The Davos debate was perceived as a generational rupture between Enlightenment and existentialism

Evidence

Although no clear winner emerged from the debate, it seemed natural to many observers to cast Cassirer as a throwback to a civilised yet outmoded past, with Heidegger as the prophet of a dangerous yet thrilling future. One person who interpreted the debate that way was Emmanuel Levinas, who had now moved on from his days as Husserl’s student and was attending the conference as a fervent supporter of Heidegger. As he said to an interviewer later, it was like seeing one world end and another begin. — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café, 243

Categorization

• XREF: The ‘one world end and another begin’ framing echoes the existentialist orientation narrative the reader wants: this is the hinge moment where Enlightenment confidence gives way to existentialist questioning. — connects to: Postmodernism discourse expresses a generation’s disillusionment rather than describing reality. — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism: A Marxist…, 625; The collapse of Enlightenment certainty politicized struggles between modernist currents. — David Harvey, The Condition of Postmodernity: An…, 238; Postmodernist thinkers rejected existentialism as outdated and overly human-centered — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café: Freedom,…, 916 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• The collapse of Enlightenment certainty politicized struggles between modernist currents. #expands (0.82) — David Harvey, The Condition of Postmodernity, 238
• Postmodernism discourse expresses a generation’s disillusionment rather than describing reality. #exemplifies (0.80) — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism, 625
• Postmodernism theory makes uncertainty about the age into its founding clue #exemplifies (0.78) — Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic…, 10
• Modernity’s reflexivity makes its own rational grounds ultimately puzzling #corroborates (0.78) — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 124
• Postmodernist thinkers rejected existentialism as outdated and overly human-centered #expands (0.75) — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café, 916
• Modernism doubted Being’s stability while postmodernism abandoned Being altogether #expands (0.75) — Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic…, 473