Q0633
“A civilization that chooses to close its eyes to its most crucial…” — Aimé Césaire (Discourse on Colonialism)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Discourse on Colonialism. Theme: critique.
English
A civilization that chooses to close its eyes to its most crucial problems is a stricken civilization. A civilization that uses its principles for trickery and deceit is a dying civilization.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Discourse on Colonialism 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, morality, 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.
- Morality
- Morality in philosophy concerns right and wrong, obligation, and the standards by which we judge persons and acts.
- 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 chooses to close its eyes to its most crucial problems is a stricken civilization. A civilization that uses its principles for trickery and deceit is a dying civilization. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0633
MLA: Aimé Césaire. “A civilization that chooses to close its eyes….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0633.
Chicago: Aimé Césaire. “A civilization that chooses to close its eyes….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0633.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “A civilization that chooses to close its eyes…”?
The passage is attributed to Aimé Césaire, Discourse on Colonialism. The archive attributes this English wording to Discourse on Colonialism 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, morality, power.