"'Capitalism as religion' is a translation of Fragment 74, entitled 'Kapitalismus also Religion' from Volume VI of Benjamin's Gesammelte Schriften, edited by Rolf Tiedemann and Hermann Schweppenhäuser (Suhrkampf), 100-03."
"'Capitalism as religion' is a translation of Fragment 74, entitled 'Kapitalismus also Religion' from Volume VI of Benjamin's Gesammelte Schriften, edited by Rolf Tiedemann and Hermann Schweppenhäuser (Suhrkampf), 100-03."
"'Capitalism as religion' is a translation of Fragment 74, entitled 'Kapitalismus also Religion' from Volume VI of Benjamin's Gesammelte Schriften, edited by Rolf Tiedemann and Hermann Schweppenhäuser (Suhrkampf), 100-03."
15)
Capitalism as Religion |
Wate Benji |
Translated by Chad Kautrer
(Fragment 74]!
One can behold in capitalism a religion, that sto say capitalism esentaly
serves to satay the same worries, anguish, and disquiet formerly answered by
so-called religion. The proof of capitalism’ religious structure as not only
religiously conditioned construction, as Weber thought, but as an essentially
religious phenomenon—stil today misleads one toa boundless, universal po.
Jemic, We cannot draw close the net in which we stand. A commanding view
will however, later become possible
Three characteristics ofthe religious structure of capitalism are, however,
recognizable at present. Fist, capitalism is a pure religious cult, perhaps the
‘most extreme there ever was. Within it everything only has meaning in direct
relation tothe cult it knows no special dogma, no theology. rom this stand
Point, utilitarianism gains it religious coloring. This concretization ofthe eat
connects with a second characteristic of capitalism: the permanent duration of
the cult. Capitalism isthe celebration ofthe cult sams reve et sans merci? lene
‘there is no “weekday.” no day that would not be a holiday inthe awl sense of
exhibiting all sacred pomp—the extreme exertion of worship. Thied, thie i «
cult that engenders blame. Capitalism is presumably the ist ease ofa blaring,
tather than a repenting cult. Herein stands ths religious system in the fll of
tremendous movement. An enormous fecling of guilt not itself knowing how
to repent, grasps atthe cult, notin order to repent for this guilt, ut to matke ie
universal, to hammer it into consciousness and finaly and above allo inclade
God himself in this gul, in order to finally interest him in repentance, This
259[repentance] is thus not tobe expected in the cult itself, nor in the reformation
ofthis celigion—which must hold on to something certain within it—nor yet
in the denial of it In the essence of this religious movement that is capitalism
Ties—bearing until the end, until the finally complete infusion of blame into
God-the attainment ofa world of despair still only hoped for. Therein lies the
historical enormity of capitalism: religion isno longer the reform of being, but
rather its obliteration. From this expansion of despair in the religious state of
the world, healing is expected. God!’ transcendence has fallen, but he is not
dead He's drawn into the fate of man. This passage of planetary man’ [Planeten
‘Mensch] through the house of despair is, in the absolute loneliness of his path,
the ethos Nietesche describes. This man isthe Ubermensc, the first who know-
ingly begins to realize the capitalist religion. The fourth characteristic [of the
religious structure of capitalism] is that its God must become concealed and
‘ay only be spoken of in the zenith of his culpability. The cult becomes cele-
brated before an immature deity, [while] every image, every idea of it injures
the secret ofits maturity.
Freudean theory also belongs to the priestly rule of this cult It is thoroughly
capitalistic in thought. The repressed, the sinful imagination is, at bottom, still
an illuminating analogy to capital—to which the hell ofthe unconscious pays
interest
‘This type of capitalist, religious thinking magnificently reconciles itself in
‘Nietasche's philosophy. The thought of the Ubermensch loses the apocalyptic
“Jeap” not by changing its ways, atonement, purification, or} penitence, butin
theapparently continuous, but inthe end, rupturing, discontinuousintensifca-
tion, That is why intensification and evolution are incompatible in the sense of
“non fact saltum.”® The Obérmenschis the one who without changing, arrived,
‘who streaked through the heavens—historieal man,
‘Nietzsche prejudged [preached] that {in] this breaking open of the heavens
through increased humanization (Menschhaftigket), the religious (also for
Nietzsche) blame is and remains. And similarly [with} Marx: the non-inverting,
[nicht umkehrende| capitalism becomes socialism with interest and compound
interest, which [are the] functions of blame (note the demonic ambiguity of
this concept)
Capitalism is a purely cultic religion, without dogma, Capitalism itself de
eloped parastically on Christianity in the West-not in Calvinism alone, but
also, as must be shown, in the remaining orthodax Christian movements—in
such a Way that, inthe end, its history is essentially the history of it parasites,
‘of capitalism, Compare the holy iconography {Heiligenbildera] of various re-
ligions on the one hand with the banknotes of various countries on the other:
‘The sprit that speaks from the ornamentation of banknotes.
‘Capitalism and law [Recht], Pagan character of law. Sorel Réflexions sur la
violence p. 2622
Overcoming of capitali |
und Metaphysic S44® ne mel nger Polk |
Fuchs: Struktur der kapitalistischen Gesellschaft 0.4. (?]”
Methodologically [it] would be [productive] to first examine what associa-
-
Pluto as God of the rich. io a
Ges [aufldsenden), is, to us, at the same time a liberating and killing —
Notes
1 “Capitalism as Religion” isa twansation of Fragment 74, ented “Kepitalsms als Rel
gion rom Volume Va Benjamin's Gesamte Sten ted
FemmannSchweppeahsser (Guramp), 100-03 Inthe ots of hat asa G60,
Sth the eo ave ced th tet amin fence ns manent th ns
thal wo ee re hte. Ths te povided wih gt emeaatn nthe
{lowing ora ong with raping te Engh non raed
‘words the et ae added merely to ais the eae in completing
sentences. All footnotes are those of the translator. ne‘ut hs most kei the re of typo oreo in he raaipon a Benin Pan
Sip The phrase should probly wad “hane eve et sane meee whch ound I he
Sih principle ofthe Medlev! desogue of chivalry, catalogued bythe inftal 19th
century French leary historian Leon Gate The sich rnp eet othe mete
night's method of ging the nie and isin concert with Benji’ decripion of
Caplin devopment ad George Soe tretent of Crisis and capa i
Ip Raflexoas suri violence, which Bnjoin ner ees Inti manuscript Set Laon
Gautier, Chili, The Bey Lie ofthe Medieval Knight Sew take Coma Puen,
1985) wou Ie to thank Deva Pager and Pa Humphrey for ther sstacein tring
ths connection.
Benjani i of"non cit suns truncated venon ofthe evlatonary adage, Nara
ton at salt or Nature makes bo laps which ured prominently im Lebns
[Nouveaux ens sur Pntendemeot burma 1704 (ansted ts New Ess on Hamman
Underundng (Cambridge: Cambie Univesity Press 1996), Chas Darts On the
Origin of Species (London: Jon Mistry 859, an Aled Matha Piper of Boo
‘ome (London: Macmilan 1920).
erjamin noting he sbi of he German word Schl which can meaner blame,
itor debt
Stores Sor, Réesons srl vila, th ein (ari Mare Rive et Cie 191)
Trained os Reflection on Viaence New York: Pete Sih 1981.
Eich Ungs, Pol ad Metal. Bie Theorie: Vruche 2a phtsophischer Poi
(Bet: Vrag Dai 12
Bruno Archibald Fuchs, Der Geist der bargerich-kaptalischen Gesellschaft. Hine
Untersuchung ber sine Grandlage and Vrascetzungen Belin Machen 1914),
Mox Weber, Geum Austr sur Rlonsoilogie? Ba. (binge Mohr 1920)
rot Thoiseh, Die Sorleren der crstchen Krcen und Gruppen Gesamte
Scien, Bd. (Tobingen:Sienti Aaten 1912. Tanlated a The Sct Teaching of the
sta Churches (Ne Yorke The acln Company 1931.
Gustav Lander, Aru sum Sova Bele Vere be sl Cassie 1920.
In Teutonic ad OU Engl aw eri (or Merged the vale et fora aman fe nd
4s pi the silo do the dead
‘Adam Mille wolf Redea uber de Becedsamkeit und deren Verfall in Deutschland
(ches ret Masten Veriag 1810)
16
Theologico-Political Fragment
Walter Benjamin
‘Translated by Edmund Jephcott
Only the Messiah himself consurnmates all history, in the sense that he alone
redeems, completes, creates its elation tothe Messianic. For this reason nothing
historical can relate itself on its own account to anything Messianic. Therefore
the Kingdom of God i not the relos of the historical dynamic, it cannot be set
asagoal From the standpoint of history itis not the goa, but the end, Therefore
{he order ofthe profane cannot be built upon the idea ofthe Divine Kingdom,
and therefore theocracy has no politcal, bt only a religious meaning Te here
repudiated with utmost vehemence the political significance of theocracy ts
the cardinal merit of Bloch’ Sprit of Utopia
The order of the profane should be erected on the idea of happiness. The
‘elation ofthis order to the Messianic ison ofthe essential teachings of the
Philosophy history: tis the precondition ofa mystical conecpton ofhistory,