Philosopher
Ernest Renan
A French philosopher, Renan defined the nation as a daily plebiscite, founded on the will to live together and shared memory, offering the intellectual basis of civic nationalism as opposed to ethnic nationalism.

Image: Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · cropped and resized
Philosopher · 1823–1892
Profile is a model built from 240 answers simulated in character; not a statement by the person.
Compare your own views01 / The profile
Twelve axes, one perspective
02 / What stands out
Three distinctive positions
30.6pt
Religion
88.8% Irreligious, compared with the ideology catalog’s 58.2% median.
What place should religion have in individual and public life?
26.4pt
Diplomacy
18.8% Militarist, compared with the ideology catalog’s 45.25% median.
When is armed force an appropriate political instrument?
21.7pt
Trade
40% Protectionism, compared with the ideology catalog’s 61.7% median.
How open should the economy be to international exchange?
The profile in detail
Government and accountability. Structure: 33.8% Federal, 66.2% Unitary (Leaning Unitary); Representation: 68.8% Democracy, 31.2% Autocracy (Leaning Democracy). This combination separates where authority is located from how leaders are selected and constrained. It preserves those two choices even when a broad political label does not distinguish them. On Representation, the 877-profile catalog median is 57.5% Democracy; Ernest Renan sits 11.3 points above it. 124 reference profiles share this band.
Civil power and culture. Power: 35% Security, 65% Liberty (Leaning Liberty); Immigration: 42.5% Assimilation, 57.5% Multiculturalism (Leaning Multiculturalism). The first contrast concerns limits on civil life; the second concerns cultural adaptation and plural identities. Reading them together avoids inferring an immigration position solely from a preference about security. On Power, the 877-profile catalog median is 58.8% Security; Ernest Renan sits 23.8 points below it. 151 reference profiles share this band.
Force and foreign policy. Diplomacy: 18.8% Militarist, 81.2% Pacifist (Strong Pacifist); Intervention: 65% Non-interventionist, 35% Nationalist (Leaning Non-interventionist). Military capacity and projection of national interests are distinct choices in this model. These coordinates show how the profile combines military means and external objectives, without assuming that they always move together. On Intervention, the 877-profile catalog median is 48.8% Non-interventionist; Ernest Renan sits 16.2 points above it. 203 reference profiles share this band.
Ownership, coordination and trade. Economy: 51.2% Public, 48.8% Private (Balanced); Control: 58.8% Planning, 41.2% Free market (Leaning Planning); Trade: 40% Protectionism, 60% Globalism (Leaning Globalism). These ask three different questions: who owns, how activity is coordinated and how the economy engages abroad. The economic profile of Ernest Renan depends on that combination, rather than a single left or right classification. On Economy, the 877-profile catalog median is 53.2% Public; Ernest Renan sits 2.0 points below it. 207 reference profiles share this band.
Belief and social norms. Religion: 88.8% Irreligious, 11.2% Religious (Very strong Irreligious); Morality: 38.8% Progressive, 61.2% Traditionalist (Leaning Traditionalist). The model keeps religious influence separate from continuity in social norms. These values describe the reference profile; they do not assign a religion to someone who receives this match in the quiz. On Morality, the 877-profile catalog median is 38.8% Progressive; Ernest Renan sits 0.0 points above it. 197 reference profiles share this band.
Technology and limits. Technology: 60% Technology, 40% Biology (Leaning Technology). This adds a perspective on innovation and biological continuity that cannot be inferred directly from the economic coordinates. For Ernest Renan, the 10.0-point distance from the center indicates the intensity of this particular position. On Technology, the 877-profile catalog median is 57.5% Technology; Ernest Renan sits 2.5 points above it. 299 reference profiles share this band.
03 / Connections
Nearby profiles

John Maynard Keynes
97.1% compatibility

Machado de Assis
94.3% compatibility

Nikola Tesla
94.3% compatibility

William Beveridge
94.2% compatibility

John Rawls
92.2% compatibility

Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira
91.7% compatibility
At the other end of the catalog
Closest ideologies
Closest countries & regions
Three views of compatibility
Political
Keynesian Liberalism
94.3%
12 axes considered
Social
Keynesian Liberalism
92.5%
9 axes considered
Economic
Zionism
99.4%
3 axes considered
Further reading
1882
What Is a Nation?
Find the book ↗Got Ernest Renan on the 12 Axes test?
Look at the other nearby profiles and the axes where you differ. A match is a starting point for exploring ideas, rather than a final identity.
Understand your result ↗Frequently asked questions
What does getting Ernest Renan on the test mean?
Your twelve scores are relatively close to this reference profile. A match describes similarity inside the model; it does not imply agreement with every action, policy or belief associated with Ernest Renan.
Which ideology is closest to Ernest Renan?
Keynesian Liberalism has 94.3% compatibility in the catalog. This score combines axis proximity, overall direction, intensity and the largest difference between the profiles.
Which axis stands out for Ernest Renan?
Religion is among the furthest from the center: 88.8% Irreligious and 11.2% Religious. Read all twelve axes to understand the full combination.
Your perspective, in detail
Where do your ideas stand?
Explore twelve dimensions and discover the combinations that make your perspective your own.



