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FichteanHatingversusKantianHosting
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Tecosmopolitanprojectcouldnothavebeenmoresublimeandbeneficial,
butHfactsarestubbornthings.”Ourasocialitymakesussticktotheatavistic
bondsofnatioasifwetookitsetymologyforreal:beliefinbeingborninto
anation,nothingmorenaturalthananation.Butnationisaproductofhistory,
afairlyrecentconstruct,embodiedinpowerandineducation,whichperpet-
uatesitselfbyHhistoriesofnationalexploitsinpolitics,literature,sciences.”In
astruggleforsurvival,thenation-statedoesalltocounteranyunifyingtenden-
cies.NationalatomismisusedbyboththeNorthandtheSouthtoconserve
culturalandeconomicdivisionswhentheNorthcancontinueitspatronizing
indilerenceandsilentremote-controlandtheSouthcancultivateanational
honorofmiserytobelivedindignity.Whatweexperienceisourown,that
is,special,pure,right(Latinproprie,Frenchpropre)whiletheirs-andFichte
conceptualizedthis-istheunnatural,thestrange,thefoul.EastEuropeanlast
keepersofthenation-stateopposenotonlytheinter-governmentalintegration
initiatives,butalsoanyattemptsatatransnationalcivilsociety;hencesuspi-
cionandaggressiontowardsinternationalNGOs.Atthesametime,Eastern
Europesulersfromanunderdevelopmentoflocalgovernment:thecitizen
merelywitnesses,butdoesnotparticipate,aseverybodyisreluctanttojoin.
EasternEuropenowisalsoalandofpassivecitizens.Butdepressionson
alargescalecharacterizenotonlythispartoftheworldwhilstmaniahas
infectednationalistskinheads.PerhapsthemilitiaintheUnitedStatessulers
fromthesamemania.AlthoughanInternationalofskinheadsseemsimpossi-
ble,thesymptomsarethesame,andevenmoredangerousinmegalomaniacal
lsuit-cladskinheads’(asGünterGrasshasit).EastEuropeannationalisms
andStalinistrageovercosmopolites,madetheverywordlcosmopolitan’
ironic,ifnotderogatory.Dialoguehaslostitsmeaning,too,nottomention
community,nowreservedforreligiousorders.Asthesewords-ideascannot
bereplaced,itisimportanttorevivetheirsense.Tesemanticsofadialogical
communityofcitizensoftheworldistobeseenagainstthebackgroundof
philosophyandputintopractice.Howtocombinethenaworldintegration
withtheriseofsmallerandsmallercommunitiesofHinventedtradition,”
patriaschicas?ConsidermytinyinterculturalcityofLublinbetweenPoland
andUkraine-isiteasierforaminorcityinthebackwardruralareaonthe
fringesofEuropetosidewithEuro-enthusiastsortocommitethniccleansing?
Asmallcityoftwouniversitieswhereacademicsarenotnecessarilypro-Eu-
rope:manydefendanlendangeredPolishidentity’as,ingeneral,university
nolongerfollowsacosmopolitanideaoftheuniversity,typicaloftheMiddle