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Walter Benjamin On the Concept of History /Theses on the Philosophy of History

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Walter Benjamin On the Concept of History (often referred to as…) Theses on the Philosophy of History I The story is told of an automaton constructed in such a way that it could play a winning game of chess, answering each move of an opponent with a countermove. A puppet in Turkish attire and with a hookah in its mouth sat before a chessboard placed on a large table. A system of mirrors created the illusion that this table was transparent from all sides. Actually, a little hunchback who was an expert chess player sat inside and guided the puppet’s hand by means of strings. One can imagine a philosophical counterpart to this device. The puppet called ‘historical materialism’ is to win all the time. It can easily be a match for anyone if it enlists the services of theology, which today, as we know, is wizened and has to keep out of sight. II ‘One of the most remarkable characteristics of human nature,’ writes Lotze, ‘is,

Walter Benjamin On the Concept of History /Theses on the Philosophy of History Walter Benjamin On the Concept of History (often referred to as…) Theses on the Philosophy of History I The story is told of an automaton constructed in such a way that it could play a winning game of chess, answering each move of an opponent with a countermove. A puppet in Turkish attire and with a hookah in its mouth sat before a chessboard placed on a large table. A system of mirrors created the illusion that this table was transparent from all sides. Actually, a little hunchback who was an expert chess pl

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