Page 9 [9]
In 2014, even before the start of the mass migrations of the sec¬
ond millennium, I was asked to write a paper on the term “other”
for a journal. I approached the subject from the point of view of
literature, myth and fine art, without neglecting its philosophical
foundations.
Now, however, I feel that these first comments must be sup¬
plemented with a great deal more. When it comes to the concept
of the same and the other, as well as the alien, the discussion of
the question of the same and the differentiated same (=other) be¬
comes unavoidable—and why avoid it? — even though today it
has become almost forgotten, unknown to those outside a narrow
academic circle.
My article was published at the start of the “wave of immi¬
gration,” although I did not write it to reflect on it. As crowds
flooded, emotions were almost immediately let loose. At one end
was an unconsidered “Willkommenskultur”, on the other was
the ideology of not only a wall, but of a (thus far yet) virtual mine
barrage. To be fair, neither side felt that their position needed
any manner of foundation, but rather it was the beliefs and the
powerful emotions—chief among them hate—arising from those
beliefs that engaged and engage each other. However, sober and
rational thought is indispensable. While Blaise Pascal rightly asks:
‘I would like to add to this that there is pity in me ,, How comes it
that a cripple does not offend us, but that a fool does? Because a
cripple recognises that we walk straight, whereas a fool declares
that it is we who are silly; if it were not so, we should feel pity and
not anger.” (Pascal, 1958. IL.80.)
Now, it is important for us to clarify what we are talking about,
especially as emotions tend to get out of control when talking about