Against Politics: Walter Benjamin on Justice, Judaism, and the Possibility of Ethics
    

 This article raises concerns of an original reading of Walter Benjamin’s political thought of it political corrodes in our everyday lives and moral conduct. In reading this article, max Welser writes the “The spirit-or demon- of politics, lives in a state of inner tension with the god of love”. This is tension, that may erupt at any moment ([1919] 2002, 366 translation (modified). Also stated is a question to ethical relationships containing elements that are political that inquire about its impact on the self. One known question that is asked, “Is politics compatible not only with ethical decision-making but ethical life?
  In the history of prominent tradition of political thoughts, responded to this question with ethical concerns to extol the activity of politics. When our own political enthusiasm can raise an ethical worry, it productively challenges us. Mentioned in this article is the attention via a new interpretation of Walter Benjamin’s early political thoughts. Also, Benjamin’s arguments also question one of modern political theory’s most important premises. Even though Benjamin was in fact a deep theorist of ethics, he aimed to create a space for ethics wholly apart from violence (Gewalt).  Benjamin in short was against politics.
  In the critique of politics, Benjamin has two interrelated components. First, he contests Kant’s view of the normative status of politics and its relation to ethics. Second, Benjamin changes how Kant sees moral-eschatological vision of the perfect ethical community. Kant illustrated his views through two “political commonwealth” which serves basis for secular order. In conclusion, justice according to Benjamin cannot be conceived in the Kantian sense, because no duties issue from it.
Work Cited
Kant, Immanuel. [1788] 2003. Critique of Practical Reason. Trans. And ed. Mary Gregor. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.