The Role of Intellectuals in Modern Europe

• Main Author: Ana Pažanin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Croatia 2007-01-01
• Series: Anali Hrvatskog Politološkog Društva
• Subjects: committed intellectual; Erasmians; intellectual; public intellectual; freedom
• Online Access: http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/45810
• ISSN: 1845-6707; 1847-5299

SUMMARY This paper proceeds from Dahrendorf’s concept of the intellectual as a committed observer and tester of his times, through Rorty’s 11 theses, contrary to Dahrendorf, about humanistic intellectuals, and through Etzioni’s public intellectual, to Coser’s famous intellectual. Dahrendorf draws upon the case of Erasmus Roterodamus and his followers, although he distinguishes Erasmus’s times from our epoch, particularly the 20th century. Those who consider Erasmus a model in modern times are called by Dahrendorf “Erasmians” and, even though, as Dahrendorf himself admits, it sounds a bit out of date, there can be no harm in fostering the concept “Erasmians” in the future for all those who find freedom valuable. He illustrates this with the cases not only of liberal intellectuals, but of the liberal spirit in general, and he develops a political ethics not only for intellectuals, but for all citizens of new Europe. As a reminder, one might add that intellectuals often put themselves in the service of authoritarian regimes and dictatorships.