Abstract:
The purpose of this essay is to explain this extraordinary historical moment – through the crises that constitute the malaise of modernity and the root cause of this malaise – modernity’s flight from the ascetic norms. But although worthy, this historical method cannot explain why history appears to be hastening. To explain this, we must peel away visible history, to uncover the hidden metaphysical causes underlying this dire moment. The main thrust of this essay is to explore these metaphysical causes – by understanding this historical moment as a cusp between two epochs, but also as a witness to the turning of the Great Spirit of History. Conjured by a combination of this conjunction, and a divine Kairos, it cannot help its turbulence. This essay has three sections: (1) The Malaise of Modernity; (2) The Root Cause of this Malaise – Loss of the Ascetic Virtues; (3) Understanding History and this Dire Historical Moment.
Keywords:
historical moment, dire, modernity, ascetic norms, conjunction, Kairos
How to cite:
Majumdar, Deepa, “Understanding this dire historical Moment – an Essay.” Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture 9, no. 4 (2025): 158-182. https://doi.org/10.14394/eidos.jpc.2025.0039.
Author:
Deepa Majumdar (Professor Emerita)
Department of History, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Purdue University Northwest
1401 S. U.S. 421 Westville, IN 46391, USA
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8822-0918
dmajumda@pnw.edu
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