tikkun: The idea of universal redemption, where all past suffering is repaired and all victims are remembered. This is both a Jewish messianic concept and a secular call for emancipation.
3. The Past as a Site of Struggle
History of the Oppressed: Benjamin calls for history to be written "against the grain", from the perspective of the defeated, not the victors. He seeks to redeem the past by recognising the struggles of the oppressed and linking them to present struggles.
Dialectical Images: The past "flashes up" in moments of danger, offering constellations of meaning that can ignite revolutionary action. The historian’s task is to seize these fleeting images and fan the spark of hope in the past.
Against Conformism: He critiques the "official" history of the victors and the passivity of Social Democracy, which waits for revolution as an inevitable outcome of progress.
4. Revolutionary Praxis: Urgency and Pessimism
Pessimism as Motivation: Benjamin’s pessimism is not resignation but a call to organised, active struggle against impending catastrophe. He sees Fascism and industrial capitalism as modern barbarism, not anachronisms.
The State of Exception: Revolution is not a distant goal but a permanent possibility in every moment. The "real state of emergency" is the abolition of domination, not the exception but the rule.
Gothic Marxism: With André Breton, he advocates a historical materialism sensitive to the magical, the marvellous, and the "dark" moments of revolt—a fusion of Marxism with Romantic and surrealist sensibilities.
5. Critique of Social Democracy and Fascism
Social Democracy’s Illusions: He attacks the Left’s faith in progress, reform, and the "inevitable" revolution. This passivity, he argues, enabled the rise of Fascism.
Fascism as Modernity’s Child: Fascism is not a relic of the past but a product of industrial capitalism. Its triumph exposes the bankruptcy of progressivist thought.
The Task of Remembrance: The Left must remember the victims of history and break with the ideology of progress to effectively combat Fascism and capitalism.
6. Methodology: Fragments, Allegories, and Montage
Fragmentary Writing: Benjamin’s style—aphorisms, allegories, and montages—mirrors his philosophy. Truth is not systematic but emerges in fleeting, dialectical images.
The Chronicler vs. the Historian: He values the chronicler, who records everything without discrimination, over the historian who imposes narrative order. This reflects his belief in universal redemption and the rejection of historical determinism.
Art and Politics: His analysis of Baudelaire, the Surrealists, and the Arcades Project shows how culture and politics are inseparable. Art can reveal the hidden tensions of history and inspire revolutionary consciousness.
7. Legacy and Echoes
Liberation Theology: Benjamin’s fusion of Marxism and messianism foreshadows later movements like Latin American liberation theology, where theology serves the struggle of the oppressed.
Influence on Critical Theory: His ideas resonate with the Frankfurt School, postcolonial thought, and contemporary critiques of capitalism and historicism.
1. Benjamin’s Unclassifiable Thought: A Constellation of Influences
Hybrid Philosophy: Benjamin’s work is a unique synthesis of German Romanticism, Jewish messianism, and Marxism. He is neither purely a philosopher, literary critic, nor theologian, but a thinker who defies categorisation. His thought is fragmentary, poetic, and resistant to systematisation, yet it aims for a radical reimagining of history and emancipation.
Critique of Progress: He rejects the Enlightenment and Marxist orthodoxies of linear, inevitable progress. Instead, he sees history as a site of catastrophe, rupture, and revolutionary possibility, drawing on pre-capitalist and pre-modern references to critique capitalist modernity.
Dialectical Tension: His ideas are marked by paradoxes—nostalgia for the past as a method for revolutionary change, materialism infused with theology, and a pessimism that fuels active, urgent struggle.
2. The Philosophy of History: Messianic Materialism
Against Historicism: Benjamin opposes the idea of history as a continuous, homogeneous flow. He argues for Jetztzeit ("now-time")—moments of interruption where the past and present collide, creating opportunities for revolutionary action.
Theology and Marxism: He insists that historical materialism needs theology to "win the game." Theology here is not about divine contemplation but about remembrance (Eingedenken) and redemption (Erlösung)—rescuing the oppressed of the past and realising their unfinished struggles in the present.
Apokatastasis/Tikkun: The idea of universal redemption, where all past suffering is repaired and all victims are remembered. This is both a Jewish messianic concept and a secular call for emancipation.
3. The Past as a Site of Struggle
History of the Oppressed: Benjamin calls for history to be written "against the grain", from the perspective of the defeated, not the victors. He seeks to redeem the past by recognising the struggles of the oppressed and linking them to present struggles.
Dialectical Images: The past "flashes up" in moments of danger, offering constellations of meaning that can ignite revolutionary action. The historian’s task is to seize these fleeting images and fan the spark of hope in the past.
Against Conformism: He critiques the "official" history of the victors and the passivity of Social Democracy, which waits for revolution as an inevitable outcome of progress.
4. Revolutionary Praxis: Urgency and Pessimism
Pessimism as Motivation: Benjamin’s pessimism is not resignation but a call to organised, active struggle against impending catastrophe. He sees Fascism and industrial capitalism as modern barbarism, not anachronisms.
The State of Exception: Revolution is not a distant goal but a permanent possibility in every moment. The "real state of emergency" is the abolition of domination, not the exception but the rule.
Gothic Marxism: With André Breton, he advocates a historical materialism sensitive to the magical, the marvellous, and the "dark" moments of revolt—a fusion of Marxism with Romantic and surrealist sensibilities.
5. Critique of Social Democracy and Fascism
Social Democracy’s Illusions: He attacks the Left’s faith in progress, reform, and the "inevitable" revolution. This passivity, he argues, enabled the rise of Fascism.
Fascism as Modernity’s Child: Fascism is not a relic of the past but a product of industrial capitalism. Its triumph exposes the bankruptcy of progressivist thought.
The Task of Remembrance: The Left must remember the victims of history and break with the ideology of progress to effectively combat Fascism and capitalism.
6. Methodology: Fragments, Allegories, and Montage
Fragmentary Writing: Benjamin’s style—aphorisms, allegories, and montages—mirrors his philosophy. Truth is not systematic but emerges in fleeting, dialectical images.
The Chronicler vs. the Historian: He values the chronicler, who records everything without discrimination, over the historian who imposes narrative order. This reflects his belief in universal redemption and the rejection of historical determinism.
Art and Politics: His analysis of Baudelaire, the Surrealists, and the Arcades Project shows how culture and politics are inseparable. Art can reveal the hidden tensions of history and inspire revolutionary consciousness.
7. Legacy and Echoes
Liberation Theology: Benjamin’s fusion of Marxism and messianism foreshadows later movements like Latin American liberation theology, where theology serves the struggle of the oppressed.
Influence on Critical Theory: His ideas resonate with the Frankfurt School, postcolonial thought, and contemporary critiques of capitalism and historicism.
August 30, 2020
The theses are an incredibly interesting combination of Marxism and Judaism and feel comparably relevant today as they must have felt in 1940. There's a lot of original ideas in it and Löwy adds a lot to what little text there actually is in the theses, both literally and figuratively.
December 28, 2022
Una ayuda muy muy útil para comprender la magnitud de las tesis de Benjamin.
February 24, 2025
Las tesis sobre el concepto de historia de Benjamin son excepcionales, y según entiendo es un adelantado de su época (fueron escritas en 1940). Y bueno, que decir de la interpretación de Lowy? Es magistral.
A modo de breve resumen, Benjamin fue un filósofo influenciado por una teología mesiánica (era judío) y por un materialismo histórico/marxista (sumamente crítico de la corriente marxista predominante de su época —> la positivista). Era sumamente crítico de la idea de un progreso lineal y constante de la historia, entendía que el pasado, el presente y el futuro estaban abiertos. Habla mucho de la rememoración histórica (concepto que toma del judaísmo) para hacerle justicia a las victimas y tener presentes sus luchas en el presente. Otro punto importante es el del tiempo ahora / tiempo lleno, también del mesianismo, que implica que esta cargado de momentos explosivos/subversivos. Esto quiere decir que cualquier momento del pasado, que está abierto, pudo haber sido un punto de inflexión, de revolución.
Para finalizar mi breve resumen, parece importante señalar que Benjamin creía que si no se frenaba el progreso (capitalismo industrial) con una revolución, ibamos directo a la catástrofe. Y que no había que esperar a alguien para que la frene, teníamos que ser nosotros quienes lo hagamos! (Nosotros —> clases explotadas/dominadas/subalternas) Esto es muy importante, ya que muchos creían (y creen) que tenían que ser pasivos espectadores, que tenían que esperar a que aparezca un gran hombre, un salvador, para salvarnos, perdonen la redundancia.
Una de las pocas cosas que agradezco de la materia ~filosofía~ de la facultad es que me hayan presentado e introducido a Walter Benjamin ✨
Benjamin? Mi varón 💋
A modo de breve resumen, Benjamin fue un filósofo influenciado por una teología mesiánica (era judío) y por un materialismo histórico/marxista (sumamente crítico de la corriente marxista predominante de su época —> la positivista). Era sumamente crítico de la idea de un progreso lineal y constante de la historia, entendía que el pasado, el presente y el futuro estaban abiertos. Habla mucho de la rememoración histórica (concepto que toma del judaísmo) para hacerle justicia a las victimas y tener presentes sus luchas en el presente. Otro punto importante es el del tiempo ahora / tiempo lleno, también del mesianismo, que implica que esta cargado de momentos explosivos/subversivos. Esto quiere decir que cualquier momento del pasado, que está abierto, pudo haber sido un punto de inflexión, de revolución.
Para finalizar mi breve resumen, parece importante señalar que Benjamin creía que si no se frenaba el progreso (capitalismo industrial) con una revolución, ibamos directo a la catástrofe. Y que no había que esperar a alguien para que la frene, teníamos que ser nosotros quienes lo hagamos! (Nosotros —> clases explotadas/dominadas/subalternas) Esto es muy importante, ya que muchos creían (y creen) que tenían que ser pasivos espectadores, que tenían que esperar a que aparezca un gran hombre, un salvador, para salvarnos, perdonen la redundancia.
Una de las pocas cosas que agradezco de la materia ~filosofía~ de la facultad es que me hayan presentado e introducido a Walter Benjamin ✨
Benjamin? Mi varón 💋
December 21, 2023
"On the Concept of History" is one of Walter Benjamin's more inscrutable works. That's saying something. It's a very elliptical work, syncretizing Marxism and Jewish theology into a way of looking at history -- which isn't something we're even taught to do in the first place. How exactly does one "look at history," let alone understand their role in it?
Answering that question is what motivated Benjamin to write the essay. But it's aforementioned inscrutability makes it a problem. Which is one of the reasons that Lowy's slim volume is so useful. He goes thesis by thesis, providing historical and political context, as well as explaining the concepts used by Benjamin.
In summation, history is a series of catastrophes building on top of each other. Capitalism and class society ensure it, mowing down the exploited and oppressed along the way. An emergency brake is needed, putting history on a fundamentally different track, a rupture. Under capitalism, time is an empty sieve, each moment the same. Nothing guarantees that this form of time will naturally evolve into an equitable telos. It is the entry of the oppressed and exploited into events that can potentially cause rupture.
Benjamin (and, by extension for discussion of this book, Lowy) uses the Jewish theological concepts of messianic time and redemption to help us understand this. It is a profoundly utopian ideal, suggesting that perhaps the historical materialist is in great need of their own idealism.
Answering that question is what motivated Benjamin to write the essay. But it's aforementioned inscrutability makes it a problem. Which is one of the reasons that Lowy's slim volume is so useful. He goes thesis by thesis, providing historical and political context, as well as explaining the concepts used by Benjamin.
In summation, history is a series of catastrophes building on top of each other. Capitalism and class society ensure it, mowing down the exploited and oppressed along the way. An emergency brake is needed, putting history on a fundamentally different track, a rupture. Under capitalism, time is an empty sieve, each moment the same. Nothing guarantees that this form of time will naturally evolve into an equitable telos. It is the entry of the oppressed and exploited into events that can potentially cause rupture.
Benjamin (and, by extension for discussion of this book, Lowy) uses the Jewish theological concepts of messianic time and redemption to help us understand this. It is a profoundly utopian ideal, suggesting that perhaps the historical materialist is in great need of their own idealism.
February 1, 2020
As someone who is very taken with Benjamin's On the Concept of History (or, Theses on the Philosophy of History from a different translation, which is definitely to split hairs since we are discussing the author of The Task of the Translator), this book is a real treasure for me. Löwy goes line by line through each thesis and does a masterful job of gathering threads from Benjamin's other texts, letters to friends, known influences, and current events to enrich the context of each one (and also never shying from the fact he wrote it in 1940 on the eve of his tragic death while fleeing the Gestapo).
Löwy does a superb job of illustrating a truly singular thinker and the depth of his vision.
Löwy does a superb job of illustrating a truly singular thinker and the depth of his vision.
February 24, 2026
an amazing read. very successfully renders lucid an otherwise difficult and sometimes opaque text. Löwy really knows this text and knows Benjamin all the way through, and its so useful to read this if you’re new to Benjamin because you learn so much about his milieu. On that note this book is a spectacular introduction i felt to so much of the world of ideas from the 19th and early 20th centuries. i just did learn so so much about so many things here. this book is like a partial x-ray of the western knowledge tradition. you just need to read it
October 11, 2024
É genial a forma como Walter Benjamin enxerga e analisa a história. É uma renovação necessária ao pensamento marxista, algo totalmente novo e que precisa ser mais conhecido. Löwy consegue interpretar de forma contundente as teses de Benjamin e contribuir para que as ideias desse grande pensador não sejam perdidas no passado. Ler Benjamin é necessário, é um combustível essencial para as forças revolucionárias.
July 12, 2024
Lo había leído en la Facultad, y más de una década después volví a leerlo. Walter Benjamin es un pensador único del siglo XX, pero considero fundamental esta introducción que hace Lowy a las Tesis.
La complejidad de la escritura de Benjamin puede ser un obstaculo, pero con esta introducción se lo puede leer con un conocimiento un poco menos incompleto.
La complejidad de la escritura de Benjamin puede ser un obstaculo, pero con esta introducción se lo puede leer con un conocimiento un poco menos incompleto.
May 31, 2021
Preciosa relectura de las Tesis, me ayudó a entender un montón de cosas que me hubiera perdido. Benjamin es un imprescindible, su historia es conmovedora y leer el párrafo del angelus novus pensando en la situación en la que lo escribió me dió alto chucho. Librazo.
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May 12, 2025This, on the other hand, was really good. I already liked Benjamin's theses, but Lowy's reading here is incredibly revealing, and I find myself deeply interested in Benjamin's particular form of messianic Marxism.
January 18, 2018
this was such a complicated book written extremely well. if you want to crack benjamin's theses, look no further. this is it.
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