Editorial: Betrayal of the Technocrats
In 1927, French philosopher Julien Benda warned in his book ‘The Treason of the Intellectuals’ that a society rots when people who know better stay silent to stay close to power. Benda argued that European intellectuals in the 19th and 20th centuries often lost the ability to reason dispassionately about political and military matters. Instead, […] The post Editorial: Betrayal of the Technocrats appeared first on The Namibian .
In 1927, French philosopher Julien Benda warned in his book ‘The Treason of the Intellectuals’ that a society rots when people who know better stay silent to stay close to power.
Benda argued that European intellectuals in the 19th and 20th centuries often lost the ability to reason dispassionately about political and military matters. Instead, they became apologists for crass nationalism, warmongering and racism. We are not suggesting any similarity between those times and prevailing situations.
By “intellectuals”, Benda meant people such as civil servants, academics, legal experts and technocrats who held positions of influence and were entrusted with defending the truth.
In Namibia’s case, it could be equivalent to officials such as advisers, executive directors, chief executives, boards of directors and senior civil servants.
