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'Reinhold Niebuhr deserves to be widely read because he reminds us that the veneer of civilisation is very thin'

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Why nations are egomaniacs

The work of American theologian and philosopher Reinhold Niebuhr is undergoing something of a revival these days.

Suddenly many people are reading and re-reading him. This is good.

Reading Niebuhr, who lived from 1892 until 1971, is not exactly an uplifting experience - he was, after all, convinced that selfishness and self-interest are man's most important motives.

He saw man as essentially evil. He believed tha...

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

Caroline de Gruyter is a Europe correspondent and columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. This article has been adapted from one of her columns in NRC.

'Reinhold Niebuhr deserves to be widely read because he reminds us that the veneer of civilisation is very thin'

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Author Bio

Caroline de Gruyter is a Europe correspondent and columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. This article has been adapted from one of her columns in NRC.

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