THE POOR, INTELLECTUALS AND POSSIBLE CONSCIOUSNESS

THE BEGINNINGS OF A COMPLEX EPISTEMOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIP

Abstract

The text seeks to discuss the early epistemic relationship in the Brazilian capitalist class society between the compassionate intellectual and the poor subject in whom the former is interested. It begins by contextualizing what is defined as “poor” in class society to examine the influence exerted by an intellectual and/or economic elite on the shifts in the term’s meaning. The argument posits that an underlying epistemic framework persists across the redefinitions imposed on the poor by this elite. This implies a systemic and covert continuity (supposed to be overcome) in the parameters through which the poor are interpreted and addressed by the intellectual and/or economic elite. As an analytical resource, the works of Euclides da Cunha and João do Rio are explored, providing broader insights into the hegemonic trends in the relationship between the intellectual and the poor (Cunha focusing on the rural poor and João do Rio on the urban poor). Subsequently, it is highlighted that even though intellectuals often engage compassionately with the poor, a “possible consciousness” emerges, which, despite their goodwill, anchors these movements to the hegemonic epistemic framework governing the issue. Thus, the article reflects on this complex relationship between the compassionate intellectual and the poor, raising critical considerations.