Intellectual

As an intellectual, a man is called, which is scientific, artistic, religious, literary or journalistic works, has there acquired a comprehensive knowledge, and relates critical or affirmative position in public debate. He is not necessary to a particular political, ideological or moral location bound.

The meaning of the term intellectuals joined in the course of historical development, a generally accepted definition of the term, there was never. Important definition attempts took Karl Mannheim with the Free Floating intelligence and alternatively, Antonio Gramsci, the organic intellectuals.

Conceptual history

The term intellectual was attributed to Georges Clemenceau by Maurice Barres. While featuring Clemenceau in 1898 in an article the prominent supporters of Alfred Dreyfus, including Émile Zola, so as a group, but in fact he did not use the term first and not overly frequent. It may even be assumed that the term was used by the nationalist opponents of Dreyfusunterstützer first thing in this context. As a result, at any rate received the term has a pejorative connotation, and was used for persons who are of their own nation disloyal.

Gramsci coined the term " organic intellectuals " for people who represent the ideas of a certain class and re-articulate.

" On 14 and 15 January 1898 were published [ in France ] two lists in which scientists, upscale officials, but especially artists and writers against the committed violations of the law in the case of Dreyfus protested. Until February 4, 1898 about 2000 people came together (published in L' Aurore and siècle about 40 lists) who did not attend because of their number, but because of the quality of signatures for excitement. Clemenceau took on January 23, 1898 a term used since the 1870s on, he finally, La protestation of intellectuels ' on February 1, 1898 in the newspaper Le Journal published. This is a negative for society efforts that group is complaining to want to form an elite. "

In the era of National Socialism, the term was also used as a derogatory term for representatives of the ideological struggle rejected " intellectualism " to discredit Jewish or politically undesirable persons and / or denounce (see also Nazi propaganda ).

Embedding in societies

The intellectual analyzed, scrutinized and criticized Sartre loud in public debates and discourses social processes in order to influence their development. Here, the intellectual is not tied to a political or moral location. This often leads to conflicts with politicians, governments or rulers.

With respect to the governments of their respective countries their attitude of open support of the forthcoming reforms just enough to outright rejection. Intellectuals are both producers and critics of ideology.

If their own ideas with those of the ruling class, they can be very effective for these supporters; where there is a lack of consistency, it can be tracked from the state system and become dissidents. The successful dissidents are again involved in part in a state system where they are useful for this. So are intellectuals for those in power at the same time uncomfortable as effective agents in the innovative development of the society. The French philosopher Julien Benda (1867-1956) emphasized as early as 1927 The betrayal of the intellectuals to be the tendency of many intellectuals to agents of social interests and ideologies in his famous essay.

Intellectuals develop co informal relationships that go beyond the usual food items of work and family. Intellectual power helpers in the civil service are often better informed than their administrative or political allies ( and so have their respect, even if they are regarded with distrust because of their contacts with political opponents ). Independent of this intellectual opponents are often better informed about social problems than the average population, even if the present system of government has severely restricted freedom of the press. This inner knowledge of detailed state often also makes them the target of the intelligence services of other countries.

The liveliness, Fast, opinion and joy Verklatschtheit full-time and big-city intellectuals circles often led to hostility towards their subculture. This association in Germany and Austria after the First World War, with anti-Jewish resentment.

Bernhard von Mutius (* 1949) ( publisher of the book The Other Intellect, 2004) expressed the thesis that there fancy a new type of intellectual out of (whether permanently employed or freelance) is entrusted in various organizational contexts with complex development projects as knowledge workers - projects, scientific and technical innovation projects include as well as social and cultural change and learning processes. He calls him the "constructive intellectual." This is expected as a reality - to be constructed together with others and changeable - to understand space of possibilities and to generate therefrom manageable proposals from the analysis. In addition to the organizational connectivity as a consultant group within larger institutions there are also the spin-off as a formally independent think tank.

So-called "intelligence"

As The intelligence (probably from Russian; see intelligentsia ) is collectively referred to social groups in a society where intellectuals form themselves into groups. Part demarcations and privileges associated with it.

Individual groups or categorizations are:

• Technical intelligence
• Free-floating intelligence