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Wir heimatlosen Weltbürger
Europa gleicht einem Kontinent, der sich selbst zerreißt. Nach zehn Jahren der Krise durchziehen vielfältige Brüche und Konflikte die EU: Norden gegen Süden, Osten gegen Westen, Bürger gegen Institutionen. Zugleich hat diese Dekade jedoch gezeigt, was Europäerinnen und soziale Bewegungen erreichen können, wenn sie über Grenzen hinweg zusammenarbeiten.
Lorenzo Marsili und Niccolò Milanese stellen Aktivistinnen und Aktivisten vor, in deren Handeln Alternativen zum Status quo aufscheinen. Sie analysieren, wie Neoliberalismus und Globalisierung die Menschen zu ohnmächtigen Bürgern machen, in denen das Gefühl wächst, nirgendwo mehr zu Hause zu sein, und die sich daher verstärkt nationalistischen Positionen zuwenden. Nur eine transnationale Partei, so die Autoren in ihrem Manifest, kann diese Zwickmühle auflösen und das utopische Potential Europas einlösen.
Mit einem Vorwort von Ulrike Guérot und Robert Menasse
Lorenzo Marsili und Niccolò Milanese stellen Aktivistinnen und Aktivisten vor, in deren Handeln Alternativen zum Status quo aufscheinen. Sie analysieren, wie Neoliberalismus und Globalisierung die Menschen zu ohnmächtigen Bürgern machen, in denen das Gefühl wächst, nirgendwo mehr zu Hause zu sein, und die sich daher verstärkt nationalistischen Positionen zuwenden. Nur eine transnationale Partei, so die Autoren in ihrem Manifest, kann diese Zwickmühle auflösen und das utopische Potential Europas einlösen.
Mit einem Vorwort von Ulrike Guérot und Robert Menasse
- GenresPoliticsNonfiction
Paperback
Published April 9, 2019
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November 27, 2020
The problems of the European Union are the problems of faith. There is no scientific explanation of the EU meaning, because that‘s not possible. There is no philosophical interpretation of the EU, because the dispute over the EU is not about philosophy, but about ideology - secular substitutes for Christianity. The shape of the EU today depends on what Europeans believe. Today they believe mostly in science, technology, and economics. This means that the EU, in its current form, has no future, because to believe in science is to believe in meaninglessness. People cannot understand themselves according to the scientific model of understanding the world, because in science even the subject is perceived as an object. He does not have to commit himself to his country and state, therefore, when his thinking is based on some kind of political union, a country as a concept must sooner or later cease to exist. This cannot be seen only from a short-term political perspective. The EU leaders only talk about the benefits, but has no answer to the question of what those benefits actually mean. What are the benefits of the EU if the country's independence becomes meaningless? Several generations of different EU countries didn‘t fight for precisely European independence. Using such kind of logic it should now be said that they were wrong, because it has become clear that a truly free person can only live in the EU, not in his own country. But how can a person be free by living in a hedonistic society? If the fighters for the freedom of different EU countries wanted unrestricted hedonism, then they didn‘t want freedom, but its opposite. Today, the EU is perceived materialistically as a matter of objective processes, not as a commitment of people to a certain concept of humanity. The European concept of humanity today means first and foremost that everyone wants a well-functioning economy and a good governance of political institutions. But so far there is no answer to the key question - what‘s the meaning of these supposedly well-functioning things to a person? In other words, a very weak and dubious foundation for building a community has been chosen. The economy can function well without certain countries and that‘s what migration as such proves. The materialistic ideals of the EU can be accomplished from anywhere. This means that it contradicts with the political nature of the state, as it destroys its concept. However, by dismantling its countries, the EU is unable to establish itself politically as a serious political entity. What is destroying the concept of a country now will sooner or later destroy the EU, or will prevent it from becoming a political entity. The current migration, created by the elites of the European Union, is only a short-term victory for this political organization. Brexit only proved it. The EU teaches people to run away from themselves, because it constantly offers not to think about who a person is, to run into external things. Run to economics, science, engineering, management, a night life or increasingly stupid online portals. To run anywhere in order to avoid contact with its Christian European past. It‘s no secret that the EU is a project that seeks to eliminate Christianity from people's perceptions. In this respect, there is nothing new since the 18th century, when the confrontation between human religion created by the Enlightenment philosophers and the Christian religion happened. We still continue to drink the glass of Enlightenment. There is no greater evil in the EU today than the idea that the old continent can be united by its Christian roots - such people who think like that are called „dark“. There is no greater evil in the EU now than trying to talk about God. Scientism in the EU must sooner or later destroy the promises, oaths, vows, marriages, families, fidelity and all other human connections of the people that have the slightest mark of absoluteness. This means that the EU is already removing the pillars of Western culture and civilization. If there is nothing absolute, then the EU is just a failed hypothesis. Or from an economic point of view, it‘s just an item, a product. This political organization addresses people in an inhumane way - not as personalities, but as statistical units. Currently the main goal of the EU, which is identified with science, technology and the economy, is to make no sense and have no purpose. Now every individual can have his own concept of a good life. However, such concept doesn‘t provide any necessity for the EU.
Today it fosters a philosophy, ideology, civic faith and political theology that seeks to abolish a concept of different countries, so it‘s only a matter of time before this political project will fail in various ways. Science says pain is a factor in helping humans as an animal species to survive. However, each of us doesn‘t think of pain as a scientist, but rather perceive it as something negative. Surgery, neurology, psychology and the science of pain can only provide very limited assistance to a person experiencing spiritual pain, because the perception of pain of an ordinary person differs from the scientists positive or neutral (but never negative) assessment of pain. The EU does not allow a purely human approach to this organization, when an individual has to tie himself not with external economic, technical and ideological, but with spiritual ties. Economic prosperity is not the meaning of life, therefor the purpose of the EU existence is false.
The current EU that wants to become a state is an oxymoron. The same oxymoron as a circular square, a healthy patient, an elite prostitute or dry wine. Wine is never dry, and the EU can‘t become the US, even though it wants to do so. The EU looks like a seriously ill person, whom people say have „died healthy“. The biggest states have brought such a large number of politically non-gifted people that it became a noose around the neck of this political organization. The secession of one of the three most powerful provinces of the European Union from the empire marks its end, because none of the reasons why it happened haven‘t been eliminated. In the days of Socrates such reasoning was called sophistry, now it must be called much more strictly – deception of oneself and others.
The Soviet empire collapsed as some continued reading lectures on scientific communism, believing in the success of Gorbachev's reforms, pouring propaganda into public space to inspire people and organizing conventions. Now, once again, we can see that history is not a teacher of life. The lesson is likely to be learned only after EU collapse. A wrong method of reasoning about a bad world was chosen. All windows to the side of Central European countries trying to do something about it have been blindly hammered. Poland and Hungary were deliberately made into pariahs. In order to hide the real threats to democracy in the EU, the alleged threats are constantly being invented, as well as a constant search for internal enemies and laggards. The threat to democracy in Poland is no different now than the threat to democracy in Germany, but EU bureaucrats are trying to convince everyone that only Poles, not Germans are undemocratic. The word „democracy“ has become a tool to deal with dissidents. Never before have politicians spoke so much nonsense about democracy. This political system has become part of a dispute that has nothing to do with it. None of the 19th or 20th century democrats would understand why the affairs of the human body - hetero, homo, bi and transsexuality have become major political issues. Soon there will be no more non-political aspects of the human body or soul. No one has made a man more dependent on politics than the politicians of the EU. There is almost no difference between ethics and law and this difference is hidden under the idea of political correctness, which is alien to the idea of a free man. People created a law empire in which it‘s obscene to talk about virtues and faith in God. No serious political organization can live in a constant debate between Euro optimists, skeptics and realists. For a state to emerge, it takes components such as faith, love, dedication, and loyalty of the people who create it. Meanwhile the EU is based on the ideology, bureaucracy and financial deductions of left-wing liberalism. The UK's secession from the EU is seen as a defeat in some bowling party. This is the typical thinking of EU: problems like milk packaging or herring fishing can be seen, but no major disasters such as Brexit. The EU looks like a train that everyone needs to ride, but no one is responsible for its condition. Even those who want to do something about it face a rigid locomotive. A powerful train designed to go forward, but not adapted for other maneuvers. It‘s impossible to create a political entity when its members doubt in it. Building a political community requires faith, passion and dedication. In its current form, the EU is a road to hell based on good will. Modern nation-states emerged from a huge faith and dedication. The current EU is shaped by the will of the bureaucratic elite. Edmund Burke would say that this union arose from agreements on steel, coal, pepper, coffee, cardboard and tobacco - from production and trade contracts. It‘s the work of sophists, economists and comedians. Politics cannot be imagined without hypocrisy, but the hypocrisy of current EU policies has reached alarming proportions. The current leaders of it are hypocritical even while being hypocritical. The institutions of the EU involved itself in Poland's domestic political struggles, supporting one of the parties they like, but all of this is portrayed as a struggle for the impartial principles of European Union law. The main controversy in the European Union today is between those, who don‘t recognize any established cultural and political identity and those, who believe that people need a solid foundation of loyalty. They like it when someone says that something is neither a horse, nor a chicken, nor a man, nor a woman, nor black, nor white, nor a Muslim, nor a Christian. This group of citizens has a right for their own world understanding, but at the same time it‘s not clear how they can lead EU. After all, it‘s obvious that they want Europe that is not just the European Union, but something more. Their belief that everything has only exchange value runs counter to attempts to create a political union of irreplaceable value. The hypothetical worldview of EU politicians doesn‘t follow an absolute principle, including the absoluteness of the EU itself. Union politicians are convinced everything can be changed in how people think. This is more than a democratic deficit. From the very beginning there has been a gap between the EU and democracy, which is now turning into a huge gap. Why can't anyone stop the bureaucrats of the EU? Because there is no European nation. The bureaucrats of the nation-states cannot restrain the European bureaucrats, so it‘s a vicious circle that cannot be closed. The main problem is this bureaucratic fight against the idea of a nation state. What’s even worse is that this fight is secretive and hypocritical. They talk about Europe, which belongs to nations, but what really matters is „the citizens of the world“ must be citizens of all countries, which is identical to Soviet multiculturalism idea. Today it‘s easier to understand the Holy Trinity than the assurances of German politicians that they care about Germany, Greece and the European Union at the same level. When the Germans care about the European Union, they care about Germany first. The more the Germans try to get rid of the deplorable image of the past, the more neighbors speak about it. Germany, traumatized by World War II, is now traumatizing the whole EU today. France, humiliated by World War II, is already humiliating the whole of Europe today. It looks like the historical traumas of Central and Eastern Europe may be even smaller than the historical traumas of the major Western states. The problem of refugees and immigrants shows that Germany is trying to solve its problems of historical memory and the labor market without even considering the views and interests of other countries. Today EU faces a difficult task to abandon this wish to create something like a state and maintain a minimally controlled union from a single center. First of all, all factors that undermine the authority of the EU must be eliminated: separation from citizens, the democratic deficit, the oligarchic closure of bureaucrats, ideological wars and well-funded demagoguery. It‘s difficult to expect that EU reforms can be implemented by current politicians, especially MEPs, who face huge problems of political representation from the very first day of being elected. The attempt to break away from the nation-state over the decades created nothing else, but a government in Brussels that has no sense of origin, purpose or common good. This detached them not only from ordinary citizens, but also from reality. France's recent experience shows that, in line with the European Union's utopia, this country is no longer able to integrate previously successfully integrated immigrants, who now can‘t find a French state as such to integrate them. With the withdrawal of the French nation-state, immigrants are building their own nation and state. The nation-state was not just fascism, but it strongly and reliably united the people. The fact that Germany failed with its fascism cannot be the main factor why the EU doesn‘t need nationalism. The nations of Central Europe have their own experience, which is about time for the West to take into consideration. Problems of the EU cannot be solved by the current leaders, because they were the ones, who created it. Everyone wants to believe that better scenarios for EU‘s future are possible, but such scenarios need great politicians. In order to find such politicians, people must first agree on what does a good politician mean. This may require overcoming current habits. Since finding a consensus takes a long time, it seems that new politicians may not come on the path to democracy, but as „saviors of the nation" or even when they come to power on the path to democracy, they may decide to stand up above the demos rather than dealing with its confusion. If none calls a doctor for the EU today, it may not be needed tomorrow already. There is no point in calling a doctor for the dead. They doesn‘t need dry wine nor dark light. When going to Brussels, politicians no longer know whether they are going to a wedding or a funeral. The European Union is starting to live on a dangerous edge: there is only one step left from comedy to tragedy.
Today it fosters a philosophy, ideology, civic faith and political theology that seeks to abolish a concept of different countries, so it‘s only a matter of time before this political project will fail in various ways. Science says pain is a factor in helping humans as an animal species to survive. However, each of us doesn‘t think of pain as a scientist, but rather perceive it as something negative. Surgery, neurology, psychology and the science of pain can only provide very limited assistance to a person experiencing spiritual pain, because the perception of pain of an ordinary person differs from the scientists positive or neutral (but never negative) assessment of pain. The EU does not allow a purely human approach to this organization, when an individual has to tie himself not with external economic, technical and ideological, but with spiritual ties. Economic prosperity is not the meaning of life, therefor the purpose of the EU existence is false.
The current EU that wants to become a state is an oxymoron. The same oxymoron as a circular square, a healthy patient, an elite prostitute or dry wine. Wine is never dry, and the EU can‘t become the US, even though it wants to do so. The EU looks like a seriously ill person, whom people say have „died healthy“. The biggest states have brought such a large number of politically non-gifted people that it became a noose around the neck of this political organization. The secession of one of the three most powerful provinces of the European Union from the empire marks its end, because none of the reasons why it happened haven‘t been eliminated. In the days of Socrates such reasoning was called sophistry, now it must be called much more strictly – deception of oneself and others.
The Soviet empire collapsed as some continued reading lectures on scientific communism, believing in the success of Gorbachev's reforms, pouring propaganda into public space to inspire people and organizing conventions. Now, once again, we can see that history is not a teacher of life. The lesson is likely to be learned only after EU collapse. A wrong method of reasoning about a bad world was chosen. All windows to the side of Central European countries trying to do something about it have been blindly hammered. Poland and Hungary were deliberately made into pariahs. In order to hide the real threats to democracy in the EU, the alleged threats are constantly being invented, as well as a constant search for internal enemies and laggards. The threat to democracy in Poland is no different now than the threat to democracy in Germany, but EU bureaucrats are trying to convince everyone that only Poles, not Germans are undemocratic. The word „democracy“ has become a tool to deal with dissidents. Never before have politicians spoke so much nonsense about democracy. This political system has become part of a dispute that has nothing to do with it. None of the 19th or 20th century democrats would understand why the affairs of the human body - hetero, homo, bi and transsexuality have become major political issues. Soon there will be no more non-political aspects of the human body or soul. No one has made a man more dependent on politics than the politicians of the EU. There is almost no difference between ethics and law and this difference is hidden under the idea of political correctness, which is alien to the idea of a free man. People created a law empire in which it‘s obscene to talk about virtues and faith in God. No serious political organization can live in a constant debate between Euro optimists, skeptics and realists. For a state to emerge, it takes components such as faith, love, dedication, and loyalty of the people who create it. Meanwhile the EU is based on the ideology, bureaucracy and financial deductions of left-wing liberalism. The UK's secession from the EU is seen as a defeat in some bowling party. This is the typical thinking of EU: problems like milk packaging or herring fishing can be seen, but no major disasters such as Brexit. The EU looks like a train that everyone needs to ride, but no one is responsible for its condition. Even those who want to do something about it face a rigid locomotive. A powerful train designed to go forward, but not adapted for other maneuvers. It‘s impossible to create a political entity when its members doubt in it. Building a political community requires faith, passion and dedication. In its current form, the EU is a road to hell based on good will. Modern nation-states emerged from a huge faith and dedication. The current EU is shaped by the will of the bureaucratic elite. Edmund Burke would say that this union arose from agreements on steel, coal, pepper, coffee, cardboard and tobacco - from production and trade contracts. It‘s the work of sophists, economists and comedians. Politics cannot be imagined without hypocrisy, but the hypocrisy of current EU policies has reached alarming proportions. The current leaders of it are hypocritical even while being hypocritical. The institutions of the EU involved itself in Poland's domestic political struggles, supporting one of the parties they like, but all of this is portrayed as a struggle for the impartial principles of European Union law. The main controversy in the European Union today is between those, who don‘t recognize any established cultural and political identity and those, who believe that people need a solid foundation of loyalty. They like it when someone says that something is neither a horse, nor a chicken, nor a man, nor a woman, nor black, nor white, nor a Muslim, nor a Christian. This group of citizens has a right for their own world understanding, but at the same time it‘s not clear how they can lead EU. After all, it‘s obvious that they want Europe that is not just the European Union, but something more. Their belief that everything has only exchange value runs counter to attempts to create a political union of irreplaceable value. The hypothetical worldview of EU politicians doesn‘t follow an absolute principle, including the absoluteness of the EU itself. Union politicians are convinced everything can be changed in how people think. This is more than a democratic deficit. From the very beginning there has been a gap between the EU and democracy, which is now turning into a huge gap. Why can't anyone stop the bureaucrats of the EU? Because there is no European nation. The bureaucrats of the nation-states cannot restrain the European bureaucrats, so it‘s a vicious circle that cannot be closed. The main problem is this bureaucratic fight against the idea of a nation state. What’s even worse is that this fight is secretive and hypocritical. They talk about Europe, which belongs to nations, but what really matters is „the citizens of the world“ must be citizens of all countries, which is identical to Soviet multiculturalism idea. Today it‘s easier to understand the Holy Trinity than the assurances of German politicians that they care about Germany, Greece and the European Union at the same level. When the Germans care about the European Union, they care about Germany first. The more the Germans try to get rid of the deplorable image of the past, the more neighbors speak about it. Germany, traumatized by World War II, is now traumatizing the whole EU today. France, humiliated by World War II, is already humiliating the whole of Europe today. It looks like the historical traumas of Central and Eastern Europe may be even smaller than the historical traumas of the major Western states. The problem of refugees and immigrants shows that Germany is trying to solve its problems of historical memory and the labor market without even considering the views and interests of other countries. Today EU faces a difficult task to abandon this wish to create something like a state and maintain a minimally controlled union from a single center. First of all, all factors that undermine the authority of the EU must be eliminated: separation from citizens, the democratic deficit, the oligarchic closure of bureaucrats, ideological wars and well-funded demagoguery. It‘s difficult to expect that EU reforms can be implemented by current politicians, especially MEPs, who face huge problems of political representation from the very first day of being elected. The attempt to break away from the nation-state over the decades created nothing else, but a government in Brussels that has no sense of origin, purpose or common good. This detached them not only from ordinary citizens, but also from reality. France's recent experience shows that, in line with the European Union's utopia, this country is no longer able to integrate previously successfully integrated immigrants, who now can‘t find a French state as such to integrate them. With the withdrawal of the French nation-state, immigrants are building their own nation and state. The nation-state was not just fascism, but it strongly and reliably united the people. The fact that Germany failed with its fascism cannot be the main factor why the EU doesn‘t need nationalism. The nations of Central Europe have their own experience, which is about time for the West to take into consideration. Problems of the EU cannot be solved by the current leaders, because they were the ones, who created it. Everyone wants to believe that better scenarios for EU‘s future are possible, but such scenarios need great politicians. In order to find such politicians, people must first agree on what does a good politician mean. This may require overcoming current habits. Since finding a consensus takes a long time, it seems that new politicians may not come on the path to democracy, but as „saviors of the nation" or even when they come to power on the path to democracy, they may decide to stand up above the demos rather than dealing with its confusion. If none calls a doctor for the EU today, it may not be needed tomorrow already. There is no point in calling a doctor for the dead. They doesn‘t need dry wine nor dark light. When going to Brussels, politicians no longer know whether they are going to a wedding or a funeral. The European Union is starting to live on a dangerous edge: there is only one step left from comedy to tragedy.
January 13, 2019
An absolute “must read” for anyone who cares about our relationship with the rest of Europe (and the rest of the world).
February 5, 2021
Started reading the book owing to the wonderful title. And because of the afterward by Yanis Varoufakis (who is brilliant although sometimes wrongheaded). Found the unrelenting narrative of war against neoliberalism to be tiring and ridiculous. The parts about immigration and open borders were quite nice and thoughtful.
January 3, 2025
M & Ulrike Guerot (Fürsprecherin der deutschen Ausgabe) fehlt GEISTIGES Wißen & Verständnis: NWO: 3.Wk+7J=ENDE (mE 2033: Gerd Gutemann! Kurt Eggenstein M Kahir)!
Top: Jörg Kronauer, Michael Lüders, Wolfgang Gehrcke...!
Top: Jörg Kronauer, Michael Lüders, Wolfgang Gehrcke...!
June 13, 2024
Brilliant!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews