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Intellectuals and Conformity in American Society
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12378 |
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Section : |
MODERN THOUGHT
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1 / 1987 |
4,388 Words |
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Paul Hollander
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The social roles and proper characterization of intellectuals in contemporary Western society have been debated for a long time. One reason why consensus on these matters is hard to reach is that the concept itself is murky and value-laden. It is far from clear by what indisputable criteria intellectuals are identified. Not only are they hard to define, but they also arouse strong conflicting feelings of admiration and denigration. This suggests that a social-cultural reality lies behind the word that people perceive and to which they respond.
Invested with virtue, intellectuals are portrayed as upholders of authentic social values, fearless social critics, challengers of assorted establishments, uncompromising seekers of truth, supporters of the underdog, and champions of social justice and the conscience of society. Such exceedingly positive conceptions abound in the writings of Lewis Coser (1965).
There has been, on the other hand (especially in the United States), a tradition of hostility and contempt toward intellectuals in which they are regarded as impractical, confused, parasitical, and even subversive. Richard Hofstadter examined these attitudes in the early 1960s. Others were more critical of intellectuals' appetite for power and status (see, for example, Hoffer 1951). More recently Peter Berger and Norman Podhoretz, among others, have identified a new class constituted in part by intellectuals, striving for political influence and power.
Since I shall focus on the contribution of intellectuals to the prevailing cultural ethos and political values, I shall not employ the concept of the new class. It is, in any event, usually acknowledged (see, for example, Berger 1978, 7) that the new class and intellectuals are not identical, despite some considerable overlap. I shall comment on the social-psychological and philosophical-ideological determinants of the position taken by American intellectuals rather than the influences exerted by more tangible group interests of an economic or political nature.
Although a number of the generalizations that follow may apply to other Western societies, this discussion centers on the United States, which for better or worse, has been the trendsetter in this and in other social-cultural matters. If the social role and cultural weight of intellectuals has anything to do with their numbers, then to the position of intellectuals in American society may be singled out for special attention.
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