Communism Quote by John Maynard Keynes
““How can I accept the Communist doctrine, which sets up as its bible, above and beyond criticism, an obsolete textbook which I know not only to be scientifically erroneous but without interest or application to the modern world? How can I adopt a creed which, preferring the mud to the fish, exalts the boorish proletariat above the bourgeoisie and the intelligentsia, who with all their faults, are the quality of life and surely carry the seeds of all human achievement? Even if we need a religion, how can we find it in the turbid rubbish of the red bookshop? It is hard for an educated, decent, intelligent son of Western Europe to find his ideals here, unless he has first suffered some strange and horrid process of conversion which has changed all his values.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Essays in Persuasion, 1931
The quote critiques Marxist doctrine as outdated, unscientific, and culturally alien to Western intellectuals, questioning its relevance and moral authority.
In simple terms: Marxist ideas seem old and irrelevant to modern educated Europeans.
Key Takeaway
Question the relevance of any doctrine that conflicts with reason and experience.
Themes
philosophy
politics
culture
ideology
intellectualism
Mood
critical
skeptical
reflective
Type
analytical
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- academic debate
- political activism
- personal belief formation
- education reform
Key Concepts
Marxism
secularism
cognitive dissonance
Questions to Reflect On
- What values must a society uphold to remain relevant?
- How do we reconcile cultural heritage with modern scientific understanding?
A Different Perspective
The critique may overlook the social grievances that inspire such doctrines.
