Oldal 91 [91]
OCR
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 “foreigner” 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
