https://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2011/11/23/the-opium-of-the-intellectuals/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usWed, 10 Jun 2026 09:29:31 -0400<![CDATA[How many people still remember The Opium of the Intellectuals, the French philosopher Raymond Aron&#8217;s masterpiece? First published in France in 1955, at the height of the Cold War, L&#8217;Opium des intellectuels was an immediate sensation. It caused something of a sensation in the United States, too, when an English translation was published in 1957. Writing in The New York Times, the historian Crane Brinton spoke for many when he said that the book was &#8220;a kind of running commentary on the Western world today.&#8221;]]>Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:28:57 -0500<![CDATA[Roger Kimball]]>https://pjmedia.com/roger-kimball/2011/11/23/the-opium-of-the-intellectuals-n116686