The Temptation of Innocence

Sound Bite

In this highly insightful essay on the culture of dependency and its damaging effects on the moral fiber of society — from corporate welfare to affirmative action — the author takes on the culture of copping out.It's a book against depression, existential angst, cry-babies and whining "victims," either acting like kids in a candy store or martyrs of their own fears. Men against women, women against men - isn't it time to grow up and take charge of our own destiny?

About the Book

In The Temptation of Innocence, the author investigates a peculiar paradox of the modern age: as we gain more individual freedom, we become increasingly desperate to shed the responsibility that comes with it. This flight from maturity takes two primary forms: the retreat into a permanent state of childhood and the strategic embrace of victimhood. By analyzing these two trends, the book reveals how modern citizens have traded the challenges of adulthood for the “innocence” of the powerless.

The first half of the book examines the rise of “infantophilia.” In a world of endless consumer choice and instant gratification, adults are encouraged to remain “tiny little grownups,” seeking security and abundance without obligation. The text scrutinizes how our “land of plenty” transforms citizens into mere consumers who view life as a perpetual party, effectively stunting the growth of a responsible society. The author argues that this desire to “be yourself” has devolved into a desire to be a child—guilt-free, pampered, and perpetually dissatisfied.

The second half shifts to the “marketing of affliction.” Here, the author analyzes how the status of the victim has become the ultimate social currency. By casting ourselves as persecuted underdogs, we claim a “holy innocence” that exempts us from moral judgment. This section features a searing investigation into “victimist competition,” including a provocative look at how Serb propaganda during the Balkan conflict co-opted the language of genocide to justify aggression. The book also navigates the fractured landscape of modern gender relations, where the search for equality often devolves into a “war of secession” between men and women.

The Temptation of Innocence is essential reading for cultural critics, students of sociology, and anyone concerned with the psychological state of Western democracy. It provides a profound and challenging map of the modern soul, calling for a return to an individualism defined by courage, debt, and the strength to face the world as an adult.

Pascal Bruckner is an acclaimed French essayist and novelist, whose Bitter Moon was made into a film by Roman Polanski. Awarded the prestigious Académie Française Prix 2000 and Medici Prize 1995 for Essays.