[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f_46U2kQj94S1vYKN5gEjWgzXppY1oboM16jaGcte9xY":3,"$ffPDbPcRJBTApu4-Ds5Jc04fmsW74nBPyeXhqASiRiuc":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},44550,"Alan Ryan","A",12,null,"alan-ryan",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":94},[14,22,29,35,41,48,54,60,67,78],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},2830131,"Extreme poverty would be hard to bear, but a miserable person is miserable however rich. A good character is our most important possession, rich or poor.",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":23,"quote_text":24,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":25,"source":26,"quote_tag":27,"commentary":28},2830121,"It is not a defect of liberal democracies that they are less “pure” than ancient democracies. Pure democracies were prone to factionalism and inconstancy as assemblies were bamboozled by demagogues;.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis quote is attributed to Alan Ryan, a renowned historian and philosopher. The sentiment reflects his expertise in ancient Greek politics and the study of democracy. As a historian, Ryan likely drew from his extensive research on the works of Aristotle and the early Athenian democracy, where he would have encountered the complexities of factionalism and demagoguery.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nWhat lies beneath the surface of this quote is a profound commentary on the nature of democracy and the human condition. Ryan is not merely lamenting the \"impurities\" of modern democracies but rather highlighting a fundamental paradox: the more \"pure\" a democracy, the more susceptible it is to being manipulated by charismatic leaders who exploit the passions of the masses. This insight reveals that the very essence of democracy—its reliance on collective decision-making—also makes it vulnerable to the influence of demagogues.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, modern professionals and creatives would do well to acknowledge the inherent tension between the ideals of democracy (equality, participation, and freedom) and the realities of human nature (bias, manipulation, and the pursuit of power). By recognizing this paradox, individuals can develop a more nuanced approach to leadership, communication, and decision-making, one that balances the need for collective input with the risk of being swayed by charismatic voices.",{"id":30,"quote_text":31,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":9},2830118,"Philosophy is the art of seeing through appearances to discern the hidden reality.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":36,"quote_text":37,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":9},2830104,"Justice is the most “political” or institutional of the virtues. The legitimacy of a state rests upon its claim to do justice.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":42,"quote_text":43,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":47},2830092,"A colleague once described political theorists as people who were obsessed with two dozen books; after half a century of grappling with Mill’s essay On Liberty, or Hobbes’s Leviathan, I have sometimes thought two dozen might be a little on the high side.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis quote is likely from a speech or lecture given by Alan Ryan, a renowned historian and philosopher, perhaps during his tenure as a professor at Princeton University or while serving as the Master of Jesus College, Oxford. As someone who spent their career studying and teaching classical liberal thinkers like John Stuart Mill and Thomas Hobbes, Ryan was well-versed in the intellectual traditions that shaped modern Western politics. The era of his life relevant to this sentiment is marked by a growing awareness among scholars about the historical context and cultural baggage associated with canonical texts.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nOn the surface, the quote appears to be a lighthearted remark about the obsessive nature of academic study. However, it also reveals a deeper philosophical nuance: Ryan's tongue-in-cheek comment highlights the tension between intellectual rigor and critical distance. By suggesting that even two dozen books might be an overestimation for grasping these foundational texts, he implies that there is a limit to how deeply one can engage with canonical works without becoming overly invested in their ideological frameworks.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nWhen approaching complex theoretical texts or grappling with the ideas of influential thinkers, Ryan's quote advises against getting too caught up in the intellectual traditions surrounding them. Instead, adopt a mindset of \" critical proximity\": engage with these texts at arm's length, acknowledging both their historical context and your own interpretive biases. By doing so, you can navigate the complexities of canonical thought without becoming overly identified with any particular ideology or methodology.",{"id":49,"quote_text":50,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":51,"source":52,"quote_tag":53,"commentary":9},2830082,"Modern liberalism has many roots. One of the most important is the ideas of a man described by an American critic as ‘his satanic free-trade majesty John Stuart Mill’ and revered by others.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":55,"quote_text":56,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":57,"source":58,"quote_tag":59,"commentary":9},2830071,"We do not go to work only to earn an income, but to find meaning in our lives. What we do is a large part of what we are.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":61,"quote_text":62,"author_id":5,"source_id":63,"has_image":18,"author":64,"source":65,"quote_tag":66,"commentary":9},747033,"Modern liberalism has many roots. One of the most important is the ideas of a man described by an American critic as 'his satanic free-trade majesty John Stuart Mill' and revered by others.",2,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":68,"quote_text":69,"author_id":5,"source_id":63,"has_image":18,"author":70,"source":71,"quote_tag":72,"commentary":9},718979,"The revolutionaries failed to institute the novel forms of social and political organization they hankered after; Workers would not accept a ten-day week, or state-appointed priests, or rectangular departements, or the cult of the Supreme Being.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[73],{"id":74,"tag":75},3511684,{"id":76,"tag_name":77},15460,"french-revolution",{"id":79,"quote_text":80,"author_id":5,"source_id":63,"has_image":18,"author":81,"source":82,"quote_tag":83,"commentary":9},559808,"It is never right to injure anyone. It can never be right to make someone worse than he is.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[84,89],{"id":85,"tag":86},3021409,{"id":87,"tag_name":88},2817,"justice",{"id":90,"tag":91},3021410,{"id":92,"tag_name":93},11339,"socrates",{"currentPage":95,"totalPages":63,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":96},1,10]