The self-respecting intellectual must not only have as a starting point, but also as a constant notion, that his life is a spark in a world that has already existed and will continue to exist. Without this, one is easily swallowed up by a vanity that is ultimately laughable. And when we see how many modern intellectuals fall for this primal illusion, when we see how shameless self-love has become, we see a detachment from reality that prehistoric man could never allow himself, and even for animals, allowing it would mean extinction.