"[...] the ruling material force of society is at the same time its ruling intellectual force."
This early statement of the Marx reading was interesting to be because I had never put deep thought into the connection between material production and mental production. I generally think of intellectuality as limitless; nobody can control your brain. Thought is one of the few things I generally thought could be sustained through equality. However, the production of such ideas into something material/concrete involves processes that cost money.
I found it interesting that Marx also argues that non-members of this "ruling" class are passive receivers of information because they simply do not have the time to engage in such thought process. In turn, the few who, because of economic stance, have the time and means to formulate and adequately share their ideas. I think this is particularly important within the time period when this was written. There was no mass reproduction in the 1800's. Nowadays, like Poster states in his piece, anyone can obtain or create anything online. Ownership has been blurred and the web has developed into a user-oriented platform. Professional production however, is still money-driven and propelled by capitalism.
The ideas of these past times are however the ones that we often continue to study. This is crazy to think about. Even though such disparity may now be less, the disparity back then is still followed now. The ruling intellectuals that were able to produce mental content are the ones that are recognized now. why? because they had the means to do so.
Marx also raises an interesting point when he says that we must not ignore the conditions of production because the individuals coming up with these belonged to an essentially secluded part of a bigger society.
This early statement of the Marx reading was interesting to be because I had never put deep thought into the connection between material production and mental production. I generally think of intellectuality as limitless; nobody can control your brain. Thought is one of the few things I generally thought could be sustained through equality. However, the production of such ideas into something material/concrete involves processes that cost money.
I found it interesting that Marx also argues that non-members of this "ruling" class are passive receivers of information because they simply do not have the time to engage in such thought process. In turn, the few who, because of economic stance, have the time and means to formulate and adequately share their ideas. I think this is particularly important within the time period when this was written. There was no mass reproduction in the 1800's. Nowadays, like Poster states in his piece, anyone can obtain or create anything online. Ownership has been blurred and the web has developed into a user-oriented platform. Professional production however, is still money-driven and propelled by capitalism.
The ideas of these past times are however the ones that we often continue to study. This is crazy to think about. Even though such disparity may now be less, the disparity back then is still followed now. The ruling intellectuals that were able to produce mental content are the ones that are recognized now. why? because they had the means to do so.
Marx also raises an interesting point when he says that we must not ignore the conditions of production because the individuals coming up with these belonged to an essentially secluded part of a bigger society.
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