RESPONSIBILITY OF INTELLECTUALS
The notion of "intellectuals" and intellectual function in society clarifies based on the analysis of different points of view on the problem of intellectuals in the philosophical literature (J. Benda, Jean-Paul Sartre, J. Schumpeter, K. Mannheim, R. Merton, P. Baran, M. Foucault, Y. Habermas, P. Bourdieu, Ch. Mills, A. Badiou and others). Intellectuals make up a segment of society that has a fundamental education and in-depth knowledge, they are able to carry out the "total synthesis" of knowledge, to put forward the goals of social movement and signal the dangers that are threatening the society. The distinctive characteristics of the intellectuals are the ability to examine the case, which they do, in terms of its public importance, faithfulness to scientific truth and willingness to defend the political position which is based on the true knowledge, humanistic orientation of the world outlook, the moral responsibility for the future of the mankind and arising from it critical attitude to everything, what is happening in the society. The article also discusses the problem of moral responsibility of intellectuals and professionals in the modern Russian society.