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Marshall Berman (1940–2013)

Autor(a) de All That Is Solid Melts into Air: The Experience of Modernity

9+ Works 1,438 Membros 15 Críticas 1 Favorited

About the Author

Marshall Berman is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at City College of New York and CCNY Graduate Center.

Obras por Marshall Berman

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Conhecimento Comum

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Críticas

Esse livro tem prosa e forca da contemporaneidade critica literaria com desvendamentos histórico preciso de sociedade e da cultura, e tambem marca da geração pós guerra.
 
Assinalado
bibliotecacidada | 10 outras críticas | Oct 20, 2022 |
Berman is an engaging writer who has much to say about the writings of others. Unfortunately he plunks us in the middle of a dialectic between Montesquieu and Rousseau's work without ever setting the ground rules of the argument.

The idea of 'authenticity' is as ambiguous as ideasa can get. Often weaponized to excuse poor behaviour, authenticity is a slippery eel that even a subject when asked likely cannot easily identify in themselves. Am I being my true self? Am I truly making my own decisions? What even IS free will and how does that create implications for authenticity?

The argument from Montesquieu is far clearer than that of Rousseau. In his analysis, Berman is clearly honing in on the inauthenticity of totalitarian regimes and the reversal of fortune that can break down social order when the oppressed seek authenticity.

On the other hand, Rousseau is complaining about society as a corruption of the human condition without any redeeming values. While he doesn't think we are going to be able to repeal society as a whole, he continues a fruitless search for an objective, permanent 'thou' that simply cannot exist. Second order desires and mental illness not withstanding, the fluid nature of the human condition simply cannot support such a stringent view of authenticity. What is frustrating about this book is that Berman never calls Rousseau out on this point.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
macleod73 | Sep 14, 2022 |
Superb. And my kind of read. Berman explores his idea(s) by reference to (and sometimes subtle reinterpretations of) history and great literature; and the book opens doors to further reading. He gets a bit elegiac at the end but concludes on a balanced and hopeful note. Highly recommend.
1 vote
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heggiep | 10 outras críticas | May 26, 2022 |
What can I say but that this is what historical exploration/criticism should be: engagingly written, and fully recognizing the strengths, weaknesses, pitfalls, (humanity?) etc., of actors, situations -isms, and so forth, including the ones you hold dear. Really loved this book.
 
Assinalado
KatrinkaV | 10 outras críticas | Apr 17, 2022 |

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Obras
9
Also by
4
Membros
1,438
Avaliação
½ 3.5
Críticas
15
ISBN
51
Línguas
9
Marcado como favorito
1

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