This book examines the figure of the public intellectual through the work of Émile Zola in the Dreyfus affair. It analyzes Zola’s famous letter “J’Accuse” supporting Alfred Dreyfus and its philosophical and political consequences for the intellectual world, including Indian public intellectuals. The volume is an examination of the critical role that can be played by public intellectuals today by referring to the “J’Accuse” model and a homage to the ideal of living decently and truthfully through the exercise of critical reason and moral excellence.
Accessible and comprehensive, the book will be essential reading for students of philosophy and critical reasoning. It will be of interest to general readers as well.
Series Editor’s Preface
Introduction: Reading “J’Accuse” Today
1 The Universal Meaning of “J’Accuse”
2 Dissent and Emancipation
3 Mapping Dissent: Reading Zola in India
4 Reinventing the Intellectual
Conclusion: Mysterious Power of Ideas
Bibliography
Index
Biography
Ramin Jahanbegloo is an Iranian Canadian philosopher. He is presently the Executive Director of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Nonviolence and Peace Studies and the Vice-Dean of the School of Law at Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India. He is the winner of the Peace Prize from the United Nations Association in Spain (2009) for his extensive academic work in promoting dialogue among cultures and his advocacy for nonviolence. More recently, he is the winner of the Josep Palau i Fabre International Essay Prize. Some of his most recent publications are Gadflies in the Public Space (2016), The Decline of Civilization (2017), Letters to a Young Philosopher (2017), On Forgiveness and Revenge (2017), and The Global Gandhi: Essays in Comparative Political Philosophy (2018).
