Machines, Spide s and Buccanee s
WALKING AROUND THE SUN. No es on Eu ope. The Dogma ic Sleep.
98
Then And Now:
Cul u al Eu ope in Agony
on Zamb ano’s Though
Paulo Alexand e e Cas o
In 1945, Ma ía Zamb ano came ou wi h he book The Agony o Eu ope (al hough
i had ini ially appea ed as an a icle in 1940), deli e ing some majo ideas abou
wha she conside s o be an agonizing Eu ope, ha is, he c isis in which Eu ope
is s eeped. Those w i ings a e mainly abou wha was happening in Eu ope be-
ween he yea s 1940 and 1945, and h ee elemen s can cha ac e ize ha scena io
gi en by he philosophe e lec ion: 1) he malaise o ci iliza ion, 2) he cons uc-
ion o Eu ope as a his o y o iolence, and 3) he in e e ence o eligion a he
Eu opean cul u al c oss oads. She p oposes, as a way o o e coming his agony,
he need o a new man, an inne man. I i is ue ha he c i ical hinking e-
mains cu en and helps us unde s and he phenomenon o he Eu opean c isis,
does he solu ion emain cu en ? This pape will e lec on he agony o Eu ope
nowadays and his social, poli ical and cul u al p oblems wi h
Zamb ano's hough in he backg ound.
Eu ope. Ma ía Zamb ano. Religion. Philosophy. Violence.
KEYWORDS
Ins i u o de Es udos Filosó icos
Ins i u e o Philosophical S udies, Coimb a, Po ugal
ABSTRACT
THEN AND NOW:
CULTURAL EUROPE IN AGONY ON ZAMBRANO’S THOUGHT
Paulo Alexand e e Cas o 99
Thinking Eu ope is an u gen ask oday as i was in he ime o Kan . The main conce ns we ind oday,
excep o a ew mino di e ences, seems o be he same: om Hegel o Denis de Rougemon , om
Edmund Husse l o Vic o Hugo, om Sain -Simon o P oudhon, a i ing a O ega y Gasse and his
disciple Ma ía Zamb ano, culmina ing in a Geo ge S eine o in a Pe e Slo e dijk, he agony — o a
(de)cons uc ion — o Eu ope seems e iden . In his sense, and because many o he easons o his
cul u al c isis (which a e in line wi h he social, economic and poli ical ones) a e al eady hough o
by hese au ho s, i makes sense o eco e he hough o Ma ía Zamb ano o his pu pose.
One migh ini ially hink ha Ma ía Zamb ano's wo ks a e jus poe ic philosophy, bu in ac hey sink
in o he hea o poli ical philosophy. In Zamb ano's philosophy, man is a he hea o eali y (which
means ha he is always making he wo ld happen), and he e o e he also eme ges in his poli ical
ci cums ances. Man is in a wo ld o ela ionships, in a wo ld whe e his pa icipa ion un olds and is
ma ked by his o ical and poli ical e en s. Zamb ano is awa e o he place o poli ics in he ac i e li e o
man, and i will no be by chance ha he i s book, om 1930, is Ho izon es del Libe alismo (Ho izons o
Libe alism), whe e he beginnings o he philosophical-poli ical hough begin o be d awn, acco ding
o he concep s o li e, man and eason (Zamb ano, 1996, p. 207). In his book, she begins o ad oca e
a hi d way o ' e olu ion', which can be ansla ed in o a so o eadjus men o he libe al economy
- wi h a c i ique o capi alis libe alism and bou geois indi idualism - so ha g ea e social jus ice is
e en ually possible. (This c i icism o libe alism will also se e as a mo o in he Agony o Eu ope,
p ecisely o e eal a decha ac e ized Eu ope.) No e ha Zamb ano wa ns, howe e , o sa egua d wha
libe alism has bes o o e , ie, eedom in cul u e, eedom o hough , eedom o inqui e and educa e.
This commi men o he philosophe wi h he his o ical ime - o which we ind he eco d in he au ho 's
biog aphical wo ks (Ma ínez and Muñoz, 1997, p. 14) — is hus well sel -e iden in he demand o
a se ious e lec ion on he c isis o he Wes , which, as we all know, begins by es ablishing he basic
p inciples o a democ acy: eedom and solida i y. The e o e, i is
no su p ising ha e lec ion on Eu ope a ises as a na u al conse-
quence in he a en ion o ou Philosophe .¹ Zamb ano is awa e o
he cul u al and poli ical mo emen s o Eu ope and he wo ld a
la ge: he consequences o Wo ld Wa I we e s ill happening and poli ical ideologies we e al eady
boiling in a second phase.
The book The Agony o Eu ope came ou in 1945 (al hough i had i s appea ed as an a icle in 1940, and
Zamb ano desc ibed i a ew yea s la e as a se o essays o unp e en ious agmen s). The philos-
ophe w o e i mo ed by he impulsi i y o eeling (Zamb ano, 2012, p. 21). This impulsi i y and/o
emo ional cou age lies in he summe o 1940, wi h he un olding o he new wa , and in pa icula
wi h he Nazi in asion o Pa is (whe e some o Zamb ano's amily was li ing a he ime). Wi h his
emo ion, Zamb ano s a s a poli ical dialogue wi h he ime. Ou au ho begins wi h a commonplace
which is he a i ma ion o he decadence o Eu ope, no o subsume i sel in his p emise bu o high-
ligh he e hical unconsciousness ha has been eached (Zamb ano, 2012, p. 23).
In his amewo k o hidden social and poli ical consciousness, esen men , ancou , he cul o success
(Zamb ano, 2012, pp. 24-25), and some cu en s o hough ha e led Eu ope o he poin whe e i inds
J. Mo eno Sanz, in he “In oduc o y S udy»
o (cap. III- “El Tiemplo del Pac o”, 119)
Ho izon es del Libe alismo, poin s ou ha
he philosophe 's ajec o y is e lec ed in
his consonance o poli ical hough wi h he
o ma ion o his gene al philosophy.
¹
Machines, Spide s and Buccanee s
WALKING AROUND THE SUN. No es on Eu ope. The Dogma ic Sleep.
100
i sel , ha is, o i s agony. As ou au ho poin s ou , du ing oubled pe iods, du ing pe iods o c isis,
man appea s in he open, pu ing his li e in he open because “e e y disas e gi es people he possibil-
i y o mani es ing hemsel es in all hei aw eali y - i is he means o a mo e exac e ela ion o all
who a e known” (Zamb ano, 2012, p. 23). This idea is p esen h oughou he e lec ions, o which we
ind an echo in a wo k published i e yea s la e , Hacia un sabe sob e el alma (Zamb ano, 1987, p. 37).
This c isis o Eu ope can be ansla ed in o a ci iliza ional malaise, ha is, in he ealiza ion ha Eu o-
pean hough mo es in an enigma ic and mys e ious clima e, whe e e o and ea eign, wi hin an
excessi e us in an unknown mons e — a mons e c ea ed by na u alism, which gene a es a passi i y
dic a ed by he ac s, which leads o a des uc ion o he capaci y o abs ac ion, o he dis ance om
u h (Zamb ano, 2012, pp. 26-27), o blind us in he gi en wo ld; and a social mons e which in he
pa h o na u alism se led h ough libe alism (Zamb ano, 2012, pp. 28-30), no knowing how o sa e-
gua d he human pe son no he powe o c ea ion. The blindness o bo h he c i ics and he de ende s
o libe alism also con ibu ed o he agili y and pa alysis o Eu opean hough (Zamb ano, 2012, 31),
which he G eeks had gi en such noble bi h o, as Husse l had ad oca ed in Die K isis de Eu opais-
chen Wissenscha en und die T anszenden ale Phänomenologie (1954). (Husse l emphasizes he impo -
ance o G eek cul u al adi ion and he ole o philosophy in he cons i u ion o spi i ual Eu ope.)
Howe e , philosophy enabled he wi hd awal o subjec i i y, and he lack o uni y o philosophy has
con ibu ed o he c isis o science and o he Eu opean c isis. So, he Ge man philosophe de ends
a e u n o subjec i ism in his con e ence en i led “The C isis o Eu opean Humani y and Philoso-
phy”, in Vienna in 1935, echoing in he wo k o Ma ía Zamb ano (al hough G eek philosophy occupies
a di e en place in his o y). Eu opean hough would ha e de ined i s own oo s, which means ha
philosophy i sel (like li e a u e and pain ing) has become an agonizing place, ha is, a place whe e
a be ays i sel , whe e i s p inciples a e o go en and emb ace he “black oid”.
In such a scena io, he philosophe ecognizes ha whe e he e is li e he e mus be hope. This is p oba-
bly one o he key concep s o he au ho 's hinking, and in 1953 she w o e in Deli ium and Des iny ha
“agonizing is no being able o die because o hope” (Zamb ano, 1987, p. 244). This agony hus appea s as
a so o e ela ion o he inne eeling which is hope and which ‘anima es’ man, as she would also decla e
a ew yea s la e (Zamb ano, 1994, p. 20). The philosophe ells us: “Bu e en in he mids o e o , lo e
does no esign i sel and con inues o ask i his his o ical eali y o li e and cul u e has died, his adi-
ion we call Eu ope, which has al eady emig a ed om i s sca ce e i o y ”(Zamb ano, 2012, pp. 36-37).
So, he ques ion hen will be: wha is i e ocable in wha cons i u es/cons i u ed Eu ope, o , “wha was
Eu ope? F om i s complex and e y ich eali y, wha canno be enounced?” (Zamb ano, 2012, p. 37).
Zamb ano claims he impossibili y o he dea h o Eu ope, “because Eu ope is pe haps he only hing - in
His o y - ha canno die o ally, he only hing ha can be esu ec ed” (Zamb ano, 2012, p. 49). How o
esu ec Eu ope om i s ( ansien ) dea h? The philosophe , no alling in o he emp a ion o emb ace
nos algia, esponds wi h he pain ul lucidi y o knowing ha i is necessa y o ecognize wha has cons i
-
u ed i (wha allowed o he c ea ion o he Eu opean li es yle in i s densi y, mul iplici y and weal h).
Zamb ano inqui es in o he o igin o iolence in Eu ope. The answe is al eady con ained in he ques ion:
in he cons i u ion o Eu ope, iolence has always been ound (as she says, “ iolence was in e e y aspec
THEN AND NOW:
CULTURAL EUROPE IN AGONY ON ZAMBRANO’S THOUGHT
Paulo Alexand e e Cas o 101
o his li e”, Zamb ano, 2012, pp. 54-55). This answe also aises ano he undamen al ques ion o he
philosophe , one ha is abou he domain o eligion: he Eu opean God is a unique god wi h unique
cha ac e is ics, he “God o a “elec ed people” by himsel o sa e he whole uni e se.” (Zamb ano, 2012,
p. 56). This placemen o a people glo i ied by he C ea o God would make he Eu opean people a people
wi h a hi s o di ini y - unlike he O ien al, who would be incapable o such iolence (Zamb ano, 2012,
p. 66), bu would also be he people who would make Ch is iani y iumph (Zamb ano, 2012, pp. 56-57).
This ela ion o ansmu a ion o he c ea i e God in o he c ea i e man (Zamb ano, 2012, p. 59)en el-
oped he Eu opean in his excessi e eliance on judging himsel based on image and likeness. Rega d-
ing his, S . Augus ine is called o deba e, o gi e us he dimension o he ag eemen be ween eligion
and philosophy, in o de o si ua e ou sel es wi hin he amewo k o unde s anding he immense
decaden di icul y ha Eu ope has eached (see Rome o, 2003, p. 134); bu , acco ding o Zamb ano,
he con lic “ ha Eu ope has a i ed a i s iolence is eligious and philosophy canno sol e i on i s
own. Be o e a new philosophy eme ges, in his Eu opean adi ion, he con e sion o man mus ake
place, he e mus be an accep ance o eali y in a e ealing way” (Zamb ano, 2012, p. 72). Only wi h
he appea ance o a ‘new man’, he philosophe ells us, can Eu ope esu ec . O a he , only wi h
hope and me cy ( he “con ession” ha S . Augus ine in oduces is decisi e o he ealiza ion o he
in e io i y o man) will we see he way ou o he agony o Eu ope. And ha is why he Eu opean man
is he p o agonis o His o y, he man who can, in his duplici y, emb ace he ebi h o Eu ope and
open he way o he anspa ency o he hea , ha is, o es o e los digni y (Zamb ano, 2012, p. 90).
Zamb ano announces he new man as he inne man (almos in an Nie zsche way), he man who has
egained his in e io i y, who emb aces li e in i s no el y: “The Eu opean man was bo n wi h hese
wo ds. The u h is wi hin: i ealizes, o he i s ime, i s in e io i y and he e o e i can es in i ;
so i is independen , i is ee. Reco e his in e io i y” (Zamb ano, 2012, p. 92).
This man o “un a homable in e io i y” b ings hope o esu ec ion, o pu i y o hea , o he end o
he con lic be ween himsel and he wo ld he manages; he Ch is ian pe son is he inca na ion o
hese alues:
The concep ha ma ks Zamb ano's philosophy s a s being d awn he e, and pe haps, as Ana Mendonça
poin s ou , he au ho will b ing he hough in o a poe ic eason as a possible igu e and a amewo k
o a new a ional discou se (see, Mendonça, 2004).
Gi en Zamb ano's e lec ions and plunging in o he eali y o oday's Eu ope, how o econcile he
humani a ian sense o mu ual help and uni y wi h he g owing ascis ideological mo emen ? How o
be suppo i e in an Eu ope ha is caugh up in he ise o ex eme igh -wing pa ies? Could he new
Zamb ano man be a solu ion o his con inued c isis in Eu ope? As Zamb ano ealized, he ghos s o
he pas ha buil Eu ope - iolence and e o - a e he same ones ha oday h ea en he solida i y
The Ch is ian pe son, on he o he hand, has no limi , nei he o his s eng h, no o his li e no o
his dea h. The e is some hing in man ha ansposes and anscends e e y hing: o be a man is
o possess his inaba cable in e io i y. Tha is why a pe son, a Ch is ian, is like an in ini e pe spec-
i e ha is ne e exhaus ed in any o his ac s, no e en in all o hem oge he : i is wha is always
beyond - i is deep, deep. (Zamb ano, 2012, p. 93)
Machines, Spide s and Buccanee s
WALKING AROUND THE SUN. No es on Eu ope. The Dogma ic Sleep.
102
and humani a ian sense ha should cha ac e ize a eal Eu opean Union. Maybe a and cul u e can
be a solu ion: as Nie zsche said, only a can sa e us om ou sel es. To deal wi h di e en cul u es i
is no a sign o agili y bu ins ead a sign o ecogni ion o humani y; o accep di e ences is o buil
a iche wo ld, e en i his wo ld is cons an ly changing, in agony.
*Bundga d, Ana (2000), Más allá de la iloso ía, sob e
el pensamien o ilosó ico-mís ico de Ma ía Zamb ano.
Mad id: Ed. T o a.
*Co ona, Lou des (2002), La Razón Poé ica en Ma ía
Zamb ano. Guanajua o: Uni e sidad de Guanajua o.
*Ma ínez, Rogelio Blanco, e, Muñoz, Juan F. O ega,
(1997), Ma ía Zamb ano (1904-1991), Biblio eca
ilosó ica. Mad id: Ediciones del O o.
*Mendonça, Ana Ma ia Bijóias (2004), «Ve gílio
Fe ei a e Ma ía Zamb ano ou uma es é ica do
“exílio”», in Philosophica, 23, 69-85.
*Paisana, João (1997), Husse l e a Ideia de Eu opa.
Po o: Edições Con apon o.
*Re illa, Ca men (1998), Cla es de la Razón Poé ica:
Ma ía Zamb ano – Un pensamen o en el o den del
iempo. Mad id: Ed. T o a.
*Rome o, Ma ía Xosé Ag a, (2003), «Sob e La Agonia
de Eu opa de Ma ía Zamb ano», in Diac í ica –
Filoso ia e Cul u a, nº 17/2, 123-139.
*Sau a, Ma ía del Ca men Piñas (2004), En el Espejo
de LLama: Una ap oximación al pensamen o de Ma ía
Zamb ano. Mu cia: Uni e sidad de Mu cia.
*Zamb ano, Ma ía, (1994), Os Sonhos e o Tempo.
T adução de C is ina Rod iguez e A u Gue a.
Lisboa: Relógio D’Água Edi o es.
*Zamb ano, Ma ía (1996) – Ho izon es del Libe alismo.
Es udo in odu ó io de Jésus Mo eno Sanz. Mad id:
Ediciones Mo a a.
*Zamb ano, Ma ía (2012) – A Agonia da Eu opa.
In odução de Jesús Mo eno Sanz e adução de Ana
Ma ques. Lisboa: No a Vega.
*Zamb ano, Ma ía (1987), Hacia un sabe sob e el
alma. Mad id: Alianza Edi o ial.
*Zamb ano, Ma ía (1989), Deli io y Des ino: los ein e
años de una española. Mad id: Mondado i.
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THEN AND NOW:
CULTURAL EUROPE IN AGONY ON ZAMBRANO’S THOUGHT
Paulo Alexand e e Cas o 103
Is a esea ch membe o IEF-Coimb a Uni e si y. PhD in Philosophy o Mind (UMinho),
Mas e in Phenomenology and He meneu ics (FLUL), Bachelo in Philosophy (FLUL).
Au ho and co-au ho o se e al books (li e a u e and essay) and di ec o o Uncanny
– Philosophy and Cul u al S udies Jou nal. Find mo e in o abou he au ho a :
pauloalexand eecas o.webs.com