The depths that lure and devour. On the cultural history of water

Hartmut Böhme: The depths that lure and devour. On the cultural history of water 

Water, the aquatic element, is a medium of cultural development. Without the use of ships on rivers and oceans, humans would never have become the “rulers of the earth”. “Global consciousness” (A. v. Humboldt) is a result of seafaring undertakings. State power, military superiority, technical and trade wealth were all gained at sea. But Fortuna Mala, bad fortune, catastrophe arose again and again. The risk of sinking and the fascination with salvation became fundamental cultural themes. Today we have found a rather cold answer to the ancient ambivalence of the idea of good versus evil: an insurance policy.
Until his retirement, Hartmut Böhme was Professor of Cultural Science at the Humboldt University of Berlin.