Political Function of the Intellectual: History and Modernity
The article analyzes political function of the intellectual in terms of epistemology. Although “intellectual and politics” is a rather popular research topic, the subject of such studies is usually limited to the question whether the intellectual should be an advocate of some ideology or political party. Moreover, in such studies the epistemological aspect tends to be left out – a gap this article seeks to fill. The author considers the political engagement of the intellectual not as dependent on his inner circle or biographical data, but as directly derived from the discursive modification in which his theoretical activity takes place. This allows to represent the relationship of philosophy and politics at a discursive, rather than psychological level. The article shows how the theoretical discourse itself can be a political action. It substantiates the thesis that the political function of the intellectual is not an arbitrary choice alien to his main work. On the contrary, the intellectual’s theoretical position substantiates his political choice and gives him the opportunity to become a subject of political action. Political action, in turn, serves as a justification for theoretical work and an active moment of self-reflection for the intellectual. With the disappearance of one of the components, the other one loses its meaning as well. The article offers a schematic overview of the relationship of theoretical and political discourses directly related to the work of a traditional intellectual, identifies the main parameters andconsequences of the abolition of this connection that occurs in modern political space. The author shows the negative consequences of this gap, which adversely affects both the nature of the theoretical activity of the intellectual and the practical sense of intellectual’s political gestures. Analysis of the current state of the problem allows the author to identify the need for redefining the political engagement of the intellectual and problematizing new relations of political practice and theoretical work.