ABSTRACT
Even allowing for Taines genuflections towards an element of independence in the self and for a real, if dramatically reduced area of dependable knowledge, De l'Intelligence was a startlingly negative portrayal of the human intellect. Taine's own sense of disillusionment with the findings of De l'Intelligence had already persuaded him of the futility of attempting a sequel to it on the Will. Barrès's analysis of Taine's position is remarkable in many ways for its insight. He argues that these three elements, detachment, aestheticism and concealment, underlie a dereliction of responsibility on Taine's part. Most significantly he recognizes the process of disguise that has been so evident in Taine's works. He accuses him uncompromisingly, as did many of his contemporaries, of servility to the establishment and, above all, of cowardice, in failing to adopt a principled position in the face of his country's needs.
