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Zoltan Demme (Hungary, May 31, 1949), also known as Zoltán Deme, is a Hungarian-born American philosopher, writer, movie director, and composer.

His biography
His career started unusual way.

First, less than 16, he wrote a book about Gábor Halász the essayist philosopher, then less than 17, his monography was published and made the secondary grammar school student known in his small native country as a wunderkind. Second, less then 19, he became a reporter of the sole broadcasting station of the communist Hungary (Magyar Rádió) and the day by day morning news made his voice and reports well known in Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Southern Ukraine, Romania, and Serbia (Hungary lost the two thirds of its territory after the World War I thus millions of Hungarians live in the successor countries and millions of native Croatian, Slovenian, Slovakian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Serbian people speak Hungarian). Third, he became the first university student in his native country whose works were published in the periodicals of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (in 1973 in the Studia Litteraria and in 1975 in the Irodalomtörténeti Közlemények) and this made him reputable in the scientific world of Hungary and of the surrounding successor countries. Fourth, by the sole film academy of the communist Hungary that taught and trained art movie filmdirectors for the sole Television of the country (Magyar Televízió) he was selected for further studies. Since for the Hungarian Film Academy only 4 years by 4 years was allowed to select moviedirector students (not more than 10 persons from more than 1000 applicants after a long entrance examination process), this selection, together with the selected actress students and actor students, made him country-wide known again, this time from an other aspect.

However, the having the filmdirector diploma from the Film Academy, then the becoming a filmdirector of the Hungarian State Television (like his filmdirector classmates) these developments broke his impressing career entirely. As known, in the communist Hungary, for noted people was not allowed any publication in western periodicals and papers. But Zoltán Demme (and further Hungarian filmdirectors, writers, scientists) did this - himself in Paris, Rome, Munich periodicals - and as a consequence, communist regime put this renitent person and many other personalities to publication prohibition and silence.

Zoltán Demme left his home, traveled to the United States, and there he was accepted as political asylee. First, he lived from physical works (sheet-rocking and spackling), second, he run a small dry wall company, third, his books had been translated to English, French, and Russian (Struggling against the Absurdities of Human Existence, for example), freeing him from the hard daily drudgery by the wide range international publication. Then he became a freelance philosopher and writer (who sometimes also makes movies, composes operas and other symphonic music as side activity). Currently he lives in California.

His philosophy
Zoltan Demme, in 1984, presented a new approach to the general philosophical problems and created a quite new philosophical system. Applying his thorough knowledge in the fields of the history of both Eastern and Western theoretical thinking, in his book (Struggling...) he turned the traditional basic oppositions of philosophy (matter vs. spirit, materialism vs. idealism, possibility of knowledge vs. impossibility of knowledge, and so on) to one ultimate opposition (possibility of humanization of the world vs. impossibility of humanization of the world).

Designation of the humanization as prime principle when uniting varied ontological, gnoseological, epistemological, and other aspects of philosophy resulted a unique system with one parallel only, philosophical anthropology (of Greak, Christian, and Cartesian origin).

For centuries, philosophy was a synthesizer of other sciences and philosophers were polyhistors. Zoltán Demme keeps this Hellenic and Renaissance tradition.

First, he is equally active in the field of the aesthetics (e.g. resolving some acut problems of the perception of the minimal art poetry) in the field of the art history (e.g. revealing some secrets of Piet Mondrian)  in the field of the ethics (e.g. unfolding new parts of the Middle-European jacobin moral philosophy while revealing the related unkown manuscripts from various archives)  in the field of the ethnography (e.g. presenting in each article more than specific ethnographic details: odd behavior and strange way of thinking of people of micro-civilizations)  and in the field of the travel writing (e.g. the diary of his hichhiking is a continuation of the beatnik and hippie literature led by Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Corso).

Second, he believes that the theoretical creations, even the most abstract ones, always must be turned to everyday practical efforts if possible by the philosopher himself. Therefore, he has organized and managed international service groups acting in varied social and economic areas, struggling mainly with world problems (e.g. the social absurdites, like starvation, abuse of poor people, mass manipulation, and so on) and having the longer or shorter time collaboration of Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Norman Mailer, Willy Brandt, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Yehudi Menuhin, Audrey Hepburn and others.

Third, he firmly prefers interactivity and common work. For example, when directing his philosophical movies as side activity, he stores his completed feature films in his website in divX format for years (having Lucille Bliss, Jennifer Darling, Andre Landzaat, Walker Edmiston, and others appeared in the movies) and discusses the final development of these films with experts before making release. Same thing he does with his other side activity products, with his operas, with his ballets, and other music compositions using the midi format for discussion. And like by his books, by these films and music compositions he too follows the advices of his ancient Hellenic and Renaissance master philosophers: 1. when something is done put it under control for twelve years before releasing it 2. never say a word about your works but let solely the creations to talk, and so on. From his youth he refused all the interview requests and media appearances with no exception.

However, these rainbow scale activities always contain one principal path. It is his perpetual monitoring the tragic features of the human status. Monitoring the death, the passage of time, the lifetime bondage to the same body and soul, and many other restrictive peculiarities of our status. As Zoltan Demme thinks, the true humanists have to front these fatal factors, have to search for methods to cease them or have to reduce their presence and influence. Similarly, humanists have to front those restrictive elements of our status also, what we people create in our societies. He does these things decades long, and as a synthesis of his all philosophical, artistic, and practical activities, at the end point of his path some well elaborated new world models also appear.

Philosophy

 * Verseghy könyvtára. (Library of Verseghy, the jacobin philosopher and poet). Akadémiai Kiadó 1985. ISBN 963-053-825-3 (Hungarian).
 * Verseghy Ferenc kiadatlan írásai, Volume I. Verseghy Nyomda 1982. ISBN 9637612106 (Hungarian). Verseghy Ferenc kiadatlan írásai, Volume II. Verseghy Nyomda 1983. ISBN 9637612289 (Hungarian). Verseghy Ferenc kiadatlan írásai, Volume III. Verseghy Nyomda 1987. ISBN 9637612904 (Hungarian).
 * Selected Essays and Studies (Chords of Scales). Universe Publishing 1995. ISBN 963-550-072-6.
 * Struggling against the Absurdity of Human Existence. Europeanculture Press 1988. OCLC 440610617. Lutte contre l'absurdité de l'existence humaine.Europeanculture Press 1989. OCLC 22508818 (French). Bor'ba s absurdnost'i'u' chelovecheskogo sushchestvovanii'a. Europeanculture Press 1989. OCLC 220878600 (Russian). Szemben az abszurditással In: Arpeggio. Szolnoki Nyomda 1984. p. 112. ISBN 9635002556 (Hungarian).
 * Programme One and Programme Two (Starvation, exploitation, terrorism, manipulations, etc.), 2002. ISBN 963-550-070-X and ISBN 963-550-071-8 Promotion One and Promotion Two (Changing the living world, changing the non-living world), 2009. ISBN 978-963-88609-1-0 and ISBN 978-963-88609-2-7

Other

 * Arpeggio. (Selected essays and studies). Szolnoki Nyomda 1984. (Hungarian) ISBN 9635002556
 * Mikrokozmosz. (Selected poems, novels, and filmscripts). Szolnoki Nyomda 1984. (Hungarian) ISBN 9635002564
 * Zigzag Rushing around the Globe. Europeanculture Press 1995. ISBN 9635500696.
 * Avtostoppom po Amerike. Europeanculture Press 1989. OCLC 220878600 (Russian).
 * Three dark comedies (Ego, Juan!...Juaaaan!, sfgahjkkklg qtkjfdkjj) in Promotion One. Globe Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-963-88609-1-0

Philosophical stories

 * Beyond (The Essence of the Universe)'', feature film, based on the stories of E.T.A. Hoffmann and Théophile Gautier.
 * Land (Consequences of Gene Manipulations), feature film, based on Oidipus in Colonus,'' a play by Sophocles:
 * (New World Plans), feature film, based on the last play of William Shakespeare: The Tempest.
 * (Beyond the Human Senses), short film, based on Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus.
 * Plus (Social Activities), short film.

Others

 * (based on the story of Théophile Gautier).
 * (based on the story of E.T.A. Hoffmann).

Operas and ballets about philosophical and world problems

 * Torquemada Opera in 3 acts. Story by Victor Hugo.
 * Malaqi Buddha Opera in 3 acts. Story follows Kipling's novels.
 * Mona Lisa Opera in 2 acts. Story by Zoltan Demme.
 * Barabbas Ballet in 2 acts. Story by Zoltan Demme.
 * Ballet in 2 acts. Story follows Poe's novels.

Others

 * Romeo and Juliet Opera in 3 acts. Story by William Shakespeare.
 * Ghillie Dhu (Tom Thumb) Ballet in 2 acts. Story follows the Brothers Grimm's tales.
 * Ugly Duckling Ballet in 2 acts. Story follows Hans Christian Andersen's tale.
 * New Nutcracker Ballet in 2 acts. Story follows E.T.A. Hoffmann's novels.