The Intellectuals

In this book, Paul Johnson scrutinizes the moral and judgmental credentials of several leading intellectuals, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Karl Marx, Henrik Ibsen, Leo Tolstoy, Ernest Hemingway, Bertolt Brecht, Bertrand Russell, Jean-Paul Sartre, and others.

Johnson questions their respect for truth, their application of public principles to private lives, and their loyalty to friends.

The book highlights the contradictions and flaws in these intellectuals, often revealing hypocrisy, Messianic complexes, and cruel behavior, raising concerns about their ability to advise humanity on moral and societal issues.