Intellectuals and Power: Another Look or Analysts and Politicians

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of the relationship between intellectuals and authority. In many ways this problem comes down to the fact that politicians do not listen to the intellectuals‟ advice. But why don‟t they do? Perhaps it happens due to a significant difference in the mindset of politicians and intellectuals. The way intellectuals think is primarily determined by political theory. The theory is characterized by the primacy of consistency, completeness, subordination to abstract, often «ideal» (in moral terms), principles and goals. As for the actions of politicians for various reasons they often deviate significantly from the parameters set by the theory in their behavior. In turn, intellectuals usually are not involved in political action as actors, that is, they cannot evalua te the actions of politicians except from the point of view of the theory. As a result, actions of politicians often lead to unsatisfactory results, both from the point of view of intellectuals (that is, from the point of view of theory and abstract principles on which it is based) and of politicians themselves. The author sees a way out in that the intellectuals, at least in their communications with politicians, must sacrifice part of the abstract principles on which theories are based or at least not to insist on their strict compliance by politicians. They should also try to reduce their demands concerning the consistency of political activity. This, of course, does not mean that they have to artificially primitivize their thinking or «morally fall». It‟s about not to expect and, most importantly, not to demand more rigorous thinking from society as a whole and politicians in particular than that they are capable of.