Intellectualism: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 16:39, 30 May 2010

Intellectualism is any view promoting the use and development of the intellect, the practice of being an intellectual,^[1] or of holding intellectual pursuits in great regard.^[2] In philosophy, “intellectualism” occasionally is synonymous to “rationalism”, the view that the source of knowledge is reason (usually contrasted with empiricism).^[3]^[4] Socially, “intellectualism” negatively connotes: (i) single-mindedness of purpose (“too much attention to thinking”), and (ii) emotional coldness (the absence of affection and feelings). ^[4]^[3]^[5]

Ancient moral intellectualism

In views attributed to Socrates, intellectualism states that “one will do what is right or best just as soon as one truly understands what is right or best”, ^[6] that virtue is a purely intellectual matter, and that virtue and knowledge are the same thing. So defined, “Socratic intellectualism” became a key doctrine of Stoic philosophy. The apparently problematic consequences of this view are defined as “Socratic paradoxes”: That there is no weakness of will — that no one knowingly does, or seeks to do, moral wrong or evil; that anyone who does, or seeks to do, moral wrong or evil does so involuntarily; and that there are not many distinct virtues, but instead only a single virtue.

Mediæval metaphysical intellectualism

In mediæval philosophy, intellectualism is a doctrine of divine and human action, wherein the faculty of intellect precedes and is superior to the faculty of the will. It usually is contrasted with voluntarism: “According to intellectualism, choices of the will result from that which the intellect recognizes as good; the will, itself, is determined. For voluntarism, by contrast, it is the will which identifies which objects are good, and the will, itself, is indetermined”.^[7] Under this definition, the philosophers Averroes, Thomas Aquinas, and Meister Eckhart are among the most prominent intellectualists.

Contemporary intellectualism

Though present-day educators all advocate learning in some way, there is currently no significant group of scholars that share a single doctrine of intellectualism beyond mere appreciation of knowledge, science, technology, and mathematics. This general appreciation may be supported to some extent by educational policy (e.g., Liberal education) as well as by social phenomena like geek culture and nerd pride.

References

^ "Answers.com". (Definition)
^ "Merriam-Webster". (Definition)
^ ^a ^b "HighBeam". (Oxford definition)
^ ^a ^b "Encarta". Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) (Definition)
^ "Infoplease". (Definition)
^ "FOLDOC". (Definition and note on Socrates)
^ "Voluntarism". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

[1] "Answers.com". (Definition)

[2] "Merriam-Webster". (Definition)

[HighBeam-3] "HighBeam". (Oxford definition)

[encarta-4] "Encarta". Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) (Definition)

[5] "Infoplease". (Definition)

[6] "FOLDOC". (Definition and note on Socrates)

[7] "Voluntarism". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Intellectualism''' denotes the use and development of the [[intellect]], the practice of being an [[intellectual]],<ref>{{cite web
+'''Intellectualism''' is any view promoting the use and development of the [[intellect]], the practice of being an [[intellectual]],<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.answers.com/intellectualism&r=67
  | title = Answers.com
-}} (Definition)</ref> and of holding intellectual pursuits in great regard.<ref>{{cite web
+}} (Definition)</ref> or of holding intellectual pursuits in great regard.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/intellectualism
  | title = Merriam-Webster
-}} (Definition)</ref> Moreover, in [[philosophy]], “intellectualism” occasionally is synonymous to “[[rationalism]]”, i.e. knowledge derives mostly from reason and reasoning.<ref name="HighBeam">{{cite web
+}} (Definition)</ref>  In [[philosophy]], “intellectualism” occasionally is synonymous to “[[rationalism]]”, the view that the source of knowledge is reason (usually contrasted with [[empiricism]]).<ref name="HighBeam">{{cite web
  | url = http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-intellectualism.html
  | title = HighBeam
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
  | url = http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861621690
  | title = Encarta
-|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5kwrOiSPN|archivedate=2009-10-31|deadurl=yes}} (Definition)</ref> Socially, “intellectualism” negatively connotes: (i) single-mindedness of purpose (“too much attention to thinking”), and (ii) emotional coldness (the absence of affection and feelings). <ref name="encarta" /><ref name="HighBeam" /><ref>{{cite web
+|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5kwrOiSPN|archivedate=2009-10-31|deadurl=yes}} (Definition)</ref>  Socially, “intellectualism” negatively connotes: (i) single-mindedness of purpose (“too much attention to thinking”), and (ii) emotional coldness (the absence of affection and feelings). <ref name="encarta" /><ref name="HighBeam" /><ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.infoplease.com/ipd/A0492827.html
  | title =  Infoplease
@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 ==Ancient moral intellectualism==
-In [[Socrates]]’s view, intellectualism allows that “one will do what is right or best just as soon as one truly understands what is right or best”; <ref>{{cite web
+In views attributed to [[Socrates]], intellectualism states that “one will do what is right or best just as soon as one truly understands what is right or best”, <ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://lgxserver.uniba.it/lei/foldop/foldoc.cgi?intellectualism
  | title = FOLDOC
-}} (Definition and note on Socrates)</ref> that [[virtue]] is a purely intellectual matter, since virtue and [[knowledge]] are cerebral relatives that one accumulates and improves with dedication to [[reason]]. So defined, “Socratic intellectualism” became a key doctrine of [[Stoicism|Stoic]] philosophy. The apparent, problematic consequences of this view are defined as “Socratic paradoxes”; an example is the view that there is no [[weakness of will]] — that no one knowingly does, or seeks to do, evil (moral wrong); that anyone who does, or seeks to do, moral wrong (evil) does so involuntarily. Another example is the view that virtue is knowledge, and that there are not many virtues, but that all virtues are one.
+}} (Definition and note on Socrates)</ref> that [[virtue]] is a purely intellectual matter, and that virtue and [[knowledge]] are the same thing.  So defined, “Socratic intellectualism” became a key doctrine of [[Stoicism|Stoic]] philosophy.  The apparently problematic consequences of this view are defined as “Socratic paradoxes”:  That there is no [[weakness of will]] — that no one knowingly does, or seeks to do, moral wrong or evil; that anyone who does, or seeks to do, moral wrong or evil does so involuntarily; and that there are not many distinct virtues, but instead only a single virtue.
-To date, philosophers dispute that Socrates’s conceptions of knowing truth, and of ethical conduct, can be equated with modern, post–[[Cartesianism|Cartesian]] conceptions of knowledge and of rational intellectualism.<ref>{{cite web | title=No one errs willingly: the meaning of socratic intellectualism | author=Heda Segvic | url=http://fds.oup.com/www.oup.co.uk/pdf/0-19-924226-7.pdf}}</ref> For example, [[Michel Foucault]] demonstrated, with detailed historical study, that in [[Antiquity]], knowing the truth is akin to what is contemporarily understood as “spiritual knowledge”. Without exclusively concerning the rational intellect, this form of knowledge is integral to the broader principle of “caring for the self”.
-Typically, such care of the self involved very particular [[ascetic]] exercises meant to ensure that knowledge of truth was not only memorized, but learned and integrated to the self in transforming oneself into a [[Value (ethics)|good]] person. To understand truth, therefore, meant “intellectual knowledge” requiring one’s integration to the (universal) truth, and [[Authenticity (philosophy)|authentically]] living it in one’s speech, heart, and conduct. Achieving that difficult task required continual care of the self, but also meant being someone who embodies truth, and so can “speak freely”, via [[parrhesia]] — the [[Rhetoric|Classical]]-era rhetorical device denoting: “to speak candidly, and to ask forgiveness for so speaking”, and, by extension, the [[Morality|moral]] obligation to speak the truth for the common [[Value (ethics)|good]], even at personal risk.<ref> Gros, Frederic (ed.)(2005) ''Michel Foucault: The Hermeneutics of the Subject'', Lectures at the College de France 1981–1982. Picador: New York</ref>  This ancient, Socratic moral philosophic perspective contradicts the contemporary understanding of truth and knowledge as [[Reason|rational]] undertakings.
 ==Mediæval metaphysical intellectualism==
-In mediæval philosophy, intellectualism is a doctrine of divine and human action, wherein the faculty of [[intellect]] precedes and is superior to the faculty of the [[Will (philosophy)|will]]. It usually is contrasted with [[voluntarism (philosophy)|voluntarism]]: “According to intellectualism, choices of the will result from that which the intellect recognizes as good; the will, itself, is determined. For voluntarism, by contrast, it is the will which identifies which objects are good, and the will, itself, is indetermined”.<ref>{{cite web
+In mediæval philosophy, intellectualism is a doctrine of divine and human action, wherein the faculty of [[intellect]] precedes and is superior to the faculty of the [[Will (philosophy)|will]].  It usually is contrasted with [[voluntarism (philosophy)|voluntarism]]:  “According to intellectualism, choices of the will result from that which the intellect recognizes as good; the will, itself, is determined.  For voluntarism, by contrast, it is the will which identifies which objects are good, and the will, itself, is indetermined”.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.iep.utm.edu/v/voluntar.htm
  | title = Voluntarism
  | publisher = Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
 }}</ref>
-From that perspective and context, the [[Islam|Muslim]] polymath [[Averroes]], the Christian theologian [[Thomas Aquinas]], and the German theologian [[Meister Eckhart]], are recognised intellectualists.
+Under this definition, the philosophers [[Averroes]], [[Thomas Aquinas]], and [[Meister Eckhart]] are among the most prominent intellectualists.
 ==Contemporary intellectualism==
-Though present-day educators all advocate learning in some way, there is currently no significant group of scholars that share a single doctrine of intellectualism beyond mere appreciation of knowledge, [[science]], [[technology]], and [[mathematics]].  This general appreciation may be supported to some extent by social phenomena like [[geek culture]] and [[nerd pride]].
+Though present-day educators all advocate learning in some way, there is currently no significant group of scholars that share a single doctrine of intellectualism beyond mere appreciation of knowledge, [[science]], [[technology]], and [[mathematics]].  This general appreciation may be supported to some extent by educational policy (e.g., [[Liberal education]]) as well as by social phenomena like [[geek culture]] and [[nerd pride]].
 ==See also==