The Scourge of The Dark Side...Tolkien and Modernism - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

tumhalad2 · 02-25-2008, 03:29 PM

[QUOTE=Nogrod;548687]

... In this world there are no genetical master-races of the Dunedain even if some people have tried to advance that kind of ideas, or master-cultures like the elves - or unworthy Dunledings... These are very unmodern ideas - and unhumanist ideas.

There may be more virtuous or nicer individuals as there seems to be fouler or colder people. There may also be unhealthy trends in any one culture (like the overindividualism in the western culture or the rising fundamentalism in both islamic and western cultures) or good trends. But cultures as such are not bad or good - and people only become good or bad by what they do. But in the beginning they're all equal. Every newborn is sinless.

That's modernist humanism I'm proud to advocate.[/QUOTE

Firstly I don't believe the Dunedein were a 'genetic' master race-though they are 'talked up' in the LOTR it is also true that they themselves are capable of sin and vice. So, the Dunedain are not morally superior humans, nor particularly phyical, but, if anything, their history is more connected with the elves which makes them 'culturally superior'. As to the Elves themselves-they are difficult. Brin calls them ubermenshen-indeed in a sense they are, though perhaps in light of Tolkien's entire legendarium it would be more exact to say that their civilisation is inherently different, rather than superior, to the cultures of Men or Dwarves (something the Dwarves would certainly say!)

Reading Tolkien I don't really get the idea that the Elves are in fact 'superior'-just 'different' in some way...

02-25-2008, 03:29 PM	#21
tumhalad2 Haunting Spirit Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 95	[QUOTE=Nogrod;548687] ... In this world there are no genetical master-races of the Dunedain even if some people have tried to advance that kind of ideas, or master-cultures like the elves - or unworthy Dunledings... These are very unmodern ideas - and unhumanist ideas. There may be more virtuous or nicer individuals as there seems to be fouler or colder people. There may also be unhealthy trends in any one culture (like the overindividualism in the western culture or the rising fundamentalism in both islamic and western cultures) or good trends. But cultures as such are not bad or good - and people only become good or bad by what they do. But in the beginning they're all equal. Every newborn is sinless. That's modernist humanism I'm proud to advocate.[/QUOTE Firstly I don't believe the Dunedein were a 'genetic' master race-though they are 'talked up' in the LOTR it is also true that they themselves are capable of sin and vice. So, the Dunedain are not morally superior humans, nor particularly phyical, but, if anything, their history is more connected with the elves which makes them 'culturally superior'. As to the Elves themselves-they are difficult. Brin calls them ubermenshen-indeed in a sense they are, though perhaps in light of Tolkien's entire legendarium it would be more exact to say that their civilisation is inherently different, rather than superior, to the cultures of Men or Dwarves (something the Dwarves would certainly say!) Reading Tolkien I don't really get the idea that the Elves are in fact 'superior'-just 'different' in some way...