Voltaire's Bastards

Why it’s on the list: Saul’s attack on rule by technical expertise — the argument that the Enlightenment’s reason became a self-justifying managerial method detached from the ends it was supposed to serve.

Where I saw it: In the reply thread to @SpencrGreenberg’s question, “What non-fiction book taught you the most about how the world (or how humanity or society) really works?” (June 5, 2025) — a crowd-sourced list Kyle recovered by hand and saved to his Apple Note “Books To Read”; the full set of replies lives on A question for you — What non-fiction… (tweet). It was listed there as “Voltaire’s Bastards by John Ralston Saul”.

Connections

• Enlightenment — The inheritance Saul says was misused.
• Institutions — The managerial class he is aiming at.
• Ideology — The book’s real subject.
• Governance — Where the argument lands.
• A question for you — What non-fiction… (tweet) — the thread this recommendation came from.