Ghost of a flea: The roots of French policy

August 14, 2004

The roots of French policy

It turns out noted Hegel scholar, and sometime mentor to a variety of Marxists, existentialists and surrealists, Alexander Koj�ve wrote a policy piece that appears to have influenced French foreign policy these last 60 years (via InstaPundit). And though it is probably in poor taste to point it out these days, Koj�ve was also a secret Stalinist and a traitor (to France, of all places).

The French, though they have exposed Koj�ve, have yet to condemn him. Perhaps that is a sign of the lingering influence of his ideas. If it is true that we are at the dawn of the �post-historical� era, then working as a spy for the greatest tyranny of the twentieth century might be able to be dialectically interpreted as a �progressive� gesture.

And then... Classical Values points to a contrast between the political philosophy of Koj�ve and Leo Strauss. I had also spotted the Powerline post Eric links and went looking for On Tyranny earlier this summer. This is a useful reminder to keep looking.

Posted by Ghost of a flea at August 14, 2004 10:05 AM

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Moreover, the visible signs of Anglo-Saxon power and affluence, demonstrated among other things by the treatment of prisoners and the behavior of occupying troops, impress all the more upon the Germans the boundless admiration they have always had for their cousins across the English Channel, whereas the scenes of destruction observed in the ussr seem to have created an �anti-Soviet� impression even among the working classes and pro-communist circles.

Fascinating. That observation is made without even a nod to what it truly signifies. Well, it's the same moral (mis)calculations that get under my skin today.

Posted by: Ben at August 14, 2004 03:15 PM