Theories of Comparative Politics

INTELLECTUALS IN DEVELOPING
SOCIETIES
by
JOHN FRIEDMANN

Presented by:

Danyal Tariq

MSc International Relations

Introduction
The author, at present, is the chief of the Economic Policy of the United States Aid mission to
Korea. The article discusses the role of intellectuals of a society in the gradual procedure of the
economic growth. As for the intellectual, he must be distinctive in developing a new ideology,
appropriate national self-image, and the mediation of the latest social values. Social
transformation is a result of the struggle amid modernist and traditionalist groups of the educated
elites of the society. This ideology helps in establishing a doctrine of a limitless capabilities of
the nation for the expansion of its products. Another thing is that intellectuals are often thought
to thrive in the national self-image. In the absence of an appropriate self-image, the nation’s
transformation into the modern era may be late. Contrarily, a widely shared national self-image
aids in more rational political and economic decisions instead of xenophobic ones.

Analysis
The article discusses the explanation of a luso-tropical civilization and the example of Brazil’s
intellectual Freyre in his attempt to portray his state image as a luso-tropical civilization. The
article gradually unveils the role of intellectuals in the social transformation of society. The
developing societies have intellectuals of two types: one includes the traditionists ones and the
other includes the modernists who are inspired not by their traditions but by the West. The article
focuses on the later. The modern intellectuals are pivotal for social transformation as they have
the outright personality to challenge the customs of the past. It is quite normal to encounter
resistance on the path, especially from the traditionalists.

This conflict helps in bringing close the businessmen, entrepreneurs, and modern intellectuals
with each other as ideas need to support actions and actions must be enlarged vision of the
efficient progress of the ideas. If one of the factors is missing, the innovation effort cannot last
for long. But due to the reluctance of intellectuals in the examinations of the functions in the
society, and little to no direct contribution in the production, the research of intellectuals in the
context of the growth of the economy and social transformation has not got the credit it deserved.
Generally, intellectuals are non-prone to evaluate themselves. This is why self-study is even
evident in the United States and the American intellectuals have exaggerated the role of
entrepreneurs in the development and growth of the country.
Economists need to address the economic variables of savings, production, and investments and
leave it to the intellectuals to give time and effort to the procedures on which economists can
analyze. In this way, the approach of economists can be modified. The procedure of
modernization does not leave a phase of social life untouched. Intellectuals are, the educated
minority of the society, and in the case of third world societies, they are mostly professionals
(lawyers, engineers, economists, doctors, and military officers) and even semi-professionals
(poets, politicians, and philosophers). According to the western standards. It may be pretentious
to consider the professionals as representing intellectuals on the whole.

Conclusion
The intellectual elites are fewer and very concerned social group, who are cohesive with the
society. Societies undergoing a radical transformation from a traditionalist mindset to a
modernist one are very much dependent upon the functions of the intellectuals. Intellectuals
should observe, explain, interpret, and idealize the national culture of the old traditions and
reiterate them with respect to the shaping of the new ideological weapons. However, in the
presence of the prevailing materialist philosophy, it is less possible that intellectuals are
autonomous and free to determine the economic structure of the society. Much of the focus goes
to the economic changes occurring. Nonetheless, it is the idea which aids in changing production
and social relations in order to make them rational and support them later.