NationStates Jolt Archive

I read this a couple of weeks ago, and since then I've been obsessing over whether it is anti-intellectual or just anti-reductionist.

Discuss.

Ooer you're goin a little over my head with this one but I can try. I assume you are talking about the myth of Faust? Explain.

Which Faust, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Marlowe or just Faust by that German dude? (His name evades me.)

Which Faust, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Marlowe or just Faust by that German dude? (His name evades me.)

Goethe.

Yes, Goethe's Faust.

I have seen Goethe's Faust as a Weimar Republic era silent film with live piano accompaniment. To me, it appeared to be a cautionary tale, warning of the consequences of making trade-offs with morality in pursuit of personal gain. I do not see what is anti-intellectual about it.

I have seen Goethe's Faust as a Weimar Republic era silent film with live piano accompaniment. To me, it appeared to be a cautionary tale, warning of the consequences of making trade-offs with morality in pursuit of personal gain. I do not see what is anti-intellectual about it.
I assume that you have seen the first part: Faust I, written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe up until the year 1808 (if I remember right).
Faust II - the second book about the rest of his life - which is much less none was written by Goethe (1749-1832) almost up until his death.
It is most certainly one of the greatest - most would say - and I agree - the greatest piece of German literature.
Faust II is the continuation of Faust I.
While Faust I has an ending (very dramatic) it DOES NOT answer how the pact with the devil turns out.
That only gets clear at the end of Faust II (the prologue in heaven at the begining of Faust I (bet between devil and God about Fausts soul is an indication about the ending.)
There are many aspects in this piece which can be discussed:
1. The tragedy of the intellectual (which Goethe was himself btw).
2. The tragedy of Gretchen (Faust I)
3. Understood in a broad context the tragedy or rather the dilemma of man kind and of any individual (reference to the enlightenment: "He calls it reason and uses it alone to be worse than any animal (prologue in heaven)" - Also the creation of an artifical intelligence (man) - Homunculus - in Faust II is a topic that is actually "quite up to date".

As a law student at Johann Wolfgang von Goethe university (I wonder whether anyone can guess at which city) the remarks about the law are very interesting (devil (masked as Dr. Faust) towards the student). Goethe himself had studied law. Traditionally the most heavy critics are the once who know it.
Goethe also uses many references towards Greek and German mythology (the witches at the Blocksberg - German mythology, Faust II: mainly Greek mythology) which is showing enormous knowledge which - I think - almost nobody has about this topics. Therefore nobody gets all the references and understand the hidden meanings.
Goethe was an universal genius with knowledge in many areas of science. In that scence comparable to Dr. Faust in the story.
The book is in no way anti-intellectual. It is about the tragedy of an intellectual.
The tragedy of the limmitation of human knowledge. Nobody but the intellectual himself - at least if he is smart - knows how limmited our knowledge actually is.
And about the other 2 main points I´ve mentioned.
And certainly others!

If at all it dialectical - through the evil to the good - but that can only be understood by reading (or knowing) Faust I and Faust II.