Raymond Aron
Born 14 March 1905. Paris, France. Died 17
October 1983 (aged 78)[1] Paris, France
Alma mater : École Normale Supérieure, University of
Paris[2] (Dr ès l)
School: French liberalism
Main interests: Political
philosophy
Notable ideas: Marxism as
the opium of intellectuals
Raymond Claude Ferdinand Aron (was a French
philosopher, sociologist, political scientist, and journalist.
He is best known for his 1955 book The Opium
of the Intellectuals, the title of which inverts Karl Marx's claim that
religion was the opium of the people – Aron argues that in post-war France,
Marxism was the opium of the intellectuals. In the book, Aron chastised French
intellectuals for what he described as their harsh criticism of capitalism and
democracy and their simultaneous defense of Marxist oppression, atrocities, and
intolerance. Critic Roger Kimball[5] suggests that Opium is "a seminal
book of the twentieth century." Aron is also known for his lifelong
friendship, sometimes fractious, with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. [6]
He is also known for his 1973 book, The
Imperial Republic: The United States and the World 1945-1973, which influenced
Zbigniew Brzezinski and Henry Kissinger, among others.
Aron wrote extensively on a wide range of
other topics. Citing the breadth and quality of Aron's writings, historian
James R. Garland suggests, "Though he may be little known in America, Raymond
Aron arguably stood as the preeminent example of French intellectualism for
much of the twentieth century."[7]
Life and career
Born in Paris, the son of a secular Jewish
lawyer, Aron studied at the École Normale Supérieure, where he met Jean-Paul
Sartre, who became his friend and lifelong intellectual opponent.[7] He was a
rational humanist,[8][9] and a leader among those who did not embrace
existentialism.[10] Aron took first place in the agrégation of philosophy in
1928, the year Sartre failed the same exam. In 1930, he received a doctorate in
the philosophy of history from the École Normale Supérieure.
He had been teaching social philosophy at the
University of Toulouse for only a few weeks when World War II began; he joined
the Armée de l'Air. When France was defeated, he left for London to join the
Free French forces, editing the newspaper, France Libre (Free France).
When the war ended Aron returned to Paris to
teach sociology at the École Nationale d'Administration and Sciences Po. From
1955 to 1968, he taught at the Sorbonne, and after 1970 at the Collège de
France. In 1953, he befriended the young American philosopher Allan Bloom, who
was teaching at the Sorbonne.
A lifelong journalist, Aron in 1947 became an
influential columnist for Le Figaro, a position he held for thirty years until
he joined L'Express, where he wrote a political column up to his death.
He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of
the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1960.[11]
Aron died of a heart attack in Paris on 17
October 1983.
In Berlin, Aron witnessed the rise to power of
the Nazi Party, and developed an aversion to all totalitarian systems. In 1938
he participated in the Colloque Walter Lippmann in Paris.
Political thought
Aron is the author of books on Karl Marx and
on Carl von Clausewitz. In Peace and War he set out a theory of international
relations. He argues that Max Weber's claim that the State has a monopoly on
the legitimate use of physical force does not apply to the relationship between
States.
In the field of international relations, in
the 1950s, Aron hypothesized that despite the advent of nuclear weapons,
nations would still require conventional military forces. The usefulness of
such forces would be made necessary by what he called a "nuclear
taboo."[12]
Su trayectoria muestra una afinidad con la ideología liberal extrema. Su posición antagónica con Jean Paul Sarte, un pensador progresista, es notoria.
Aron es el típico reaccionario, un conservador, contrario a las innovaciones, especialmente en política: Siempre se opuso a los cambios y a las reformas del progreso.
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