Raymond Aron and the Intellectuals: Arguments Supportive of Libertarianism

“INTELLECTUALS . . . SEEK NEITHER TO understand the world nor to change it, but to denounce it,” so wrote Raymond Aron (1983, p. 158) in a damning critique of those who were very much his intellectual kindred. Such a sentiment may at first seem surprising since Aron was, after all, a Marxist scholar and lifelong socialist who felt comfortable with the social welfare states prevalent in postwar Europe— welfare states that his fellow intellectuals strongly supported. This would lead some to believe that Aron’s take on politics and economics would be in opposition to that of libertarians who are, generally speaking, fierce advocates of less government intervention in social and economic matters. Aron’s philosophy, however, clearly reveals liberal underpinnings. Given this apparent dichotomy, this paper will examine Aron’s liberal philosophy and compare it with modern American libertarianism. The first part of the paper explores the possible rationales underlying Aron’s liberal philosophy and details the major themes detectable in his writings. This will be followed by an examination of the primary tenets of libertarianism. In conclusion, an interpretation of the similarities between Aron’s philosophy and libertarianism will be offered in order to determine whether the former can be used to support the latter.