Review of Prometheus’s Remorse by Peter Sloterdijk

Prometheus’s Remorse: From the Gift of Fire to Global Arson (Semiotext by Peter Sloterdijk

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I was about halfway into the book when I realized Sloterdijk is kind of a hack. His main thesis is basically Marxism, with a focus on fire as a metaphor. From this he tries to build out a social critique that is pretty problematic. It’s rife with concerns about “demographics”, always a bit of a dog-whistle, and rather determinist, as he seems to imply that the form of social progress we associate with modern societies is only possible because of improved technology. This is highlighted in a very hamfisted attempt to say that LGBTQ rights become important and “flaunted” in advanced societies is because human reproduction is no longer the most important social need, which is a bafflingly stupid idea. He goes on to peddle some China-hawk drivel, naming them as the “biggest threat to humanity”, never once mentioning the United States in a negative light. He then tries to stick the landing by saying that really we all need to come together and be “energy pacifists”. Do not recommend this book, or its weird political agenda.



View all my reviews


Posted

in

,

by