Time of the Magicians audiobook cover - Wittgenstein, Benjamin, Cassirer, Heidegger, and the Decade That Reinvented Philosophy

Time of the Magicians

Wittgenstein, Benjamin, Cassirer, Heidegger, and the Decade That Reinvented Philosophy

Wolfram Eilenberger

★ 4.5 / 5(185 ratings)
Start ListeningDownload App
Categories:
HistoryPhilosophy

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

Listen to Time of the Magicians — Free Audiobook

Loading player...

Key Takeaways from Time of the Magicians

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Time of the Magicians

Mind Map

Time of the Magicians
Historical Context+
The Davos Dispute (1929)+
Martin Heidegger+
Ernst Cassirer+
Ludwig Wittgenstein+
Walter Benjamin+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
What was the core philosophical disagreement between Martin Heidegger and Ernst Cassirer during their 1929 Davos dispute?
  • A. Cassirer believed philosophy should confront us with our mortality, while Heidegger thought it should focus on political revolution.
  • B. Cassirer argued humans elevate themselves through cultural symbols, while Heidegger believed confronting fear and death is the basis of human experience.
  • C. Cassirer wanted to abolish academic philosophy entirely, while Heidegger sought to establish a strict, scientific approach to ethics.
  • D. Cassirer argued that language is a trap, while Heidegger believed language is the only path to scientific truth.
Question 2 of 10
According to Martin Heidegger, how can a human being achieve a state of 'authenticity'?
  • A. By creating artistic and cultural symbols to transcend their physical limitations.
  • B. By engaging in deep, passive observation of everyday mundane phenomena.
  • C. By confronting their metaphysical insignificance and accepting their inevitable mortality.
  • D. By mastering multiple languages to fully understand the human spirit.
Question 3 of 10
Which of the following best describes Ernst Cassirer's philosophical approach?
  • A. Reconciling all different forms of human knowledge and cultural symbols as equally valuable.
  • B. Demonstrating that human existence is fundamentally rooted in anxiety and dread.
  • C. Proving that the natural sciences are the only valid way to understand the physical world.
  • D. Exposing the fallacy of language and remaining silent on metaphysical issues.
Question 4 of 10
Why did Ludwig Wittgenstein conclude that academic philosophy was ultimately pointless?
  • A. He believed that political revolution was the only practical way to solve human problems.
  • B. He felt that the meaning of life could only be decoded through complex mathematical theories.
  • C. He decided that the natural sciences had successfully answered all of philosophy's historical questions.
  • D. He believed the mystery of human existence could not be solved by abstract thinking, but only revealed in moments of mortal danger.
Question 5 of 10
According to Walter Benjamin, how do humans attain true, deep knowledge?
  • A. Through rigorous scientific experimentation and linear logic.
  • B. Through a constant, transformative exchange between the observer and the observable world.
  • C. By pushing oneself into extreme physical hardships and existential crises.
  • D. By retreating into absolute isolation away from modern society.
Question 6 of 10
Despite their vast philosophical differences, what was one fundamental belief shared by Cassirer, Heidegger, Benjamin, and Wittgenstein?
  • A. Language is merely a basic tool for communicating scientific facts.
  • B. Language is the most fascinating human trait and an instrument used to shape the world.
  • C. Language is inherently flawed and should be entirely replaced by mathematical formulas.
  • D. Language is only useful when applied to political and economic critique.
Question 7 of 10
How did the four philosophers view the rise of modern natural sciences (such as Einstein's and Darwin's theories)?
  • A. All four embraced modern science as the ultimate replacement for outdated philosophical inquiry.
  • B. Cassirer was optimistic about science expanding human possibilities, while Heidegger, Benjamin, and Wittgenstein harbored a deep mistrust of it.
  • C. Heidegger and Wittgenstein championed scientific progress, while Cassirer and Benjamin rejected it as overly materialistic.
  • D. All four believed that natural science was a dangerous illusion that alienated humans from politics.
Question 8 of 10
How did Ernst Cassirer respond to the political turmoil and anti-democratic sentiment of the young Weimar Republic?
  • A. He advocated for a communist revolution inspired by his intellectual peers in Paris.
  • B. He retreated to a secluded cabin in the mountains to avoid the political chaos entirely.
  • C. He bravely defended the democratic republic, drawing on the philosophical legacy of Immanuel Kant.
  • D. He joined the National Socialists, believing they would restore order to a fractured Germany.
Question 9 of 10
Under the influence of Latvian actress Asja Lacis, how did Walter Benjamin's focus shift?
  • A. He shifted from observing art to becoming a subtle critic of capitalism and everyday phenomena.
  • B. He abandoned freelance journalism to become a formal academic professor of theology.
  • C. He stopped writing in German and began exclusively translating Russian poetry.
  • D. He rejected his bohemian lifestyle to embrace a measured, bourgeois existence.
Question 10 of 10
What metaphor did Ludwig Wittgenstein use to describe the human mind's inability to overcome its own hidden limitations?
  • A. A skier caught in a sudden, unavoidable avalanche.
  • B. A fly trapped in a glass jar unable to find its way out.
  • C. A resident hiding in a windowless iron house.
  • D. A shopper lost in a lavish, endless Parisian arcade.

Time of the Magicians — Full Chapter Overview

Time of the Magicians Summary & Overview

Time of the Magicians (2020) explores one of the greatest periods of German philosophy: the 1920s. In this decade of extraordinary intellectual productivity, thinkers like Martin Heidegger, Ernst Cassirer, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Walter Benjamin upended traditional philosophical thought completely and left a lasting mark on how we understand the world.

Who Should Listen to Time of the Magicians?

  • Armchair philosophers and critical thinkers
  • History buffs interested in Germany’s roaring twenties
  • Anyone who’s ever wondered about the meaning of life

About the Author: Wolfram Eilenberger

Wolfram Eilenberger is a German philosopher and best-selling author. He’s made it his mission to analyze our contemporary world through a philosophical lens. He writes on topics from everyday culture to politics to sports. His best-selling book Time of the Magicians won the Bavarian Book Prize.

🎧
Listen in the AppOffline playback & background play
Get App