Author
Max Kemmerich
1876-1932
Max Kemmerich (1876-1932) is a public-domain author available on Rivro. Read free books, explore subjects, and discover related classics.
Books by Max Kemmerich
Kultur-Kuriosa, Erster Band
"Kultur-Kuriosa, Erster Band" by Max Kemmerich is a collection of cultural curiosities written in the early 20th century. This work delves into various historical oddities and societal phenomena, analyzing them within the context of their time. The book does not aim for comprehensive cultural history but rather presents intriguing facts that showcase the peculiarities and contradictions of civilization. At the start of "Kultur-Kuriosa," Kemmerich sets the stage with an introduction that clarifies the book's intentions and structure. He explains that the text is not a mere collection of anecdotes but focuses on verified unusual historical facts that reflect the cultures and institutions of their respective eras. The opening section discusses various modern inventions and ideas that have roots in antiquity, emphasizing the surprising similarities in past and present innovations. Through the examples presented, Kemmerich highlights the continuous evolution of societal practices, illustrating how many modern concepts are not as novel as believed.
Kultur-Kuriosa, Zweiter Band
"Kultur-Kuriosa, Zweiter Band" by Max Kemmerich is a collection of cultural observations and curiosities written in the early 20th century. This volume serves as a continuation of the first, exploring intriguing aspects of antiquity, science, and societal norms, likely aimed at educated readers with a penchant for the unusual and historical insights. The opening of this work introduces several fascinating findings and theories from ancient history, revealing that early civilizations possessed advanced knowledge and technologies often overlooked in modern times. It discusses discoveries like a terracotta disc with movable letters and ancient methods of glassmaking, highlighting remarkable similarities between ancient practices and contemporary techniques. The author blends these historical accounts with humorous reflections, suggesting that many modern phenomena have ancient precedents, setting the tone for a reflective yet entertaining exploration of cultural history.
Aus der Geschichte der menschlichen Dummheit
"Aus der Geschichte der menschlichen Dummheit" by Max Kemmerich is a polemical cultural critique written in the early 20th century. It charts how human folly—above all religious literalism and institutional dogmatism—has warped judgment and public life, illustrating its case with pointed historical anecdotes and learned references. The likely focus is on exposing the intellectual and moral costs of unexamined authority, especially where biblical infallibility is invoked. The opening of the book sets a modest scope in a foreword, then argues that treating the Bible as an absolute measure of truth is a test of intelligence: either one renounces verbal inspiration where facts contradict scripture, or one commits a basic error of reasoning. It dissects papal power claims built on “Tu es Petrus,” contrasts clerical shrewdness with secular credulity, and parades the absurdities of medieval scholastic hair-splitting and rabbinic casuistry as symptoms of authority-bound thinking. A long series of early modern and modern examples follows—Protestant tracts on angels as matchmakers, Paradise as a feudal fief, faith in the womb, reasons God gave no savior to fallen angels, the timing and season of Creation, denial of antipodes, global deluge physics, the persistence of geocentrism, “scriptural geology,” and even a biblicized evolutionary fantasy about Adam—showing how blind literalism stifles science and common sense. At the start of the second chapter, the author pivots to asceticism, distinguishing sensible self-discipline from self-destructive mortification, critiquing temperance absolutism and rigid fasting rules. He then sketches striking cases of extreme diet and self-denial among early Christians and Manichaeans, strict Orthodox fasts, and grotesque strategies to combat sexual desire, including self-injury and neurotic avoidance of women.