Bataille, Georges - Theory of Religion (1973, 1989) (Hazy)

8/13/2019 Bataille, Georges - Theory of Religion (1973, 1989) (Hazy)

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Translated bY Robert HurleY


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Theory of Rel ig ion

Georges Batai l le

Z ONE T]OOKS NEW YORK

1989


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( t - l 9t l9 Urzonc, lnc'ZoNF BOOKS6 r l Rroa(l\\ 'av Suitc 838Ncs Ytrrk, NY too IAl l r ights rcserter lNo part ot th is book mav bc rcprotlucccl ' st t l rcd in r 'rctr i t :r 'a l svstcnl , or transnl i t te l t l l ' ranv l irrm or trv. ' ' tr . , r . , including e ectronic' mcchanical ' photo-crryr ' ing, nl icrof i Iming' r t-cording' or othtru isc1. ,. 1 , t i l r lh ' l l ct) l) \ ing l) t rnt i t t t ' t l l r r .Stt t ions, t ' t7Jr l( l r , 'x,,1 r lr , t l ' \ ' C prr igl l t I ' tr r ' t t tr l ( \( ( | t D\rcvieu trs lor thc public l l ress * i thout l r i t t t 'npcrtt ' t ission ion'r hc f 'ubl ishe '

Origirral lv publ ishccl n Frar iceas l f i lor ic de la Rtl i t l ior tO r97 bv F.dit ions Gall i r larcl 'Pr in tct l in the Llnite r l Staters l i \mcr ica

l ) istr ib tr tct l br ' f hc N' l l Press'Cambridqc, N' lassachusctts' ' rnt l ontlon' Lnglantl

[ - ibran of CongrcssCat'r louing- in-Pr 'rblc'r t ion l) ' r ta

R.r ta i l lc ,Gcorgcs' r897-r962'' l -hcon of rcl igiort '' l i - .rnslationo{: Tlr lor ic dc la rcl igion'13ibl iograPhr ' : 'r . I{el ision. I ' - l i t le '

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Desire s r''hot trctnsformt Jcin11J,eveoled o itscll b.vitselt' n (true) know'leclge,nto on object revectledo d tubjcct dit't'erentt'rom the objcct ttnd opposecl o it.It is n onclb.r' or betterstill, as - his Desire hat mtrni.sJormerlan(l is ret'cdled to himself and to othert - dtan I, as the I that is csscntiall.v ifferentt'rom, antl racli-call.r 'opposedo, the non-|. ' l l tc (hunton) I is the I of aDesireor oJDesire.

The vervhcing oJ mon, thc selJ-consciouseinyl, here-t'orc, n'rpliesand presupposes esire. Consequentl.v,hehumttn reolit.r.cdnbelormed and mdintdineclonlv withina biologicalre(1lit.t',n animal hJe. Ilut, if animal Desireis the neces.sctn'onditionof se\-consciousne.ts,t is not thesuJt'icient ondition.By itself, this Desireconstitutes nlvthc SentimentoJsell.

In contrast o the knowledlle hat kecp.s an in a pos-sivc c1uietude, esirecli.s-quietsim ancl move.s im tooction. Ilorn ol Desire, ction tcnds o satist'v't, antl canrlo so onl' b.v' hc negation, lhe cle.struction,r ot \eastthe tronst'ormotion, ;f the desiredobject: to .sotist'r' un-ger, t'or cxomple, theJood must be cle.rtrovedr, in (1n)'cose, ronsJormcd. hus,oll oction is negdtin[1.

- AlcxanclrcKojdvelntrocluction o the Recttling t' Iegel


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Contents

ll'here'l'his Book s Situated eIntrot luction 1 1

PARI ONE I-TIE BASIC D.{TAI Anintal i tv r t

I l I Iumonitv and thc Dcvclopncnt of theProJane Workl 2r

II I Sacrit ' ica,he Fcstival,ond the Principlesof thc SacrecWorld 43

TWO REI IGION. WI ' I HIN I.HI I - IN, , I I ' I .S OF RLASONI The tN[ilitar)' Order 6 5

I I Dualism crnt l'lorolit,v 6 9l l l Mcdiat ion rsIV The RiscoJ ndustr.v 8r

To Whom.. . ro7GeneralTable tnd ReJerences L 1'7


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Where This Book Is Situated

l hc fbuntlationof one s hought s the thought of anotlrcr;thought is l ikc a l>rickccmcntct ht prict tlr isscmlrlanc c f lrecrlonrcostshinr: hc


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)RY'JFRFLICJION

t i lrsakc thc opcn antl inipcrsonll mrlvcmcrrtof thoughtfor thc isolatedopinion' Of tt t t thc isolatctlopinion isalso the shortest mcans of rcvealingrvhat thc asscmblagcc.scntiallv s - thc inrpossiblc. trt it has his dct'p mean-ing onlv i[ it is t.totc:onscioust'thc t'rct'

I'his Srou'crlt'ssll('ssrlt'fincsan apcx tlf pclssillilitr''or at

l.^.,, .rtlo., ' 'rt 'sst[ thc impossibil i tvopcns tlonsciot'tsnessto all that is possiblt-i 'r it to think' In thisgatht'r in{placc'shcrc vitl lcucc is rifc' at tht bountlarv of that rvhichcscaPcs 'ohcsion, e u'ho ref' lcctsvithin cohcsion t-alizesthat thcre is no lrll.tgt'ranY (x)m fcrrhinl'

r0


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Introduct ion

This theon' of rerligion outlines lvhat a f inished rv


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I I ]EOF]Y OF REL LGION

undcniabledclicicncies;t l imits all rcal PnrtosoPnv' Irt 'scientist s hc u'ho agrceso u'ait ' ' fhc philosopherhimsclf

l imits all rcal philosophiTh.'\\ 'aits, but he cannot tlo so lergitirnatclv' 'hilosophvrcspontls from thc start to an irrcs


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mt'.t .f thought to r( 'stri(,tt:( l ftrntains,rssr,ientistsl., r.tct' .t ' cclultl rssirnil;rteht' .t cluir.tlk'


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PRnr ONU

The asic Data


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CH,qpr tn I

Animal i ty

Immanence of the Eater and the EatenI considt ranimalitv frclma narro\\ r i t upoint that sci msquestionablc o mt:, but its value u,ill become clear in thecoursLr f thc cxposition. From this vieu,point,animalitvis immc


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a

BA:JIIJ DAIA

thc othcr callnot confront it in an afflrmation clf thatdif crcncc.

Animals of a givcn speciesdclnot cat one anothcr' ' ' 'I'crhaps, but thiJ tloes not matter if thc goshau'kcatingtht hcn tlocs not clistinguish t crlearlv rom itsclf in thes311s \dY that u'e distinguish an object from ourselves'

Thc distinction requires a positingof thc obiect as such'

'l'hcrc cloesnot extst anv rJjscernib/eifferencc f the obiccthasnot been posited' Thc animal that anothcr animal eatsis rrot yct given as an obiect' Betr'r'eenhe.animal that iseate,tan,l lh o,l that eats, herc is no rclation of subor-djnat iot. l l ikethatc.onrrect inganobjcct 'athing,tOman,rvho rcluses o be vicu'ed u' u thlt'g' For thc animal' noth-ing is givcn through time' It is insofar as

\\'L-arc hunlanthat thc obiect exists n time rvhcre ts duration is perccp-tible. llut the animal caten b1' another exists this side ofcluraticln; t ts cotlsumr:d,clestroved'ancl his is only a dis-appearancc n a rvorlcl rvhere nothing is posited beyonclthe present.

Th.r. lI; Ilothing in animal life that introduces thcrelation .,f the n-'a't- r o the onc hc commands' nothingthat might cstablish atttonom)' on ont: side and depen-,1.n.. .il the othcr' Animals' since thcv cat one another'are of ul-requalstrcngth' but there is never anvthingbetrveen thcrn excepi that qttantitative diffcrcnce' Thclion is not thc king o[ tht' bcasts: n thc movemext o[ thc

l8


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u.aters he is only a higher u'ave ovcrturning thc other,u,eakcroncs.That onc animal cats anothcr scarcelyaltersa funda-

mcntal situation: everv animal is in rhe world like v,ater nv,ater.1'he animal situation tlocs contain a componcnt oftht'human situation; f ncedbe the animalcan bc rcgardedasa subjcct o r which the rcstof the lr'orkl s anobiect,btrti t is no,er given the possibilitvof rt:ganling tsclf in thislr,av.Elcmentsof this situationcan be graspcdbv humanintcl l igcncc, trt the animalcannclt eolrzehem.

Dependence and Independenceof the Anima|It is true that the animal, likc thc plant, has no autonotnyin relation to thc rest of the r,r,orld.An atom of nitrogen,of gold, or a rnoleculeof water cxist r,vithoutneeding anv-thing from r.vhatsurrounds thcm; they remain in a stateclf perfi:ct immancnce: there is nevcr a necessitv,anclmore generallv nothing evcr matters in thc inrmancntrelationof one atom to another or to others. 'he imma-ncnce of a l i l ing organism n the lr'orld is verv diffcrcnt:an organism secks elemt-ntsar'ound it (or outside it)rvhich are immancnt to it and rvith rvhich it must cstab-lish (rclativclvstabilize) elatior.rs f immancnce.Alreadvit is no longer ike water in watcr. Or if i t is, this is onlvprovidecl t manages o nourisA tself. If it docs not, it suf-

I9


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I'F

f'ersancl lies: he flow (thc immatrcntt) from tlutsirlc crinsirlc, lom insitlt- o ot-ttsiclc, 'hich s organic ife, onlvlasts tn


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consciousncssaking the plat.e of mv consci


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v

I arn onlv abusinga poctic capacit l ' ,substitutinga vaquclulguration lor the nothing of ignorance' I knon': thc

-ii,l .ur-,,lut dispenscr'r'ith a fulguration of r'vorcls hat

nrakt'sa fascinatirrg alo for it : that is its richness' tsglorv, and a sign of sovereigntY. lut this Poctrv is onlv a,uuv bv u'hich a mall gocs from a uorld full of mt'aning tothe tlnal clislocationof meanings' of all mt'aning' u'hichsoon proves to be unavoidable'There is olllY olrtr difler-ence l.,ettueel'rhe absur


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to things.Somcthing ernrlcr, e(.rct, nclpainfulclrau.s utthe intin'racv vhich keepsvigil in us, extcncling ts glim-mer into that animal darkness. n the c.nd,all that I canmaintain is that such a r.icu, uhich plungesme into thcnight ancl dazzlcsr.nc, brings me cl


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thc human that the transccntlcncc lf hings n relation trconsciousncssor of consciousncssr.r clationto things) smanifestt 'r l . ntlecd transct'ntlcnccs ntlthing if it i : rr,tembrvonic, f it is not constitutedassolidsare,ul 'r ich s t


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bet*t-tn itsclf ancl thc u,orld. Attractir.c or distrcssingphcr.ronrcna risc lx-fbrc it; othcr phcnomenado not cclr-respondeither to indiridualsof the samespecies,o foor o anvthingattractir . or reltcllcnt,so that rvhatappearshas no l l t-aning, or is a siqn of somcthingclse.Nothingbrcaksa cor.rt i l ruitr-in hich fi 'ar tselfrloesncltannouncc.anvthing that nright bc distinguishcdbcfore being cleacl.Fi rcn the f ight ing bctucen r i ra ls is anothcr convulsionu hcrc insubst.rntial harlou.s nrcrqc fr-orr the inevitablcr('sponsr-so stimuli. If thc anim.rl hat hasbrought clow.nits rir.rl locs rot .lpprehendhc otht-r'sdeathasdoesa manbeharing tri trrtrpl.rantlr ',his is bc-r.ausets riral hatl notbnrkcn a conti l tuitv hat thc rival 's lt-ath oes rot recstab-l ish. ' l -h iscont inui tv rr . ls not cal lcd into qucst ion,butr.rthcr l.rc rlcnti tr of dcsircsof tu o heings (,tolte ag.rinsttht'other in mortal combat. fhc apathr.that hc gazcof theanimal cxprcsses ftcr thc combat is the sign of an exis-tence hat isessent ia l l r .on lcvcln i th thc uor ld in uhichi t moves ike natcr in uatcr.

25


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Culr , r ln l lHumanity and the Development

of the Profane World

I-or thc momcnt, I rr ll not trv to gir.e thc fbregoing afirmcr support. What I har,e aicl mplics an excursionofthe intcllcct outsidt the domain of the cliscontinuous .hit.l.ris at le.rst ts pr ivi lcgccl omain. Iuish to pass r i thoutfirrther clc.lavo that solid milicu on lr hich.r,r chink rrccan rclt .

The Positing of the Object: The ToolThc positingof thc otr ject, vhich s not givcn n anirnalitv,is in thc human ust-of tools; hat is, i f the tools as middleterms are adaptcd to thc intendecl rcsult - if thcir uscrsperflcct them. Insofar as tools arc der,elopcd rvith thcirend in vicw, consciousness osits them as objects, asinterruptions n thc indistinct continuitv. The clcrelopccltool is thc nascent brm o[ thc non-|.

J hc tool brings extcriority into a rvorlcl u,here the:t /


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subjecthas a part in thc elcmcnts t distinguisl 'res,r'hcreit has a part in the u'orld and rcmains likc r'r'ater nwatcr. Therelcment n u'hich the subjt 'cthas rpart - thcurrrkl, an animal,a plant - is not subordinatc


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ND THF PNOFANE WORID

truc cnrl, n'hich r,r'oukl cn,t ' no purposc. What a ,,trucencl rcintrocluc.ess the continuous bcing, lost in thelvorltl l ikc uatcr is lost in uatcr-:or clsc, f i t u.erea bt,ingas rlistinc't s a tool, i ts meaningw.clukl avc o bc soughton thc planeof uti l i tv, of thc tcxrl; t u.or-rltl o longcr be,a truc cn


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havc made is; I can makc anothcr onc likc it, but I w'ouldnot be able to make another being like me in the r'r'avhata rvatchmaker makcs a u'atch (or that a man in the ageof the rein


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ND IHE PROFANE WORLO

appeared as f thcy \\,erccomparable o thc digging stick,or thc chippcd stone) clemcnts hat u.ercanclnonethelessremained continuous rvith thc w,orld, such as animals,plants, other men, and finallv, thc subject determiningitsclf. ' fhis means n clthcr uorrls that r.r'c lo not knou.ourselr.esdistincdv ancl clearly until the clayu,c scc our-selvcs from the outsicle as anothcr. Moreoverr, his rvillclcpendon our fi rst having listinguishcclhc other on theplane u.hcre manufactured things have appearcrl to usrlistinctly.

This bringing of clcments of the same naturc as thcstrbject,or the subject tsclf l onto thc planc of objects saluavs prt'carious,unccrtain,and uncvcnlv rcalizerl.Butthis rel.rtireprccariousncss attcrs lcss han thc dec.isivcpossibilitvo[ a r.ier.r'pointrom u'hich the imnranentcle-mcnts are pe'rceivcclrclm the ontside .rs objt 'cts.ht thecncl, w'e pcrceive each appcarance subjcct (ourst-lr.es),animal, mincl, u'orld - from u'ithin an


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insolaras his is possiblc.But ar-r bjcctivitvof dris nature,clcar as to the scparate ositingof onc element,rcm.rittsconfuscd: hat elemcnt kceps all tl'rcattributcs of a subicctanclan objcct at thc same inrc. Thc transccndctrcef' thctool and thc crcative facultv connectcd r'r'ith its usc areconfr.rscdlv attributt-tl to dre ar.rimal, tl-rc plant, tlrcmeteor; thcv are also attributcd to thc t-ntire u'orld.*

The Positing of Things as Subjects'Ihis first confirsionbeingcstablisht'd, plancof'subjcc'ts-objectsbeingdelincd, he tool itself canbe placcdon it ifncetl rc. l 'he objcct that the tool is can tsclf bc regarclcdas a subject-obicct. t then reccivcs he attr ibutcs of thcsubjcct anrl t akes its place rlc:xt o those aninrals, hoscplants, those mctc


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as a u'hok' l l r t i t rcmainsscparat( 'ast rras n tht 'mint lof thc ont 'uho nrar lc t : at thr m(rr( ' l t t t l . rat ui tshim, anran can rt'gard this objcct, an arro\\ 'sa\' , as his fclloulrt ' ing, u ithout taking au al tl 'rc oltcrativc ltou cr anrltransc'cntlcnc'cf tht' arro\\. Ont' r'ou]rl ' '( 'n sav hat anobjcct thus transposc'tls not rlitiert'nt, n tht' ir lagirrationof thc onc uho c'oncei lcst, f i 'onruhat he himsclf s: hisarro\\, i r r his eves, s rapablt ' of act ing, thinking, anrlspcaking ikc hirl.

The Supreme BeingIf rrc norv picture mtn cor.rccivinghc uorkl ir.r hc lightof an cxistcnce that is continuous (in relation to thcirintimac'r', ht' ir rlccp subjcitivitr '), uc must alsclpcrceircthe nccd for them to .rttr ibutcto it thc r,irtucso1'a hirrq t 'apableol 'at' t ing, thinking, ancl s1>caking just as m(.nrlo). In this rcduction to a rfi inq, hc uorld is gircn boththc fornr of isolatt 'c ln


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-

all an impovcrishrncr-rt.hcrt ' is tloutrtless,n tht' invcn-tior rof a supremebt'ing, a clctt'rmirration o rlc{ltri' a valilethat is grcater than anv othcr. But t l ' r is lt 'sirt ttr i tttrt 'ast'rtsults in a diminution. The objt-ctivcpcrsonalitvof thcsul)rcme bcing situates t in thc 'uvorlrlnext to other per-sonal bcingsof the samc lratllrc, subjectsantl objt 'cts atthc samt't ime, ike it, but fronr u'hich t is clearlvcl isti trct.Mcn, animals, plants, hcavcnlv bodies, mt:tcors. . . I fthrsc arc' at thc sarnt' i t lc things and intimatc bcings,thrv can bc cnvisaqcrl ext o a suprem(- cing ol this tvpc,u'hich, l ikc thc others, s in thc rvorl


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The SacredAll pcopleshar c cloubtless 'onceved this suprcme bcing.but tht' opcration secms o have fai ledcvcryu'hcre.1'hcsuprcmcbeing apparentlv lid not have n\. prestrgc om-parablc o that rvhichthe God of thc Jeu,s, nd later thatof the Christians, .r 'aso obtain. As if thc opr-rationhacltakc'rrplacc at a timc u'hen thr scnscof continuitt ' uastoo strong,as if the ar.r irnal r divine continuitr.of l ir . ingbeings r,r'ith thc lr.orld harl at first sccmcd limitcd,irnpor.erishedv a l irst clumsyattempt at a rccluction oan objcctir.c indiviclualitv. fheri: is everv indication thatthe first mcn wcre closcr than \\'e are to thc animal s.orld;thcv distinguished hc animal from thernsrlvcs1>crhaps,but not uithout a fcelingof rloubt mixed r,r ' i th error andlonging. The sense >fcontinuitl that u,c must attribute toanimalsno longer rnprcsscdtselfon the mind une.cprir,o-callv (the positingof distinc'tobjcctsu'as n fat' t ts nt'g;r-t ion). But i t had c.lerivcd ne\\' significance rom the(ontrast it (brrncd to thi' u'orltl of things. This continuitt',u'hich fbr the animal could r.rot bc. distinguisheri frornanvthingclse,w,hichuas in i t ancl br i t thc onlv possiblemode of being, olfe ecl man all the lascinationof thesacred u'clrlcl,as against the por.crtv of the pr


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( l istinct. n thc first plac'e, hile it is truc thal the confu-sion has not tcast'd in thc' utir ld tl f tnists, thc lattt 'r t l tropposc an opaque aggregatc o a clear uorld. This aggrc-gatc appearsdistincdv at thc boundan of that u'hich isclear: t is at least


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I lUMANITY AND TFIE PROIANE W(JRL D

t ions, thc hierarchv of spir i ts tcnds to bc basctl on alirnrlar.cntalcl istinc't ir l . e'tr 'r .cn pirits rrat


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Within the limits of continuitv,er,crvthing s spir i tual;tht'r t ' is no oppositiono[ the minrl an


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HIJMANITY AND TI]t Pf]OFAI E WORI D

The Eaten Animal, the Corpse,and the ThingThe definit ion of thc animalas a thing ltasbccomca basichurnangircn. ' l 'hr :anintal ' ras


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ances, \ enharclcnc


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\ f lLl TlrE PH()f.\ fJE WORI D

The Worker and the TooIGenerallvspcaking, hc uorlr l of things s pcrc.civcrl s afi l lcn rrorkl. It t ntai ls tht, al i t-nati


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pu1x)se is not his orvn PurPosc antl during thc tirncuhcn hc is tcntl ing the stock, tht: purpost of thc stockraist r s not his o\\ n PurPosc.Thc agriculturalprocluttancl he l ivestockarc things,ancl he thrmt r r lr thc stockraist r,


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CHAr rr -u I I ISacr i f ice, the Fest ival , and thePrinciples of the Sacred World

The Need That Is Metby Sacrifice and Its PrincipleThc flrst fruits of the harvcst or a he.rclof livestock arcsacrit lccd n


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lnan an(l arc nothinq o hirn, u'hich hc knous lrom thcoutsi


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that urrr lcl of things on u.hich clistinc't ealin s founded.It could not derstrovhc animalasa thing u' i thout denvingthe animal'sobjcctive realit,v. his is rvhat gives thc lr,orldof sacrifice an appcaranccof puerilc gratuitousness.Butonc cannot rt the same imc destro_l 'lrc values hat fbundrcality an


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l)uration ceascs o haveranl. r,aluc,or it is there only inordcr to produce thc morbid


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mcasurclcss iolcncc s a danger o thc stabil i tt of things,an afflnnation hat is fulh,rocalccl onlv in death.Thc realorrkrr must annul - nt trtral izt that intimatc l i lc an


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It is a naivcopinion that l inks dcath closclv o sorrou..' l 'hertcars of the l ir ing, n,hich respond o its r.oming,arcthemsclveshr from lraringa mcalringoppositc o jov. Farfronr bcing sorroulir l , thc tcars arc the cxprcssionof .rkccn au,arcncss f shared iie graspcd n its intimacv. t istruc tlrat this auart.ncss s nt'r 'r 'r keener than at thcmomcnt r 'r 'hcn b.senr:esuclr lcnlvcplaccsprcst'nce, s inrleath or mere sr.paration.Anrl in this casc, thc con-solation in the strong scnsc hc u'orcl has n thc conso-lations of the mvstics) s in a sensebitterlv tie


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SA.]RIFI.Jf TFF fFSTIVAI Itst . ,Act]EI) W.rRLf)

not to kil l but to rt ' l inquishand to givc. Kil l in.q s onlv thccxhibit ion of a rleep me;rning.What is important is t


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manuf;(turc of its uscfi.rlnesst tht' outsct, luxun. lrasalrcaclvdevro,vedhat labor; i t has clissipatedt in vain-glon; in the vcrv monrcnt, t has ost it for goocl.To sac.-r i l lcc a luxun'objct t ur>tr l< lrc to sacr i f lcc hc samco[r -j t 'ct tu ic t ' .

l lut ncither coulelongcclcl mmancnce, oulcl not har.cbct-nseconrl-arilv subjugatt ' t l , lomcsticatccl, nrl rt 'r luc.crlo bt' ing athing. Sacrif icc s rtrarleof objt 'cts hat c.ouklhavt l teenspir i ts,suc'has animalsor plant sutrstanccs,ut that harctrecornchingsan


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SAL]FIf CF IFE FES]TIVAI THE S]A']RED WT)I] I

sti l I a nergative t' f lnit ion, lrom uhich the csscntial smissing.' fhese statcmcntshave thc vagut'clualitvof inacccssi-ble rlistances, ut on the othcr hand artictrlatccl lefinitionsstrbstitutc hc trcc lbr the forest, hc clistinctarticr,r l .rt ionlbr that u'hich is articulatcd.

I u'ill resrlrt to articr,rlationncvcrtheless.l 'aracloxicallv,ntimacv is r, iolcncc,and it is destnrc-

tion, l>ccausct is not compatiblcu' i th thc positingof thr-scparate ndividtral. I one descri lrcshe indiviclual n theopt'rationof sacrif ice, c is t lefincd bv anguish.Br.rtf sac-rifice is distressing, he: erasons that the indiviclual akcspart in it. Thc indir iclual clentif ies ith the victim in thcstrrklcnnrovomcnt hat restclrcst to inruranenceto inti-nrac\'),but the assirni lationhat is linkerl to the rt' turn toimmanernccs noncthcless ascdou thc lact that the ric-tim is the thing, just as he sacrif lcer s the intl ividual. l 'hcst'parate ndivir lual s of tht' sam('nature as thc thing, orrathr:r thc anxiousness o remain pcrsonalh'ali c thatt'stablishcshe pt'rson's nclivir lu.r l i tvs l inkc


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vHF gASIC OAIA

asonc might think, a thing bccaust, c is afraicl.Hc u.or,r lr lhavcno anguish f he- lcre not the intl ir , iclualthc, hing),.rnd it is .ssentiallv he fac.tof lx-ing an irrr i ir i , l al thlrtfucls his anguish. t is in .rclcr to ..ati .f i thc rlenranrlsfthc tl-r ing, t is insofaras rht,uorkl nf ihi,-,gs;as positerlhis duration as tl.rt basic .onditionof his uorth, that hr.learnsanguish. {e is alrait lof death assoon ashc entcrsthr. ststr:mof projec,tshat is the order of things.Deathclisturbshc ordt r ol thingsanrl thr:orclerof thinq. holtJ,.us. lV1ans afrair lof thc intimatc ordcr that is not recon_cilable rvith thc ordcr of thirrgs.C)thenvise hcre rvoulclbc no sacrif ice,and thcre rroirkl bc no mankincleitht,r.The i t imat. order u.lulcl ot re car itserf n the clestruc-tion and the sac.rcd ngrrishof the intl ividual. l lccau.scrnan is not squarclyu.ithin that ordcr, but onlv partakcso[ it through a thing that is thrtatcne


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,AaRELl WC)nLtr

anrl contagiousmovemcnt of a purelv gloriousconsump-tion. Thc sacrccls cxactlv c omparableo thc flame thatclcstro-vshc u ood bv corrsuming t. l t is that oppositcofa thing u hir:h an r,rnlirnitcd ire is; it sprcads, t racliatcshr-at an


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tsE BAS]C DATA

sets it loosc. Thc fcstival assernblesmcn rvhom the con_sumptio' 'f the c.orrtagio,.sf-fcri 'g (co'r 'runi 'n) ,pensup to a c.onflagration, ut one that is limitecl by a counter_r.ai l ingprudence: thcre is an aspirati.n for destructionthat brcaks,ut in tl .rc t.stiral, -,r,t h.. is a conse^,.atrr.cprudcnce hat regulatr:s nd inrits t. On thc one hand,allthc possibilitiersof consumption arc brought togt-ther:danccanclPoctrv,ntusicand tht.


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t IE sncuaD WiIFLL)

cnscmblt' hat is at stakc n thc rituals.Fclr ht' sak'' '' r f arcol ctttnrnutritr ' , f a st-,cialat' t that is gircn as a tlr irrgof a commclnopcration n vit'u of a futtrrctimt' - thc fcs-tiral is l imiterl: it is itsclf intt 'gratt 'cl s a link in thc ton-catctrat ion l fus, ' luluorks. As


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subjec't-objcct), ut its posit inghas he r,alut- f a l irnit tothe irnmanenccol' tht ' fcstiral anri, f irr this reason, hcthing aspcct s acccntuatcrl.f thc f i 'st ival s not vet, r>rncrlongcr, un


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INt SA IIFD WORLLI

looking firr rrhat it has tscl{' lost,antl ulrat it mttst krsc,',g.i,, , it


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F]L tsASII] I ]AIA

can l) r i l tg t t


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From the Unfettered Violence of Wars tothe Fettering of Man-as-ContmodityThis lalse anrl sr,rperficial haractcr has sc rionsconsc-quenccs.War is not l imitccl to fbrrns o[ uncalculatedhavoc. Although ht- rcmainshrnt.rrilv nd fclr agivcn time .C)nlv he slavr ,u.hom thc nri l i tan or-dcrhasmaclc a comnroclitr ,


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HE BAS]C t ]ATN

surr( 'ndcrs thc slave, rvhclscscrr.i tudcac.centuateshcdcgrarlationof the-human or


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intcrnal violencc, he t-ssernccf sacri l ice, s not satisfieclbv it. Intensc consulnption requires victims at thel toprvho arc not onlv the uscful lr'calth of a pcoplc, but thispeoplc itself; or at lcast,clcmcnts hat signifv t and thatuil l be dcstined br sacrif ice, his time not orving to analit-nation from the sacrerlu'orlcl - a flall but, quitc thc(ontrar\, orl ' ing to an cx(cptional prclximitv, sr-rch s thesovc'rcign r thc children(u'host'ki[l ing finallv ealizcs hcperfbrrnancc lfa sacrif ice u'ice clvcr).

One could not go further in the dcsire o consumc helife substancc. ndecd, one coukl nclt go morc recklcsslythan this. Suchan intenscmovemcnt of consumption c-sponds to a movcment of malaisc bv crcating a greatermalaise. t is not thc apogce ol a rcl igious svstem,butrathcr the moment rvhcn it condemns tself: r'vhcn he oldfbrms har e ost part of their virtuc, it can maintain itselfonlv thnrr,rgh xcesscs,hrough inn


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Rel igionLimits

P. nl Twct

Within theof Reason

From tl rc Mi l i tarv Orr lerto Inr l ustr ia l Grou.th


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C tt .t t t, t IThe Mil i tar l Orcler

From a Balance of Resources arrdExpendi tures to the Accumulat ion ofForces with a View to Their GrowthHuman sac rific ecstifies at thc same inrc tcl an cxct ssofneal th anr l o a ven painful uav of spcncl ingt . I t gcner-al lv led to the con


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-

Larv and moralitv also have their placc in the empirein that thcv rle ine a universal cccssity of tht: rclation ofeach thing r,r ith thc othcrs. But tl-rcpo\\ cr of moralitvrermainsorcign to the svstembasedon extcrnal violcncc.Moralitv only touches this s1 stcmat thc border r.vherelar r s integratcd. And thc connection of the one and thcother is thc middle terrn bv r.vhich onergocs from theempirc to thc outsicJc, rom the outside to the cmpirc.

6lJ


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Cu,qp r l :R I IDual ism and Moral i ty

The Positing of Dualism and theShifting of the Borders of theSacred and the ProfaneIn a u orlcl lominatc


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( 'ontagion h.rt uhich it t:ttmes lost' o, that thc bcncfl-ccnt s1>ir i tsrc rrretl iatclrst' ttvt 'cn hc profancrv


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tusc' lcssclnsumpticlr.Jut it lrccclrncs ossiblconlt ' *hcnsclvcreigntr ' ,n thc


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kincl is immanent. In the manipulation of objccts and,generallv, in rclatiotrs u ith objects, or nith subicctsrcgar


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The Negation of the Immanenceof the Divine and lts Posi t ing in theTranscendence of ReasonThc moment of changc s givcn in a passage:hc intcll i-giblt sphcrt is rt r ealed n a transport, in a su


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is not so much a


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SM AND MORAL TY

outcomc of thc opcration.But u.hi lc thc inclividual hathe is cannrt lea'e this *'or[cl rlr corl lcct hirnsclf i th thatn,hich goesbe1'ondhis or.r,nimits, hc glimpses n the sucl_den au.akeninghat rvhich cannot be graspcdbut u,hic:hslips awav precisclv as a d61d u. For him this d6jd vu isuttcrlr, different from that rvhich he sees,u,l.rich s alu,avsseparated rom him - ancl br thc samcrcasonfrom itsclt.It is that rvhich is intcl l igible o him, u.hich au.akcnsherecollection n him, but u.hich s immediatelv ost in thr-in'asion of scns.rv data,rvhich reestablish eparatiorrr.ral l sir les. his separate cing is precisclva th;ng n that itis separatedrom itself-:r is thc thing ancl hc sc1;aration,but .ref is cln thc (.ontrarvan intimacv that is n()t .\r,p.r_ratcrl frorr anvthing (cxcept that rvhich .scparatc.st.sclf.from this intimaq., thu.s r, and u,ith it thc rrholc rrorl


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RFLI'JION WITHlN TIlF L{MlTS OI RI

movemt-r)tn nhich it is gi l t 'n. In lact i t is in learing thcu'ori


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'l'hc u'eakncssof sacrific'e' 'as that it e'r'entuallvost itsvirtue and finallvestablishcd n onlt 'r of sac'rt 'dl i inri.s,rrstas st'rr le as that of rcal objects. fh.. dcep afflnnation ofsacrifict:, thc affinnation of a dangcrous so','e'reigntv fviolt 'ncc, at least tenrlctl to maintain an anguish thatbrought a longing fcrr ntirnac to an arvakencdstatc, ona lcvel tcl u,hich violcncc alone has thc filrcc tcl raisc us.But i f i t is true tl .ratan cxc't-ptional iolcnce s rcleascclntransct'ndcncc t the momcnt of i ts mlcncc annot rt-maintaincrl irrlong- thc positingof the'


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CttAI, t t ,n l l l

Mcdiation

The General Weakness of Moral Div ini tvand the Strength of EvilPrt-cisch bccausc a ,r akcning s thc meaning of rlualism,the inevitablt slet o that fbllrl* s it rcir.rtroduces vil as amajor force. The llatness tcl u l.rich a dualism n itl ror,rttransccnrlcncc is limiterl opens up the mir.rd to tl.rcsovcrcigrrtvof cvi l nhich is thc unleashingof violcnct .The sor,ercigntr f goocl hat is inrpl ici l bv thc au akeninganrl rcalize


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apparcnth nfc r i


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he excludcsviolcncc,anrl hc is divinc, open to intimacr ,onll insofar as hc in lact prcscn,cs hc old violencc r.r ithinhim, rvhich he does not havc the rigor to excluclc,and tcrthis cxtcr-rt t is not the goclof rcason,u,hich s thc truthof gooclncss.n thcorv this involvesa u.eakcningof themoral divine in favor of ervi l .

The Mediation of Evil andthe Impotence of the Avenging GodA first mediation of o i l has alu.avsbeen possible. 1,before mv cvcs, the real forc csof cr,il kill mr lricnd, theviolcncc introcluces ntimacr, n its most active fclrn. Inthc statc of opennessn r.r hich find mvself due to a vio-lcnce undergone, in thc mournful rer,elation of clcath, Iam in accord lr ith thc divinit-vof goodncss hat condemnsa cruc l act. In thc divine disorclerof crimc, I call for theviolcncc that lvill restore therdcstrovccl


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in cxcluclingvicl lencex violcncc(anclhc is lcss so thanthc cxcluderlviolcncc, uhicl r is thc neccssarvmc(l iationof his divinit,v), ut he is divint onlv insofaras -rc pposesrcasonantl t l rcgoocl;ancl f he is a pur( rationalmoralitv,hc ou cs his rcmaining rl ir . initv o a name,ancl o a pro-pensitv to enrlurc or.r tl.rc part of that u hich is notdcstrovcd rom tht outsidc.

The Sacrif ice of the DivinitvIn thc sccond lorm of mcdiation thc violencccomcs tothc divinitv from thc outsiclc. t is the divinitv itsclf thatundcrgocs t. As in thc positing ol a god of r,t ngeancc,crimt is nccessarvirr the rcturn of tht intimatc orrler. Iftht re u asonh man, of t l rcorder of things,and the moraltl ivinitv, tht re coulr l not be anv tlccp communicationbctn ccn hem. Man includi:d n thc ordcr of things w ouldnot be ablc both to lift ancl to preserve that ordcr. Ther,iolcnccof o i l must intcn cne firr thc orrlcr to be l i l tctlthrough a clcstruction, ut thc ol lered victim is itself the


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gootl hasclcflncdas such s cxtt rnal o thc moral divinitr .Thc onc u,ho r-rndr-rgocshc violcnce o[ cvil can also bccallc


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RELIGION WITI]LN fHE LIM S OF REASC)N

fbnns that lrhich thc rnovcrncntof transcendcnccmadethem: an intclligible l-rcr,onrlof bcing, v.here t .srruare.rlntlmoc,t.

llut the sacrificeof the clivinitv is muc_-h ore i.lost,h.ticd to the .qeneral xclusionclf the given r,i ,, lenceshanuas transccnclence,u hosc nroventent of vicllence lr.asgir,cn ndepcn


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cncluring hat is govemed bv the operation.At thc sametimc it is posited as thc result of opc-rations nalogous othosc of the rcal ordcr anclpursued in that order.

In actual ict the intimateordcr is subordinatcrlo thercal x orld onlv in a supcrficial rval . Unclcr tht. sorcr-cigntv ol moralitv,all the operations hat claim to cnsurcthc return of thc intirnatt: order arc thosc that the rcalu orlJ reqr-rirt-s:he extcnsive prohibitions that arc girenas the precondition frtr thc return are aime-dprimarilv atprcsen ing hc disordcrof the u orld of things. n the end,the rnan of salvationclid morc to bring thc principlcsofthe orclcr of things into the intimatc order than to sub-ordinate that productive ordcr to thi. t lcstructi lc con-sumptionsclf thc intirnate- rdcr.

So this r,vorldof mcdiation and of rvorks of salvationis lcd trom the start to erxceedts limits. Not onl_v rc thcvicllcncershat moralit_v on


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CH,qpl ' r ,n IVThe Rise of Industry

The Positing of a Conplete Lack ofRelat ions Betwetn Divine Int imacv andthe Real Order-l 'hcu'orld


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and thc divine splcn


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t ion, tht' transcr-nrlcncc lf rt 'as


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l l lN THE L MtTS OF l- IEAS(JN

intercst h.rc-br' lo*'; the principlt ' of ' .nP.


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] ISF OF II iDUSTRY

rlas rccluircrl fbr the rational org.rrrizaticin f ln cnrpirc, .r.scon('crns he use


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Rf I IGION WITHIN THE I IMITS Of FFASON

tr'r,::,::': r',',ol- t he p oduc ve ope a on gene a h' dom no edConsecluently,mcrclv bv disputing thc value of the

ope-ration nsof-ar s its e.fferct\rassupposed


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9l

It soonbccamcapparcnt hat bv bccomingman of thcautonomous thing, man nas ber'omingmore estrangerlfrom himsclf han o'cr bcfbrc.This cornplete cission ur-rcnrlerecl is lifi' to a lnor.cmt'nt hat hc no longercontrollecl,a movcment lvh


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alongsidc t givt-s he imprcssionof a clcthroncclsovercigrr.It is clear that thc majoritv of mankincl .s ight'.comparedto thc industrial r ise, thc rcst is insignificant. )oubtlcssthis majoritv has let itsclf be reducedo the orderof things.But this generalizedreduction, this perfcct firlf'illment ofthe thing, is the ncccssary ondition lbr the c:onscious ntlful ly do.elopeclposingo[thc problem of man's reductionto thinghood. Onlv in a u,orld r,r,here he thing hasreducccl crven'thing,r,r.herc hat r.r.'asncc opposed to itrcvcals he povcrtv of equivocalpositions and incvitablcshifts can intimac'yaffirm itself *' i thout anv morc com-promiscs han thc thing. Only thc giganticrlcvclopmcr.rtol thc means of procluction s capalrlcof fullv rcvcalingthc meaning of procluction,u,hich is tl 'renclnproductivcconsumption of u.ealth thc fulllllment of scf-consciou.rnessiIr the lrec outbursts of thc intimate orrlcr. Br rthe momcntu'hcn cclnsciousncss,cllectingback on itself, crcals tselfto itsclf anrl sccspr


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closclr tic


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and got rkllr n to the u ork of scicr.rcr , hcrt objccts areclcarlv and distinctlv knoun. Prccisc claritr. u as thusbrought into consciousncss nd it organizcd hc rationalmodesof consciousness.lut as thc instrurncntof knonl-cdgedevelopcd, coplc tricd to trsc t to examinc hc inti-matc ordcr. In this u.av clear consciousnt-ssvas gir,e nahvbritl contcnt. l ht intimatc order, fundamentallv nreal,aclaptcd ts arbitran mvthical rcprcscntations o the logi-cal forms of thc consciousncss f clbjects. t thus intro-duce


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intimacy, but thc goocl u,ill that rcccivcs thcm is aln ar,srnixcd rvith disappointment. FIolr. meek these voicessccm. l lorv defcnsclessheir cquivocations eaveus, laccdu,ith thc clcar cxpression of rcalitv. Authoritv andauthenticitvarc entirclv on the sideof things,of produc-tion and consciousncssf the thing produced.All thc rcstis vanitv and confirsion.

This uncqual situation linallv posr.s the problem inclerar enns. l he intimate ordcr is not reached f it is noterlcr.aterdo thc authenticitv and authoritv of the realu,orld and rcal hr.rmanitv.l his implics, as a matter of fact,thc rcplacement of compromisesbv a bringing of its con-te nts to light in the clomain of clear and autonomousconsciousncsshat sciencc asorganizt-d.t impliesSHI-F-CONSCIOUSNESS aking up the lamp that sciencchasmaclc to illuminatc objects an


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RFL GION WIf HIN THE IIMITS OF REASON

IX'(t it to bc prcljcc'tt'


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99

RISF OF INt)LJSTRY

positior.rs;t implics the h,r 'pothesisbrrnulatc,


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N THE lMl l : j OF RE

crountcring t onlv \\'ith thc limits of moralitv. Likc thcan'haicrel igions, hev expressh' roposetl o mairltain t,ncvcr litiing it unlt'ss ho' had first cnsurcrl ts stabilitv. hrd'reencl, hc' rcalitv princill le triumllhed o't 'er ntitnac:r"

What is rt'quircd bv sclf-consciousncsss not rcallvthc dcstructic-,nf thc ordt'r of things. l-heintimateortlercannot truh' destr


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l0r

t l l : lF ( fF l l DUSTlty

The General Destruction of ThingsT'r bigi' r 'r ' ith, c l'rareclcar consc.iousncss' its elab.-ratcd fbrrn. []urtht'r, the 'orld of prrclut.t ici., he ,^lcrof things,hasrcachctl hc point of cler.clopmcnt .hcrc itdoes nclt knou r'r'hat o tlr uith it. pr,,, lucts. fht. f irstcolrdit i 'n makt:sdestructiorp'ssible; he secondmakes tncccssar\'.lut this cannot bc donc in the cmpvrean, hatis, in unrealitv, to w'hich thc religior-rspproachusuallvleads.The moment of decision lemands, n thc contrarv,a considcrationclf t lre poorcst and least ntim.rtt.aspe(,tsof thc problenr. Wt' must dcsc.enrl olr. to the lor.r.ester elof the lr.orld of man's reducticin to thinghoorl.

I can shut mvsclf up in mr. r..,n., .r-,-,1ook there forthe clear an


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Nou I plac'er largc glassof alcohol on rnv tablcI har.cbere'nseful. I havc rought a tablc, a glass,etc.But this tablc is IX)t a mcanso[ labor: i t helpsmc ttr

clrink alcohol.In st' tt ingmv drinkingglass n thc tablc, o thi l t cxtent

I havedestrqr, t1,, pl',\e,or at le'ast liave


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supcrlluous univcrsc u.hcre it is clissolr.ecl,he mass olcflbrts is nothing n('\t to thc lutil itr o[ a singlcmornenr.-l 'he frcc vet submissir.t,momt.nt, furtivcl.v nr.olrc


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REI IGION WITI]IN LIMITS OF REASON

uill not clestrovhumanitv itself. Thc destruction of thcsubject as an indiviclual is in fact impliccl in thc tlestruc -tion of the objerct s such but n ar is not the inevitablcform of the destruction:at anY atc, t is not thc ctlnsciousform (that is, i f sclf-consciousnesss to bc, in thc gcneralsensc.human).

104


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c


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Thc positing of a rcligious attituclc that q ould rcsult fron.rclcar consciousn('ss, nd r'r'oultlexcluclc, f not thc ecstaticfbrm of rel igion, then at least its mvstical fbrm, differsradicallv rom the attcmptsat fusion that excrcisemintlsanxious to remedy the u'cakness of currct'rt rcligiouspositions.Thost' in thc religious rvorkl u'ho arc alar-rnecl boutthc lack of harmonv, lr,ho look f


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ratc rcligior-ls ossibilitieshar,c revealcd, and to makctheir sharedcontcnt the principle of a human lifc raiserlto universality, sccms unassailabledcspite its insipiclrcsults, but for anvonc to v'homhuman ife is on cxperienceto be carried s.laraspossible,heruniyersolum s necessarilythat of thc rcligious scnsibilitv in time. Svnthesis s mostclearlr,rvhat rcvcals the nced to firmlv link this u'orld tothat rvhich the rcligioussensibilitv s in i ts univcrsalsumin time. This clear evclationof a declineof the rvholc ir.-ing rcligious lr'orld (salient in thesc synthetic forms tliatabandon he narrorvness f a trarlition) u.asnot givcn solong as thc archaic manifestations of religious feelingappeared to us indcpendently of their meaning, likehieroglvphs that could be clcciphered only in a formalr.vay; ut if that mcaning is norv given, if, in particular, thebchavior of sacrifice, thc least clear but the most dir,incand thc most common, ceascs o be closcd to us, thcu.holc of human cxperience is rcstored to r rs. ncl if rveraisc ourseh.'es ersonallv to the highcst degrercof clearconsciclusncss,t is no longer the scn'i le thing in us, butrathcr the sovereignvhosc presencc in the world, fromhcad to fcrot, from animality to sciencc and from thcarchaic tool to thc non-senscof poetrv, is that of unir,er-sal humanitv. Sovt-reignty dcsignates he mor.emcnt offrcc and internallv lr.rernching iolcncc that animates he

110


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nholc, rlissolvcsnto ttars, into ecstasv nd intclburstsoflaughtcr,and rc'r,ealshe impossiblc n lat,ghter,ccstasv,or tcars. But the impclssible hus rer.ealc,l , n.,t anecluivo


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fO WFI()M Ll l - l : IS AN l-.XI l iRI l iN(l l () t t l r (ARRlt i l ) A\FAR AS POSS(IIL[; .. ,

I have not meant t


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Apt, t -Nl tx

General Tablea n d R e f e r e n c e s


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I fecl obligccl o prerscnt table* that makes t possibleovisualize he successive ossibiliticsas a singlc do'clop-ment. This figure emphasizes he dialectical charactt'r ofthe rlevelopmen t rvhose phasesgo from opposition toopposition and from stagnation o movement. But abovcall it offcrs thc aclvantagc f bcing clcar.

Unfortunatelv this claritv has ts draw'backs.It tcnds to dcprivc mv exposition of a virtr rc hat it

mtrst claim.As far aspossible, havetried to present the foregoing

logical movement in thc forrn it rvoulcl havc in thc finalstatc of consciousncss,hat is, clt'tachcd rom an elabclra-t ion of i ts histor ical or ethnographic forms. For th isrcason, haveexcludeddiscussion f thosc lorrns as *cllas rcfcrenccspcrtaining to thcm.

* ' [ 'h t 'e t l i tor of Batai l lc 's omplete tr 'orks nott ,s hat this tablt ' uasnot f i runr l among th


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I uas all thc less nclinccl o l ink thcsedeveloPnlell tsto an analvsts f thc particular rcalities as tht:v are dis-t inct lv scparat( ' rom thc lat ter : bv def ini t ion thtscrealitics corresponcl n a callrititlus, imllerf'cct rvav to thenecessitv hcl ' cxpress. n the last instance his ncccssitvmav hare operatcclunrcscn'cdlv u' i thotr t t-r 'erharingbccn inevitablcat a prccisc moment. Forms that I havepresentcdas being inti:gral u' i th one anothcr maY havt'devcloped at timcs one after the othcr. Morcover, I havt'had to articulatc the stagesof a mon'cment as il there\\'ere a discontinuitv, rvhcrcascontinuity is thc rulc andtransitional forrns havc a t:onsiderable lacc in historv'Ilvbrid forms, rcsulting from contacts in time of rcrvdilferent cir,'ilizations, lso ntroduce conlusion' Finallv, itis clcar that conditions rcgularly 1>resentt .r particularstagcmay rtaPPearanclbcconreoperati lc at stlme sub-scqut-ntstage.

Of coursc this apparer l t ast talncss oes not at al lpreclude possiblc,clr rather , ncccssarY, iscussions.repeat that this pieceof rvork is lar from completion' Andin fact the completecl ork, if i t is possiblc, houldrcsult{iom such cliscussions.t is a common crror of persllcc-tive to think that trv contesting a particular point onccontests thc soliditv of thc outlined lr'holc. J'his u'holc isitself the rcsult of mv o\\'n ct.rntestations nclnot onc ofthem failcd to enrich it, although,past a ccrtain point, I

i l8


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This iustification of thc mcthod follou ccl dot s t.totprevtrnt mc from sccing its rcal disa


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IN BLI : AND REFERENCES

nor all thoseof the cconomy of salr.ation. n thc first placcit n as nclt amenablc o the autonomousdcr.elopmcntofclear consciousness ir of philosophy (yct, through theic:onoclasmhat it opposed to thc }Jyzantinchicratism, itn ent furthcr than the crlassicrnilitarrr ordcr in rcducirrqthc forms of ar t to rcason) .Second, t < l ispense


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to situatca construction hat is rather ocltl lvcliscorlncctedfrom its foun


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l2 l

AND

Eulrt, l)unrnelr\{.7heElementor,t 'orms l theReligiousili,Frct ' l ) ress, 1965. hnr i le Durkhcim sccms o rne to bcunjustlv r l isparaged ona


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lution at the lervcl r ior to ecstasy, 'hic'h s not a rt 'solu-t ion. . . ) . I laving had to c i tc tht- ur i rk of Alcxant l reKoji 'vc herc, I must emphasizt' ne point: uhrtevcr oltin-ion onc may haveof thc c'orrectncssf his intcrytrctationof Hcgcl (anr l I bel ievc thc possiblec ' r i t ic isrns n thispri int shriuklbe assignt'r l nlv a limitt'd valucl, this /nrro-duct ion, elat i rc lv accessiblc, s not only tht : pr imaryinstrttmcntol self-consciousnes.s;t is thc only uav to vicu'thc rar iousaspects lhuman l i f ' t - the pol i t i ial as1>cctsnparticular -


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TABLT' AND REFERFNCES

basisof anl undcrstanrl ing l' (,(.on()m\.s bcing tierl tolirr.rs of r l t 'str.r ' t i . ' of tht' cxc't'ss'l '1>r'r lrc:t ir ,ecti ' i tr ..Stlt 'st- PF.lRt,r,l},Nt..e dualisntcdons l '11ist()ree laphilttutphtct tles cli ,qion.r,.r l l i rnarrl, 946.Sirnor.rc6trc_nrt'nt' u host'moral position s that of the ancielrt nostics,l)rcscuts hr- qrrestirn of tht' lr ist 'r ' ' l ' d..-r l is' * ' i t lr ar.r.rarkablcclarit' in this l i tt lc [ro,rk.Startirg l i .m hr-r


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]RY Of RELIG ON

R. H. T',qwNr.vReligion nd the Riseo-fCapitalism, lar_court, Brace, L'o., 1926.This book'.s nalvscs, aserl na u,eal th of informat ion, shou thc impclr tanccof theclcl i l>eratel isjunc.tio,of tlrc sat-rr., lrnclp*l[a.e *,orlclsthat u.asat thc origin of capital ism.Pnrtcstantismntr


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I

Bataille, Georges - Theory of Religion (1973, 1989) (Hazy)

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Transcript of Bataille, Georges - Theory of Religion (1973, 1989) (Hazy)