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The End of the World Designed with Men in Mind
Author(s) -
Glendinning Simon
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of historical sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.186
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1467-6443
pISSN - 0952-1909
DOI - 10.1111/johs.12026
Subject(s) - teleology , copernicus , eschatology , darwin (adl) , philosophy , end of history , centring , epistemology , psychoanalysis , psychology , art , law , theology , political science , physics , systems engineering , politics , engineering , visual arts , astronomy
According to D errida, the E uropean self‐understanding marking the name “ M an” is governed by eschatology and teleology. M an is that being on its way towards its proper end. The times of science seemed to K ant and others to be evidence of just such progress. For F reud, by contrast, the great scientific achievements of C opernicus, Darwin and F reud have cumulatively contributed a series of de‐centring blows to our “self‐love”. This paper explores the nature of great scientific achievements, and raises the possibility of a further devastating blow to M an, this time in the twentieth century, and connected to the name of M arx.