Gigantomania

Gigantic columns in the temple of Karnak in Egypt

As gigantism (v. Greek .: gigas , large ', mania , madness') refers to the desire to surpass fellow man through demonstrative, exaggerated beyond measure and Huge benefits. Through monumental to oversized buildings, rulers of all times tried to demonstrate and secure their power .

By striving immeasurably, people sought to become godlike. This ambition found critical reflection in the tradition of the Tower of Babel . In terms of cultural philosophy, this phenomenon (also gigantism or titanism ) takes place in modern times and a. with Oswald Spengler , Günther Anders or Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker in different ways.

See also

• World capital Germania

literature

• Johannes Scherr : Megalomania: Four chapters from the history of human folly. Günther, Leipzig 1876. (Tredition, Hamburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-8424-2073-1 )
• M. Graf Nayhauß (ed.): Megalomania and politics. Lingen Verlag, Cologne 2012, ISBN 978-3-941118-95-9 .