If one thing is certain, the Holy Father of Catholicism and der Furer of the Nazis have both impressively mastered the skill of one-way thinking. Daniel Jonah Goldhagen pinpoints and parallels traces of a dialectic, elitist mentality found in the lives of Pope Benedict XVI and those who participated in Hitler's Nazi Germany to warn readers of the dangers that accompany close mindedness. The effects of such is seen as the pope now applies egotistical principles (similar to those used by the Nazis) to lead the Catholic religion. Like Hitler, the pope advocates that his way is the only true way. Because complex issues are not black and white, critical reasoning is imperative for those aspects that lie in the various shades of gray. Subjects pertaining to religion, politics, and other aspects of human life cannot and should not be approached empirically as there is no “correct answer.” Goldhagen argues that this pattern of imperialism is a deadly disease stemming from the limited points of view of those in power. As the pope has "curiously spoken little" about his time spent in Nazi Germany, Goldhagen concludes that the pope "has not fully learned" the consequences of anti-Semitism and other crimes of hate. However, Goldhagen omits the fact that Pope Benedict XVI did in fact take something away from his time spent serving Hitler in WWII – intolerance.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Purpose of Goldhagen's Analogy
If one thing is certain, the Holy Father of Catholicism and der Furer of the Nazis have both impressively mastered the skill of one-way thinking. Daniel Jonah Goldhagen pinpoints and parallels traces of a dialectic, elitist mentality found in the lives of Pope Benedict XVI and those who participated in Hitler's Nazi Germany to warn readers of the dangers that accompany close mindedness. The effects of such is seen as the pope now applies egotistical principles (similar to those used by the Nazis) to lead the Catholic religion. Like Hitler, the pope advocates that his way is the only true way. Because complex issues are not black and white, critical reasoning is imperative for those aspects that lie in the various shades of gray. Subjects pertaining to religion, politics, and other aspects of human life cannot and should not be approached empirically as there is no “correct answer.” Goldhagen argues that this pattern of imperialism is a deadly disease stemming from the limited points of view of those in power. As the pope has "curiously spoken little" about his time spent in Nazi Germany, Goldhagen concludes that the pope "has not fully learned" the consequences of anti-Semitism and other crimes of hate. However, Goldhagen omits the fact that Pope Benedict XVI did in fact take something away from his time spent serving Hitler in WWII – intolerance.
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"Subjects pertaining to religion, politics, and other aspects of human life cannot and should not be approached empirically as there is no “correct answer.”"
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a really good point here. When one is in a position of power, they cannot only rely on their own experience to make decisions. I think simply going off your own experience to make decisions that have implications for a large group of people is not a good idea because your view is often limited.
Wow, I was just going to talk about the quote Rachel posted above. I think you're absolutely correct in your statement. Our religious and political views are what make us unique and special and stripping someone's identity from them and forcing them to believe in something they don't believe in is always a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your statement that "Hitler and the Pope have both mastered one-way thinking", this is a perfect summary of Goldenhagen's argument in this article. Both men believe that their way of thinking is the only way of thinking and disregard the thoughts of others. I do feel that your last statement about the Pope taking away the idea of "intolerance" may come of a little harsh because although the catholic church doesn't agree with other languages they are not taking it to the horrible extremes that Hitler did with Nazi Germany.
ReplyDelete"However, Goldhagen omits the fact that Pope Benedict XVI did in fact take something away from his time spent serving Hitler in WWII – intolerance."
ReplyDeleteI agree-- we can clearly see that this was the point he was getting at, though he didn't specifically state it. Do you think this was intentional?
I also find that picture very interesting... lol
I think you did a good job of summing up the essence of Goldhagen's article; however, I think you may have taken your interpretation too far. Goldhagen does not seem to believe that the Pope embodies Hittler's "intolerence" to the quite the extent that you contend he does in your post. I think, although it is well written, it is a bit extreme and could be argued against fairly easily. However, I did enjoy the read and think you deffinately grasped Goldhagen's thesis.
ReplyDelete(This post is late because this blogger was not originally in my blog group ... I wasnt sure if I should comment on all the blogs that we were assigned before he/she was put into my group ... so I did anyway)
ReplyDelete- this comment goes with the above comment