Oswald Spengler German idealist philosopher, historian, representative of the philosophy of life. Date of Birth: 29.05.1880 Country: Germany

1. Oswald Spengler Biography
2. Overcoming Mechanistic Evolution
3. Cyclic Theory of Culture
4. Ascending and Descending Lines of Development
5. The History of Culture

Oswald Spengler Biography

Oswald Spengler (1880-1936) was a prominent German philosopher, cultural theorist, and historian. He is known for his contributions to the philosophy of life and his creation of the cyclical theory.

Overcoming Mechanistic Evolution

Spengler's teachings aimed to overcome the mechanistic evolution prevalent in the 19th century global schemes of cultural development. These schemes portrayed the world culture as a singular ascending process, with European culture as the pinnacle of human development. Spengler's theory challenged this notion.

Cyclic Theory of Culture

According to Spengler, world culture is composed of separate and independent cultures, each with its own pace of development and lifespan. Similar to a living organism, each culture goes through several stages from birth to death, including youth, maturity, and old age. Spengler's concept of simultaneity suggests that different cultures, separated by millennia, experience three identical stages: mythic-symbolic early culture, metaphysical-religious high culture, and late civilizational structure.

Ascending and Descending Lines of Development

Spengler distinguishes between two lines of development within each culture: the ascending line, representing culture in its proper sense, and the descending line, representing civilization. The ascending line is characterized by the development of organic cultural elements, while the descending line reflects their ossification and transformation into mechanistic forms. This is expressed through rapid technological advancements, the growth of cities into megapolises, the emergence of mass, technologically-oriented culture, the transformation of regional forms into global ones, and the onset of the age of Caesarism.

The History of Culture

According to Spengler, the history of culture begins with the barbarism of the primitive era. It then progresses through the development of political organization, arts, sciences, and more. The classical period of culture marks its peak, which is followed by ossification and decadence, eventually leading to a new form of barbarism where everything becomes commodified and vulgarized. The end or decline of culture signifies its transition into the phase of civilization.