Fire Alarm: Reading Walter Benjamin's 'on the Concept of History'

This illuminating study of Benjamin's final essay helps unlock the mystery of this great philosopher

Revolutionary critic of the philosophy of progress, nostalgic of the past yet dreaming of the future, romantic partisan of materialism--Walter Benjamin is in every sense of the word an "unclassifiable" philosopher. His essay "On the Concept of History" was written in a state of urgency, as he attempted to escape the Gestapo in 1940, before finally committing suicide.

In this scrupulous, clear and fascinating examination of this essay, Michael L wy argues that it remains one of the most important philosophical and political writings of the twentieth century. Looking in detail at Benjamin's celebrated but often mysterious text, and restoring the philosophical, theological and political context, L wy highlights the complex relationship between redemption and revolution in Benjamin's philosophy of history.

Author: Michael Lowy
Publisher: Verso
Published: 10/04/2016
Pages: 160
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.35lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.30w x 0.50d
ISBN13: 9781784786410
ISBN10: 1784786411
BISAC Categories:
- Philosophy | History & Surveys | Modern
- Political Science | Political Ideologies | Radicalism
- Philosophy | Political

About the Author
Michael Löwy is Research Director of Sociology at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris. His previous books include Redemption and Utopia: Liberation Judaism in Central Europe, Marxism in Latin America and The War of the Gods: Religion and Politics in Latin America.