Benda, Julien

Benda, Julien. The Treason of the Intellectuals. Morrow. 1928. 244 pp.

This celebrated book first appeared in France under the title La Trahison des clercs. "That the intellectuals of the world have sold out to utilitarianism, leaving their proper devotion to truth and humanity, is the theme of Julien Benda's scorching analysis of the current leaders of thought. By taking on political passions, the intellectuals have played the game of the state, espoused war and conflict and lost that universalism which is their true reason for existence." - World Tomorrow.

Greatly needed today is a study with a title and theme similar to Benda's, which would not only cover developments in the twenty-five years since his book appeared, and describe the intellectual and sometimes quite literal treachery of some present-day physical scientists, but would cover the whole drift of our literateurs and other intellectual leaders over the last three-quarters of a century into a sentimental socialism - including Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, and the Webbs in England, Anatole France in France, and the corresponding figures in Germany and America. It would be important to analyze not merely individual figures but the mob psychology of our modern intellectuals and the ease with which they were blown about by the fashionable winds of doctrine.

BK: I do not like this type of critique. While individuals can sell out, it has been my experience that intellectuals believe what they believe to be true or right. No one sold out to utilitarianism anymore than they sold out to Kantianism. Furthermore, to claim someone believes in something simply because it is fashionable is to avoid the issue by calling someone a simpleton. This type of critique is not a critique at all. It assumes what needs to be proven - here that socialism is untenable. Furthermore, it assumes that the theory is so wrong, the only way to explain intellectual support is by nuanced references to payoffs and shallowness of character. The astute reader will notice that both of these claims are being levied against libertarian intellectuals today.