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Lévy, Elisabeth
2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Jean-François Mattéi on the superiority of European culture
In an interview conducted by Elisabeth Lévy, French philosopher Jean-François Mattéi reflects on what makes up European identity. "All civilisation is defined by a vision of the world. The Indians, the Aztecs saw the world, but not in the same way that the Europeans did. European civilisation puts vision in a privileged position; that which the Greeks called 'theoria'. It's with this theoretical vision that Europe was able to extend its hold over the world, and with this vision was born the works that assured its supremacy. ... The European vision has always aimed at an identity, a scientific identity with the idea of 'the real', an ethical and practical identity via 'the good', an aesthetic identity with 'the beautiful'. For me, there isn't only a specificity, but a superiority to European culture. Other cultures have signs, images, words, but Europeans invented the concept."
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Marcel Gauchet on effacing national identity
The French historian and philosopher Marcel Gauchet, interviewed by Elisabeth Lévy, explains why the Nation State is decried. "As soon as politics is only an infrastructure, it is overlooked and not respected. The State is no longer a venerable collective superego, but rather a provider of services considered too expensive. More than ever, people are shut up in their national identities, but not on an aggressive mode, on a mode of tranquil obviousness. As if their national identity went without saying, they are no longer aware of it. Our supposedly cosmopolitan world is populated by provincials shut up in their local identities who consider themselves citizens of the world because they can press a button on a powerful machine, never aware of just how much it brings them. The unreal climate in Europe comes from the fact that our societies do not realise what they depend on and what allows them to function."
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