Philosophy in Dark Times
March 16 & 23, 2025
Class Description
This lecture series considers European and American philosophical responses to fascism and totalitarianism as they appeared in the events that culminated in the Second World War. The first lecture discusses the work of two French thinkers who trace the rise of fascism to the moral, political, and spiritual failures of liberalism: the antifascist writings and activism of Georges Bataille, and the post-Holocaust philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas. The second lecture looks to Hannah Arendt — a German Jewish philosopher, Holocaust émigré, and towering figure of American political thought –– and considers the ways in which her analysis of totalitarian violence can shed light on some of the most pressing social and political problems that democratic societies still face today.
About Gregory Grobmeier
Dr. Gregory Grobmeier specializes in 20th century and contemporary European political thought, Holocaust Studies, post-Holocaust philosophy and theology, the history of philosophy, and the environmental humanities. Dr. Grobmeier serves as Senior Term Professor in the Philosophy Department at Regis University in Denver, where he regularly teaches first-year courses and upper division seminars for the Regis College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He is also a Lecturer in Jewish Studies and German at the University of Colorado Boulder.