[lit-ideas] Re: Calley
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 12:01:30 -0700
Mike,
I most likely exceeded the Lit-Ideas length limits; so I posted my response on
my blog: http://www.lawrencehelm.com/2010/06/cultured-and-educated-nazis.html
Lawrence
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Mike Geary
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 7:12 AM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Calley
Lawrence,
When I wrote that post I was thinking of an essay I had read in high school by
a woman journalist who shortly after the liberation of Dachau wrote an essay
that I remember as "The Lesson Of Dachau". I tried to Goggle it up, but to no
avail. In the essay the author concentrates on the level of cultural
sophistication of the camp commander, his grand piano, the sheet music of the
world's greatest composers, his library of classic literature. Hardly the
"thug" she had expected. The lesson that I took away was that culture and
education do not insure basic human decency.
In addition to that essay (is anyone out there familiar with it?), I've always
been astonished that Germany at that time was surely the most accomplished of
European cultures, intellectually and artistically -- a long way from the Hun
beginnings.
As with all cultures, there's an elite core that defines it, a middle merchant
class that drives its economic engine and the mass who do the labor, fight the
wars, live and die for reasons of their own.
Mike Geary
Memphis
On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 11:52 PM, Lawrence Helm <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Mike,
I know that Goebbels was highly educated, but I can't think of anyone else that
was. The Third Reich was commonly thought to be peopled by "thugs." Heidegger
was highly disappointed in the educational level of the Fascist leaders. Those
who did study on their own, it seems to me, were more likely to study some
pseudoscience, or something bizarre like anthroposophy than anything we in
civilized places like Memphis might study.
But I could be wrong. Give me some examples of highly educated Nazis besides
Goebbels.
Lawrence
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Mike Geary
Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2010 8:06 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Calley
Veronica, remember that much if not most of the leadership of the Third Reich
were highly educated and cultured. Apparently education, intelligence and the
dictates of morality have little influence on human behavior. I suspect it's
something much more fundamental in our psyches that dictate whether we'll be
willing executioner or not. Don't know what that fundamental factor might be,
I suspect it's a profound understanding that one's self is inviolable. But
what do I know?
Mike Geary
Memphis
On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 9:32 PM, Veronica Caley <molleo1@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Carol:
What a treasure! I had no idea Yale offers online courses free to the public.
This looks like fun.--thanks for the link.
Me too. And now I demand to know who messed up that I was born too early make
use of this for very long.
I demand another life time. I just don't know from whom to demand it.
Veronica Caley
Milford, MI
----- Original Message -----
From: carol <mailto:carolkir@xxxxxxxxx> kirschenbaum
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2010 5:16 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Calley
Eric,
Carol K.,
currently debunking loyalty in Portland, Oregon
On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 1:00 PM, Eric Yost <mr.eric.yost@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 5/31/2010 9:47 PM, carol kirschenbaum wrote:
To what study do you refer, Eric?
The mass defection from authority sparked by an individual refusal is described
in the Yale University Open Course Intro to Psychology....the section on morals
and ethics. There are other variants; for example, people are more likely to
refuse orders given over telephone.
I believe it's here:
http://oyc.yale.edu/psychology/introduction-to-psychology/content/class-sessions
Lecture 15
To Mike: Chance Gardner is Jerzy Kosiński ... a dasein joke no doubt.
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
