---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the establishment, philosophy is both…"
description: "\"For the establishment, philosophy is both an elitist and an idealist discipline: In high school, it is a compulsory subject; at university, they teach ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/michel-onfray-17240_both_for-the-establishment-philosophy-is-both_2671580.jpg"
---

#  For the establishment, philosophy is both an elitist and…

![“For the establishment, philosophy is both an elitist and an idealist discipline: In high school, it is a compulsory subject; at university, they teach the idealist line. They are conducting a conversation with themselves.” quote by Michel Onfray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/michel-onfray-17240_both_for-the-establishment-philosophy-is-both_2671580.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/michel-onfray-17240_both_for-the-establishment-philosophy-is-both_2671580.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/michel-onfray-17240_both_for-the-establishment-philosophy-is-both_2671580.jpg)

> “For the establishment, philosophy is both an elitist and an idealist discipline: In high school, it is a compulsory subject; at university, they teach the idealist line. They are conducting a conversation with themselves.”

[Michel Onfray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-onfray/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Critiques philosophy's elitist nature and its shift from compulsory to idealist teaching.

**In simple terms:** Philosophy is elitist, idealist, and self‑referential.

Key Takeaway

Question academic structures.

Themes

education elitism philosophy

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

analytical inspirational

When to use this quote

- university courses
- high school curricula
- public discourse

Key Concepts

critical theory curriculum design

Questions to Reflect On

- Should philosophy be more accessible?
- How to bridge theory and practice?

A Different Perspective

Idealist focus may ignore practical relevance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Both](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/both/) [Compulsory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compulsory/) [Compulsory Subject](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compulsory-subject-2506944/) [Conducting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conducting/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Elitist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elitist/) [Elitist Idealist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elitist-idealist-2506945/) [Establishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/establishment/) [Establishment Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/establishment-philosophy-2506942/) [High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Idealist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idealist/) [Idealist Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idealist-discipline-2506943/) [Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/line/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Philosophy Elitist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-elitist-2506941/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Subject](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subject/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Themselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/themselves/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/)

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