This 6 page report discusses the ideas and ideals of two of the 20th century’s most important philosophers/sociologists. Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu addressed issues relating to power in ways that are generally swept under the metaphorical carpet. Each of the men, writing throughout the greater part of the 20th century, had specific ideas and assumptions related to issues of symbolic power. Power, as it is defined within a cultural context, may be little more than the ability to see more products of a certain type and brand or the ability to capitalize on a particular event or phenomenon. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
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structures of humans are not necessarily permanent truths and can easily be changed forever within the course of the events of history. Another French philosopher (and sociologist) Pierre Bourdieu
(1930-2002) attempted to make it clear to those who almost stubbornly choose not to know that modern life is taking humans away from legitimate thinking and study or the pursuit
of "high" culture as the determinants of personal standing in society and replacing them with sensationalized journalism and entertainment. Each of the men, writing throughout the greater part of
the 20th century, had specific ideas and assumptions related to issues of symbolic power. Power, as it is defined within a cultural context, may be little more than the ability
to see more products of a certain type and brand or the ability to capitalize on a particular event or phenomenon. For example, former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani
was more noted for his divorce scandal and prostate cancer than he was for his leadership ability before September 11, 2001. Since the terrorist attacks, Giuliani has been virtually canonized
as an example of all that is brave and admirable in terms of leadership in America. And yet, he readily admits that he has been given far too much credit
for the heroism of hundreds of other New Yorkers. Bourdieu and Symbolic Power According to Pollitt (2002), Bourdieu was passionate about intellectual discourse and referred to himself
as being "to the left of the left -- that is, to the left of the ossified French left-wing parties and also to the left of the academic postmodernists aka
antifoundationalists, about whose indifference to empirical work he was scathing" (pp. 10). Such leftward leanings led to him being hailed as a man with valuable new insights to some and
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