O Escândalo da Distância

Abstract

Much has been written about the philosophical nature of Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. Scholars often highlight Hans Castorp's journey of learning, the debates between Settembrini and Naphta, and the protagonist's confrontation with the enigmas of time, love, and death. However, judging by the portrayal of the alpine sanatorium where the contemplative and introspective Castorp spends seven years of his life, one might miss the mark. If The Magic Mountain is a philosophical novel, it is not due to its themes, but rather because it dramatizes as interrogation on the advantages and disadvantages of distance for thought. Is distance—symbolized by the mountain—an incentive for reflection? Or is it merely an excuse to avoid action, a pretext for indifference, withdrawal, or cowardice? And what is the alternative? A return to the businesses and wars of the lowlands? What, then, constitutes the "good" distance? Today, in an era of technological acceleration, political radicalization, and looming war, this question—which was Mann's—is also ours.