"Die ra des neuzeitlichen Humanismus ist abgelaufen, weil die Illusion nicht langer sich halten lsst, politische und konomische Grostrukturen kunnten nach dem amiablen Modell der literarischen Gesellschaft organisiert werden." Die Entwilderung" des Menschen ist gescheitert und die "Zukunft von Humanitt" bei den alten "Humanisierungsmedien" in schlechten Handen."
Sorry 'bout those invisible umlauts, menschen.
Or, in Strine, "Humanism has gone the way of the V-knee bellbottoms, coz asking this lot to do the right thing for themselves is like asking the Poms to win a test-match."
Habermas seems to think so, too - for him, NATO is best allocated the modern equivalent - hell, it IS the equivalent - of 'the white man's burden'. Sloterdijk sez if you wanna be a humanist, get eugenic and make humans that can do the job! We know Habermas is serious, but I suggest Sloterdijk is just driving home a couple of points with the subtlety for which we Germanic types are justly famous - y'know, 'So what's 'human', if you can make 'em any old way you like?' and/or 'And exactly where did all that critical theory get you, Jurgen?'
That said, it's hard to find in Sloterdijk any alternative to what he questions other than a Keynesian preference for a few well-rounded chaps and chapettes to take the wheel. A sorta Gibbonsy 'benevolent despotism', mebbe.
That being so, put me down, yet again, as a recalcitrant humanist modernist democrat ...
Cheers, Rob.