John Ralston Saul

John Ralston Saul – Life, Thought, and Memorable Quotes

John Ralston Saul (born 1947) is a Canadian writer, political philosopher, and public intellectual whose work interrogates individualism, technocracy, citizenship, and the balance between reason and other human capacities. Discover his life, major ideas, and powerful quotes.

Introduction

John Ralston Saul (born June 19, 1947) is a prominent Canadian author, essayist, and political philosopher. He is best known for his critiques of managerial societies, his exploration of how the "dictatorship of reason" can distort democracy, and his advocacy for a more humanist balance among reason, memory, ethics, intuition, and imagination. His works have been widely translated and his voice is influential in debates about citizenship, public good, and power in modern societies.

Early Life and Education

Saul was born in Ottawa, Ontario, to a father, William Saul (an army officer), and a British mother with a family tradition of military service. Alberta and Manitoba and completed high school in Oakville, Ontario.

He became bilingual in English and French.

For higher education, Saul attended McGill University in Montreal, where he studied political science and economics. King’s College London for doctoral studies; his thesis was on modernization in France under Charles de Gaulle.

Career and Achievements

Early Career & Shift to Writing

After university, Saul initially entered Canada’s foreign service, but the death of his father in 1968 changed his trajectory.

He later worked in relation to Petro-Canada, helping to set up its national operations, as assistant to its first chair Maurice Strong.

He published his first novel, The Birds of Prey, in 1977.

Major Works & Philosophical Contributions

Saul is perhaps best known for his philosophical non-fiction trilogy:

• Voltaire’s Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West (1992)

• The Doubter’s Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense (1994)

• The Unconscious Civilization (1995)

These books explore how unbalanced reliance on reason (as a kind of absolute) can permit technocracy, expert rule, depersonalization, and the erosion of public engagement. He argues for equilibrium among reason, memory, intuition, ethics, imagination, and common sense.

His book On Equilibrium (2001) expands this by describing six inner human qualities and how their balance is essential for healthy societies.

He also wrote Reflections of a Siamese Twin (1997) examining Canada’s national identity, and A Fair Country (2008) about Canada’s evolving society and the return (or “comeback”) of Indigenous cultures.

More recently, The Comeback: How Aboriginals Are Reclaiming Power and Influence (2014) highlights how Indigenous peoples have begun to reassert cultural and political influence.

Public Roles & Honors

• Saul served as President of PEN International from 2009 to 2015, advocating for freedom of expression and smaller or endangered languages.

• He co-founded and co-chairs the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, promoting active civic engagement and inclusion of new Canadians.

• While his wife Adrienne Clarkson was Governor General of Canada (1999–2005), Saul served as Viceregal consort.

• He has received numerous literary and civic honors: the Governor General’s Award for The Unconscious Civilization, Italy’s Premio Letterario Internazionale, and many others.

Historical Context & Intellectual Environment

Saul’s work is deeply framed by late 20th- and early 21st-century trends: the rise of globalization, the dominance of technocratic elites, neoliberal policies, and the erosion of public spaces for democratic discourse. His critique is that reason, elevated beyond its proper role, can become a vehicle for control—disguising ideology, managerialism, and concentration of power.

He draws on and critiques Enlightenment legacies: reason is important, but without balance from other human faculties, societies lose connection, nuance, memory, and legitimacy.

His reflections on Canada’s identity engage postcolonial themes: Indigenous resurgence, bilingualism, plural histories, and the need for a more inclusive national story.

Legacy and Influence

• Saul’s critiques have influenced scholars and public intellectuals concerned with democracy, technocracy, public engagement, and the nature of citizenship.

• His concept of equilibrium and balanced human capacities offers an alternative to purely rationalist or technocratic governance models.

• In Canada, his voice has been especially influential in debates around Indigenous rights, multiculturalism, national identity, and public policy.

• Internationally, his work has been translated into many languages and used in academic settings to explore institutional critique and democratic theory.

• As a public figure (PEN leadership, civic initiatives), his influence extends beyond theory into advocacy for free expression, cultural diversity, and civic participation.

Personality & Intellectual Style

Saul is known for his clarity of style, though not always linear argumentation — he is willing to digress, to pose provocative questions, to challenge conventional assumptions.

He is deeply engaged with ideas, yet grounded in civic concerns. His public remarks emphasize that theory must connect to lived citizenship and responsibility.

He is also willing to confront established power, to critique elites, and to valorize the role of the ordinary citizen.

Famous Quotes of John Ralston Saul

Here are several powerful quotations attributed to John Ralston Saul:

“Whenever governments adopt a moral tone – as opposed to an ethical one – you know something is wrong.”

“Freedom – an occupied space which must be reoccupied every day.”

“Money is not real. It is a conscious agreement on measuring value.”

“Nothing is absolute, with the debatable exceptions of this statement and death.”

“The citizen’s job is to be rude – to pierce the comfort of professional intercourse by boorish expressions of doubt.”

“Democracy is the only system capable of reflecting the humanist premise of equilibrium or balance. The key to its secret is the involvement of the citizen.”

These reflect Saul’s skepticism of abstractions detached from lived reality, his insistence on active citizenship, and his belief that reason must be tempered by other human capacities.

Lessons from John Ralston Saul

1. Reason is powerful but partial. Reason alone, elevated beyond balance, can become a tool of technocracy and control.

2. Citizenship is active. Democracy is not passive; it requires ongoing engagement, questioning, and vigilance.

3. Equilibrium matters. Memory, intuition, ethics, imagination, and common sense must coexist with reason.

4. Language and discourse are arenas of power. How we speak—what is excluded, what is framed as “common sense”—shapes structures of power.

5. Nations are living stories. National identity is not static or monolithic; it involves contested memory, inclusion, and change.

6. Freedom of expression is foundational. Saul sees literary and cultural expression as inseparable from democratic life and warns against censorship and language loss.

Conclusion

John Ralston Saul stands as one of Canada’s leading voices in political philosophy and cultural critique. His work challenges us to rethink how modern societies balance reason with other human capacities, how elites and experts should relate to citizens, and what true democratic engagement requires. His emphasis on equilibrium, active citizens, and the dangers of technocratic depersonalization makes his writing deeply relevant in an era of rapid change and centralization.

If you'd like, I can prepare a list of his essential works (in translation) or suggest secondary readings on his philosophy. Would you like me to do that?