Commentary
Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad—or fools. The most dangerous and destructive kind of foolishness is that of intelligent and educated people. There is nothing so absurd, said Cicero, but that some philosopher has not said it: And worse still, there is no philosophy so absurd that it has not found followers among the upper echelons of society who want to impose it on everyone else.
The desire for change and novelty at any price is part of human psychology. The truth limps and bores; fantasy runs and leaps and fascinates. People desire sensation for its own sake. Moreover, the prospect of a perfect society without unhappiness scintillates like a mirage in the desert: It’s never reached, but people believe that it’s there nonetheless….