The belief in continual progress has played a central role in society for many hundreds of years now - both for supporters and detractors. But how much of that belief still exists today? This book offers an overview of the historical thought in Europe, from antiquity to the present day. In essay form it takes us on a sort of mental Odyssey, with the semantic construct of progress as our compass. The author is interested not only in the origins of (...) this concept, but also the way its definition has changed throughout time and not the least the connection between the theoretical concept and actual practice. No patent answers void of history are conjured up for the search for progress today, nor for possible ways to escape an uncertain world. Practical problem-solving, however, may be able to provide more sharpness to the debate and realistically raise our awareness by looking at the paths belief in progress has taken in Europe. Bedrich Loewenstein combines intellectual, political, and culture-historical aspects in this volume. His interdisciplinary approach and European horizon distinguish his work. German text. (shrink)

This text-based biography of the famous German political scientist Kurt Sontheimer (1928-2005), written by his lifelong friend Bedrich Loewenstein in critical empathy, investigates the most important issues and controversies of Sontheimer's lifetime. In this spectrum, much of the political intellectual history of the Federal Republic is reviving - polemics around the German Sonderweg, Thomas MAnn's political essays, the student revolt of the sixties, the German political culture, the political phiosophy of Hannah Arendt etc. Kurt Sontheimer was considered the political conscience (...) of the second German republic and a guardian of democratic values. In many aspects his thinking is worth considering. (shrink)