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Entry: Lukacs, Buchanan, and "Anti-anticommunism" Link: http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/lukacs_buchanan_and_anti_anticommunism#28140 Post contents: "Lukacs clearly doesn’t get out much." We can agree that Prof Lukacs's assessment of PJB's new tome is off the mark, but do we need to be sophomoric about it. The comment above seems petulant and a bit odd. "And as an historian, he has a rather annoying tendency to allow grand, sweeping interpretations of history—as provocative, interesting, and “reactionary” as they might be at times—get in the way of understanding the past “wie es eigentlich gewesen,” how it really happened." Though I may have issues with Prof Lukacs's obsession with Hitler and Churchill, I believe Richard that this quote is out of bounds. It made me question how familiar you are with Lukacs’s Historical Consciousness, or any of his other writings on his historical philosophy or history as a mode of thinking. Without exemption, his work in this area has been long overlooked and it’s extremely spot on. One can take issue with Lukacs’s review of PJB’s book and his interpretation of WWIII, but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. From my perspective, it strikes me that his review of PJB’s work seems crankier in tone than usual, and may be indicative of a thinker at the twilight of his vocation. I’m not saying that a younger Lukacs would agree with PJB, but he may have been a tad bit more collegial and far more nuance in his assessment. I believe a bit more balance on both ends – Lukacs and critics thereof – would be appropriate at this stage. Sent at: 2009 01 09