“As to the viciousness of the philosophers, the meaning of this complaint is succinctly expressed in the charge that the philosophers do not “hold the gods the city holds.” And this accusation is most true. The quest for wisdom begins in doubt of the conventional wisdom about the highest things. The most cherished beliefs of the community, the collective hopes and fears, are centered on its gods. The unpardonable thing is to be beyond these hopes and fears, beyond the awe and shame the gods impose.”

— Allan Bloom

“Commerce and Culture,” p. 287.
Giants and Dwarfs (1990)

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Allan Bloom 29

American philosopher, classicist, and academician 1930–1992

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