4/13/17 Readings


These readings were much more dense and theoretical than what I’m used to so it was difficult for me to grasp what the authors were trying to say. Foucault discussed the correlation between truth and power. Foucault stated, “It seems to me that what must now be taken into account in the intellectual is not the ‘bearer of the universal values’. Rather, it’s the person occupying a specific position.” This can depend on a person’s class position, conditions of life and work, and politics. I’m not sure if I completely agree with him but this could be due to the fact that this reading was hard for me to understand. It seemed to me that he was saying we can or can not be born into power based off of those three things? It’s difficult to change your class position because if you were born into a wealthy family (i.e. Trump) then it’s a given that you will have more power than someone on the opposite end. It’s also difficult to change your way of life and work. If you did not have the privilege to obtain a higher education and find a well paying job then you might be less picky with what job you can find. It is difficult for some people to change their way of work because they are desperate for work. I also think it is difficult for a person’s view of politics to change. This one ties into way of life. Our views are similar to the views around us. As for the Gramsci excerpt, I found this one to be extremely abstract. I thought it was interesting that Gramsci believes that philosophy can be for anyone. Philosophy is not exclusive to people in higher power. I also got extremely confused while reading this because he also said that philosophy in general does not exist???

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