Your complimentary articles

You’ve read all of your complimentary articles for this month. To have complete access to the thousands of philosophy articles on this site, please

If you are a subscriber please sign in to your account.

To buy or renew a subscription please visit the Shop.

If you are a print subscriber you can contact us to create an online account.

Philosophical Haiku

Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821)

by Terence Green

Depraved humankind:
Wretched, lawless, and Godless,
Behold the hangman!

There are few philosophers as delightfully loathsome as Joseph Marie, Comte de Maistre. He was born a Catholic, and perhaps drew his cheerful view of humanity from that. But literary flair coupled with his obvious relish for the details of human depravity and suffering make his writings much fun. He took the idea of fallen humankind to new heights.

…