The Intellectuals in Contemporary Europe: Between Conformism and Non-Conformism

Abstract

Various issues related to the European intellectuals and their place in modern socio-political developments are explored in this paper. A new model of intellectuals’ involvement in the civic and political life is proposed, suggesting three levels of relations with the authorities: that of the “powerless people,” of the “independent experts,” and of the “outsiders/nonconformists”. Within this framework, the leading feature defining the European intellectuals’ identification, their stance with regard to the state and society, and their motive for social action is shown to be the distinction between conformists and nonconformists.