In a "democratic" society, intellectuals

Author: (American) Goldfarb, written by, Yang Xinzhang and others translated
Publisher:
Publishing Time: 2002-06-01
Features: This book provides a detailed narration and analysis of the role of intellectuals in modern society, primarily in American society. The author uses both traditional and contemporary Western sociological theories to analyze various active intellectual groups, with a wide temporal span, ranging from Socrates living in 5th-century Athens to Dewey, Lippmann, and Malcolm X living in 20th-century America, as well as some intellectuals in Central and Eastern Europe. The author first defines what an intellectual is. He does not refer to white-collar workers, professionals, or even scientists. He believes that intellectuals should be social figures who promote social thinking and discussion on common issues, not only encouraging this discussion to be civilized but also breaking the secular conventions and opinions that constrain people's minds. Maintaining a proper balance between civilization and subversion is the best strategy for intellectuals. The book discusses the pros and cons of elite governance and expert governance. It argues that viewing intellectuals as guardians of democracy or obstacles to social progress is both one-sided. As an academic work, this book has certain reference value for scholars and teaching staff in related fields in our country to understand the role of intellectuals in Western "democratic" society. However, when reading this book, readers should pay special attention: the intellectuals defined by the author in the book are completely different from the conventional concept of intellectuals in our country. The democracy mentioned in the book refers to Western democracy, which also differs from the concept of democracy in our country in meaning.