Syndrome of World-Improvers | Oswald Spengler & Socialism

This is a video about Spengler's conception of socialism

As Spengler points out - there are two dominating schools of thought when it comes to analyzing history. One is the materialist viewpoint (which Spengler compares to the outlook of Sancho Panza) and Idealist (Don Quixote style conservatism). None of them have the necessary tools to analyze culture inwardly, that is from a morphological perspective, where instead of concentrating on superficial similarities, they should look at what inwardly binds seemingly disparate historical events. Also, I've noticed an increase in anti-western sentiment, which I intend to address in the coming videos. As most of the time, people who are maliciously motivated against the west and have a grudge against it, do not seem to have well-formed opinions regarding their hatred.

In this video, I present Spengler's view of what he understands to be western socialism. Surely, Spengler's analysis deserves to be criticized in a number of aspects, which I will present after I begin doing a series about Spengler's philosophy.

#philosophy #socialism #spengler

References:

Oswald. Spengler.The Decline of the West: Form and Actuality. ARKTOS MEDIA Limited, series: Form & actuality, ISBN:9781912975617, 2021.
Oswald. Spengler. Prussianism and Socialism. Repressed Publishing LLC, ISBN: 9781462292448, 2012.

Dawkins Richard. 2006. The God Delusion. Boston MA: Houghton Mifflin.

[JosephusAurelius]

Third, may I ask out of curiosity what are your views? Are you religious, do you have a favourite philosophical school of thought, etc?

[jamesmark]

A lot of great sources to make this point, but I don't buy that classical philosophy wasn't engaged in the exact same 'socialism'. Making it not that 'western' at all.

Does anyone read Plato and actually think he wasn't in the habit of trying to convince his peers to think like him? And you're comfortable using a flimsy notion that Greek philosophy was "for the Greeks" as evidence of a divide between classical and western philosophy as if Nietzsche didn't postface the title of TSZ with "a book for all and none"?

Are you seriously arguing that Socrates, if he had a smart phone and translator to speak to Chinese people, wouldn't be engaging in the same kinds of dialogues, aiming ultimately to persuade? So much obvious evidence to the contrary omitted here it's distasteful.

[newintellectual.]

Ayn Rand was NOT an alturist and socialist. She made the case that selfishness and capitalism is moral. I recommend you should read her.

[xenophon]

So glad to see Spengler getting attention. You should consider adding Vico to the analysis

[heluphicclovanass]

Awesome video, man. It bothers me that even breaking out of the mentality of the will-imposing world-improver would be a revolutionary act. I look at history and I am not convinced that any other mentality has created a culture that is in any way superior to the supposedly faustian culture of the West, yet again I am judging them by the criteria set by the West. Perhaps there is a functional and a dysfunctional world-improver.

Anyway man, you gave me something to think about, the video was very insightful.

[amanofnoreputation]

In business there is a book called _Getting to Yes_ which teaches people to negotiate by trying to aggressively hem potential customers in and practically force them to buy from them.

If business is of the attitude of, "Getting to Yes, " the western culture is of the attitude of "Getting to Thou Shalt!"

[kuroazrem]

This is a unique and interesting take on Socialism, and one I have to say that, beyond semantics, I agree defines the West, but I'll also add that Islam has a similar ethos, as it seeks to transform the world according to its beliefs, but there might be some debate around it.

[uisara]

"Tell the truth or at least don't lie". I think that rule (specifically) resonates with the very essence of every human being, independent of gender, ethnicity or geography. Some things must be universal, if not, they can be relative and that's dangerous because there is no truth in the relative. Although, its was a great video. Thanks. Looking forward for more.

[Human-]

In honesty, if we are to look history through the lens of "civilizations" it is a little hard not to think in a "socialist" manner. Specially because of the close ties of the word socialist with collectivist.
Also, I find it hard to believe the "faustian soul" of "will imposing" and expansion is exclusive to the west. Japan ended the warring states period through the vision of an emperor, Califates sought to convert the world, what about Rome and their vision of roman cultural supiriority? I think it goes at least a little furder that faustian tradition.
Lastly would you consider soviet communism faustian?

[LNVACVAC]

The Book of Thoth - Aleister Crowley
"(...)
VI. THE LOVERS OR: (THE BROTHERS)
(...)
This card and its twin, XIV, Art, are the most obscure and difficult of the Atu.
Each of these symbols is in itself double, so that the meanings form a divergent
series, and the integration of the Card can only be regained by repeated
marriages, identifications, and some form of Hermaphroditism.
Yet the attribution is the essence of simplicity. Atu VI refers to Gemini, ruled
by Mercury. It means The Twins. The Hebrew letter corresponding is Zain,
which means a Sword, and the framework of the card is therefore the Arch of
Swords, beneath which the Royal Marriage takes place.
The Sword is primarily an engine of division. In the intellectual world-which is
the world of the Sword suit-it represents analysis. This card and Atu XIV
together compose the compre hensive alchemical maxim: Solve et coagula.
(...)
The key is that the Card represents the Creation of the World. The Hierarchs held this secret as of transcendant importance. Con sequently, the Initiates
who issued the Tarot, for use during the Aeon of Osiris, superseded the original
card above described in "The Vision and the Voice". They were concerned to
create a new Universe of their own; they were the fathers of Science. Their
methods of working, grouped under the generic term Alchemy, have never been
made public. The interesting point is that all developments of modern science
in the last fifty years have given intelligent and instructed people the
opportunity of reflecting that the whole trend of science has been to return to
alchemical aims and (mutatis mutandis) methods. The secrecy observed by the alchemists was made necessary by the power of
persecuting Churches. Bitterly as bigots fought among themselves, they were
all equally concerned to destroy the infant Science, which, as they instinctively
recognized, would put an end to the ignorance and faith on which their power
and wealth depended.
The subject of this card is Analysis, followed by Synthesis. The i first question
asked by science is: "Of what are things composed? "This having been answered,
the next question is: "How shall we recombine them to our greater advantage?"
This resumes the whole policy of the Tarot. (...)"

--
--

Crowley Commentary to Liber Al Vel Legis:


"(...)From the point of view of Initiation, the difference between a Magister Templi and a „Black Brother‟ is that the
Magister knows that He is the Center of the Universe for himself, but understands that the same is simultaneously
true of any other human being. The „Black Brother‟ knows that he is the center of the universe, but does not
understand that the same is true of toers. Of all others. What is more, he does not want to understand. He
interprets any manifestation of autonomy as an attempt against his authority. The reader must not think that a
„Black Brother‟ is necessarily a mean person. On the contrary, his intentions are usually of the best. He wants your
happiness. But since his definition of your happiness is based on what he thinks you should be happy with, he may
cause you much harm by trying to help you. A Magister, as a rule, will not try to help you at all. The Magister is
selfish. He minds His own business, and no other.
Frederick Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth had a very amusing tale of a man who approached two „Black Brethren‟
and challenged them. “What does he say?” the second „Black Brother‟, who was somewhat hard of hearing, asked
the first. “He says we are not God, ” the first explained. At once, the second snapped: “Atheist!” The utter lack of
sense of humor is a characteristic of „Black Brotherhood‟. A Magister might have said the same thing—but with a
twinkle.
There are certain analogies between “Black Brotherhood‟ and paranoia, but while paranoia is a mental
disorder, „Black Brotherhood‟ is of Daath, and much more dangerous. Religious persecutions, throughout history,
were always the result of a man reaching the threshold of the Abyss through the discipline of a particular faith, and
then fearing to jump. His disease would then affect, telepathically and magically, those of his faith, with results
such as Holy Inquisitions, Crusades, and others.
It must be understood from the beginning that this book contains the keys of all the knowledge necessary for
the operation of the Magical Formulae of the world during the Aeon which it initiates. In this very early verse is
already given a Master Key to mathematics and metaphysics. On applying this to current problems of thought, it
will be discovered that the long-fast doors fly open at a touch.(...)"

[jesster]

This was an absolutely amazing video. It gave me a lot to think about, and personally resonated with me as someone who's rather upset with how much western discussion mirrors that northern conservative baptist great lakes region saying you presented.

[Dimitrakakis_Athanasios]

Too abstract.We need to wake up.We need solutions with practical implications, we need serious philosophy.I do not care about such abstracted similarities between philosophers and notions.Spengler's idea of socialism is boring and useless.It also leads to philosophical nihilism.Dive with more life into philosophy, focus on the meaning crisis of our time and share some useful and divinely beautiful and interesting ideas.Do not engage in mental and philosophical masturbation, wasting your and our time.



*Btw do not delete the comment, just think about it.

[ezequielgerstelbodoha]

The irony of a critique to socialists being oneself a socialist

[doswallo]

The distinction between an idea that is simply "being" and an idea that is striving to "win" is really interesting to think about. I am always looking to find the truth and share it with others, but sometimes it might be okay for me to be content with simply having knowledge of the idea at all.

[Heinrich-ku]

I as a German conservative always felt different about German and American conservatism in history. America wasn’t a monarchy and didn’t have noble European royal militarism. Unlike we Germans through Prussia. I find love in the authority, in the elite and in the Prussian discipline which should stand above the individual. Socialism is abused by Marxists and Nazis. I believe that the socialism Spengler envisioned is a socialism which would be the next evolution of the Christian middle-European Abendland. Unfortunately the leftist and Nazis uses it to abuse this opportunity for a good and healthy authority which cooperates different classes in harmony. This socialism is ready for the German culture after ww1. But now it has been unhealthy and we Germans are nothing like the American culture, since the Americans liberty is in my opinion a thorn in the eyes of Prussian culture which is the grandfatherland of my fatherland.

[AVMONKY]

Nietzche was not a socialist. If you think he was you need to be better educated.

[Erlsung]

I'm just starting to read Spengler and this was very interesting and helpful. I think a contention is perhaps that a more apropiate word would be "humanism" rather than socialism, I'm very skeptical of applying that word to anything other than leftism and welfare policies.
Also the part of Schopenhauer is very wrong. I was actually thinking about Schopenhauer before you mentioned him. In reality he always swam against the current, as he denied any possibility of a real change in the world.

"The genuine symbol of nature is universally and everywhere the circle,
because it is the schema or form of recurrence; in fact, this is the most
general form in nature. She carries it through in everything from the course
of the constellations down to the death and birth of organic beings. In this
way alone, in the restless stream of time and its content, a continued
existence, i.e., a nature, becomes possible."
- Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation II, Ch. 41

In the few instances he discusses politics he condemns the modern position of the state as an educator and bearer of change (On the Basis of Morals comes into mind). I'm not exactly sure what "redefining mind to brain" exactly means, but to Schopenhauer the brain is the depository of the intellect whereas the will is ingrained in the entire body.

[RoyalProtectorate]

Epic video, glad someone isn't afraid to talk about Spangler as a philosopher

[eliaszr]

This is literaly just gnostic thinking, where men think that by some form of revolutinary knologe(gnose) they can and must change the nature of the world to bring abouth "heaven on earth" (defeating the demiurge).

[svetlinsofiev]

The end of the quran says it's for all humans and jins. Isn't that Spenglers socialism?