The Poetic Power of Theory 13/14 / Die poetische Kraft der Theorie (1998 - 2007) dir. Alexander Kluge

The Poetic Power of Theory: Aristotle, Heidegger, Spinoza, Marx, Nietzsche, Kant (“What Does it Mean to Orient Oneself in Thinking?“). Seven examples taken from 200 television reportage programmes. “One must take that which is of significance outside of television and introduce it into this medium without compromise.“ This is particularly true of the gentle violence of theory. “Place and time without reason is violence“ - First aired on: August 23, 1998, dtcp on RTL - Many of the words used by philosophers from ancient times are puzzling. The same holds true for texts by Hölderlin that he wrote in the year before he died and signed as Scardanelli. The puzzling texts are often quite lovely. They are thought-provoking without resulting in “comprehension.“ The motto is: Beware of overly hasty comprehension. Spinoza and the Modes of God - With Stefano Bonaga, Alexandra Geese - First aired on: October 28, 2007, dtcp on RTL - Being anti-authoritarian in the name of God: That is the position of philosopher Baruch de Spinoza (16321677). The Dutch optician had fallen out of favor with all religious fundamentalists for centuries. In Friedrich Nietzsche’s eyes, he was a “kindred spirit.“ What purpose does thinking serve if it is without joy? What Does “Good Will“ Mean? - With Béatrice Longuenesse - First aired on: October 8, 2007, dtcp on RTL - “Nothing can possibly be conceived in the world, which could be considered good without qualification, except a good will.“ Various egos are at work, an objective ego and a subjective ego, when dealing with the creation of good will. How do they cooperate? How does good will develop in people? “Surplus Value“ & its Images - With Oskar Negt, Alexander Kluge - First aired on: December 12, 2005, dtcp on RTL - The master Russian director Sergei Eisenstein planned in 1928 to make a film about Das Kapital by Marx. Is the “political economy“ made up of abstract concepts or concrete images? What images depict “commodity fetishism,“ “surplus value,“ or “primitive accumulation“? Nietzsche’s Gay Science - With Digne Meller-Marcovicz, Annalisa Maggiani, Mario Morleo - First aired on: June 6, 1999, dtcp on RTL - For a long time, Friedrich Nietzsche shared a young Russian woman with his best friend Paul Rée: Lou Andreas-Salomé. When they met, he always brought along a whip and a cart. The erotic doings of this threesome remains a mystery to this day. The Moon Has Risen - With Joseph Vogl - First aired on: January 10, 2005, dtcp on RTL - The moon, born from the ribs of the earth, has been its companion for billions of years. It is gradually moving away from us at a rate of several meters each year. The entire history of life is bound up with it. Man has directed his fantasies toward it. Today, with the conquering of space by the superpowers, the status of this untouchable has changed. Thinking for Oneself - With Oskar Negt - First aired on: September 19, 2005, dtcp on RTL - Thinking for oneself means: Seeking the touchstone of truth in one’s own self. In his essay “What does it mean to orient oneself in thinking?“ from 1786, Immanuel Kant says that this maxim is the principle of the Enlightenment.