The Oswald Spengler Society
for the Study of Humanity and World History
Activities of the Oswald Spengler Society
Call for Papers (deadline: 15.8.2022)
“Myth, Fate and Duty. Oswald Spengler and Jordan Peterson as Moral Philosophers”
20.-22.10.2022, German Eifel
The Oswald Spengler Society will award its 2022 prize to the well-known philosopher Jordan Peterson. On this occasion, we would like to issue a call for papers for a scholarly conference that will be held from 20th-22th October 2022 in the German Eifel near Cologne. All papers dealing with the moral philosophy of Oswald Spengler and of Jordan Peterson are welcome, separately or in comparison, and also in their relation to the more general analysis of civilisational crisis that characterises both authors. In case of interest, please send us a short CV and an abstract (ca. 30 lines) of your intended contribution by email until the 30th June 2022. Meals and accommodation will be provided by the organisers, some financial support for travel is availabnle, particularly for those travelling from afar or at an early stage of their income career. As in 2018 and 2020, the conference volume will be published as part of the monograph series of the Oswald Spengler Society.
Publication of
David Engels, Gerd Morgenthaler, Max Otte (eds.)
Oswald Spengler in einem Zeitalter der Globalisierung / Oswald Spengler in an Age of Globalisation. Konferenzakten / Conference Proceedings (17.– 19. X. 2018), Lüdinghausen, Manuscriptum, 2021, 304p.
Publication of
Walter Scheidel, David Engels, Gerd Morgenthaler, Max Otte
Walter Scheidel, die moderne Geschichtskomparatistik und Oswald Spengler.Reden anlässlich der Verleihung des Oswald-Spengler-Preises an Walter Scheidel, 13. November 2020, Lüdinghausen, Manuscriptum, 2021, 162.
Publication of
Oswald Spenglers Geschichtsmorphologie heute. Journal of the Oswald Spengler Society 1, 2018-2019 (ed. in chief: David Engels), Lüdinghausen/Berlin, Manuscriptum (Schriftenreihe der Oswald Spengler Society 3), 2020, 294p.
Call for Papers (deadline: 10.3.2020)
“From Herodotus to Spengler:
Comparing Civilisations throughout Time and Space”
13.-14.11.2020, Palo Alto / Stanford, CA
13th -14th November 2020, Palo Alto / Stanford, CA
From 13th-14th November 2020, the “Oswald Spengler Society” will organise a conference on the subject:
“From Herodotus to Spengler:
Comparing Civilisations throughout Time and Space”.
The conference will take place in Palo Alto, CA and at Stanford University. Everyone interested in participating is warmly invited to submit a short abstract of her/his intended paper as well as a CV by email until the 10th march. The organisers will then review the submissions and inform all candidates about the status of their proposal.
As in 2018, the “Spengler Conference” will be linked to the official award of the 2020 “Spengler Prize” whose recipient will be made public in due cause. In 2018, the prize was awarded to the well-known French novelist Michel Houellebecq who received the prize during a public ceremony in Brussels.
The final financial plan of the conference will depend on the number and provenance of speakers; however, it is intended to support at least partl of the costs of those speakers still in their formative years or subject to special financial or professional hardships.
25th February 2020, Poznan
Anton Korenči: Oswald Spengler's 'The Decline of the West' as Theatrical Performance
25th February 2020, Poznan (Instytut Zachodni)
Don't miss our next conference on Oswald Spengler and the fascinating project of "AntiTeatro" (Bratislava) to adapt "The Decline of the West" into a theatrical play!
Publication of
Michel Houellebecq / David Engels / Gerd Morgenthaler / Max Otte, Michel Houellebecq, Oswald Spengler und der "Untergang des Abendlandes", Waltrop, Edition Sonderwege (Schriftenreihe der Oswald Spengler Society 2), 2019, 152p.
Mit dem Oswald-Spengler-Preis werden herausragende Persönlichkeiten geehrt, die sich um das Wissen über die Menschheitsgeschichte, die menschliche Evolution, die vergleichende Kulturforschung und den Zustand unserer Zivilisation verdient gemacht haben.
In seinen Büchern zeichnet Michel Houellebecq ein ungeschöntes Bild der westlichen Zivilisation, das als Spiegel unserer Zeit auch für kommende Generationen instruktiv sein wird. Zudem zieht sich durch das Werk Houellebecqs eine profunde Kenntnis der Evolutions- und Verhaltensbiologie.
Dies prädestiniert Houellebecq dazu, erster Preisträger des Oswald-Spengler-Preises zu sein. Im vorliegenden Band sind seine und weitere Überlegungen zum Zustand unserer Zivilisation festgehalten, die anlässlich der Preisverleihung am 18. Oktober 2018 in Brüssel als Reden präsentiert wurden.
100 Years after the Publication of “The Decline of the West”: Oswald Spengler in an Age of Globalisation
and
Award of the First “Oswald Spengler Prize” to Michel Houellebecq
17th -20th October 2018, German Eifel (near Cologne) and Brussels
The newly founded “Oswald Spengler Society” is pleased to hold a scholarly conference on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the publication of “The Decline of the West”, one of the most important –and notorious - works on the philosophy of history of the 20th century.
The scholarly part will take place from 17th to 19th October in the German Eifel near Cologne; on 19th October, the participants will be driven to Brussels, Belgium, in order to attend the first public award of the “Oswald Spengler Prize” to Michel Houellebecq.
All informations pertaining to this conference are now available on our conference-page: Click HERE!
Publication of:
D. Engels / M. Otte / M. Thöndl (eds.), Der lange Schatten Oswald Spenglers: Einhundert Jahre Untergang des Abendlandes, Waltrop, Manuscriptum-Verlag, 2018, 176p., 19,80€ (Schriftenreihe der Oswald Spengler Society for the Study of Humanity and World History).
Vor genau 100 Jahren wurde der bis dahin weitgehend unbekannte Privatgelehrte Oswald Spengler (1880–1936) mit seinem Monumentalwerk vom Untergang des Abendlandes auf einen Schlag berühmt und avancierte zu einem der einflussreichsten Denker der Weimarer Republik. Dem durch und durch von der Goetheschen Formenlehre und vom Nietzscheanischen Elitismus Geprägten waren die Nationalsozialisten in ihrer Pöbelhaftigkeit und Gemeinheit zutiefst verhasst. Während das Buch in der Zwischenkriegszeit in fast jedem bildungsbürgerlichen Haushalt zu finden war und auch ausländische Intellektuelle wie etwa José Ortega y Gasset, André Fauconnet, F. Scott Fitzgerald oder Henry Miller beeinflusste, spielten Werk und Verfasser nach 1945 jahrzehntelang eine immer geringere Rolle. Indes: Fast siebzig Jahre, nachdem Theodor W. Adorno voreilig das Vergessen Spenglers konstatierte, hält sich der Universalgelehrte immer noch hartnäckig in der Diskussion und feiert in jüngster Zeit geradezu eine Wiederauferstehung. Vom Feuilleton über die Literatur bis zur wissenschaftlichen Debatte in verschiedensten Disziplinen beeinflusst er zunehmend das geistige Leben. Das hat seinen Grund. Mit seiner grandiosen Gesamtschau der Weltgeschichte überwand Spengler als einer der ersten Denker die eurozentrische Betrachtungsweise. Seine Prognosen erweisen sich bis heute oftmals als hellseherisch-visionär. Im vorliegenden Band finden sich die Gedanken von zehn deutschen und internationalen Autoren über Spenglers Bedeutung für das einundzwanzigste Jahrhundert vereint. Ob es um seinen Stellenwert für das Verständnis der Frühgeschichte, der Geschichtsphilosophie, der Rechtsgeschichte, des modernen Finanzkapitalismus, der Rolle der USA als eines »faustischen« Imperiums oder der gegenwärtigen Identitätskrise des Westens geht – in allen Beiträgen zeigt sich: Spengler bleibt weiterhin brandaktuell.
Call for Papers:
100 Years after the Publication of “The Decline of the West”: Oswald Spengler in an Age of Globalisation
and
Award of the first “Oswald Spengler Prize”
17th -20th October 2018, German Eifel (near Cologne) and Brussels
Download HERE our Call for Papers
The newly founded “Oswald Spengler Society” is pleased to hold a scholarly conference on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the publication of “The Decline of the West”, one of the most important –and notorious - works on the philosophy of history of the 20th century.
In accordance with the broad historical and philosophical perspectives embraced by Oswald Spengler, the conference welcomes contributions coming from all fields of the Humanities, Social and Natural Sciences dealing either with Oswald Spengler’s theory and its intellectual and scientific context, or with the actuality of the morphology of cultures today in the age of globalisation.
The scholarly part will take place from 17th to 19th October in the German Eifel near Cologne; on 19th October, the participants will be driven to Brussels, Belgium, in order to attend the first public award of the “Oswald Spengler Prize” to a globally renowned contemporary author.
Spengler Master Seminar in the Eifel Mountains
April 21-24, 2017
In a remote part of Germany, a group of Spengler cognoscenti from varied disciplines gathered from April 21 to 24 to discuss the state of the world, Oswald Spengler´s relevance today, and scientific and scholarly developments enlightened by Spenglers thoughts. Among the group was Spenglers biographer Jürgen Naeher(-Zeiffer) as well as John Farrenkopf and David Engels, two of today´s foremost experts on Oswald Spengler. The topics were varied, as befitting for the multidisciplinary mind of Oswald Spengler. Proceedings will be published in 2018. Open discussions, food and wine made this an occasion for open minds and dicussions in the true spirit of academia.
Professor Engels presented a macro-historical view of world history based on Spengler and Hegel. Professor Farrenkopf and Robert Merry, long-time executive editor of the Congressional Quarterly, elaborated Spenglers relevance for U.S. foreign policy. Robert Merry als put the Trump presidency and campaign in perspective. In his words, Merry analyzed: „Recent political events in America -particularly the Trump election and the divisive scandals and accusations that followed - in light of Spengler's views about the last nation of the West, essentially, the civilization's central spearhead into empire and Caesarism.“ Professor Brian R. Myers showed how the study of Spengler can help to understand the nature of the North Korean Regime. Olaf Joeris, prehistorian of the Roman-Germanic Cental Museum offered a fascinating glimpse into Spenglers late works about human evolution and the current state of research. Andrea and Jürgen Naeher-Zeiffer proposed a thorough discussion of Angela Van der Goten's recent psychological analysis of Spengler's work and personality and discussed the numerous issues related to the autonomy of the works of artists and philosophers. Max Otte sketched the relationship of the discipline of sociobiology the Spenglers thoughts. Wolfgang Leidhold, chair of political philopsohy at the University of Cologne, shared his theory of cognition and experience and its relationship to Oswald Spengler. Lars Holger Holm, Swedish author and violinist with residence in provence, discussed: „Spengler's dialectical use and elaboration, in connection with his phenomenology of culture, of the anthropological notions "Totem" and "Taboo" in The Decline of the West.“ Lutz Keppeler presented his dissertation – a comprehensive analysis of Spenglers influence on German jurisprudence and legal scholarship. Comedian Ludger Kusenberg pointed out the striking parallels between Westworld and the Decline of the West. Samir Osmancevic, who received his Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Graz with a dissertation on Spengler, talked about the fate of the „Geist“ in an eventized and carnivalized society.
Conference:
Stadien menschlicher Entwicklung - Ansätze zur Kulturmorphologie heute
28.9.-2.10.2014, Kloster Wöltingerode
As a precursor to the founding of the Oswald Spengler Society, the conference "Oswald Spenglers Cultural Morphology - A Multidisciplinary Approach" took place in the former monastery Wöltingerode in the Harz Mountains near Blankenburg, Oswald Spenglers town of birth in 2014. The conference was organized by Robert Rollinger and Sebastian Fink of the University of Innsbruck and Max Otte, then University of Graz.
Almost three dozen scholars from Europe and America in the fields of history, philosophy, jurisprudence, biology, pre-history and archeology convened to explore Oswald Spenglers influence on and relationship to early and pre-history, high cultures, the current situation of humanity and the state of research on Oswald Spengler. Since February 2018, the papers of the conference are available in an 800-page-volume.
Click HERE in order to consult the data on the publication.
Miscellaneous events and publications on Oswald Spengler
2.6.2022
Article: David Engels, The “Philosophical Zombie,” Nietzsche’s “Last Man,” and Spengler’s “Fellah”, in: The European Conservative, 2.6.2022 (Click HERE)
14.5.2022
Article: Carlos J. Blanco, Spengler et l'Europe faustienne (Click HERE)
8.3.2022
Interview: Interview with David Engels on Oswald Spengler, in: Phrasendrescher.
8.3.2022 (Click HERE)
25.11.2021
Public Discussion: David Engels, Marek Kornat and Wojciech Kunicki on Oswald Spengler, in: Instytut Zachodni, 25.11.2021 (Click HERE)
27.10.2021
Lecture: David Engels: A Short Introduction to Oswald Spengler, in: Pilecki Institute, 27.10.2021 (Click HERE)
21.10.2021
Lecture: David Engels, Eine Einführung in das Werk von Oswald Spengler, Universität Erlangen, 21.10.2021 (Click HERE)
3.9.2021
Book: Herrmann von Keyserling, Spengler, l'homme des faits, Paris, Éditions "La Nouvelle Librairie" (Click HERE)
20.7.2021
Cultural event: "Zanik Zàpadu". First representation of Spengler's "Decline of the West" on the theatrical stage, AntiTeatro, Bratislava, 20.7.2021 (Click HERE)
19.2.2021
Interview: Carlos X. Blanco, Spain is breaking up, while allowing to be invaded and culturally colonized. But if Spain falls, the whole of Europe falls, in: Demokracija.eu, 19.2.2021 (Click HERE)
23.1.2021
Article: Alistair Crooks, Trofim Lysenko Looks Down and Smiles, in: Quadrant Online, 23.1.2021 (Click HERE)
15.1.2021
Book: David Engels, Oswald Spengler. Werk, Deutung, Rezeption, Stuttgart, Kohlhammer, 2021, 490p. (Click HERE)
12.-14.11.2020
Conference: From Herodotus to Spengler. Comparing Civilisations throughout Time and Space" (Click HERE)
20.6.2020
Article: Carlos X. Blanco, Un orden que brota del presente caos mision de la hispanidad, in: www.geopolitica.ru/es, 20.6.2020 (Click HERE)
13.6.2020
Article: Carlos X. Blanco, Las Españas como katehon, in: decadenciadeeuropa.blogspot.com, 13.6.2020 (Click HERE)
14.5.2020
Article: Alistair Crooks, The National Forelock. There for the Tugging, in: Quadrant Online, 14.5.2020 (Click HERE)
9.4.2019
Article: Marian Ehret, The Evolution of the German-Chinese Strategic Partnership: A Case Study Approach, in: Asia-Pacific Social Science Review 19.4, 2019, 1–17 (Click HERE)
7.4.2020
Call for Papers: Special issue of "The Philosophical Journal of Conflict and Ciolence" on Oswald Spengler, edited by Gregory Swer. Deadline for abstract submissions: September 15, 2020. (Click HERE)
3.12.2019
Article: Alain de Benoist, Introduction à Oswald Spengler, in: www.institut-iliade.com 3.12.2019 (Click HERE)
14.10.2019
Article: Carlos X. Blanco, Espana vive un nuevo 711. Sobre el metodo de las correspondencias de Spenglery y la actual "pérdida de España", in: www.geopolitica.ru 14.10.2019 (Click HERE)
12.10.2019
Lecture: J.D. De Vore, Prophet of Decay, Newcastle Philosophy Society.
19.7.2019
Book: Carlos X. Blanco, De Covadonga a la nación española. La hispanidad en clave Spengleriana, EAS Editions, 2019 (with a preface by Robert Steuckers). (To read the preface, click HERE)
4.7.2019
Article: David Engels, Oswald Spengler, Der Bestauner, in: Die Tagespost 4.7.2019, 19 (Click HERE)
16.6.2019
Interview: Rolf Hochhuth, Woher wir kommen, wohin wir gehen. Wie geht das Abendland unter?, in: dctp.tv (Click HERE)
21.5.2019
Article: Carlos X. Blanco, El carácter único del pueblo espanol en el mundo del Occidente. Consideraciones a partir de O. Spengler e J. Campbell, in: La Tribuna del Pais Vasco 21.5.2019 (Click HERE)
20.5.2019
Article: Carlos X. Blanco, El espejo ruso, in: www.geopolitica.ru, 20.5.2019 (Click HERE)
19.4.2019
Article: Dirk Glaser, Rache üben durch Rechtbehalten, in: Junge Freiheit 19.4.2019, S. 19. (Click to download pdf)
5.4.2019
Conference: Houellebecq: Europa i kryzys cywilizacji? (with Prof. M. Loba and Prof. D. Engels), University of Poznan, C3 Collegium Novum, 5.4.2019. For more information, click HERE.
1.4.2019
Paper: C.X. Blanco, Spengler y el katehon, in: La tribuna del País Vasco 1.4.2019. For more information, click HERE.
19.3.2019
Conference: Le début de la fin? Penser la décadence avec Oswald Spengler, Maison Heinrich Heine, Paris, 19.2.2019. For more information, click HERE.
19.2.2019
Paper: D. Engels, The Spengler Society and Michel Houellebecq, in: European Conservative, 19.2.2019. For more information, click HERE.
4.2.2019
News: In einer Aura von Weltruhm (Oswald Spengler's family home has been renovated), in: Volsstimme.de 4.2.2019. For more information, click HERE.
25.1.2019
Paper: J.-S. Mongrenier, Quand le spectre de la décadence hante l'Occident, in: Atlantico, 25.1.2019. For more information, click HERE.
12.2018
Paper: D. Engels, Le déclin programmé de l'Occident. Les cent ans du maître-ouvrage d'Oswald Spengler, in: Éléments 175, 2018, 77-79. For more information, click HERE.
20.10.2018
For the media impact of our conference on spengler and the award of the Spengler-Prize to Michel Houellebeq, click HERE.
5.11.2018
Paper: E. Heldaas, Hundre års undergang, in: Prosa. Tidsskrift for sakprosa 7.11.2018. More information HERE.
13.10.2018
Exhibition: Dmitry Borshch, Spengler and the Decline of Russia, 105 NY-110, Melville, NY 11747, 6.11.-1.12.2018. More information HERE.
5.10.2018
Interview: D. Engels, D'Oswald Spengler à Michel Houellebecq, in: Le Point 5.10.2018. More information HERE.
27.9.2018
Conference: D. Csejtei, Spengler aktualitása, Subotica, 27.9.2018.
1.9.2018
Paper: A. Kilb, Der Falter als geflügelter mitteleuropäischer Zwergchinese, in: FAZ 1.9.2018. More information HERE.
26.8.2018
Paper: A. Widman, Der Untergang des Abendlandes, in: Frankfurter Rundschau, 26.8.2018. More information HERE.
3.8.2018
Paper: D. Engels, Müde der Macht des Geldes. Liberalismus, Elitismus und Realismus im Werk Oswald Spenglers, in: Cato 5, 2018, 72-76. More information HERE.
24.7.2018
Paper: Chr. Geyer, Persien für immer, in: FAZ. More information HERE.
2.7.2018
Paper: Fl. Goldberg, 100 Jahre "Untergang des Abendlandes" - ein Vorbild für Populisten?, in: Deutschlandfunk, Politisches Feuilleton. More information HERE.
Summer Semester 2018
Seminary: Prof. Dr. Vittorio Hösle, German Philosophy of History (including Oswald Spengler) (GE63207), University of Notre Dame.
29.5.2018
Interview: Oswald Spengler und der Untergang des Abendlandes. Interview mit D. Engels, P. Strasser und V. Weiß, in: SWR2-Forum, 29.5.2018. More information HERE.
30.4.2018
Paper: D. Csejtei, A nyugat alkonya száz év után, in: Magyar idök, 30.4.2018. More information HERE.
22.4.2018
Interview: Was wollte Oswald Spengler? Interview with P. Strasser, in: Deutschlandfunk 22.4.2018. More information HERE.
10.4.2018
Paper: A. Grau, Vor Weltreichen sei gewarnt, in: Cicero 4.2018, 108-111. More information HERE.
7.4.2018
Paper: D. Kurbjuweit, Der Mensch soll, in: Der Spiegel 11.2018, 108-111. More information HERE.
4.4.2018
Paper: F. Dirsch, Der Westen ist nicht der geborene Sieger, in: Katholische Tagespost 4.4.2018. More information HERE.
15.3.2018
Paper: D. Engels, Zaungäste des Untergangs, in: Weltwoche 11.2018, 58-59. More information HERE.
26.2.2018
Interview: Interview on the occasion of the 100st anniversary of the publication of the "Decline of the West" with A. Demandt, M. Thöndl and D. Felken. ORF, Ö1 Radiokolleg. More information HERE.
23.1.2018
Paper: S. Restelli, Oswald Spengler: il tramonto della civiltà occidentale?. More information HERE.
29.11.2017
Paper: Th. Assheuer. China. Die Big Data Diktatur. More information HERE.
9.11.2017
Book: just published: Alexander Demandt, Untergänge des Abendlandes. Studien zu Oswald Spengler, Köln / Weimar / Wien, 2017.
16.10.2017
Paper: Spenglers beklemmende profetie van een onafwendbare ondergang, in: Reformatorisch Dagblad.
More information HERE.
13.10.2017
11 short papers: Eleven international experts give their view on Oswald Spengler today on the occasion of the first Dutch translation of "The Decline of the West".
More information HERE.
10.10.2017 (Amsterdam, Paradiso)
Conference: Presentation of the first Dutch translation of Oswald Spengler's "The Decline of the West " in Amsterdam (Booms Editions).
More information HERE.
29.8.2017
Paper: T. Krause. Abendland für Angeber. Was Sie übr seinen Untergang wissen müssen.
More information HERE.
Winter Semester 2017-2018
Seminary: Prof. Dr. David Engels (History Department), 100 ans "Le déclin de l'Occident", Université libre de Bruxelles.