“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” This quote is attributed to the French author, philosopher and poet Charles Baudelaire from an article published in La Figro in 1864. It was a time of upheaval and discontent in France, social unrest, inequality, and a return to an Aristocratic status quo after the failure of the French Revolution. It was a confused and divisive time. Baudelaire’s article was seen as a metaphor for the evil dark forces that ruled the beleaguered French people at the time. Baudelaire’s Devil didn’t hide, he was open and was there for those with the eyes to see. Nor did he apologise or explain his evil. This Devil, the very personification of all things evil, was protected by the inherent goodness of the majority. The masses who could not comprehend the level of malevolence that dominated and controlled their lives, regardless of how obvious these forces were. The Devil had indeed convinced the people that he didn’t exist. And so the Devil remained in situ. Continue reading →
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The greatest trick the devil ever pulled
Anger is erupting around the world, and people have much to be angry about. Covid, famine, energy shortages, inflation.
Posted on August 4, 2022 by Eamon McKinney
“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” This quote is attributed to the French author, philosopher and poet Charles Baudelaire from an article published in La Figro in 1864. It was a time of upheaval and discontent in France, social unrest, inequality, and a return to an Aristocratic status quo after the failure of the French Revolution. It was a confused and divisive time. Baudelaire’s article was seen as a metaphor for the evil dark forces that ruled the beleaguered French people at the time. Baudelaire’s Devil didn’t hide, he was open and was there for those with the eyes to see. Nor did he apologise or explain his evil. This Devil, the very personification of all things evil, was protected by the inherent goodness of the majority. The masses who could not comprehend the level of malevolence that dominated and controlled their lives, regardless of how obvious these forces were. The Devil had indeed convinced the people that he didn’t exist. And so the Devil remained in situ. Continue reading →