Philosophers have historically served to justify established authority

Evidence

“Common sense” has been treated in various ways. Sometimes it has even been taken as the base of philosophy itself. Alternatively it has been criticised from the point of view of another philosophy. In reality, in either case, the result was to transcend a particular form of common sense and to create another which was closer to the conception of the world of the leading group. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1507 (#expands, via linked claim)

Philosophers are both effects and causes: effects of their social circumstances and of the politics and institutions of their time; causes (if they are fortunate) of beliefs which mould the politics and institutions of later ages. — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 32 (#expands, via linked claim)

From our point of view, studying the history and the logic of the various philosophers’ philosophies is not enough. At least as a methodological guide-line, attention should be drawn to the other parts of the history of philosophy; to the conceptions of the world held by the great masses, to those of the most restricted ruling (or intellectual) groups, and finally to the links between these various cultural complexes and the philosophy of the philosophers. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1238 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Philosophers both reflect their historical milieu and shape future institutions — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 32; Philosophy works by replacing one common sense with another aligned to the ruling group — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1507; Philosophy’s stated ideals force it into conflict with the very institutions proclaiming them (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Philosophy works by replacing one common sense with another aligned to the ruling group #expands (0.88) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1507
• Philosophers both reflect their historical milieu and shape future institutions #expands (0.82) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 32
• Philosophy’s history must include mass worldviews and ruling groups, not just philosophers #expands (0.80) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1238
• Philosophy’s stated ideals force it into conflict with the very institutions proclaiming them #contradicts (0.78)
• Philosophy functions as a practical instrument for political organizing #expands (0.75)
• Scholastic philosophy operates within orthodoxy and uses syllogistic reasoning #exemplifies (0.75) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 1658
• Objectivist truth served as philosophy’s safeguard against the intoxication of power #complicates (0.72) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 2943