In Our Name
- Saturday June 21st, 2008
_ “To articulate what is past does not mean to recognize how it really was. It means to take control of a memory, as it flashes in a moment of danger. For historical materialism it is a question of holding fast to a picture of the past, just as if it had unexpectedly thrust itself, in a moment of danger, on the historical subject. The danger threatens the stock of tradition as much as its recipients. For both it is one and the same: handing itself over as the tool of the ruling classes. In every epoch, the attempt must be made to deliver tradition anew from the conformism which is on the point of overwhelming it. For the Messiah arrives not merely as the Redeemer; he also arrives as the vanquisher of the Anti-christ. The only writer of history with the gift of setting alight the sparks of hope in the past, is the one who is convinced of this: that not even the dead will be safe from the enemy, if he is victorious. And this enemy has not ceased to be victorious.”_ - Walter Benjamin, On the Concept of History. I have had a long and bitter argument with a colleague about the justifications for the use of torture. There was an excellent episode of Compass about the issue. Particularly worth listening closely to are Raimond Gaita’s discussions on moral philosophy. The episode should be compulsory viewing for those idiots who claim there is some justification for torture and abuse. There are no grounds, no “ticking bomb” scenario, under which we can condone the use of torture for any purposes.
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