Karl Kraus on the sad human condition II
We don't know much
One of those generally unknown intellectual figures much admired by those who know them — the novelist Jonathan Franzen edited a collection of his writings titled The Kraus Project — Karl Kraus was a crusading journalist in Vienna as editor of Die Fackel (The Torch) from 1899 till his death in 1936. He seems to have attacked nearly everyone, including former friends and benefactors, and especially other journalists. He’s most known now for his aphorisms. These are taken from the posthumous collection No Compromise: Selected Writings of Karl Kraus. The first set appeared here.
It is a pitiful sort of mockery that expends itself in punctuation — employing exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes as if they were whips, snares, and goads.
No ideas and the ability to express them — that's a journalist.
Much knowledge has room in an empty head.
Social policy is the despairing decision to undertake a corn operation on a cancer patient.
An illusion of depth often occurs if a blockhead is a muddlehead at the same time.
The value of education is most clearly revealed when educated people begin to speak on a problem that lies outside the sphere of their competence.
Education is what most receive, many pass on, and few possess.
The secret of the demagogue is to appear as stupid as his audience so that it can believe itself to be as smart as he.
Previous: Isaiah Berlin on understanding Nazis and other fanatics.