Organic Intellectuals and Capitalist Hegemony

• 29 Jun 2023

For Prelims: Organic Intellectuals, Capitalist Hegemony, Marxist Ideology, Capitalist Hegemony

For Mains: Gramsci’s Philosophy of Praxis

Why in News?

In a recent development that has caught the attention of social and economic observers, a growing wave of organic intellectuals is emerging as a formidable force in challenging capitalist hegemony.

• Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci introduced the concept of the "organic intellectual" in his Prison Notebooks, highlighting their significance in understanding his philosophy of praxis.
• Gramsci emphasised the complex relationship between class power, ideology, organic intellectuals, hegemony, and the state in capitalist society.

What is Gramsci’s Philosophy of Praxis?

• Gramsci's philosophy of praxis is a way of thinking about Marxism that focuses on the importance of culture, ideas, and people's choices in bringing about historical change.
  • Instead of seeing economic factors as the only driving force behind history, Gramsci believed that individuals are active participants in shaping their own destiny, rather than just passive victims of their circumstances.
• According to Gramsci, in modern capitalist societies, there are different social groups with varying interests and levels of awareness.
  • The dominant class holds power not only through economic means but also by influencing culture and morals.
• Gramsci's philosophy of praxis seeks to understand how the ruling class maintains its control over the lower classes through cultural and moral leadership.
  • It also aims to understand how the dominant class maintains its hegemony, or cultural and moral leadership, over the subordinate classes and how the latter can develop a counter-hegemony that challenges the existing order.

Who are the Organic Intellectuals?

• According to Gramsci, intellectuals are not a separate category of people who possess a special quality of mind or a superior level of education. Rather, intellectuals are defined by their function and role in society.
  • Gramsci distinguishes between two types of intellectuals: traditional and organic.
• Traditional intellectuals are those who claim to be independent and autonomous from any class or social group.
  • They present themselves as the bearers of universal values and knowledge, such as priests, teachers, artists, scientists, etc.
  • However, Gramsci argued that traditional intellectuals are actually aligned with the dominant class and serve its interests by legitimising its worldview and values.
• Organic intellectuals are those who emerge from within a specific class or social group and articulate its interests and aspirations.
  • They are organically linked to the masses and mediate between their common sense and the ruling ideology. They also help to organise and mobilise their class or group for political action.
  • Gramsci argued that every class or social group produces its own organic intellectuals, but not all of them are equally developed or effective.
    • He pays special attention to the role of organic intellectuals in challenging capitalist hegemony and building a counter-hegemonic bloc.

How do Organic Intellectuals Challenge Capitalist Hegemony?

• Capitalist hegemony is not only based on coercion and violence, but also on consent and persuasion.
  • The dominant class uses various institutions and practices, such as education, media, religion, culture, etc., to spread its ideology and values among the subordinate classes and to incorporate them into its worldview.
• However, hegemony is never complete or stable. It is always contested and resisted by alternative forms of consciousness and culture that express the needs and demands of the oppressed classes and groups.
  • This is where organic intellectuals play a crucial role. They help to articulate these alternative forms of consciousness and culture into a coherent and comprehensive worldview that challenges the dominant one.
  • They also help to connect different classes and groups that share common interests and goals into a historical bloc that can act as a collective agent of historical change.
• Organic intellectuals do not impose their ideas on the masses, but rather engage in a dialogical process with them.
  • They respect their common sense, but also critique its limitations and contradictions. They educate them, but also learn from them. They inspire them, but also follow them.

Source: TH