Three Moments Paideums
Frobenius identifies three key points in the historical existence of the Paideums, which correspond to approximately three stages of the organic development of culture in Danilevsky and Spengler.
The first thing is “obsession,” Ergriffenheit. This is the beginning of the historical existence of culture. The human community at some point is faced with something that shakes it to the depths of the soul. This can be a phenomenon, an event, a symbol, a state, a detected pattern, a technique, etc. The perception of this turns out to be so strong and deep that society becomes literally “possessed” and endows with what it has encountered an absolute, sacred meaning. This point of “obsession” begins to enter as a knot for numerous myths, symbolic series, plots, practices, social institutions, etc. At this stage, the core of social culture is formed - at the beginning in raw and generalized, rather intuitive and implied, rather than in the form.
Society may be obsessed with time, death, patterns observed in nature, cataclysm, sex, pain, etc. Whatever causes “obsession”, it sooner or later acquires the properties of “spirit”, “deity”, “otherworldly”, etc., and it turns out to be the basis of magical, religious, ecstatic rites and practices. This is the sacred foundation of society, the core of the paydeums.
Frobenius shows that in this phase, which is correlated with the culture of childhood, the central point is “daimonic” - a vague perception of a powerful, obscure, attractive and terrifying force at the same time. Frobenius speaks of the “dymonic world” (damonische Welt), the “dymonic beginning” (damonische Prinzip) or the “dymonic moment” (damonische Moment) 1. When the source of the “daimonic” becomes personified, the figure of Fascinator, “Possessor” or “daimon” appears.
The second moment of paydeums comes when “obsession” begins to undergo rational thinking and look for distinct forms for its expression. Culture tries to give what is “obsessed” with it, a distinct appearance, to bring it outside, to make it a subject of knowledge. This Frobenius called the stage "expression", Ausdruck. Here we are dealing with the process of creating a clear contrasting image, cultural self-reflection. The society develops the canons of art, religion, technology, social and political structure, which gives an orderly and normative character. What it was blindly "obsessed with" earlier turns into an object of contemplation. This is the heyday of culture, its highest explicit deployment. Here, culture clearly speaks about itself that which was previously an intimate secret.
Frobenius compares this phase with youth. Here the essence of culture is embodied in the ideal; the demon becomes a god, an idea.
The third moment Paideums means a gradual cooling of the culture, its mineralization. Here, the form found at the second stage, which constitutes the essence of culture, becomes the basis for creating technical practices. This is an "application", Anwendung. At this phase, culture materializes, freezes, turns to the lower material layers, is dispersed in the technique. This phase can be easily identified with what Spengler understood by "civilization." The era of "technical development" in every culture is a sign of an imminent and near sunset, Frobenius believes. It means that the strength and power of the original “obsession” are so exhausted that they no longer have a mobilizing, fascinating, sacral influence on society. Myths are erased, religions lose their attraction, social practices become a routine. The agony of culture is associated with this: it tries in vain to preserve its wholeness in search of artificial stimuli.
This is maturing and old age: now the ideal and god turn into a fact, into an instrument, into a commonplace, into matter. This is followed by the inevitable decline of culture, the paydeum perishes.
