MARXIST INTELLECTUALS 5 so-called intellectuals, scientists and technocrats who rationalise their predicament by saying : "We are not concerned with the purposes for which the tools are used, they may be good or bad, but that is the concern of the politicians.'5 It is the duty of Marxists who, by virtue of being Marxists armed with the philosophy of dialectical and historical materialism—the working class world-outlook which enables them to look at reality in its entirety and in its interconnections—to wage a bitter struggle against the intellect workers of the capitalist-feudal classes and their State apparatus. The intellect worker in a capitalist society is essentially a product of the social division of labour. Separation of mental activity from manual activity has been a characteristic of the expansive production system of capitalism. Though capitalism gained by the separation between white-collar and blue-collar workers, man suffered through the progressive disintegration of himself as an individual or through the 'alienation of man from himself, as Marx put it. One result of this unhealthy polarisation of social classes is the exaggerated importance assigned to intellect workers, to formal education and degrees. We must avoid the mistake of over-emphasising the role of intellectuals in revolutionary struggle, the mistake of believing that revolutionary struggle is to be led by intellectuals or that revolution is dependent on intellectuals. But, at the same time, we must affirm the important role which intellectuals can play in such struggles. Only on the basis of respect for, and recognition of, the positive role which intellectuals are capable of playing for the success of revolution can we help both the revolution and the intellectuals. Intellectuals must be reminded that they are generally in previleged circumstances and are, therefore, prone to opportunistic vacillation. But, that should not debar us from attempting to reclaim them as potentially authentic workers, or the embodiments of working class world-outlook. We are reminded here of the words of Nils Castro, the Cuban writer : Through an imported vice of mechanical thinking, we axiomatically classify our intellectuals in the convenient global category of petty-bourgeoisie, vacillating and not very trustworthy.. .and yet, they are usually people who own nothing saleable but their (intellectual) labour power.4 Struggle Against Presumed ci'Neutrality^ The Marxist intellectual must wage a relentless battle against those intellectuals and scientists who refuse to take sides on the major problems confronting man and society. Refusal to get involved in the overriding problems of the people has ^ become a fashionable mannerism for the intellectuals of the Establishment. They make the plea that an intellectual or a scientist should not enter into value judgement. They take pride in their persumed "neutrality55 claiming to be "thoroughly55 objective in analysing social