Ominous Parallels

Rating:
Summary: Finally ¿ The Cause and Answer to Fascism
Review: As a Jew, I have watched, read, and visited countless accounts of the Holocaust - but not one of them correctly identified the ideas that brought it about or the ideas that will prevent it from happening again. In some cases, I was first shocked by the accounts of survivors and then horrified when they offered as a solution the same ideas that created the Nazis.

"The Ominous Parallels" finally exposes the cause and answer to Fascism. Dr. Peikoff presents a compelling and cogent thesis on the evil of collectivism in terms of the fundamental ideas that shape our history by masterfully analyzing the intellectual and cultural climate that led to the Holocaust and its parallels to today's America. Along the way, he outlines the development of Western philosophy - from the glorious creation of the United States to the rise of skepticism, pragmatism, collectivism, and the Weimar culture. Broad philosophical, political, and cultural trends are analyzed and dissected according to their basic premises, as you will never hear in a history class.

Both those well read in and new to the philosophy of Objectivism will find this book accessible and the arguments reasoned out and supported by numerous examples. This is not light reading, however- I spent as much time pausing to digest and integrate the ideas in this book as I did reading it. Those unfamiliar with Objectivism may have some difficulty connecting the author's asides on abortion, physics, and religion to the central theme, but it does not detract from the overall message.

As Dr Peikoff states, it is impossible to predict the future or know whether the Holocaust will repeat itself - but it is certain that only by understanding and adopting a proper philosophy can America survive as a free country. If this book succeeds in teaching the world about the importance of ideas, then six million shall not have died in vain.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, useful, but I think it misses the mark
Review: Before buying this book, I actually read all of the reader reviews, not a standard practice for me. With a couple of exceptions, I suspected the reviews revolved around what the writers thought of Ayn Rand. If they thought pearls fell from her very lips, they gave it a five; if not, well, they did the opposite. And she isn't even the author, having written only a three page introduction. Dr. Peikoff's premise is that the rise of Nazism was facilitated by the philosophical content of mainstream German culture, and that the basic anti-individualist, anti-reason orientations of this culture are also apparent in modern American culture (hence the "Ominous Parallels"). This basic argument is sound and well-presented, especially the first part of it (dealing with Germany). If he obviously hates Plato and Kant, so do I, and with much the same analysis. (And yes, I have read them, exhaustively). His arguments more than justify the existence of the book. There is much wishful thinking which chooses to regard the Fascist (and I mean Red Fascists as well) experience as an inexplicable abberation. I agree with Dr. Peikoff in arguing that making it inexplicable makes it impossible to prevent the next time. The initial chapters, and those on Weimar politics and the concentration camps are especially powerful. If I have a problem with his analysis, it is that he seems to argue that philosophy is a sufficient cause for Nazism, but his argument only seems to establish that it is a necessary cause. He praises logic, but is sloppy with it. However (a very BIG however) the book has serious flaws. It is poorly footnoted (although, as someone else pointed out, the existence of footnotes makes it better than Rand herself). I find it impossible to verify some statements of fact from source material. It is repetitious, and sometimes tedious. It becomes shrill in parts, and worse than shrill, it becomes irrational. The attack on particle physics is simple cant. Admittedly, there are some very bad attempts out there to establish that modern physics is synonymous with eastern mysticism, but to identify impirical science therefore with mysticism is unreason (since the world is not as his philosophy predicts, it must be wrong). More importantly, since Dr. Peikoff, as his last chapter demonstrates, is of the "pearls from lips" school of Rand criticism, his alternative to collectivism has a mystical flavor to it. His justifiable revulsion at Nazis burning a pile of babies does not square with his equation of "anti-abortion" as totalitarian. Apparently piles of dead babies are relative. (The argument seems to stem from his belief that there is no conscious existence before birth, and therefore no implicit Objectivist rights. This view, however, is contrary to modern pre-natal science.) Definitely read this one, but be careful of it. (For your reference, I define myself philosophically as an individualist, religiously as an atheist, politically as not quite an anarchist. I regard Rand's work as flashes of blinding insight wrapped in sludge.)

Rating:
Summary: A Masterwork of History & Philosophy
Review: Dr. Peikoff has undertaken a great task in showing the intellectual roots of Nazism and how they are infecting modern day America. He succeeds brilliantly. We are ceaselessly bombarded with catch phrases like,"do your duty," "you must sacrifice," "unconditional love," "community," etc. These are the buzz words of collectivism and they are intellectual poison, as Dr. Peikoff skillfully points out in chapter after chapter. His chapter on America's founding era is one of the greatest tributes to man, and to this country, ever written. This book should be required reading for every thinking human being, wherever you may live.

Rating:
Summary: The Answer to the "Why?"
Review: For decades we have wondered how a nation can so thoroughly embrace tyranny, to the point of sending millions to their deaths. Long has the question "Why did this happen?" been left without explanation, without even hope of an explanation. Leonard Peikoff gives us an explanation. Looking at all the evidence, he shows us what the psychological state of the German people was in pre-WWII Germany and why such a psychology logically leads to the horrors we have witnessed. It is an explanation and a warning. For if the ideas that were present then should reappear, then the same consequences will follow.

Rating:
Summary: Most Important Book You Will Ever Read
Review: I cannot, in my own words, invoke interest in this book for the curious reader. I can only suggest that you read this book, as it is the most important and insightful book I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and Enlightening
Review: If you are an admirer of Ayn Rand's works or interested in the root causes of history, you should enjoy this book. Dr. Peikoff makes Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism, clearly understood by contrasting it to altruism, mysticism and Kantianism, the three philosophies which gave rise to National Socialism and the atrocities committed by the Nazis before and during World War II. Through Dr. Peikoff's clearly written work one can easily see how history was and is caused by philosophy. There is an excellent chapter on the uniqueness of the American Founding Fathers, best characterized by one of them, Elihu Palmer: "At last men have grasped the unlimited power of human reason....Reason which is the glory of our nature." Dr. Peikoff gives us a timely warning of the"Ominous Parallels" between pre-war Germany's intellectual culture and contemporary America's, and that the philosophies which gave rise to both, are the same.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and Enlightening
Review: If you are an admirer of Ayn Rand's works or interested in the root causes of history, you should enjoy this book. Dr. Peikoff makes Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism, clearly understood by contrasting it to altruism, mysticism and Kantianism, the three philosophies which gave rise to National Socialism and the atrocities committed by the Nazis during World War II. Through Dr. Peikoff's clearly-written work one can easily see how history was and is caused by philosophy. There is an excellent chapter on the uniqueness of the American Founding Fathers, best characterized by one of them, Elihu Palmer: "At last men have grasped the unlimited power of human reason....Reason which is the glory of our nature." Dr. Peikoff gives us a timely warning of the "Ominous Parallels" between pre-war Germany's intellectual culture and contemporary America's, and that the philosophies which gave rise to both, are the same.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and Enlightening
Review: If you are an admirer of Ayn Rand's works or interested in the root causes of history, you should enjoy this book. Dr. Peikoff makes Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism, clearly understood by contrasting it to altruism, mysticism and Kantianism, the three philosophies which gave rise to National Socialism and the atrocities committed by the Nazis before and during World War II. Through Dr. Peikoff's clearly written work one can easily see how history was and is caused by philosophy. There is an excellent chapter on the uniqueness of the American Founding Fathers, best characterized by one of them, Elihu Palmer: "At last men have grasped the unlimited power of human reason....Reason which is the glory of our nature." Dr. Peikoff gives us a timely warning of the"Ominous Parallels" between pre-war Germany's intellectual culture and contemporary America's, and that the philosophies which gave rise to both, are the same.

Rating:
Summary: An Objectivist View of History
Review: Leonard Peikoff (the "intellectual heir" of Ayn Rand) came out with this work in 1981 or so in which he declared that there were "ominous parallels" between Germany's descent into irrationalism in the 1930s and the US in the twentieth century.

Unlike some other Objectivist works, THE OMINOUS PARALLELS attempts to present something of a sustained argument for its theses. He analyzes the culture of Germany before the Nazis and the US since its founding. This book isn't bad, but like many such works, it is given to simplification and exaggeration. There are also a few mistakes. As one of Peikoff's sources on Hitler, he sites the work of Hermann Rauschning, THE VOICE OF DESTRUCTION. Raushchning was a former National Socialist Senate President of Danzig. This work purports to be a collection of statements by Hitler, at his nihilistic best. However, its authenticity is widely disputed. He also quotes Luther concerning reason, apparently unaware of the Reformation controversies that resulted in such statements as "that whore reason." Also, his statement that Lutheranism was one of the "larger denominations" in Germany is a bit odd, considering that it was the largest Protestant denomination and second only to Catholicism in numbers. Certainly his "interpretation" of Kant (an Enlightenment liberal, of sorts) would be rejected by many Kant scholars.

I must take exception to Dr. Peikoff's attempt to blame the holocaust on Christianity. Perhaps Dr. Peikoff is unaware of the holocaust perpetuated by the atheistic Soviets against the Ukrainians. That's a parallel that Dr. Peikoff should have investigated. As Voegelin said, the death of God leads to the death of man.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent thesis, but could have done more.
Review: This book is a must for anyone interested in German history, War, or the effects of Ideas on history and the lives of people. The power of ideas is often overlooked by scholars, which is one of the main contentions of Piekoff and the philosophy of Objectivism. Peikoff's thesis takes this as a given, so those who do not understand this, or do not believe that ideas are literally a matter of life and death, will hate the book. Ominous Parallels is not written for irrational minds.
The book centers around the disintegrated ideas of Kant and his followers disseminating throughout german culture prior to the Weimar Republic. In the process, he explains the rise of "non-art" and nihilism in Germany at the time. Peikoff goes into further depth when he describes how the Nazis were able to appeal to a Germany that was completely broken into cultural, economic, and racial pressure groups.
My gripe with peikoff is that he does not spend equal time explaining the current state of these types of ideas in America as he does Nazi germany. Once he had the reader's attention, he should have done more to drive home the crucial point that if the war of ideas is not won by the side of reason, America will become Nazi Germany. He does point out these issues, but it would have been worthwhile for him to spend equal time on the history of American ideas.
This book is a phenomenal look at one of humanity's lowest points in our history in terms of ideas. Those who do not believe ideas matter, won't understand it.
Then again, people who ignore ideas don't understand anything.