#44549
Mentioned in 1 episodes
La trahison des clercs
Book • 1927
Published in 1927, 'La trahison des clercs' or 'The Treason of the Intellectuals' is a seminal work by Julien Benda that critiques the intellectual corruption of his era.
Benda argues that intellectuals had a moral duty to judge political and military events dispassionately and uphold truth, beauty, and justice.
However, many intellectuals of the 19th and 20th centuries had betrayed this duty by aligning themselves with less humane and less desirable ideologies such as populism, nationalism, and racism.
Benda posits that intellectuals should engage in political protest when they see transcendental values being traduced, citing examples like Émile Zola’s intervention in the Dreyfus affair and Voltaire’s defense of Jean Calas.
The book is a call for intellectuals to maintain their intellectual integrity and stand against the tides of unreason.
Benda argues that intellectuals had a moral duty to judge political and military events dispassionately and uphold truth, beauty, and justice.
However, many intellectuals of the 19th and 20th centuries had betrayed this duty by aligning themselves with less humane and less desirable ideologies such as populism, nationalism, and racism.
Benda posits that intellectuals should engage in political protest when they see transcendental values being traduced, citing examples like Émile Zola’s intervention in the Dreyfus affair and Voltaire’s defense of Jean Calas.
The book is a call for intellectuals to maintain their intellectual integrity and stand against the tides of unreason.
Mentioned by
Mentioned in 1 episodes
Mentioned by 
Anne Applebaum as a prophetic book about intellectuals aligning with radical political movements.
Anne Applebaum as a prophetic book about intellectuals aligning with radical political movements.
Lawfare Archive: Anne Applebaum on the Twilight of Democracy
Mentionné par 
Marc Crépon comme l'auteur de deux textes absolument décisifs sur le nationalisme et les passions.
Marc Crépon comme l'auteur de deux textes absolument décisifs sur le nationalisme et les passions.
Du Proche-Orient à l'Ukraine : la philosophie à l'épreuve des nouvelles guerres
Mentioned by Anne Applebaum as a source for the term "clerks", describing intellectuals who have become politicized.
Anne Applebaum as a source for the term "clerks", describing intellectuals who have become politicized.
The Seduction of Autocracy, with Anne Applebaum and Jonathan Freedland
