The Treason of the Intellectuals

Julien Benda's classic study of 1920s Europe resonates powerfully today. Since time immemorial, intellectuals were a breed apart - non-materialistic knowledge-seekers who believed in a universal humanism and represented a cornerstone of civilised society. According to Benda, this all began to change in the early 20th century. Intellectuals began abandoning their attachments to traditional philosophy and scholarly ideals and replacing them with particularisms and moral relativism.