EUROPE: A Continent of the Past?

Abstract

This reflection discusses the filiation of contemporary Europe in three possible matrices (mythological and political): the Greek matrix of philosophy and democracy, the Judeo-Christian roots and science. However, it seems none of them presents a consensual dimension while defining Europe. Thus, it should come as no surprise that today Europe lives a subtle nihilism and sort of masochist reflection. The essay also discusses the difficulty that the European reason lives as from Greek philosophy, by introducing a radical questioning that shakes the mythical truth, instituting an almost always problematic and even dramatic speech. This lack of internal coherence is also reflected in how the State and the Power were designed from the Judeo-Christian matrix. Realising today how much Europe has lost its centrality, the text ends as a word of exhortation to the recreation of Europeans and their identity.