Bonhoeffer on human stupidity and political power

[ubicaritas]

"Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. … The power of the one needs the stupidity of the other. The process at work here is not that particular human capacities, for instance, the intellect, suddenly atrophy or fail. Instead, it seems that under the overwhelming impact of rising power, humans are deprived of their inner independence and, more or less consciously, give up establishing an autonomous position toward the emerging circumstances. The fact that the stupid person is often stubborn must not blind us to the fact that he is not independent. In conversation with him, one virtually feels that one is dealing not at all with him as a person, but with slogans, catchwords, and the like that have taken possession of him. He is under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in his very being. Having thus become a mindless tool, the stupid person will also be capable of any evil and at the same time incapable of seeing that it is evil. This is where the danger of diabolical misuse lurks, for it is this that can once and for all destroy human beings"
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison

I find this particular quote very relevant. Clearly Bonhoeffer was a prophet for the post-truth world.

 

[Occams Barber]

I find this particular quote very relevant. Clearly Bonhoeffer was a prophet for the post-truth world.

I've never read Bonhoeffer but this quote, although a little harsh, rings true for both a pre and post truth world. I assume diplomacy was not his strong suit.

I note that he mentions an upsurge of power of a political or religious nature.
OB

 

[rockytopva]

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Loved his writings! I did read the "Cost of Discipleship" book in which I remember him emphasizing that "cheap grace was the deadly enemy of the church."

 

[ubicaritas]

I've never read Bonhoeffer but this quote, although a little harsh, rings true for both a pre and post truth world. I assume diplomacy was not his strong suit.

He had no reason to be diplomatic. He was a condemned man and was going to die. If anything, his age saw far too much accommodation to evil in the name of expediency. What I find enlightening about his perspective is the role that stupidity plays in facilitating evil, it's something I have thought about in the past few months. The stupidification is the result of a kind of enchantment or spell, like fairy magic's glamour, it puts a charm on things that are really ugly.

I wouldn't say his view of humanity is harsh so much as realistic. He was an Augustinian of the Lutheran sort, but the experiences during WWII resisting the brutal excesses of the Nazi regime further tempered him in that direction.

I note that he mentions an upsurge of power of a political or religious nature.
OB

That's understandable, though, given his background. Bonhoeffer was a Protestant pastor in the true sense. Protestantism emerged with Luther, who harbored suspicion towards the religious impulses of his era, which were based on faith in a hierarchically ordered religious structure that claimed absolute authority to mediate between God and huminity. Bonhoeffer was keeping in that tradition, criticizing the religion of his own day, which was a mixture of theological liberalism and herrenvolk ideology (whereas the situation in the US is more like a mixture of fundamentalism and xenophobic nationalism, yet fundamentalism and liberalism are both radical reactions to modernity). Indeed, by the end of his life he was writing of a "religionless Christianity".

This is a good series of essays on understanding his perspective, and trying to decipher what exactly a "religionless Christianity" would look like:

Experimental Theology: Letters from Cell 92: Part 1, A New Theology

 

[Halbhh]

He had no reason to be diplomatic. He was a condemned man and was going to die. If anything, his age saw far too much accommodation to evil in the name of expediency. What I find enlightening about his perspective is the role that stupidity plays in facilitating evil, it's something I have thought about in the past few months. The stupidification is the result of a kind of enchantment or spell, like fairy magic's glamour, it puts a charm on things that are really ugly.

I wouldn't say his view of humanity is harsh so much as realistic. He was an Augustinian of the Lutheran sort, but the experiences during WWII resisting the brutal excesses of the Nazi regime further tempered him in that direction.



That's understandable, though, given his background. Bonhoeffer was a Protestant pastor in the true sense. Protestantism emerged with Luther, who harbored suspicion towards the religious impulses of his era, which were based on faith in a hierarchically ordered religious structure that claimed absolute authority to mediate between God and huminity. Bonhoeffer was keeping in that tradition, criticizing the religion of his own day, which was a mixture of theological liberalism and herrenvolk ideology (whereas the situation in the US is more like a mixture of fundamentalism and xenophobic nationalism, yet fundamentalism and liberalism are both radical reactions to modernity). Indeed, by the end of his like he was writing of a "religionless Christianity".

This is a good series of essays on understanding his perspective, and trying to decipher what exactly a "religionless Christianity" would look like:

Experimental Theology: Letters from Cell 92: Part 1, A New Theology

A friend at church insisted on giving me his copy of a biography of Bonhoeffer, and while I admire him from the wiki (which makes it seem he had years out of jail before being in danger for his life, also, btw), I felt as if reading the wiki was enough, but these quotes are encouraging me to pick up the book and read some at random to find excerpts of sermons and letter and such. It's interesting

"that Bonhoeffer's promising academic and ecclesiastical career was dramatically altered with Nazi ascension to power on 30 January 1933. He was a determined opponent of the regime from its first days. Two days after Hitler was installed as Chancellor, Bonhoeffer delivered a radio address in which he attacked Hitler."

but despite ongoing activities of such bent, was not imprisoned until 1943.

 

[ubicaritas]

I wouldn't bother reading the biography by Eric Metaxas, who seems to understand Bonhoeffer strictly through the grid of white, conservative American evangelicalism. Bonhoeffer's religious beliefs transcend American religion, for the most part: he felt closest in the US to the Black Church and African-Americans religious experience. He took sin and redemption seriously, but he transcended the bourgeois interests of the white church in the US. American conservative evangelicalism's focus on polemicism and anti-intellectualism/anti-humanism was completely alien to his ethos.

 

[Halbhh]

I wouldn't bother reading the biography by Eric Metaxas, who seems to understand Bonhoeffer strictly through the grid of white, conservative American evangelicalism. Bonhoeffer's religious beliefs transcend American religion, for the most part: he felt closest in the US to the Black Church and African-Americans religious experience. He took sin and redemption seriously, but he transcended the bourgeois interests of the white church in the US. American conservative evangelicalism's focus on polemicism and anti-intellectualism/anti-humanism was completely alien to his ethos.

Interesting. I just found the copy (I've had it 2 months already I think, heh heh, but I did warn him it might sit in my office for months). It's by Michael Van Dyke.

Interesting, flipping open to a couple of spots, I saw the end of page 73 -- that very radio address I mentioned above apparently was cut off.

 

[ubicaritas]

Cool, just about any other biographer would do a better job. Metaxas rabid support for Trump demonstrates that he completely misunderstands Bonhoeffer. The focus on wedge issues seems to drive Metaxas politics, particularly his narrow focus on abortion as the sine qua none of Christian orthopraxy. The "German Christians" of Bonhoeffer's era had a similarly narrow focus, and had no problem making a deal with the Devil in the name of upholding a hollowed-out Christendom.

There's also a good dramatization about Bonhoeffer, produced by Lutherans, called Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace. While it abbreviates a great deal of his life and doesn't go into tremendous depth, it is an authentic portrayal of his thought and circumstances, and would be a good place to start if you like a more cerebral or spiritual film.

 

[Halbhh]

Cool, just about any other biographer would do a better job. Metaxas rabid support for Trump demonstrates that he completely misunderstands Bonhoeffer. The focus on wedge issues seems to drive Metaxas politics, particularly his narrow focus on abortion as the sine qua none of Christian orthopraxy. The "German Christians" of Bonhoeffer's era had a similarly narrow focus, and had no problem making a deal with the Devil in the name of upholding a hollowed-out Christendom.

There's also a good dramatization about Bonhoeffer, produced by Lutherans, called Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace. While it abbreviates a great deal of his life and doesn't go into tremendous depth, it is an authentic portrayal of his thought and circumstances, and would be a good place to start if you like a more cerebral or spiritual film.

ah! I know a certain Saturday morning study group that would likely enjoy that film....

 

[Anto9us]

Was it true that Bonhoeffer was involved in a failed attempt to bomb Hitler?

 

[hedrick]

yes. In my understanding his participation was the cause of his execution, though it's certainly possible that he could have been killed anyway.

 

[Quasiblogo]

It was amusing to me to learn how DB cherry-picked what was pietistic and who was not. If he went to a Harlem, NY church service and enjoyed the faith-expression of blacks, he would also get repulsed by emotional expression among white Christians. He was not any more immune to stereotyping than the rest of us.

 

[Anto9us]

So Bonhoeffer was human.

At least he was AGAINST HITLER -- some recent posts on other sub-forums seem to be by people who are Pro-Hitler -- it blows my mind.

 

[ubicaritas]

It was amusing to me to learn how DB cherry-picked what was pietistic and who was not. If he went to a Harlem, NY church service and enjoyed the faith-expression of blacks, he would also get repulsed by emotional expression among white Christians. He was not any more immune to stereotyping than the rest of us.

He wasn't just reacting to pietism. Keep in mind that pietism is a significant influence within German Reformed/Lutheran/Evangelical Christianity.

 

[Quasiblogo]

So Bonhoeffer was human.

At least he was AGAINST HITLER -- some recent posts on other sub-forums seem to be by people who are Pro-Hitler -- it blows my mind.

I know my observation was somewhat frivolous. I am actually a deep admirer of DB's testimony. That he was willing to be responsible and fight evil is more than even right-minded people would do.