Sunday, March 9, 2014

The Gentle Intellectual

Every idealist imagines that her plan for improving the world is the cure-all for every affliction. The idealism of this passionate reformer is humane in motive and outcome as long as it is but a freely offered proposal. Were she to seek to use force, especially government force legally coercing citizens to live by her plan, then she is a wicked, cruel intellectual who is now part of the ruling class, impressing its totalitarian will upon reluctant, resistant citizens.

Bad means always corrupt good ends. An intellectual must be a gentle intellectual to be and remain a good person who does no harm in the world.

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