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Illuminations Walter Benjamin

Benjamin has written lots of short theses on the philosophy of history. In this essay I attempt to
respond to his theses, mostly by paraphrasing and reinterpreting his ideas, and sometimes giving my
own response
I
Originally, I assumed historical materialism to just mean content and material that has been
recorded throughout history this thesis made much more sense after discovering that Historical
Materialism is a Marxist theory which believes that political and social events in history are
influenced by the social conflicts that were current of the era e.g. opposing religious beliefs of the
time. Here, Benjamin assimilates the construction of history to a game of chess the chess player
who is so good that he seems like he must be a robot, is what is believed to be the true facts of
history. But in reality, this automaton is not a robot it is a puppet a puppet controlled by a
hidden and ugly, hunchbacked chess expert this hunchback would be theology and religion, the
social conflicts of the time that determined action and consciousness. Karl Marx It is not the
consciousness of men that determines their social existence, but their social existence that
determines their consciousness.Theology and religion has influenced historical content, but this
influence cant be revealed, it must be believed that it was the conscious of man that caused events,
and not the social constructs.
II
The present is not envious of the future. The people in the past knew that we the people of the
future, were coming, and our predecessors knowledge of our existence is something that they can
claim against us. We associate happiness, as much as we associate regret, with past events.
Reflection to the passed shows us opportunities both lost and seized.
III
A historian that records all moments in as much detail and importance, no matter how big or small
they may be, would be advocating the fact that there is not one moment in time that is more
important than another
I find the word moment difficult what is a moment? How long is it? How can you possibly measure
a moment? Would it be defined in action, in words, in a measurement of time? It is too subjective.
And therefore I do not think that history can be recorded as a series of moments, but rather as a
continuous stream of consciousness and happenings.
IV
If we didnt have tangible material, then spiritual and abstract things would not be able to exist, and
certainly would not be appreciated to the extent they are now. In societys class struggle, the lower
class symbolizes itself, not in the material things that it has lost to the bourgeouis, but in abstract
qualities such as strength, bravery and resilience.
VI
Recounting the past historically is not to relay the stories of the past as they really happened, but to
elaborate on defining and exciting moments that happened. Historical materialism is based on
building a story around an image, rather than recording a true to space and time account of events.
VII
Every memorable event of the past, every account of history, has originated from a conflict this is
what I see Benjamin to mean when he talks about moments in history as flashing images of danger
these images are the foundations around which history is built. There is no event of peace, which
was not preceded by an event of violence and hardship.
The receivers of history, those who history is written for, will always empathize with the victor of
these conflicts because the tone of history itself can be biased, because it is written by those who
rule the land. And those who rule the land are the heirs of those who conquered before them.
VIII
Looking back through history, there has unarguably always been a social system where there are a
group of people who rule and a group of people who are oppressed.
We always look back upon history and are shocked how people could ever believe what they
believed, enough to allow their beliefs to lead to hate, discrimination and violence against other
human beings in such a way. Women were witches. Black people were slaves. And in 100 years, we
will look back with as much horror and disbelief upon the current events in Russia. Facism is treated
as a historical norm it exists in history so that the human race are constantly able to look back at
their mistakes and explain why they happen, and demonstrate how we have now developed as a
society.
IX
The angel is a symbol of an alternative perspective to history not the way humans see history, as a
chain of events, but something of higher authority; an omniscient or omnipresent being. It is a
being that is transcendent to us, which can understand that which we may not. It sees the events of
history as the same destructive patterns of behaviour endlessly being repeated. Whilst human
beings see historical events as a timeline of progress, the angel views it as a pile of destruction that
grows taller and taller with each event.
X
The politicians who enter the world of making history with the glimmer of hope to oppose fascism
and make a change will all eventually conform to the norms that are imposed upon them.
XI
When theology was no longer a feasible concept to society, German economy adapted religious
work ethics of how labour is the right thing to do if you are a good, God-fearing person, so that
labour was still expected of each person, but in a secular way. Labour was stated to be the source
of all wealth and all culture Marxism argues that human beings are obviously much more complex,
and hold much more power, than the power of their labour.
XII
If the oppressed working class is always seen as the class that fights for freedom, liberation and
victory in history, then why does it still exist as an oppressed class. If throughout history, they have
always been the ones who we retrospectively support and empathize with, then why have we as a
society not recognized this pattern yet. Why do they continue to struggle and fight for their rights? Is
it because it is the only way for human beings to continue developing, and if we are not developing
then what will we do the human race must always be progressing in some way if we stand still
that means we have reached our potential, which means there is no need for ambition it is human
nature to strive and to desire, but for what will we strive for if we have already achieved perfection.
XIII
Argues that just because humans will inevitably become more intelligent, it does not mean that
mankind is progressing. I think it can be argued in fact, that due to the development of technology,
that has now provided society with easy to use, convenient applications that can do things for us, we
may have perhaps regressed in mankind, become more lazy what if 1000 years ahead of now,
nobody writes things down anymore because everybody types on a computer why not? if you are
taught how to use a keyboard efficiently it is much faster than handwriting, and a much easier skill
to learn then shorthand. What if learning handwriting were to become as rare as learning Latin or
shorthand. An absolutely ridiculous concept to think about, and yet at the rate technology grows
and we adapt with it, it is not impossible.
It can also be argued that society is regressing in the way events are appreciated. Whereas before,
somebody may go to a concert, or out for dinner or on holiday and simply enjoy what lay ahead,
relax, let their senses absorb the environment there is now a secondary purpose to these events,
another medium which is attached. Due to the progression of social media it now seems there is an
unspoken requirement to record these events, document them, and post them on social networks,
almost as proof that they happened. Photographs are no longer taken just to capture or seize
moments for ones own memory, but these memories now belong to a much more public medium,
they are for the rest of your circle of internet acquaintances to see and believe and know that you
have done something.
XIV
History is not a monotonous timeline of which we are part of. We are the present and the now, the
most prominent part of this timeline and so it is important to remember the perspective of this
present is where we look back on history from. History repeats itself, much the same as fashion.
XV
Here, Benjamin differentiates between the time recorded on a calendar and time itself
measured on a clock. Calendars are recording of moments, they make days of remembrance,
celebration, mourning happen time and again. Whereas time itself is a meaningless measurement, it
ticks and ticks, ever gnawing away at each moment of the present.
XVI
Historicism records the past as images in themselves. Historical materialism finds the relation
between that image and the current present.
XVII
Universal history has no structure to it it considers all events in history as unrelated, just piling
them on top of one another. There are no rules. Historic materialism looks at the past and relates it
to the social influences of the time it looks at when social conflicts result in a change in the order
of the world. It is revolutionary. It does not view history as a timeline of events. Blast a specific era
out of the homogenous course of history Is this saying that historical materialism would relate
itself to different events and eras with a certain amount of prevalence or importance? The ones that
are most important are the ones that make the present the way it is today?
XVIII
In relation to the history of the world, humans have been around for a significantly tiny amount of
time post the universes existence.
A
History becomes history, only after it has happened. Each era will define and relate their presence
to history in a completely different way, because each era is affected differently by the past events
both near and far. A historian who is able to compare a previous eras definition of history and
combine it with their own is able to establish conception of present as time of the now.
B
Religion prohibited its people from looking into the future for looking into the future would
diminish hope. As the Jews still await their Messiah, not knowing what the future will hold keeps a
glimmer of hope, a narrow possibility that their Messiah may come.

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