How to be an organic intellectual? Response from Professor Xiang Biao and Professor Zhu Jiangang

The content comes from the "Youth in the Post-epidemic Era" salon on 5.17, during the question and answer session. I would like to thank the students who organized the event and Mr. Zhu Jiangang.

The question was raised by the author and received responses from Mr. Xiang Biao and Mr. Zhu Jiangang. The content was recorded by the author and has not been reviewed by the teacher.

Question: How to be an organic intellectual?

As Zhou Lian mentioned in his lecture on liberalism and patriotism a few days ago, in an era when right and wrong are reversed, true love is true love, true loyalty is true loyalty, and true filial piety is true filial piety. Where is the value of a relatively normal rationality? Sometimes I know what is a deer and what is a horse, but I can only face the deer as a horse. What bothers me is not so much what to do, but how to do. I will not be willing to participate in the chorus of radical nationalism, or watch their desolation in silence, become an accomplice in a certain sense, and I don't want to be the next Wang Shiwei or Chu Anping, after all, people who are allowed to raise objections in name In any period, they may become victims, not to mention the current time when chorus is more emphasized. So what should we do so that we can live up to our conscience and not become a victim of the times, and play the role of an organic intellectual as Gramsci said? Thanks

Xiang Biao: Making yourself more organic does not mean that there is a general principle, but that it represents the way of thinking and historical formation of a certain group. There is no need to spend too much time making judgments on major principles. Specific things require principled judgments. Observing society needs to be organic, and it is annoying to face extreme words and deeds, but it needs to be seen historically. Such a view was unimaginable in the past, so discourse analysis, historical analysis can be done, which group of people, time and space characteristics, what this view really represents What is it, opinions or emotions? Emotions must be social. There is a bit of anger condescending to educate people and a mentality of not being confident enough. Therefore, it is valuable to understand the historical and structural factors of these people, and it is valuable to study historically. Many lovely individuals have extreme views to explain the construction process and how not to push it into the pattern. Analyzing what you don’t like, and explaining clearly what you can explain clearly in a more empirical way will calm your mind. It is really meaningful for studying sociology and can help others think. To promote social progress, speak clearly with an honest attitude, and speak clearly about the specific life instead of standing on the grand scale and appealing to the future of history. Organic is the survival strategy we need.

Jian Gang: It’s difficult. There are many martyrs in China. Don’t be a martyr in your life. You should clarify some issues, instead of rushing to stand in line. Reflective thinking is important rather than emotional priority. Think, reflect, and clarify the problem. This is a good time to think, you can refuse all social interactions, and give yourself a lot of time to read and think.