The Commitment of the Intellectual

In: Monthly review: an independent socialist magazine, Band 39, Heft 10, S. 51-62

Abstract

Originally published in the May 1961 issue of Monthly Review, when the New Left movement was beginning to emerge in the US in the 1960s, & republished in hopes of guiding the current generation of New Leftists, which is beginning to push its way into the political arena. A distinction is made between two conceptions of an intellectual: "intellect workers" use their minds rather than their muscles, but are not necessarily "intellectuals," who inhabit all SCs & occupations. The "intellect worker" is a faithful servant of the status quo & ideal spokesperson for the capitalist system, focusing on the job at hand & separating means & ends. The "intellectuals," on the other hand, maintain more than a tangential connection to true historical process: the interrelations between various aspects of human existence permeate their thoughts & their work, & means are always connected to ends. Ethical implications of each position are examined, & some arguments advanced by intellectuals who claim to be "ethical neutralists" are challenged. An adherence to humanism is argued to be the axiomatic foundation of all meaningful intellectual effort, together with courage & a desire to tell the truth. K. Hyatt