and one of the most influential, unfortunately, of these various french writers is a man named arthur gobineau. gobineau casts a long shadow over world history. gobineau was born into a family that lost its title and fortune in the french revolution and they were deeply nostalgic about the world before 1789. and he actually had a title, a kind of honorary title, the court de gobineau. the family has not too much money left. and they feel that they have been robbed of their position and their fortune. that's the atmosphere that they grows up in. deeply nostalgic for the past, and people who assume automatically that the world is a hierarchy and some people should exercise power, and that hierarchy must be maintained. so gobineau goes into the diplomatic corps. he has a long career in the french diplomatic corps. he also publishes many books. he was a prolific writer, he published novels, travel books, and unfortunately, i hate to admit this, but he is a very good writer. so he's -- he can write good prose. in his books he attacks democracy, he says that it doesn't work. and he also believes dee