Some unions still hire intellectuals as functionaries of their political machine. They edit the newspaper, do administrative work, and sometimes serve as organizing and line staff. But since unions have renounced a transformative vision of social and political relations, they no longer see the necessity of working with intellectuals who can help prepare the members and workers generally for participating in the work of social transformation.

Of course, professional intellectuals are not labor’s only possible source of ideas—there have always been intellectuals among factory, office, retail, and service workers. But professional intellectuals are needed to help create a collective intellect, so that vigorous new thinkers arise from the rank and file to replace them. Professional intellectuals need not be the only formulators of a new vision of the good life, but they may be needed to boldly put the questions associated with the good life back on the table. As we have seen, even political groups motivated by the promise of new social arrangements refrain from openly discussing their transformative views in their trade unions or in public forums, for fear they will be labeled as sectarians and lose access to the rank and file.