“[S]hould we attempt to use sensible words to deal with these problems, they will be caught up immediately in the structures of the official arguments which accompany the official modern ideologies — arguments as sterile as the ideologies are irrelevant. Our society contains no method of serious self-criticism for the simple reason that it is now a self-justifying system which generates its own logic.”
Voltaire's Bastards (1992)
Help us to complete the source, original and additional information
John Ralston Saul 85
Canadian author and essayist 1947Related quotes

At an event sponsored by the Center for American Progress, October 18, 2006[citation needed]
2000s
Oscar Iden Lecture Series, Lecture 3: "The State of Individuals" (1976)
Source: The Principles of State and Government in Islam (1961), Chapter 6: Conclusion, p 95

“All logical arguments can be defeated by the simple refusal to reason logically”
Source: Dreams of a Final Theory

An imaginary “scandal” http://www.newcriterion.com/archive/23/may05/dalrymple.htm (May 2005).
New Criterion (2000 - 2005)

Chap. 3 : What Can History Tell Us about Contemporary Society?
On History (1997)
Source: The Social Psychology of Organizations (1966), p. 22

Speech in the House of Commons (20 November 1991) http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/108291
Post-Prime Ministerial