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ENGLISH VERSION CULTURE WAR

erotic and idealistic nature. When we aggression. I can hardly believe it, and of a class of this type. The ideal situation,
read about the atrocities of the past, it is I would like to know more about such naturally, would be the human community
often as if idealistic motives merely served fortunate things. Bolsheviks also hope to that has subordinated its instinctual life to
as an excuse for destructive desires; and be able to make human aggressiveness the domain of reason. Nothing else could
sometimes, for example, in the case of the disappear by ensuring the satisfaction of unite men so completely and firmly, even
cruelties of the Inquisition, it is as if the all material needs and establishing equality, if there were no emotional bonds between
idealistic motives had come to the fore in other respects, among all members of them. However, in all likelihood this is a
in consciousness, while the destructive the community. This, in my opinion, is an utopian expectation. There is no doubt
ones had given them an unconscious illusion. They themselves, nowadays, are that other indirect methods of avoiding
reinforcement. Both can be true. armed in the most cautious manner, and war are more feasible, although they do
I am afraid that I may be abusing your the no less important method they employ not promise immediate success. It’s worth
interest, which, after all, is directed towards to keep their adherents together is hatred remembering that disturbing image of the
the prevention of war and not towards our against anyone beyond their borders. mill that grinds so slowly that people can
theories. I would, however, like to dwell a In any case, as you yourself observed, starve to death before it can provide their
little longer on our destructive instinct, there is no way to completely eliminate flour.
whose popularity is by no means equal man’s aggressive impulses; one can try The result, as you see, is not very fruitful
to its importance. As a consequence of a to divert them to such a degree that they when a disinterested theorist is called upon
little speculation, we were able to suppose need not find expression in war. to give his opinion on an urgent practical
that this instinct is active in every living Our mythological theory of instincts problem. It is better for a person, in any
creature and seeks to lead it to annihilation, makes it easy for us to find the formula special case, to devote himself to meeting
to reduce life to the original condition of for indirect methods of fighting war. If the the danger with all the means at hand.
inanimate matter. desire to join the war is an effect of the I would, however, like to discuss one
Therefore, it deserves, in all seriousness, destructive instinct, the most obvious more issue that you do not mention in your
to be called the death instinct, while erotic recommendation would be to oppose it letter, which interests me in particular. Why
instincts represent the effort to live. The to its antagonist, Eros. Everything that did you, I and so many other people rebel
death instinct becomes a destructive favors the strengthening of emotional so violently against the war? Why don’t
instinct when, with the help of special bonds between men must act against war. we accept it as just one of life’s many
organs, it is directed outwards, towards These links can be of two types. calamities? After all, it seems to be a very
objects. The organism preserves its own Firstly, they can be relationships natural thing, it seems to have a biological
life, so to speak, by destroying the life of similar to those relating to a loved object, basis and is difficult to avoid in practice.
others. A part of the death instinct, however, although they do not have a sexual There is no reason to be surprised that I
continues to be active within the organism, purpose. Psychoanalysis has no reason raise this question. For the purposes of an
and we have tried to attribute numerous to be ashamed if it talks about love at this investigation like this, one could, perhaps,
normal and pathological phenomena to this point, because religion itself uses the same be permitted to wear a mask of supposed
internalization of the destruction instinct. words: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ obliviousness. The answer to my question
We were even blamed for the heresy of This, however, is more easily said than will be that we react to war in this way,
attributing the origin of conscience to this practiced. because everyone has the right to their
inward deviation of aggressiveness. The second emotional bond is the one own life, because war puts an end to lives
You will realize that it is not absolutely that uses identification. Everything that full of hope, because it leads individual
irrelevant whether this process goes too leads men to share important interests men into humiliating situations, because it
far: it is positively insane. On the other produces this communion of feeling, these compels them , against his will, to kill other
hand, if these forces turn to destruction identifications. And the structure of human men and because he destroys precious
in the external world, the organism will be society is based on them, to a large extent. material objects, produced by the work
relieved and the effect must be beneficial. A complaint you made about the abuse of of humanity.
This would serve as biological justification authority leads me to another suggestion Other reasons could be presented, such
for all the reprehensible and dangerous for indirectly combating the propensity as that, in its current form, war is no longer
impulses we struggle with. It must be for war. An example of the innate and an opportunity to achieve the old ideals of
admitted that they are closer to Nature irremovable inequality of men is their heroism, and that, due to the improvement
than our resistance, for which it is also tendency to classify themselves into two of instruments of destruction, a future
necessary to find an explanation. types, that of leaders and that of followers. war could involve the extermination of one
Perhaps it may seem to you that our The latter constitute the vast majority; They of the antagonists or, perhaps, both. All
theories are a kind of mythology and, in this need an authority that makes decisions this is true, and so incontestably true, that
case, not a pleasant mythology. However, for them and to which, for the most part, one cannot but feel perplexed at the fact
do not all sciences ultimately arrive at a they devote unlimited submission. This that the war has not yet been unanimously
kind of mythology like this? Can’t the same suggests that more attention should be repudiated.
be said today about your physics? For our given, than has been given to date, to Undoubtedly, debate around some of
immediate purposes, therefore, this is all the education of the upper class of men these points is possible. One may ask
that follows from what has been said: endowed with an independent mentality, whether a community should not have the
there is no point in trying to eliminate the not susceptible to intimidation and willing right to dispose of the lives of individuals;
aggressive inclinations of men. to remain faithful to the truth, whose not all war is condemnable in equal
According to what we are told, in certain concern is to direct the dependent masses. measure; Since there are countries and
privileged regions of the Earth, where It is needless to say that the usurpations nations that are prepared for the merciless
nature provides in abundance everything committed by the executive power of the destruction of others, these others must
that is necessary for man, there are people State and the prohibition established by be armed for war. But I will not dwell on any
whose lives pass in the midst of tranquility, the Church against freedom of thought of these aspects; They do not constitute
people who know neither coercion nor are not at all favorable to the formation what you wish to discuss with me, and I

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