Prison Notebook: The Intellectual Summary

Modern philosophical scholars have written publications attempting to make a distinction between the basic definition of an intellectual, the different kinds of intellectuals that have existed in society, what makes an intellectual, the role of intellectuals in society, and their responsibility to the public. The pursuit of defining the purpose and role of an intellectual in society began with Immanuel Kant’s twentieth-century work, “What Is Enlightenment?” and continued with Gramsci’s piece published in 1948, “Prison Notebook: The Intellectuals.” Scholarly work such as Edward Said’s “Representatives of the Intellectuals,” and Cornel West’s “The Dilemma of the Black Intellectual” describes an intellectual’s commitment to a certain public, group,
This piece contributed to the intellectual movement because it encouraged mankind’s emergence from their inability to use one’s understanding without guidance to finding the courage to explore one’s own intellect and wisdom. In Gramsci’s “Prisons Notebooks: The Intellectuals” intellectuals are placed into two categories, traditional and organic. According to Gramsci, “all men are potential intellectuals in the sense of having intellect and using it (Gramsci, 132)”; however, “not all are intellectuals by social function (Gramsci, 132).” This introduces the distinction between functional intellectuals. Traditional intellectuals are professional intellectuals such as professors or scientists. The position of traditional intellectuals is associated with class ranking because their profession is usually supported by a college education. On the contrary, organic intellectuals make their own way of teaching and are not distinguished by their profession. Ultimately, every group in society will create their own organic intellectual based on the interests of that particular group. For example, in the 1960’s, African Americans selected Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to be the intellectual that leads them out of oppression. Working
Now that I have addressed what an intellectual is, I must decide in what ways I am an intellectual. I categorize the qualities of an intellectual into three major themes; intelligence, leadership, resolution. First, intelligence is not synonymous with intellectual. Intelligence equips the intellectual with the mental tools to deal with broad abstractions and ideas in many different fields. Intelligence involves the ability to know and connect ideas. An intellectual cannot limit themselves to knowing one specific topic, they must fully invest themselves into intellectual work, which involves a full understanding of humanity. Second, intellectuals are leaders. Intelligence gives individuals the capacity to become an intellectual, but intellectuals must have the time, energy, and effort to fully engage in intellectual work. Intellectuals are leaders because they are elected or selected to become the voice of society or a community. Socrates is acknowledged as an intellectual because he was supported by the public who examined his theories, ideologies, and agreed with his ideas. With leadership also comes responsibility. Intellectuals are leaders not merely because they have a following but because they have the responsibility of encouraging other to become critical thinkers. A true intellectual that encourages other to challenge their theories proves that they have confidence in their own intellectual work.