Quack, Quack

Introduction

Quack, Quack! was written by Leonard Woolf in 1935 and expresses his views on fascism and the current state of governments in Europe.

Carlyle - Fascism

Carlyle:

• Scottish Calvinist
• believed in the necessity of Heroes and hero worship
• blamed the Jewish people for social problems without providing any real evidence
• conducted experiments to prove Jewish inferiority and drew conclusions from assumed ideas
• used hatred and bias to unite
• believed that lesser people needed guidance from their superiors to stay human, if not they would degenerate to animals

What Woolfe says about Fascism:

• relies on charismatic, emotional, passionate leader
• requires that people give up on rational thought and blindly accept the word of the state
• depends on people's primal urges

Smith/Mill branch

• analytical egalitarianism

• language is the indicator of civilization

• no difference between "street porter and philosopher"

• human difference is illustrated through human bestiality

• humans are humans because they trade

• greatest happiness principle- golden rule

• agreements with evangelicals- but secularized Christianity

• opposed Gov. Eyre's actions

Woolf's oppostion to Carlyle

What Woolfe says about Fascism:

• relies on charismatic, emotional, passionate leader
• requires that people give up on rational thought and blindly accept the word of the state
• depends on people's primal urges

• Jamaica Committee

Woolf's agreements with Smith/Mill

• distrust of intellectuals

• language- quacks distort

References

• Peart, Sandra J., and David M. Levy. 2005. The "vanity of the philosopher". Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

• Woolf, Leonard. 1935. Quack, quack!.

• http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/