In response to Prison Notebooks, I enjoyed reading about the essence of knowing the historical background behind philosophy because it fosters consciousness and better defines the work of people in their respective fields. This led me to think of how different identities are associated with certain privileges and utilizing one's privileges for the good instead of exploiting it can bind together the privileged and underprivileged, or as Gramsci compares the "simple" and "intellectuals" in his example with religion (p. 64). Gramsci further explains how consciousness of being a part of hegemonic force can build a foundation for self consciousness, thus giving the opportunity for theory and practice can merge. In order to do so, again, one must be aware of the historical process in order to gage a better understanding/conception of the world.
In relation to Truth and Power, privileges are also discussed, more specifically discussing how power (which is associated with privileges) is linked to truth. This reading reminded me our past reading that defines culture in relation to power differentials and struggle for power between groups. It also made me think of the ways in which powerful institutions such as the media transmit messages of "truth" and articles that do so as well. I appreciated how Gramsci adopts a macro-level perspective about truth and reveals the role of large societal issues like capitalism which sustain distortions of truth.
No comments:
Post a Comment