“auf die höchste Blüte der Kunst- und Erwerbsbetriebsamkeit gestellten Erdendasein” Pfisters Mühle di Wilhelm Raabe e la questione della tecnica

Abstract

This article offers a new interpretation of Wilhelm Raabe’s Pfisters Mühle, moving beyond the conventional reading of the story as a conflict between humans and nature. It situates the narrative within the broader philosophical problem of technology (téchne) and human rationality, which Raabe enacts through the motif of original sin and humanity’s natural drive to manipulate and dominate nature. The story shows how technical reasoning can become a pervasive mode of domination, subordinating existence to efficiency and utility, with rapid technological change intensifying existential anxiety and fostering nihilism. The problem lies not in technology itself, but in human capacity to perceive change and respond ethically to its transformations. In this context, Raabe examines the tension between technical rationality and humanistic knowledge, as reflected in the protagonist’s manuscript. Art and narrative emerge as enduring repositories of experience and ethical insight, countering the abstraction and control inherent in unexamined technical thought. In doing so, Raabe shifts the focus from environmental consequences to how humans perceive the world, interpret knowledge, and relate to one another in a context shaped by technological power. Ultimately, the text suggests that existence gains meaning through shared experience and relational awareness, rather than through mastery of the external world