@inbook{987386523da74e17986182dd8fd185b4,
title = "The significance of World War 1 in Jan Pato{\v c}ka{\textquoteright}s Philosophy",
abstract = "In Jan Pato{\v c}ka{\textquoteright}s philosophy of history World War One stands out as an event that represents both a crisis point for Europe, and an opportunity to establish a new mythology. This mythology is based on the sacrificial action of the soldiers at the front line of trench war in World War One. Through emulating the example set by these soldiers, Pato{\v c}ka in his late work proposes, a redemptive force emerges through which Europe can recover the missing awareness of a more full meaning of life (and death). This chapter explores the significance of World War One in Pato{\v c}ka{\textquoteright}s late thought and offers a thorough explanation and critique of Pato{\v c}ka{\textquoteright}s mythologizing of the war. I will pay particular attention to Pato{\v c}ka{\textquoteright}s reading of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Ernst J{\"u}nger, who explicitly cites as sources for his view of soldier{\textquoteright}s sacrifice in his Heretical Essays. These influences lead to a highly, and some would argue an overly romanticized view of the role of sacrifice in social change. I will instead argue for a more ambiguous approach to sacrifice, especially the sacrifice of the First World War soldier. ",
author = "Daniel Brennan",
year = "2017",
month = feb,
day = "16",
doi = "10.1007/978-3-319-50361-5_6",
language = "English",
isbn = "978-3-319-50360-8",
series = "Philosophical Studies in Contemporary Culture",
publisher = "Springer",
pages = "105--116",
editor = "M Sharpe and R Jeffs and J Reynolds",
booktitle = "100 years of European Philosophy Since the Great War",
address = "Germany",
}