When Intellectuals become a danger to society?

The world has a terrible, tragic history of suppression of intellectuals. As it turns out, the
world has a terrible, tragic history of pretty much everything.But as the saying goes, the point of
history is to change it.This suppression is probably because intellectuals are dangerous. But in
what sense is this true? One may argue that intellectuals can destabilise order and spread chaos.
It is an interesting question.
Let`s take some of the world most renowed intellectuals and see what impact they have
made in society:
Socrates, (born c. 470 bce, Athens [Greece]died 399 bce, Athens), Greek philosopher
whose way of life, character, and thought exerted a profound influence on ancient and modern
philosophy.
It is argued that Socrates believed "ideals belong in a world only the wise man can understand"
1
,
making the philosopher the only type of person suitable to govern others. In Plato's dialogue the
Republic, Socrates openly objected to the democracy that ran Athens during his adult life. It was
not only Athenian democracy: Socrates found short of ideal any government that did not
conform to his presentation of a perfect regime led by philosophers, and Athenian government
was far from that. It is, however, possible that the Socrates of Plato's Republic is colored by
Plato's own views. During the last years of Socrates' life, Athens was in continual flux due to
political upheaval. Democracy was at last overthrown by a junta known as the Thirty Tyrants,
led by Plato's relative, Critias, who had been a friend of Socrates. The Tyrants ruled for about a
year before the Athenian democracy was reinstated, at which point it declared an amnesty for all
recent events.

Socrates' opposition to democracy is often denied, and the question is one of the biggest
philosophical debates when trying to determine exactly what Socrates believed. The strongest
argument of those who claim Socrates did not actually believe in the idea of philosopher kings is
that the view is expressed no earlier than Plato's Republic, which is widely considered one of
Plato's "Middle" dialogues and not representative of the historical Socrates' views. Furthermore,
according to Plato's Apology of Socrates, an "early" dialogue, Socrates refused to pursue
conventional politics; he often stated he could not look into other's matters or tell people how to
live their lives when he did not yet understand how to live his own. He believed he was a
philosopher engaged in the pursuit of Truth, and did not claim to know it fully. Socrates'
acceptance of his death sentence after his conviction can also be seen to support this view. It is

1
Attributed to "Solomon" in 100 Most Influential People of All Times for Smartphones and Mobile Devices. Mobile
Reference. 2007.
often claimed much of the anti-democratic leanings are from Plato, who was never able to
overcome his disgust at what was done to his teacher. In any case, it is clear Socrates thought the
rule of the Thirty Tyrants was also objectionable; when called before them to assist in the arrest
of a fellow Athenian, Socrates refused and narrowly escaped death before the Tyrants were
overthrown. He did, however, fulfill his duty to serve as Prytanis when a trial of a group of
Generals who presided over a disastrous naval campaign were judged; even then he maintained
an uncompromising attitude, being one of those who refused to proceed in a manner not
supported by the laws, despite intense pressure.
2
Judging by his actions, he considered the rule of
the Thirty Tyrants less legitimate than the Democratic Senate that sentenced him to
death.Socrates' apparent respect for democracy is one of the themes emphasized in the 2008 play
Socrates on Trial by Andrew Irvine. Irvine argues that it was because of his loyalty to Athenian
democracy that Socrates was willing to accept the verdict of his fellow citizens. As Irvine puts it,
During a time of war and great social and intellectual upheaval, Socrates felt compelled to
express his views openly, regardless of the consequences. As a result, he is remembered today,
not only for his sharp wit and high ethical standards, but also for his loyalty to the view that in a
democracy the best way for a man to serve himself, his friends, and his city even during times
of war is by being loyal to, and by speaking publicly about, the truth.
3

Another intellectual was Jesus Christ he has a great scholar who made christianities
doctrines more adaptable to oure times.
The four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are the main sources for the
biography of Jesus, but other parts of the New Testament, such as the Pauline epistles, which
were probably written decades before the gospels, also include references to key episodes in his
life, such as the Last Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:2326 Acts of the Apostles (10:3738 and 19:4)
refers to the early ministry of Jesus and its anticipation by John the Baptist. Acts 1:111 says
more about the Ascension of Jesus (also mentioned in 1 Timothy 3:16) than the canonical
gospels do.Some early Christian and Gnostic groups had separate descriptions of the life and
teachings of Jesus that are not included in the New Testament. These include the Gospel of
Thomas, the Gospel of Peter, and the Apocryphon of James, among many other apocryphal
writings. Most scholars consider these much later and less reliable accounts than the canonical
gospels.
4
He influenced modern society with his teachings and miracles , in wich he proclaimed
that he is the son of God , other scholars were threaten by his preachings and they wanted him
dead.
Another one was a Romanian Nicolae Margineanu who was a psihologist. He was
arrested in 1948 and accused of high threson and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in wich he
executed 16 years.He wroted many books about the psihologi of labor , he was sentenced

2
Kagen (1978)
3
Irvine, Andrew D. "Introduction," Socrates on Trial, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008, p. 19
4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus#Perspectives_on_Jesus
because of his activity in Asociatia Romano-Americana (A.R.A) in wich he organized
conferences about America and informing the americans about the situation in Transilvania ; in
other ways he was in prison because of his persuasive talen to make the americans give
Transilvania back to Romania. He died in 13 june 1980 of cancer.
The last intellectual of this paper is Niccol Machiavelli he was an Italian historian,
politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance.
He was for many years an official in the Florentine Republic, with responsibilities in diplomatic
and military affairs. He was a founder of modern political science, and more specifically political
ethics. He also wrote comedies, carnival songs, and poetry. His personal correspondence is
renowned in the Italian language. He was Secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of
Florence from 1498 to 1512, when the Medici were out of power. He wrote his masterpiece, The
Prince, after the Medici had recovered power and he no longer held a position of responsibility in
Florence. "Machiavellianism" is a widely used negative term to characterize unscrupulous
politicians of the sort Machiavelli described in The Prince. The book itself gained enormous
notoriety and wide readership because the author seemed to be endorsing behavior often deemed
as evil and immoral.
Machiavelli's ideas had a profound impact on political leaders throughout the modern west,
helped by the new technology of the printing press. During the first generations after
Machiavelli, his main influence was in non-Republican governments. Pole reported that the
Prince was spoken of highly by Thomas Cromwell in England and had influenced Henry VIII in
his turn towards Protestantism, and in his tactics, for example during the Pilgrimage of Grace. A
copy was also possessed by the Catholic king and emperor Charles V. In France, after an initially
mixed reaction, Machiavelli came to be associated with Catherine de' Medici and the St.
Bartholomew's Day massacre. As Bireley (1990:17) reports, in the 16th century, Catholic writers
"associated Machiavelli with the Protestants, whereas Protestant authors saw him as Italian and
Catholic". In fact, he was apparently influencing both Catholic and Protestant kings.
Between 1503 and 1506, Machiavelli was responsible for the Florentine militia. He distrusted
mercenaries (a distrust he explained in his official reports and then later in his theoretical works,
due to their unpatriotic and uninvested nature in war, making their allegiance fickle and often to
waver when most needed), and instead staffed his army with citizens, a policy which proved to
be successful many times. Under his command Florentine citizen-soldiers defeated Pisa in 1509;
however, Machiavelli's success did not last. In August 1512, the Medici, helped by Pope Julius
II, used Spanish troops to defeat the Florentines at Prato, although many historians have argued
that this was due to Piero Soderini's unwillingness to compromise with the Medici who were
holding Prato under siege. In the wake of the siege, Piero Soderini resigned as Florentine head of
state and left in exile. This experience would, like Machiavelli's time in foreign courts and with
the Borgia, heavily influence his political writings.

Hence, the Florentine city-state and the republic was dissolved. Machiavelli was deprived of
office in 1512 by the Medici. In 1513, the Medici accused him of conspiracy against the Medici
family and had him imprisoned. Despite having been subjected to torture ("with the rope," where
the prisoner is hanged from his bound wrists, from the back, forcing the arms to bear the body's
weight, thus dislocating the shoulders), he denied involvement and was released after three
weeks.Machiavelli's cenotaph in the Santa Croce Church in Florence.Machiavelli then retired to
his estate at Sant'Andrea in Percussina (near San Casciano in Val di Pesa) and devoted himself to
study and to the writing of the political treatises that earned his intellectual place in the
development of political philosophy and political conduct. Despairing of the opportunity to
remain directly involved in political matters, after a time Machiavelli began to participate in
intellectual groups in Florence and wrote several plays that (unlike his works on political theory)
were both popular and widely known in his lifetime. Still, politics remained his main passion
and, to satisfy this interest, he maintained a well-known correspondence with better politically
connected friends, attempting to become involved once again in political life.
Machiavelli died in 1527 at the age of 58, after receiving his last rites.
5

The danger of intellectuals is not producing chaos, intentionally or as a side-effect. These
are long bows to draw, and almost without exception contrary to the explicit beliefs and
strategies which intellectuals advocate. Violence and chaos have at least as much to do with
traditional State policies of subversion of social movements, outright repression, and the
misrepresentations of the prevail-ing ideological culture, as they have to do with violent
tendencies within social movements themselves intellectuals, if anything, playing a peacemaking
role in the process.
The real danger of intellectuals, it seems, is correcting the false perceptions prevalent in
society. With their knowledge and understanding of history an lesser-known facts, they can
challenge authority and reveal truths. They can recount or provide inspiring examples of courage
and action. The spread of such knowledge, and the capacity to act upon it, with a proper
assessment of the risks and prospects, is the real danger to established order. For there is nothing
more terrifying to an established social order than an informed, conscious, aroused population
that has lost all its respect for author- ity | and will challenge that authority with scrupulous
honesty, with its own unrelenting moral authority, and without compromise.
6

That is not chaos. That is democracy. That is justice. That is how we makea better world.
Student: Onica Bogdan
Anul: III
Specializarea: Studii de Securitate

5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli#Influence
6
http://www.danielmathews.info/articles/danger.pdf