Poliglocia

I am not the first to claim that fantasies of fascist times have become disturbingly contemporary. For most people, it is Orwell's 1984 that represents our current policing of thought, ideological emptiness, lack of dialogue and void fanaticism. From the point of view of the academies, I feel Hesse's Glasperlenspiel is urgently contemporary. Hesse's tale departs as an utopian one, in which human sciences have interconnected and developed to a high point and reached unprecedented prestige in their society. But this cenit is menaced by its downfall. The prestige of the academies leads them to shut themselves in, to become hieratic sects that take years of initiation. Inside them, speaking of the outside world is a form of blasphemy. Yet, outside, the world begins to forget about the work and importance of the masters. Political struggles arise, and nobody dares to consider their historical dimension. The isolation of the academies is leading up to their own destruction. Si...