Author: Bridget Lalonde

I thought our discussion about cultural critical discourse and the position of authority was interesting. The life of intellectuals is to find the truth. Intellectuals use the CCD as the rules are to justify claims that have truths, and you cannot say something is true because you have authority. I think oftentimes in society today we ignore discovering the actual truth if it is coming from someone in a position of power. Especially, in this age of technology and social media we are so quick to uphold a statement as truth if it is coming from an authority. With these technological updates there is so much information coming at us at once.  Therefore, if it is coming from authority, we do not feel the need to double check it for the truth. We need to follow more of the CCD from intellectuals sometimes. 

Another point of last class that stuck with me is the over saturation of the intellectual class. We are encouraging more people to get a higher education. However, there are not necessarily jobs available for them once they graduate. This can pose economic problems as well as success levels can be kept down. I think this problem of producing intellectuals is a problem that I am facing myself. I am choosing to go to graduate school immediately following graduation at Bucknell. However, I am having to network as I am applying because I want to ensure that getting this master’s degree will be marketable for a job and be worth it. I do not want to run into the problem of being over educated for a job that I could have done with just my undergraduate degree.

I thought last week’s class discussion was quite thought provoking. We brought up many interesting questions surrounding how to define an intellectual and their position in society. A great deal of attention was given to “decontextualized ideas.” When I originally read this I kind of glossed over it. After our discussion I realized that it is an important role that intellectuals devote their livelihood to. The decontextualized ideas that intellectuals are primarily focused on are true regardless of context and the situation. In my political theory class we discussed the difference between “we hold these truths to be self-evident” vs “these truths are self-evident.” This got me thinking about the decontextualized ideas from our class. I was thinking that even though the ideas are true regardless of context, could truths differ between societies. Thomas Jefferson specifically used the word “we”, which makes me wonder if intellectuals from different cultures discover the same truths. Can people from different cultures agree upon the same ideas? 

This leads me to our discussion on truth being a sacred object. I think that intellectuals of different cultures, but the same religion, would hold the sacred object to hold the same truth. These sacred objects are separate from and elevated the mundane. They are of singular importance and power. I thought that it was fascinating to think about truth in this way. Prior I thought that truth can be discovered and redefined. Although this is how intellectuals work, they give the truth more power than I have regarded the truth to have. 

I am interested to see how the Truth can be connected to the institutions that intellectuals designed, which is part of the focus of this week’s readings. Looking forward to the class discussion this week, as I found it interesting that the two readings conflicted with how intellectuals should rule. In the Ersatz Religion reading it is believed that an intellectual would not make for a good ruler as when creating their idealistic society they suppress an essential element of reality to construct this image. However, in thesis 11, intellectuals should make for good rulers. This is because Gouldner believes that in the New World those who govern should be those who possess superior competence, wisdom and science. Those who have these three characteristics are intellectuals themselves, thus making the argument that they should be the rulers.

It is important to consider intellectuals in an analytic lens that is not their own. Studying intellectuals in the way they study other subjects will help to eliminate potential bias. This is beneficial as what they consider to be “true” and the reality of what is true can be discovered. If intellectuals were only considered in a lens that is their own, we would only learn what they believe and want us to know. Approaching intellectuals with an outside perspective can allow for a critical examination. In this lens, asking questions and disagreeing with opinions creates discussion. Furthermore, taking this position allows us to gain a deeper understanding of intellectuals and the community they build. Posing questions also heightens curiosity. Additionally a benefit of studying intellectuals in the same way they study other subjects is that there are now multiple facets in which to study. If viewing them within the same lens, only that intellectual’s way of thinking and devoting to finding the truth would be studied. It will be difficult to determine what is “truth” vs what is opinion if we did not consider intellectuals in a lens that was not their own. Studying intellectuals in a traditional way of studying allows us to learn about the truth in a way that is diverse.

I am fascinated by the content of this course because the material is unlike any other subject that I have studied. I do not tend to critically analyze “Truth” in people. The majority of my classes are STEM based, therefore I am analyzing data sets based on validity from prior knowledge. I am excited to learn more about how to come about finding the “Truth” in an approach that is similar to the way I learn about other subjects, but with material that is out of my comfort zone. This course will challenge the way I think, which is important to grow and learn. Thinking critically about intellectuals will also make me think critically about myself. I will reflect upon what I hold to be “true” and what are just strongly held beliefs based on what I value. I think too often, we do not stop to challenge the truth because now there is so much information readily available, that one can find a source to support their truth. Therefore, I am excited to learn about how to devote your life to finding the “sacred object” of “Truth” and how it will shape my learning about the world around me.