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La formazione della pubblica opinione. Gramsci e Ortega a confronto

Abstract

Since the development of mass society and despite of its quantitative enlargement public opinion has been losing its vital critical function which is deemed to constitute the very basis of political legitimacy. This paper aims at analysing the relevance of the political theorisations of Gramsci and Ortega y Gasset – radically different in their fundamental assumptions but attentive to the same problems – concerning the role of intellectual activity as a necessary means for shaping an informed public opinion which could guarantee the effective practice of a responsible democracy. Thus, it will be proved that solely through a reconsideration of the role of education within society it could be assigned a specific leading role to intellectuals in politics.