Political Function of the Intellectual

Michel Foucault became one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century by showing that power relations and techniques penetrate into the most unexpected areas of life. We present the first volume of the six-volume Selected Writings: The Political Function of the Intellectual, which clearly frames Foucault's anti-domination world against today's world where power relations are accepted without opposition.

The role played by intellectuals in political processes that have been turning points in the recent history of Europe, from the French Revolution to the Dreyfus Affair, from the October Revolution to May 68, has always been a matter of serious debate. The answer to the question "What is the political function of the intellectual?" inevitably requires a detailed analysis of the intellectual's relationship with power, the masses and social truth. According to Foucault, since the eighteenth century, the Western intellectual has always seen himself as the spokesperson of a universal truth and has undertaken to be the rider, conscientious and pioneer of the masses who do not know this truth in political struggles against the government. However, it is time for the intellectual to give up this duty he has set for himself: The intellectual has no right to tell others what to do, because the masses are aware of what is good for themselves. Moreover, the social, political and economic prophecies made by traditional intellectuals, often based on a scientific discourse, have not only come true, but also their promises have been fulfilled.

But this criticism of Foucault is not just a disappointment with the historical consequences of the intellectual's leadership. A complex theoretical criticism that is based on a radical rethinking of concepts such as power, truth, and scientificity, and brings a brand new intellectual understanding in the political sense.

The Political Function of the Intellectual brings together the analyzes of truth and power behind this new understanding of the intellectual, which has caused wide-ranging discussions in the West. For those who want to think about how the power relations that surround the entire society can be changed without creating new forms of domination...



Number of Pages: 336

Year of Printing: 2016


Language: Turkish
Publisher: Details Publications

First Print Year: 2016

Number of Pages: 336

Language Turkish