{"product_id":"the-opium-of-the-intellectuals-9780765807007","title":"The Opium of the Intellectuals","description":"\u003cp\u003eRaymond Aron's 1955 masterpiece\u003cem\u003e The Opium of the Intellectuals\u003c\/em\u003e, is one of the great works of twentieth- century political reflection. Aron shows how noble ideas can slide into the tyranny of \"secular religion\" and emphasizes how political thought has the profound responsibility of telling the truth about social and political reality-in all its mundane imperfections and tragic complexities.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAron explodes the three \"myths\" of radical thought: the Left, the Revolution, and the Proletariat. Each of these ideas, Aron shows, are ideological, mystifying rather than illuminating. He also provides a fascinating sociology of intellectual life and a powerful critique of historical determinism in the classically restrained prose for which he is justly famous.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor this new edition, prepared by Daniel J. Mahoney and Brian C. Anderson as part of Transaction's ongoing \"Aron Project,\" political scientist Harvey Mansfield provides a luminous introduction that underscores the permanent relevance of Aron's work. The new edition also includes as an appendix \"Fanaticism, Prudence, and Faith,\" a remarkable essay that Aron wrote to defend Opium from its critics and to explain further his view of the proper role of political thinking. The book will be of interest to all students of political theory, history, and sociology.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAron, Raymond:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eRaymond Aron \u003c\/em\u003e(1905-1983) was the foremost political and social theorist of post-World War II France known for his skeptical analyses of leftist ideologies. was well known in both the United States and United Kingdom, serving as Andrew D. White Professor-At-Large at Cornell University. He also taught at Columbia and Oxford. He authored more than forty books, including \u003cem\u003eMain Currents in Sociological Thought, The Opium of the Intellectuals\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Imperial Republic\u003c\/em\u003e, all published in new editions by Transaction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnderson, Brian C.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eBrian C. Anderson \u003c\/em\u003eis senior editor at \u003cem\u003eCity Journal \u003c\/em\u003eand author of \u003cem\u003eRaymond Aron: The Recovery of the Political. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMahoney, Daniel J.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDaniel J. Mahoney \u003c\/em\u003eis chair and professor of political science at Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts. He was the recipient of the Prix Raymond Aron Award, is currently associate editor of \u003cem\u003ePerspectives on Political Science, \u003c\/em\u003eand is book review editor of \u003cem\u003eSociety. \u003c\/em\u003eHis books include \u003cem\u003eThe Liberal Political Science of Raymond Aron; Bertrand de Jouvenel: The Conservative Liberal and the Illusions of Modernity;\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eDe Gaulle: Statesmanship, Grandeur, and Modern Democracy.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEt al...\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Routledge","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50461035004178,"sku":"9780765807007","price":76.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_4022579a-1987-45f3-a3e0-7f689af5e935.jpg?v=1730053278","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-opium-of-the-intellectuals-9780765807007","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}