Dear Marion,

Thank you for both letters, the electronic one and the one on paper
with the enclosures from the New York Times. You give me much to think
about. 1) the outbreak of World War I, 2) Nueva Germania, 3) Global
warming, 4) Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra politics. First however, the
most important issue: your visit on August 7. Margaret and I both look 
forward very much to seeing you. Please don't forget that Margaret and
I have both gotten much older in the past year. As of this morning, our
physical situation seems more precarious than ever, and it is uncertain 
whether we will be able to carry out in August the plans that we make 
in May. At present, we expect to return to Belmont from Konnarock several 
days before you arrive, and if for any reason we can't get back in time, 
I will let you know.

1) So far as the outbreak of World War I is concerned, I find it remarkable
that the conventional historical account which assigned almost exclusive
responsibility for the war to Kaiser Wilhelm II, is being revised. I'm not
surprised. I find history and ideology to be inextricably entwined. Although
admittedly the events described in novels such as I write, "never happened", 
they seem to me to have a greater claim on "truth" than the historians' 
imaginings which are ostensibly tethered to the "facts".

2) What little I've read about Elisabeth Nietzsche has always appalled me.
Most recently I encountered disparaging references to her in the autobiography
"Mein Leben" of one of Nietzsche's friends, Paul Deussen, a book which I must
have bought for 10 cents, because thats the price inscribed in the cover.
I had never looked at it until now.  Contains interesting accounts of
Nietzsche and Deussen, fellow high school students in Schulpforta, an
elite boarding school near Naumburg. It's obvious that Elizabeth and
Friedrich were very different. Notwithstanding Nietzsches Philosemitism,
I find brother and sister in agreement on several impostant issues.

a) Their rejection of existing society. Ponder Elizabeth's abandonment
of Kaiser Wilhelm's Deutschland for Nueva Germania in the light of her
brother's diatribes against the existing culture.

b) Their agreement on the genetic basis of human excellence and power.
Compare Elizabeth's plan to conquer South America by engrafting on it
a race of pure blooded Germans with Nietzsche's apocalyptic visions
of genetically superior human beings (Übermenschen). I infer in the
second half of the nineteenth century genetics began to dominate thought
and discourse, - as it still does, - and it seems unavoidable and
"natural" to me that persons of limited imagination and understanding
like Elizabeth Nietzsche should be seduced by impractical utopian
schemes to harvest the fruits of spurious science. Another example
is "Social Darwinism".

3) The controversies surrounding "global warming" bring to mind 
my fascination of long standing with issues of epistemology.
I don't believe  that either the individuals who claim to "deny" 
"global warming" or the individuals who "believe in" "global warming"
have "knowledge" of what they assert or deny. Such belief or denial
seems to me analogous to belief or denial of "God", a religious,
emotionally and ideologically charged issue with which I don't know
how to deal. In order to have an opinion, I would need to assemble, 
review and assimilate all the relevant evidence. Until I've done that
work, - which is far beyond my capacity, - I prefer to leave the 
pseudo-religious crusading, - for or against - to others. I note also
that even if I had performed the scientific work which persuaded me
that global warming was an impending catastrophe, I don't know what
I could do to avert it other than to move to higher ground as I have
done. The Nantucket house is 15 feet above sea level, Belmont about 
30 feet, and Konnarock a glorious 3000 feet above the rising oceans.
Come to think of it, perhaps my delirious affection for this 
mountainous landscape should be construed as the ultimate proof of
my faith in global warming. I believe the claim to be able to avert 
or even to mitigate global warming by political action to be unrealistic
at best, - fraudulent at worst. I believe political gestures to avert
global warming have a spiritual value analogous to fasting for Yom Kippur
or eschewing the eating of meat during Lent. 

It's time to mow the lawn. I'll tackle the financial problems of the
Minneapolis Symphony in a subsequent letter. Stay well and happy.

Jochen