"There is not one of them who, if he chanced to discover the difference between falsehood and truth, would not prefer his own lie to the truth which another had discovered. Where is the philosophe who would not deceive the whole world for his own glory?"
--Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Confessions, 1782

That's pretty cynical. That is, unless "philosophe" is being used to refer to Rousseau's contemporaries in a way similar to Socrates' use of "sophist."

Q. "Where is the philosophe who would not deceive the whole world for his own glory?"

A. He's not in Rousseau's mirror.

:D

This reminds me of the whole global warming paradigm that most scientists face today.

Ralph: philosophe is a term that refers to a historico-culturally particularized group of intellectuals, so he's refering so a group of his contemporaries. I think Dan is implying that his critique of the philosophes has broader application, however.