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Raymond Aron Quotes

Despotism has so often been established in the name of liberty that experience should warn us to judge parties by their practices rather than their preachings.

Despotism has so often been established in the name of liberty that experience should warn us to judge parties by their practices rather than their preachings.

Raymond Aron
Party, Practice, Names
Raymond Aron (2011). “The Opium of the Intellectuals”, p.97, Transaction Publishers

What passes for optimism is most often the effect of an intellectual error.

Raymond Aron
Errors, Optimism, Intelligence
Raymond Aron (2017). “The Opium of the Intellectuals”, p.156, Routledge

In a way, all sociologists are akin to Marxists because of their inclination to settle everyone's accounts but their own.

Raymond Aron
Way, Settling, Marxist
1971 Politics and History.

Racism is the snobbery of the poor.

Raymond Aron
Racism, Poor, Snobbery
Raymond Aron (1968). “Progress and Disillusion: The Dialectics of Modern Society”

The intellectual who no longer feels attached to anything is not satisfied with opinion merely; he wants certainty, he wants a system. The revolution provides him with his opium.

Raymond Aron
Intellectual, Atheism, Want
Raymond Aron (2001). “The Opium of the Intellectuals”, p.257, Transaction Publishers

Intellectuals cannot tolerate the chance event, the unintelligible: they have a nostalgia for the absolute, for a universally comprehensive scheme.

Raymond Aron
Atheism, Events, Chance

Peace is impossible, war is improbable.

Raymond Aron
War, Impossible, Improbable
Raymond Aron (1997). “Thinking Politically: A Liberal in the Age of Ideology”, p.227, Transaction Publishers

In writing if it takes over 30 minutes to write the first two paragraphs select another subject.

Raymond Aron
Writing, Two, Firsts

Skepticism cannot be revolutionary, even though it speaks the language of revolution.

Raymond Aron
Revolution, Language, Speak
Raymond Aron (1957). “The Opium of the Intellectuals”, Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday

Foreknowledge of the future makes it possible to manipulate both enemies and supporters.

Raymond Aron
Future, Enemy, Manipulation
The Opium of the Intellectuals Chapter IX (p. 284}

Political thought in France is either nostalgic or Utopian.

Raymond Aron
Political, France, Nostalgic
Raymond Aron (2011). “The Opium of the Intellectuals”, p.31, Transaction Publishers

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