In his last interview with “H1” in 2021, the first President of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, emphasized the role of public intellectuals, which, in his opinion, modern Armenian intellectuals do not fulfill. According to the first president, they should have explained to society the rational way to solve our problems, but for the most part, they did not and are not doing it, following some delusions. As an example, Ter-Petrosyan cited, in particular, the French thinker Jean-Paul Sartre, who had a significant impact on the public life of his country in the 1950s – 1960s.
The observation is generally correct. It is necessary to add that no public figures in France today can be compared to Sartre in their influence. And in the period mentioned above, there were outstanding intellectuals in Armenia (at that time Soviet), Paruyr Sevak, Silva Kaputikyan, and Hovhannes Shiraz, who had an excellent reputation in different layers of society and, accordingly, shaped the atmosphere. That atmosphere, let me remind you, was filled with historical trauma and the pain of a lost country; I will probably not be wrong if I say that it is one of the origins of the 1988 popular movement.
My purpose now is not to decide what was right or wrong in that current, nor, naturally, to compare our talented poets with the French philosopher. I compare the periods and assume that the time of such influential intellectuals has passed worldwide. The main reason is the division of societies caused by the Internet and the ease of discrediting any idea and individual in the “social network age.”
Why is this question relevant? Theoretically, it can be predicted that at some X moment, the national dignity and the aspiration to have a state will awaken among our people. (Nikol Pashinyan being at the head of the government is a sign of the absence of both of them). When that awakening occurs, a new ascent will begin. What will prepare us for that flight? Will new Sevaks and Shirazes appear? I have doubts.
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The time of “strong personalities” is over. It is time for powerful networks. If organized smartly, those networks can unite all Armenians and give a new quality.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
