LAUSR

This article addresses the question as to how humanism should relate to the evil of terrorism. The main source of inspiration is the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel American Pastoral by Philip Roth. In this novel, the struggle between a father and his extremist daughter mirrors a struggle between different social imaginaries of America, raising intriguing questions concerning humanism, especially with regard to Bildung. The inability of the main characters to reconcile the conflicting ideals reveals a weakness in Bildung humanism. This humanist school is blind to the conflicting desires, emotions, and passions that lie behind the battle of ideas. Dialogic imagination can help us relate to destructive forces and desires that oppose the humanist ideal of reason. Bildung humanism—with its higher ideals of order, synthesis, and perfection—collides with the capricious human condition. Furthermore, the novel demonstrates that extreme violence or even terrorism can be a reaction to the pursuit of order and perfection. Ideals that deny the existence of imperfections are in themselves violent. Without an occasional reality check, idealism easily turns into blind arrogance. This unintentionally fuels terrorism. Bildung humanism has a responsibility to reflect profoundly on these side effects of idealism. This article seeks to contribute to a realistic reflection on the struggle between humanism and terrorism.