The Treason of the Intellectuals

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book The Treason of the Intellectuals by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Julien Benda, Roger Kimball ISBN: 9781351298582
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: September 8, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
ISBN: 9781351298582
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: September 8, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Julien Benda's classic study of 1920s Europe resonates today. The "treason of the intellectuals" is a phrase that evokes much but is inherently ambiguous. The book bearing this title is well known but little understood. This edition is introduced by Roger Kimball.

From the time of the pre-Socratics, intellectuals were a breed apart. They were non-materialistic knowledge-seekers who believed in a universal humanism and represented a cornerstone of civilized society. According to Benda, this all began to change in the early twentieth century. In Europe in the 1920s, intellectuals began abandoning their attachment to traditional philosophical and scholarly ideals, and instead glorified particularisms and moral relativism.

The "treason" of which Benda writes is the betrayal by the intellectuals of their unique vocation. He criticizes European intellectuals for allowing political commitment to insinuate itself into their understanding of the intellectual vocation, ushering the world into "the age of the intellectual organization of political hatreds." From the savage flowering of ethnic and religious hatreds in the Middle East and throughout Europe today to the mendacious demand for political correctness and multiculturalism on college campuses everywhere in the West, the treason of the intellectuals continues to play out its unedifying drama.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Julien Benda's classic study of 1920s Europe resonates today. The "treason of the intellectuals" is a phrase that evokes much but is inherently ambiguous. The book bearing this title is well known but little understood. This edition is introduced by Roger Kimball.

From the time of the pre-Socratics, intellectuals were a breed apart. They were non-materialistic knowledge-seekers who believed in a universal humanism and represented a cornerstone of civilized society. According to Benda, this all began to change in the early twentieth century. In Europe in the 1920s, intellectuals began abandoning their attachment to traditional philosophical and scholarly ideals, and instead glorified particularisms and moral relativism.

The "treason" of which Benda writes is the betrayal by the intellectuals of their unique vocation. He criticizes European intellectuals for allowing political commitment to insinuate itself into their understanding of the intellectual vocation, ushering the world into "the age of the intellectual organization of political hatreds." From the savage flowering of ethnic and religious hatreds in the Middle East and throughout Europe today to the mendacious demand for political correctness and multiculturalism on college campuses everywhere in the West, the treason of the intellectuals continues to play out its unedifying drama.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Arbitration Act 1996 by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book Investigating Workplace Discourse by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book Small States and Hegemonic Competition in Southeast Asia by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book The Citizen by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book Women, Mission and Church in Uganda by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book The Private Sector after Communism by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book The Feeling of Risk by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book Fairness Issues in Educational Assessment by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book From Local Patriotism to a Planetary Perspective by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book Key Perspectives on Dyslexia by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book A Preface to Milton by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book Turkey's Relations with the West and the Turkic Republics: The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Model by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book The Soviet Union and Revolutionary Iran (RLE Iran D) by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book The Routledge International Handbook of Higher Education by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
Cover of the book Classical Cats by Julien Benda, Roger Kimball
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy