"The concept of reason itself appears as an artificial attempt to separate intellectual powers from the frustrations, emotions, and accidents which cause events; the concept of reason is viewed as facade to prevent change"
About this Quote
The line works because it flips the usual prestige hierarchy. Instead of emotions contaminating reason, reason becomes the contaminant: an "artificial attempt" to amputate human reality from decision-making. That word "artificial" implies fabrication and craftsmanship, not discovery. Reason is presented as a tool someone builds for a purpose, which raises the obvious question: who benefits from calling their preferences "reasonable"?
The sharpest subtext lands in "facade to prevent change". Levi suggests that appeals to reason are frequently retroactive legitimations: a way to dress up the status quo as the only sensible option and portray dissent as irrational. In public life, "be reasonable" is rarely an invitation to truth; it’s often a demand for compliance, a soft-edged command to accept existing arrangements.
Coming from a public servant in the mid-20th century American state, the critique reads as institutional self-awareness: law and administration love rationalism because it stabilizes, standardizes, and defends continuity. Levi’s warning is that procedural rationality can become a moral alibi, converting uncertainty into paperwork and political struggle into mere "expert" consensus.
Quote Details
| Topic | Reason & Logic |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Levi, Edward. (2026, January 16). The concept of reason itself appears as an artificial attempt to separate intellectual powers from the frustrations, emotions, and accidents which cause events; the concept of reason is viewed as facade to prevent change. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-concept-of-reason-itself-appears-as-an-136940/
Chicago Style
Levi, Edward. "The concept of reason itself appears as an artificial attempt to separate intellectual powers from the frustrations, emotions, and accidents which cause events; the concept of reason is viewed as facade to prevent change." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-concept-of-reason-itself-appears-as-an-136940/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The concept of reason itself appears as an artificial attempt to separate intellectual powers from the frustrations, emotions, and accidents which cause events; the concept of reason is viewed as facade to prevent change." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-concept-of-reason-itself-appears-as-an-136940/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
