Page 91 [91]
18-19" centuries. Roughly the same conceptual meanings appear
in other European languages. The German "der Fremde" means
"other" and has no "guest" connotations. Unbekannter/stranger ís
most closely related to exoticus and agnothos; it does not necessarily
have a negative overtone. Barbar/Barbarian/Barbare is the same in
German, English and French, and refers to cultural difference, or
rather: lack of culture. The Auslander /étranger is more of a “for¬
eigner” who is not from the area but can be a stranger and a guest (or
friend). It depends. On what? On what kind of relationship develops
between a given community and that person. It depends, on the
one hand, on the attitude of those receiving the foreigners and, on
the other hand, on those who enter the spaces of the community;
the two behaviors are inseparable and continuously interfacing.
This interaction can be influenced by many external factors, but it
can also depend on the method and time of entry. The temporary
resident who has received an invitation and follows the host’s rules
is a guest. One who did not is an alien. And those who use violence
to stay will easily become enemies (€yOpot). We see that this was
the case historically, and it has not changed much. Many things
impact a judgment, but it ultimately depends on people.
Protagoras says, “Of all things the measure is Man, of the things
that are, that they are, and of the things that are not, that they are
not” (DK 80. B.ı.) Many have misunderstood this, because, of
course, itreally (also) means that everything is relative, including
perception and cognition, even the gods (who have at times even
been sued). The more important message in this quote is that if
humanity is the measure, then the “human-scale” changes as the
human community changes; and if this is true, then the laws — at
least in principle —change, because they are not constant and are
even constantly changing. One might say that laws are based on
the expectations of most people, not whether those of the highest
order are sufficient, and they may be right about that. That is
because the rule, the norm (which makes us “normal”) will turn
from a habit to a law according to the number of people who are
willing to follow it, according to the degree to which it suits the