Wolfgang Sofsky's 'L'ère de l'épouvante' Examines Modern Cruelty
Wolfgang Sofsky's new essay, 'L'ère de l'épouvante,' published by Éditions Gallimard, follows his earlier 'Traité sur la violence.' The work offers a philosophical and anthropological analysis of contemporary violence, murderous madness, and barbarism. Sofsky grounds his approach in real events, describing scenes such as soldiers throwing a man into a river and a crowd dragging a charred corpse. He questions the roots and mechanisms of cruelty, avoiding ideological or illusory discourses. The essay addresses the horrors of the 20th century, terrorist attacks, persecutions, and war acts reported in media, aiming to overcome analytical blockages that lead to a loss of reality and understanding of the human species. Sofsky explores whether violence is a pathological evolutionary inheritance, driven by sick impulses or madness, but finds pathological explanations insufficient. He investigates how boundaries are transgressed and what world lies beyond them. The text references Sloterdijk and includes a review by Patrick Amine.
Key facts
- Wolfgang Sofsky authored 'L'ère de l'épouvante'.
- The book is published by Éditions Gallimard.
- It follows his earlier work 'Traité sur la violence'.
- The essay uses an anthropological methodology based on real events.
- It describes scenes of violence such as soldiers throwing a man into a river.
- Sofsky questions the roots and mechanisms of cruelty.
- The work addresses 20th-century horrors, attacks, persecutions, and war.
- It references philosopher Sloterdijk.
Entities
Artists
- Wolfgang Sofsky
- Patrick Amine
- Sloterdijk
Institutions
- Éditions Gallimard
Sources
- artpress —