This man's work, especially his writings on language, were the chief secular influence on the Jewish mystical philosopher Gershom Scholem.
This man's work, especially his writings on language, were the chief secular influence on the Jewish mystical philosopher Gershom Scholem. He wrote a treatise about the influence of capitalism on Baudelaire and a criticism of Bertolt Brecht entitled "What is Epic Theater?" His work on Goethe's Elective Affinities claimed that any "document of civilization" is always a "document of barbarism" as well, and a foreword to one of his works discusses the doctrine of "redemptive aesthetics" and claims that Fascism is the viewing of war as art, while Communism is the viewing of art as politics. The declining importance of "aura" is a direct result of the title situation of another of his works, which says that photography and film have entirely changed how people view creativity and performance. For 10 points, name this philosopher who killed himself in despair over the rise of Nazism, the author of "The Storyteller" and "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction."
This man's work, especially his writings on language, were the chief secular influence on the Jewish mystical philosopher Gershom Scholem.
Walter {Benjamin}