Category : Concepts
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The correlated evolution of privacy, freedom of thought, and idealizations
By studying the evolution of freedom of thought from the 16th to the 18th century,1 we highlighted how its expansion was stimulated by the growth of knowledge and techniques. Here, we will first emphasize another determining factor: the development of privacy. Once again, we will take the example of Montaigne, who will help us identify…
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These Individualisms, which are Based on Idealizations and Hinder the Freedom of Thought
The notion of individualism has been at the center of numerous debates over the past two centuries.1 It came out of controversies surrounding emerging democracies, and its various interpretations made it difficult to grasp. Rather than focusing on its definition, we will turn our attention to its historical and philosophical origins, with the aim of…
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Dangers of Unbounded Freedom of Thought and Expression
George Washington said:1 “if Men are to be precluded from offering their sentiments on a matter, which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of Mankind; reason is of no use to us—the freedom of Speech may be taken away—and, dumb & silent we may be led, like sheep,…
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Projection, a Major Obstacle to Distancing
As mentioned in a previous snapshot1, the time has come to address the notion of distance. It seems to me that this concept is mainly understood in a negative way, as the negation of an excessive proximity. In previous articles, we have focused on oppositions, idealizations, and the desire for recognition, all of which, in…
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Artificial intelligence: god and slave
Just as generative AI, such as ChatGPT and its counterparts, begins to develop, humans are already asking it all sorts of questions, much like a child does with their parents, a student with their teachers, or a believer with their deities. It thus appears as a kind of god, echoing the remarkable parallel drawn by…
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Emotional rollercoasters
The Olympic fortnight was, according to many commentators, a magical interlude within a troubled period. After a chaotic political sequence marked by the dissolution of the French National Assembly and various concerns about organization and security, the 2024 Olympics, beyond the opening ceremony, benefited from a postcard-perfect setting, a shower of French medals, and an…
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Do we want to live in peace?
In an era of political indecision where it is more about avoiding the worst rather than striving for the best, the question seems justified to me: do we want to live in peace? Have we reached some kind of ceiling in terms of softening manners? Raymond Aron defined democracy as « the organization of peaceful competition…
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The political centrifugation, revealing a societal deadlock
Since the collapse of the major historical political parties, which coincided with Emmanuel Macron’s election in 2017, French political life has become increasingly fragmented and extreme. The centre has successively acted as a third way and then as a repellent. This fragmentation is accompanied by a renewal whose originality lies more in the names of…
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“Fighting” Climate Change
The expression “fighting climate change” hadn’t really struck me until now. Reading it in a newspaper article, I wondered why it is so commonly used, both in English (fighting, tackling…) and in French (lutter). Is climate change an “enemy”? Certainly, it is a threat to humanity, but isn’t the source of this threat humanity itself,…
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Progress and Limits of Freedom of Thought in Europe from the 16th to the 18th Century
Since the 19th century, Western intellectuals have studied the development of individualization, as opposed to the primacy of society over the individuals who compose it. Probably, the idealizations of the individual as well as the political tensions related to socialism and conservatism have contributed to favouring this angle of analysis. Here, we will focus on…