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To Fight Against This Age

On Fascism and Humanism

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To Fight Against This Age

By: Rob Riemen
Narrated by: Liam Gerrard
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About this listen

In "The Eternal Return of Fascism", Rob Riemen explores the theoretical weakness of fascism, which depends on a politics of resentment, the incitement of anger and fear, xenophobia, the need for scapegoats, and its hatred of the life of the mind. He draws on history and philosophy as well as the essays and novels of Thomas Mann and Albert Camus to explain the global resurgence of fascism, often disguised by its false promises of ushering in freedom and greatness.

Riemen's own response to what he sees as the spiritual crisis of our age is articulated in "The Return of Europa", a moving story about the meaning of European humanism with its universal values of truth, beauty, justice, and love for life - values that are the origin and basis of a democratic civilization.

To Fight Against This Age is as timely as it is timeless, to be heard by those who want to understand and change the world in which they live.

©2018 Rob Riemen; English translation of "The Eternal Return of Fascism" copyright 2018 by Rob Riemen; English translation of "The Return of Europa: Her Tears, Deeds, and Dreams" copyright 2018 by Rob Riemen; "The Eternal Return of Fascism" copyright 2010 by Rob Riemen; "The Return of Europa: Her Tears, Deeds, and Dreams" copyright 2015 by Rob Riemen; "Autumn Day," from Translations from the Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke by Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by M. D. Herter Norton, copyright 1938 by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.; renewed copyright 1966 by M. D. Herter Norton (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books Political Science Politics & Government Liberalism Socialism
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If I'd read this when it came out, some 7-8 years ago now, then its warnings about the resurgence of fascism, in the first section, may have seemed a bit less obvious. But even then we were several years after the rise of the alt-right and Identitarian movement, so maybe not.

Nonetheless, Rieman does a good job of providing an overview of what fascism is and why it's such a persistent threat.

The second part, on the nature of Europe and the challenges facing democracy and the EU should, on paper, have been very much my sort of thing. But TBH I found it tedious, and kept phasing out. The summary of Jan Patočka's ideas on Europe and culture towards the end were much more interesting (if familiar), but it took far too long to get there.

As a narrator, Liam Gerrard is decent - have listened to a few books done by him now - but his relatively high pitched, soft voice can get tiring after a while.

Seems pretty obvious now, sadly...

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Not only was this book thought provoking, but also topical given the challenges being faced politically and economically on a global scale.

Really great insight to modern issues.

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