German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche
(1844-1900) (Hulton Archive/Getty)Yet, Fukuyama was clear that the end of History was not something to be wholly celebrated. It was a victory
of liberalism as an idea. But large parts of the world will remain “historical”, and other parts may lapse back
into dictatorship or strife, albeit without a higher cause. He expands on Kojève’s theory of the end state as a
time when post-humans become animals leading largely meaningless lives. This notion is a key departure
point of Fukuyama from Kojevian beliefs. He writes: “The end of history will be a very sad time. The
struggle for recognition, the willingness to risk one’s life for a purely abstract goal, the worldwide
ideological struggle that called forth daring, courage, imagination, and idealism, will be replaced by
economic calculation, the endless solving of technical problems, environmental concerns, and the
satisfaction of sophisticated consumer demands. In the post-historical period there will be neither art nor
philosophy, just the perpetual caretaking of the museum of human history. I can feel in myself, and see in
others around me, a powerful nostalgia for the time when history existed. Such nostalgia, in fact, will
continue to fuel competition and conflict even in the post-historical world for some time to come.”
This passage, which served as a sombre ending to an otherwise optimistic article, is arguably the most
crucial, and most overlooked part of his original work, leading American philosopher Susan Shell to label it
a “most pessimistic of optimistic books”. Like Kojève, Fukuyama understands that the end of History will
have a profound effect on humanity and human nature. However, while Kojève believed that humans would
merely “sink down into a brutish contentment with material comforts, rather like dogs lying around in the
afternoon sun”, the latter predicted that a life of rational consumption, what Fukuyama calls “masterless
slavery” would not satisfy the ambitions and egoism of many humans.
In the 21st century, Fukuyama’s thesis has been subject to significant strain. Triumphalist his original article
was not