Adolf Hitler biography

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An evil man no doubt about that...

But I do have a couple of replicated painting done by the man himself. Strange to think before becoming this leader he wanted to be just an artist and architect but he was bad at both of those. I personally find his paintings aesthetically pleasing but I guess it would give me a different perspective even more had I not known who this guy TRULY was about.









I think the man hated most of things in people he wanted to be himself. He became a huge art critic and hated many people that were highly educated.

No thanks, Zyborg - if you can't be bothered to articulate your own thoughts, then it isn't something I'm interested in doing anymore reading on than the light skim given originally.


M.

I haven't read the article, might save it for a rainy day, but I have wondered about this topic myself. I was actually reading Mein Kamph when it was suggested I had aspergers and I really wondered if he was also on the spectrum.

Primarily it was the obsession, not just the sheer intensity but way it affected his entire outlook on life, his entire way he perceived reality. There was the one absolutely stunning bit, where he described his time in Vienna and his perceptions of Jews. At first, he cannot see any difference between Jews and anyone else, he just thinks Jews are people with a different religion and actually says he is quite horrified by racist literature that suggests something intrinsically different about them. Then, over the next page he explains how he links Jews to Marxism, that Marxism is a Jewish doctrine. So the page after that, two after claiming he cannot see a difference, I think he now claims he can literally smell the difference between the Jew and the non-Jew the difference is so clear in his mind. His entire perception of reality changes based upon his beliefs, that every sensation is ultimately wired into his beliefs.

This really struck a cord with me, because I think it would be fair to say my own obsessions vastly consume my life, whereby everything is personalized to relate to my obsessions and everything is interpreted in light of them. However, Hitler goes a further step because his philosophy is one of radical subjectivism, that people cannot ever directly access objective reality and so no set of beliefs is superior to another, therefore you may as well just go all the way with your own interpretation of reality and believe it actually is reality. While I have some sympathy with this view, I guess I am more aware of the perpetual distortion than he was. Secondly, when it comes to these obsessions, his logical really skips over some steps, it is quite obvious to see, yet on practical matters the man was as logical as anyone else. This is the same with me, as a philosophy student I praise logic very highly yet I often skip logical stages when it comes to my obsessions.

My general feeling about Hitler was that he was certainly a genius and a fascinating character, but he certainly should never have been given political power. On a related matter, I've often wondered if people on the autistic spectrum would be bad choices of political leaders. The lack of empathy and the obsessions particularly worry me. Maybe I generalize, but I know I would always put matters of state above all else, even if that turns into an ends justifies the means scenario - the way totalitarian systems usually start.

In all probability history would have been different if Hitler had not existed but it is an interesting conjecture to speculate what the various forces that came to a head in Nazism in Germany would have materialized into if there was no Hitler. The rise of communism in Russia shaped many of the counterforces in the rest of the west and Hitler merely enabled one aspect of this. Nazism, after all, was National Socialism.

"Nazism, after all, was National Socialism." Yep, it was about the people, which in turned were manipulated into electing Hitler. Despite everything one might say, most of the general public had absolutely no qualms about the jews =/ It was only after the ones most loyal to Hitler who would form a group only loyal to him and his ideals, that this would spread somewhat. I think even within the army (which was likely under strict control and had a few nazis) kept their distance away from the nazis within them. I recall a story my grandparent once told me during WW2, when France fell and he was captured (being an officer), one of my grand-uncles needed to talk to him (i think it was about some wedding arrangements, not too sure), so he went and talk to the guards and they were suprised he could speak german, so they proceeded to his demand... They talked for a while, then afterwards since it was late, the german officers invited them to eat at the table with them. After everything was done, they all went back their own way. =/

About Hitler, well i heard many things about him, he seemed very instructed, but his power likely led to his demise. It's a pity when you see what kind of paintings he was capable of. (Not very litterate in arts, but this seems pretty good, no?)

Sorry Zyborg, but I most likely will not be reading the link. It is 153 pages, so I consider it a book rather than article, and I am well past my Hitler interest stage...although I do still find him interesting and will watch the occasional documentary. As for him being a genius with Aspergers...I think it is too late to really know. I understand Michael Fitzgerald believes him to have had Aspergers, but cannot understand how anyone can truly diagnose a dead person. I also do not believe I have read where he was ever IQ tested.

Hitler being an aspie? of course!
How else can you explain the atrocities?

Geniuses, aspies, or whatever....doesn't make them special.

Even a genius or an aspie can be an as*hole. I think Hitler was a little socially clever especially in his "motivating" and "convincing" speeches to really be an aspie if you really want my 2 cents.

Anyways, good riddens to bad rubbish.

I'd also have to argue that not everyone with aspergers can maintain one on one relationships. He also could've been a closeted homosexual for all we know.

As for monologues, I'm going to say that still doesn't prove he had aspergers. When I say socially convincing, I'm more or less talking about the way in which he projected his every move and presence on stage.....something many aspies and auties have trouble with. You can definitely hear how his voice fluctuates and what he is illustrating through his body language.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri6vgj80DUo[/youtube]