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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