Voltaire's bastards
by John Ralston Saul · first published 1992
90% recommend10% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Critical essay on how the Enlightenment ideal of reason was distorted into technocratic control that undermines democracy; suits readers interested in power, history, and political philosophy.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West is a sweeping and provocative exploration of nothing less than the political, economic, social, and cultural origins of Western society. With great daring and originality, John Ralston Saul dissects the contradictions, delusions, and illusions that have brought the world to the brink of confusion and crisis, and shatters the myths surrounding the icons and institutions that we have been taught to revere and cherish.
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…the problem with publicly traded companies. They exist a fiscal year at a time. No past on January 1, no future December 31st. The underlying cause of this in western society is well explained in ‘Voltaire’s Bastards’ by John Ralston Saul. Good reading to understand our collective problem with some ideas on what to do about it. The answer isn’t clear. I am not remotely religious, but it is a powerful force. Islam…
on “World to hit temperature tipping point 10 years faster than forecast” ↗should've made it 9 books Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West by John Ralston Saul a critical essay of how the age of reason was distorted to trample all over modern democracy
on “Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s Eight Books Everyone Should Read” ↗Read the book Voltaire's bastards by John Ralston Saul where he writes about persecution of authors and cartoonists throughout history. PEN Intl also keeps a current list of authors targeted by the state, lawyers, or media. Rowling probably…
on “How Forensic Linguistics Identified J.K. Rowling” ↗Both are a major investment of time, but have paid off: VOLTAIRE’S BASTARDS: THE DICTATORSHIP OF REASON IN THE WEST http://www.johnralstonsaul.com/non-fiction-books/voltaires_b... The Penguin History of the World https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316944/the-penguin-...
on “Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?” ↗Voltaire's Bastards by JR Saul is about all those things and many more. Absolutely amazing book, as are most of his others. Kind of a history of rationality since the 18th C, and how it went so wrong. Also a lot about technocrats,…
on “Ask HN: What are some deep, mentality changing books?” ↗Papillion by Charest, amazing inspirational true story. Voltaire's Bastards - John Rolston Saul - Timeless anything by Nietzsche The economist and the New Yorker anything you can get your hands on but with a grain of salt.
on “What books would you recommend reading? Why?” ↗…business though, these ideas were also brought into the public sector, police forces and military. Each are an ongoing disaster. John Raulston Saul has written many great books on the subject including Voltaire's Bastards, and The Unconscious Civilization.
on “Clayton Christensen: How MBA-driven Profit focus is Killing the U.S. Economy” ↗…perfectly what life under Stalin was like without having experienced it himself. Somebody today with that kind of directness and clarity would be John Ralston Saul, who advocates writing in clear language. Voltaire's Bastards was written in the 90s and is very much still relevant today.
on “George Orwell: Politics and the English Language (1946)” ↗Voltaire's Bastards by John Ralston Saul and SICP (Structural Interpretation Of Computer Programs) because at the time I had no idea wizardry could be performed and was banging out boring scripts for a living.
on “Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?” ↗Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West by John Ralston Saul
on “Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?” ↗John Ralston Saul does a great job explicating this in his book Voltaire's Bastards[1]. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Voltaires-Bastards-Dictatorship-Reaso...
on “Management theory is becoming a compendium of dead ideas” ↗…media, war, propaganda, democracy Noam Chomsky's political books E.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability J.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today. Raymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture,…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?” ↗…that come to mind: game theory, Nietzsche, Goffman's Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Chomsky's political works, GK Chesterton (e.g. Heretics), Freakonomics, Cialdini's Influence, JR Saul (e.g. Voltaire's Bastards, The Doubter's Companion), Bertrand Russell (e.g. Unpopular Essays, Sceptical Essays, Freedom and Organization 1814-1914), Santayana (e.g. Egotism in German Philosophy), Scott Noble[0] and Adam Curtis'…
on “Ask HN: Favorite “Adam Ruins Everything”-esque media? (blogs, podcasts, etc)” ↗Have you read Voltaire's Bastards? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6584.Voltaire_s_Bastards It is an in depth criticism of the overly rational. A lot of it went over my head or didn't make sense because I don't have a strong background…
on “The money, job, marriage myth: are you happy yet?” ↗Well, that was an irritating read. Every sentence felt manipulative, and the ones I knew something about mostly seemed misleading or wrong. I highly recommend JR Saul's Voltaire's Bastards, which is (among many things) a history of reason and rationality, from about 1800 to the late 20th C. (Rationality isn't the good guy here that you might expect) One of the best books I've ever read.…
on “The magical thinking of guys who love logic” ↗