Barbarism

The barbarism, derived from the Greek word for Bárbaros not Greek-speaking peoples (see barbarian ), it means colloquially as much as unbridled brutality (see also vandalism).

" Barbarism " can, however, also refer to the Barbary, eg Oswald von Wolkenstein.

Barbarism as an era name

In various concepts of the philosophy of history, one or more periods of barbarism are an integral part of the process of historical development of mankind.

The Nazi dictatorship of 1933-1945 is called because of their inhumanity often than barbarism or " collapse of civilization ".

Friedrich Engels

Lewis Henry Morgan following is according to Friedrich Engels barbarism the era between the savagery of primitive man ( the primitive communism ) and the following class societies, such as the slavery -based economic system ( slave-owning ).

Franz Borkenau

In the end and the beginning ( first English: End and beginning: On the generations of cultures and the origins of the West, 1981) Borkenau makes the case that between collapse and emergence of each new culture circle auftrete the intermediate state of barbarism. Borkenau claims that old and new epoch differ significantly in their attitudes towards mortality.

Either they deny it, such as the immortality of the soul occupies in the culture by an important place, or they accept death as the absolute end true. Initially, new models, which are opposed to the previous culture develop. At the end of this fails, however, that the alternative which are excluded culturally intractable problems raises.

The Jewish or Greek antiquity began as with the recognition of mortality ( cf. Hades ) and ended in the demoralization of late antiquity. The central power ( Rome) lost influence in the peripheral nations. The age of migration was then a time of barbarism ( see for example the " Merovingian abomination ").

In late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, the idea of ​​the immortality of the soul was revived by Christianity. In modern times, the general belief of immortality was lost. Borkenau introduces the new age of barbarism that is the cause back to the end of metaphysics. This gives him an explanation for the genocides of the 20th century. In the comparative genocide research, the pattern of explanation is criticized as too coarse.

Fiction

Isaac Asimov wrote an influence of historical publications, made ​​famous science fiction trilogy, the Foundation cycle, about the possible shortening of historical periods of barbarism.