Julien Benda's seminal work, 'The Treason of the Intellectuals,' published in 1927, is a profound and enduring critique of the modern intellectual's perceived abandonment of universal values in favor of political, nationalistic, or class-based ideologies. Benda argues that true intellectuals, or 'clercs,' historically stood apart from worldly concerns, upholding truth and justice. However, with the rise of passionate political movements, many intellectuals betrayed this calling, descending into partisan rhetoric and sacrificing their detached critical judgment. This book serves as a powerful warning against the dangers of intellectual engagement becoming subservient to temporal power or group loyalties, urging a return to objective moral and rational principles.