[lbo-talk] Inequality: The silly tales economists like to tell

[Wojtek S]

Marv: "In any case, higher education has become so ubiquitous today,
that it is misleading to describe most university and professional
school graduates as "intellectuals", nor do they occupy positions of
power. But, as you indicated in your previous post, at this stage
we're just talking past each other."

[WS:]  Let me say it differently.  I agree that higher education is
ubiquitous and that it does not provide sufficient class distinction.
Bourdieu argued that and I agree with him.

Nor to I claim that all college educated professionals occupy
positions of power - this is clearly absurd.  I argue that college
educated professionals tend to adopt ideology that has 'elective
affinity' (Max Weber's term) with the interests of power elites.  This
is a similar argument that Weber advanced in the "Protestant Ethics" -
that Protestantism had elective affinity with the class interest of
the new social class (bourgeoisie) and for that reasons adopted by
that class, but as that class gained influence it became the religion
adopted by wide segments of the population that were clearly not
bourgeoisie.  David Harvey makes a similar point in the "Brief history
of neoliberalism."

So to sum it up:
1. Most college educated professionals are NOT members of power elite; but
2. Most college educated professionals adopt the ideology of
entrepreneurial liberalism that has elective affinity to the interests
of the power elite.
3. This provides an explanation (one of many possible) why "old style"
liberal left ideologies (and parties) appealing to social solidarity
and collective welfare have lost their popularity.

-- 
Wojtek

"An anarchist is a neoliberal without money."