Selective Intellectualism
The word “intellectual”, as used in India, never came across as a positive term to me. It never seemed to mean people who think, analyze, look at historical successes and failures of different approaches and the why’s behind different actions. It just seemed to mean a left-leaning world-view, not necessarily communist, but definitely socialist and never capitalist. Here is Julian Sanchez’s take as to why that might be the case world-wide: “One thing to bear in mind is that even informed and intelligent people do not typically arrive at their political views by an in-depth review of the evidence in each particular policy area. Most of us can only be really expert in one or two spheres, and in others must rely heavily on those who possess greater expertise and seem to share our basic values.” Or perhaps, as Sanchez says, intellectuals are people who genuinely believe in the power of words and advice as guidance to governments: “If the best solutions to social problems are ge...