When a society has doubts about its future, it tends to produce spokesmen whose main appeal is to the emotions, who argue from intuitions, and whose claim to be truth-bearers rests solely on intense personal feeling.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Societies unsure of their future often elevate emotional speakers who rely on intuition and personal feeling rather than evidence.
- In plain terms
- When people are scared about the future, they listen to emotional leaders instead of factual ones.
- What can you take from it?
- Be wary of leaders who rely only on emotion and intuition.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you react to emotional appeals?
- What makes a leader trustworthy?
Another view
Not all emotional speakers are dishonest; some contexts require empathy.
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