In 1992, Francis Fukuyama famously pondered on the possibility of the end of history, after which we would all imagine future history books simply ending with a sardonic “etc.” What’s interesting from a contemporary point of view, though, is not so much the truth value of such a thesis, but rather the sociopolitical situation that allowed not only the rendering of such a thing imaginable but also doing so under a positive light — of course, Orwell’s “etc” gave fewer opportunities to marvel. We might think about how the situation has changed and become nostalgic of a time where a political scientist saw such clear skies ahead of us. We might pity ourselves for our uncertain future, even though moments of apparent clarity are rather the exception than the rule and at the same time, without the imminent feeling of the arrival of something festively new, fall into hopeless despair. But, considering the charged pre-WWI atmosphere in which prominent figures expressed an excitement that is hard to fathom, such a feeling might not be that desirable after all.
In this issue we present a number of meditations from which a sane, thinking, person could derive a theme of “Hope”. And we certainly need a thimble full more of that. If you find the term “hope” a bit funky, a bit reminiscent of a grandfatherly time, then welcome! Let’s rehabilitate this concept together in dialogue with our contributors. If you think that to speak of hope at a time as this, when it is obvious that action action action is the only thing holding us from the precipice, well, then we have to agree, but, merely point out that everyone needs a morning coffee, and every morning coffee requires its meditation, and every meditation requires its inspiration, and, well, you’re in the right place for that…
So, welcome back old readers, and hello to the new. We hope this, our issue #05 of Epoché, our Hope issue, can form the background miasma of your action today. Make it count.