Reason, when taken to an extreme, is outright dangerous. The French Revolution is an
apt example of how rational thinking can create chaos. Grounding abstract concepts such as
freedom, justice, and liberty into reality result in violence and terror. Consider, for example, the
September Massacres in 1792 France. Radicals, supported by their reasoning, decide that the
nobility must suffer for their oppressive crimes. Are revolutionaries then rationally justified in
butchering nobles in the name of freedom? While any ordinary person might denounce such
abhorrent acts, the perpetrators would reason their acts were justified. How else could the mobs
sing songs while hacking people to pieces? Although Goethe criticizes reason for its limitations,
especially regarding linear thinking, he does not explicitly address its potential dangers. He
utilizes Mephisto as a mouth-piece to argue for the importance of not driving “... the spirit out of
the parts” (199). Weaving, for Goethe, represents order because it does not travel in a single
direction like logic. The idea of single-minded reasoning implies a much more sinister problem:
extremism. If extremists rationally develop a narrow viewpoint, they will pursue their goal - at
all costs. Consider ******’s rise to power in the 20th century. A twisted individual murders
millions in concentration camps because of a devotion to a “rational” cause: the extermination of
Jews and other ‘undesirables.’
The problem with logical thinking is that anything is arguable,
provided that one sets forth a certain premise. If one declares a race of people are detrimental to
the rise of a nation, then it follows logically that removing the aforementioned individuals is
beneficial and patriotic. By censuring and restricting free speech, a powerful dictator can
indoctrinate the populace with absurd logic. Goethe, by emphasizing the importance of weaving
and non-linear thinking, perhaps indirectly foretold some of the great evils in human history:
WWII, the rise of extremism, etc. If reason possesses limitation and inherent danger, then should
humans embrace emotion? In accordance with the Romantic idea, Goethe positions the belief in
divinity of human spirit as reason’s superior.