Os intelectuais e o socialismo

Por Leandro Oliveira

Relendo meus arquivos encontro um texto excelente: "Os Intelectuais e o Socialismo" de Friedrich Hayek (1899 - 1992), um dos grandes economistas do pós guerra, defensor contundente dos valores liberais e um dos poucos intelectuais públicos que não foi abduzido pelo ópio do marxismo - espécie de alucinógeno que no século passado, qual um crack concentrado, trouxe seqüelas incontornáveis a mentes as mais talentosas (explicação necessária aos nossos leitores jovens que não sabem do que se trata...). Considerei compartilhar.

(...) In every country that has moved toward socialism, the phase of the development in which socialism becomes a determining influence on politics has been preceded for many years by a period during which socialist ideals governed the thinking of the more active intellectuals. In Germany this stage had been reached toward the end of the last century; in England and France, about the time of the first World War. To the casual observer it would seem as if the United States had reached this phase after World War II and that the attraction of a planned and directed economic system is now as strong among the American intellectuals as it ever was among their German or English fellows. Experience suggests that, once this phase has been reached, it is merely a question of time until the views now held by the intellectuals become the governing force of politics.

(...) The term "intellectuals," however, does not at once convey a true picture of the large class to which we refer, and the fact that we have no better name by which to describe what we have called the secondhand dealers in ideas is not the least of the reasons why their power is not understood. Even persons who use the word "intellectual" mainly as a term of abuse are still inclined to withhold it from many who undoubtedly perform that characteristic function. This is neither that of the original thinker nor that of the scholar or expert in a particular field of thought. The typical intellectual need be neither: he need not possess special knowledge of anything in particular, nor need he even be particularly intelligent, to perform his role as intermediary in the spreading of ideas. What qualifies him for his job is the wide range of subjects on which he can readily talk and write, and a position or habits through which he becomes acquainted with new ideas sooner than those to whom he addresses himself.

(...) A proper understanding of the reasons which tend to incline so many of the intellectuals toward socialism is thus most important. The first point here which those who do not share this bias ought to face frankly is that it is neither selfish interests nor evil intentions but mostly honest convictions and good intentions which determine the intellectual's views. In fact, it is necessary to recognize that on the whole the typical intellectual is today more likely to be a socialist the more he his guided by good will and intelligence, and that on the plane of purely intellectual argument he will generally be able to make out a better case than the majority of his opponents within his class. If we still think him wrong, we must recognize that it may be genuine error which leads the well- meaning and intelligent people who occupy those key positions in our society to spread views which to us appear a threat to our civilization.

(...) It is perhaps the most characteristic feature of the intellectual that he judges new ideas not by their specific merits but by the readiness with which they fit into his general conceptions, into the picture of the world which he regards as modern or advanced. It is through their influence on him and on his choice of opinions on particular issues that the power of ideas for good and evil grows in proportion to their generality, abstractness, and even vagueness. As he knows little about the particular issues, his criterion must be consistency with his other views and suitability for combining into a coherent picture of the world. Yet this selection from the multitude of new ideas presenting themselves at every moment creates the characteristic climate of opinion, the dominant Weltanschauung of a period, which will be favorable to the reception of some opinions and unfavorable to others and which will make the intellectual readily accept one conclusion and reject another without a real understanding of the issues.

O artigo é curto e tem pontos de vista muito lúcidos sobre questões as mais pertinentes: decisiva, por exemplo, é sua definição do que seria um "intelectual" contemporâneo. Muitos dos leitores de Ocidentalismo.org são jovens interessados na atividade acadêmica. Esta referência, de uma figura notável antes de tudo por sua lucidez e realismo intransigente, é uma espécie de texto de formação. Para acessá-lo na íntegra, clique aqui.