Zeitgemäßes über Krieg und Tod

The essay examines psychological reactions to modern total war, focusing on the widespread disillusionment caused by its brutality and on the altered attitudes toward death that it enforces. It analyzes how cultural expectations of civilized nations, moral norms, and scientific detachment collapse under wartime pressure, prompting professionals and laypeople to denigrate enemies, repurpose expertise for conflict, and feel inner disorientation. The author outlines collective and individual defense mechanisms, the rupture of international cultural bonds, and the erosion of legal and humanitarian distinctions between combatants and noncombatants. Clinical observation and social analysis are combined to diagnose emotional responses and to map moral and psychological consequences of prolonged violent struggle.