Intellectuals must finally speak up
The crisis in education is a reflection of a society in crisis. We live in a society without any compass or objective criteria, a society obsessed with formal qualifications where everyone is fighting for the plum jobs – a society with no idea where it wants to go. We live in a society of hunters and survivors. A society that shies away from soul-searching. And what about the intellectuals? What about the artists and the academics? Whatever happened to them? Why are their voices not heard anymore? University professors, when they are not on strike, are busy reproducing the established hierarchies and exercising public relations. Authors merely promote their books, musicians promote their CDs, philosophers amass small articles, political scientists sell image-making tips to ambitious politicians. Our crisis-hit society is waiting for intellectuals to live up to their social role, to open up new paths, to speak out the bitter truths. The here and now is a challenge for the spirit.
