Gramsci poses whether modern theory can contradict the masses’ unschooled spontaneous feelings.

Evidence

At this point, a fundamental theoretical question is raised: can modern theory be in opposition to the “spontaneous” feelings of the masses? (“Spontaneous” in the sense that they are not the result of any systematic educational activity on the part of an already conscious leading group, but have been formed through everyday experience illuminated by “common sense”, i. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 807

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘spontaneous’ precisely as feelings not produced by systematic educational activity - a key disambiguation for the whole spontaneity discussion.
• QUESTION: The passage cuts off at the question’s formal statement - worth chasing the full answer across the chapter.

Related

• Mass philosophy must start from common sense and take polemical form (similarity 0.79)
• Mass ideology must be distinguished from its great philosophical cornerstones (similarity 0.79)
• Common sense once carried real experimental merit but now has far less. (similarity 0.79)