ABSTRACT
We have the Enlightenment era to thank for significant contributions to the humanization of our way of dealing with the dead. This can be demonstrated by the example of cemetery reform. At the same time, the Enlightenment is the era that invented terrorthat is, the practice of political mass murder for the sake of cleansing society and humanity. Yet in the very technique of terrorist liquidation, the humanitarian ultimate intention of such liquidation can be recognized. The guillotine, at any rate, was conceived as an instrument for the promotion of humanity. It was supposed to work quickly and painlessly, and this goal was reached. In this case, too, it was proved that a machine conceived in the spirit of modern technology is capable of working far more precisely and reliably than an individual working by hand can.
