Q0632
“A civilization that proves incapable of solving the problems it creates is…” — Aimé Césaire (Discourse on Colonialism (1950/1955; Pinkham trans.))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Discourse on Colonialism (1950/1955; Pinkham trans.). Theme: critique.
English
A civilization that proves incapable of solving the problems it creates is a decadent civilization.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Discourse on Colonialism (1950/1955; Pinkham trans.) and files it under Africana Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Aimé Césaire
Aimé Césaire (1913–2008) was a Martinican poet, dramatist, and politician who coined ‘Négritude’ in the 1930s. Notebook of a Return to the Native Land and Discourse on Colonialism couple poetic revolt with a philosophical indictment of European colonial civilization.
How to read this passage
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Paulin Hountondji and Aimé Césaire), critique is framed through Africana Philosophy and Critical Rationalism. Some passages define critique; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through critique, society, power.
Concepts in this quote
- Critique
- Critique appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat critique as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Society
- Society is the web of institutions, customs, and mutual expectations in which individual freedom takes shape.
- Power
- Power is the capacity to affect others and to shape what counts as possible—central to politics and ethics.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Aimé Césaire. (n.d.). A civilization that proves incapable of solving the problems it creates is a decadent civilization. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0632
MLA: Aimé Césaire. “A civilization that proves incapable of solving the….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0632.
Chicago: Aimé Césaire. “A civilization that proves incapable of solving the….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0632.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “A civilization that proves incapable of solving the…”?
The passage is attributed to Aimé Césaire, Discourse on Colonialism (1950/1955; Pinkham trans.). The archive attributes this English wording to Discourse on Colonialism (1950/1955; Pinkham trans.) and files it under Africana Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Aimé Césaire mean by critique?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Paulin Hountondji and Aimé Césaire), critique is framed through Africana Philosophy and Critical Rationalism. Some passages define critique; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through critique, society, power.