walter benjamin

walter benjamin was a german philosopher, cultural critic, and writer. he was born in 1892 and died in 1940. benjamin is best known for his contributions to the field of cultural criticism and his exploration of the relationship between art, technology, and modernity. he is considered one of the most important figures in the frankfurt school of critical theory, and his ideas have had a significant influence on later thinkers and scholars. some of his most famous works include "the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction" and "the arcades project."

walter benjamin was known for his unique and thought-provoking ideas, which he expressed in his writing and speeches. here are a few of his most famous quotes:

-"experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him."
-"to be happy is to be able to become aware of oneself without fright."
-"the only way of knowing a person is to love them without hope."
-"the story is told of an automaton constructed in such a way that it could play a winning game of chess, answering each move of an opponent with a countermove. a puppet in turkish attire and with a hookah in its mouth sat before a chessboard placed on a large table. a system of mirrors created the illusion that this table was transparent from all sides. actually, a little hunchback who was an expert chess player sat inside and guided the puppet's hand by means of strings. one can imagine a philosophical counterpart to this device. the puppet called "historical materialism" is to win all the time. it can easily be a match for anyone if it enlists the services of theology, which today, as we know, is wizened and has to keep out of sight."
-"the true picture of the past flits by. the past can be seized only as an image which flashes up at the instant when it can be recognized and is never seen again."