M,
I think you are misunderstanding me. You did indeed say:
>>If the given intellectual's
>>>studies have not led hir to the kinds of conclusions that can be formulated
>>>as "advice", then clearly offering advice would be inappropriate.
My point is that like it or not the work of intellectuals is advice whether
they intend it or not. Again and to repeat, an intellectual simply cannot
sit back in the academic ivory tower and divorce their intellectual journeys
from their life journey and that of the folks that read their works.
In this respect Foucault is advising intellectual not play the role of "the
traditional intellectual" (although I would tend to view Foucault's notion
of the traditional intellectual as more a construct of Foucault than a
reality); that the masses don't need intellectuals to tell them how to go
on; that the masses should go on without intellectuals; that intellectuals
have no "authority" to pronounce; that truth is simply an effect of power,
and so on. These are all advice statements.
And yes, I too sometimes feel I am wasting my time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
Colin Wight
Department of International Politics
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
SY23 3DA
--------------------------------------------------------
I think you are misunderstanding me. You did indeed say:
>>If the given intellectual's
>>>studies have not led hir to the kinds of conclusions that can be formulated
>>>as "advice", then clearly offering advice would be inappropriate.
My point is that like it or not the work of intellectuals is advice whether
they intend it or not. Again and to repeat, an intellectual simply cannot
sit back in the academic ivory tower and divorce their intellectual journeys
from their life journey and that of the folks that read their works.
In this respect Foucault is advising intellectual not play the role of "the
traditional intellectual" (although I would tend to view Foucault's notion
of the traditional intellectual as more a construct of Foucault than a
reality); that the masses don't need intellectuals to tell them how to go
on; that the masses should go on without intellectuals; that intellectuals
have no "authority" to pronounce; that truth is simply an effect of power,
and so on. These are all advice statements.
And yes, I too sometimes feel I am wasting my time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
Colin Wight
Department of International Politics
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
SY23 3DA
--------------------------------------------------------