The Destruction of Reason's German Roots

The provided text, a preface from Georg Lukacs's "The Destruction of Reason," outlines the book's ambitious scope: to trace the historical development and impact of irrationalism as a dominant trend in bourgeois philosophy, particularly in Germany, leading up to its role in Nazism. Lukacs argues that philosophical ideas are deeply intertwined with social and class struggles, asserting that "no such thing as an 'innocent' philosophy" exists, especially when it comes to irrationalism's potential for reactionary outcomes. He aims to demonstrate how this philosophical current, originating in opposition to progress and later to dialectical materialism, underwent a decline in philosophical standards while maintaining a consistent reactionary social function. While focusing on Germany as the "classic" land of irrationalism, the preface also briefly examines parallel developments in other countries, like the pragmatism of William James and Bergson's intuitionism, to highlight the international nature of irrationalist tendencies and the unique thoroughness of their manifestation in Germany. Ultimately, the work serves as a historical and philosophical warning against the dangers of irrationalist thought and its connection to fascism.

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