Foregone Conclusions: Against Apocalyptic History

Foregone Conclusions: Against Apocalyptic History

The author's denunciation of apocalyptic thinking provides a moral, philosophical, and literary challenge to the way most of us make sense of our worlds. In our search for coherence, Bernstein argues, we tend to see our lives as moving toward a predetermined fate. This "foreshadowing" demeans the variety, the richness, and especially the unpredictability of everyday life. Apocalyptic history denies the openness and choice available to its actors. Bernstein chooses the Holocaust as the prime example of our tendency toward foregone conclusions. He argues eloquently against politicians and theologians who depict the Holocaust as foreordained and its victims as somehow implicated in a fate they should have been able to foresee. But his argument ranges wider. From recent biographies of Kafka to the Israeli - PLO peace accords, from campus cultural diversity debates to the Crown Heights riots, Bernstein warns against our passive acceptance of historical or personal victimization.
Country USA
Brand University of California Press
Manufacturer University of California Press
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 9780520087859
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780520087859
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

Country	USA
Brand	University of California Press
Manufacturer	University of California Press
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	9780520087859
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780520087859
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

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