Living substance conquers the frenzy of destruction only in the ecstasy of procreation.
Walter BenjaminRead
All efforts to render politics aesthetic culminate in one thing: war.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Walter Benjamin suggests that intertwining aesthetics with politics ultimately leads to conflict.
In this quote, Walter Benjamin argues that attempts to beautify or elevate politics through aesthetic means can obscure its inherent moral complexities, ultimately leading to war. By asserting that the relationship between politics and aesthetics can culminate in violence, he highlights the dangers of viewing political actions and ideologies through a superficial lens, urging a deeper understanding of their implications.
Themes
PoliticsAestheticsWarConflictPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the role of art in society, you might reference this quote to argue against politicizing art.
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If mythic violence is lawmaking, divine violence is law-destroying; if the former sets boundaries, the latter boundlessly destroys them; if mythic violence brings at once guilt and retribution, divine power only expiates; if the former threatens, the latter strikes; if the former is bloody, the latter is lethal without spilling blood
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Writers are really people who write books not because they are poor, but because they are dissatisfied with the books which they could buy but do not like.
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Nothing is poorer than a truth expressed as it was thought. Committed to writing in such cases, it is not even a bad photograph. Truth wants to be startled abruptly, at one stroke, from her self-immersion, whether by uproar, music or cries for help.
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I am unpacking my library. Yes I am. The books are not yet on the shelves, not yet touched by the mild boredom of order.
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