HoustonChronicle.com - Another Voice: Susan Sontag, intellectual
posted by Anar @ 1:35 AM
3 comments
Manifestation
This is me...the image of my world in my mind...how accurate is it? What's your measure?
Monday, January 03, 2005
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3 Comments:
I have never read about Susan Sontag before. She was a very interesting person! The easiest thing that a person can do in life is to go with the flow and not rock the boat. Ms. Sontag obviously did not do this. I admire people who can stand up and say what they really think. If her life was to be the definition of what an intellectual should be, then I wish that there were a lot more intellectuals like her!
David,
An intellectual person, as I have found out recently after reading more, is more than the one who uses his/her mind creatively. An intellectual is the one who is knowledgeable about the past and is aware of the present and is creative to have new ideas to push the limits. Susan Sontag is an intellectual as well as Edward Saeed, Noam Chomsky and many others. They are the ones who define new ways and are responsible about their society and their world. It is a special characteristic which is gained by creativity, enthusiasm and a keen sense of responsibility.
Defining an intellectual like that, I don't think we can have a conservative intellectual. An intellectual is always after breaking the lines and pushing the limits. He or she is a critic. So I guess my answer to the first question was wrong.
As far as the second question goes, I think a broad minded person in a sense that he is tolerant for opposite ideas can be conservative. I mean he can still favor traditional values. But my guess is that if he is a real broad minded he won't remain a conservative person for too long.
"It is a special characteristic which is gained by creativity, enthusiasm and a keen sense of responsibility."
Pantea,
I really like the way that you have defined an intellectual, especially the part about responsibility. Such a person feels a responsibility to live a life devoted to making the world a better place. He or she goes beyond conventional morality, which is basically accepting the status quo, and defines new moral principals that ideally will lead people to better ways of co-existing. So, I will agree with you that a person can not think conservatively and also be an intellectual.
The question of broad mindedness is still a difficult one to definitively answer. I like to think that I am open or broad minded, and yet, I believe that some traditional values serve a useful purpose. For example, I have personally seen a number of cases in which the children of divorced parents are not as well adjusted (they have more depression, anxiety, etc.) as the children of parents who stay married to each other. For me, it is not a question of religion, it is a question of parents taking responsibility and doing what is best for their children instead of being selfish and doing what they think is best for themselves. I think that, as you said, tolerance is a very important aspect of open mindedness. However, I think that it is very difficult for conservative people to tolerate liberals and visa versa. There are some issues where I consider myself to be liberal, like being pro-choice. There really is no middle ground on this issue. A person believes one way or the other. With respect to other issues, like environmental conservation, I believe that there is room to compromise and find a middle ground. I support the work of The Nature Conservancy which attempts to bring businesses and environmentalists together to protect and preserve important natural areas and endangered species. They also attempt to teach businesses that protecting the environment can often be profitable for them in the long run.
This is a very good topic of conversation! :) Nicely done!
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