Idea person: A sociological examination: A sociological examination

Author: Cosey
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Intellectuals are both guardians of ideas and enlighteners of ideology. Those who embrace ideas, though often rejected and discriminated against, have remained pioneers in the history of Western thought for many centuries. This book traces the social background of Western intellectuals, striving to reveal how social and political conditions either support or hinder their ideas, and how they influence and shape the world of Western ideas amid immense difficulties. The impact of social settings and backgrounds on the development of intellectuals, their relationship with power structures, the types, living conditions, and future prospects of contemporary intellectuals—many compelling and significant issues are analyzed with sharp insight, originality, and persuasive arguments in this book. Published over thirty years ago, it has remained highly regarded in Western sociology and has become a representative work on the history of Western intellectuals and intellectual sociology. Chapter Overview Just as various animals can only grow in environments suitable for them, different types of people can only develop when they encounter suitable institutionalized environments. There is no reason to believe that the number of individuals capable of fulfilling the role of intellectuals in earlier centuries was fewer than in the past three centuries. However, it was only during these three centuries that intellectuals gained a prominent and significant position in culture. Actors or potential actors have long existed, but without a stage—only when actors and the stage appear together can a drama be performed.