Life of Galileo, by Bertolt Brecht

The Scientific Field of an Era and the Role of the Intellectual in Times of Crisis

Abstract

Objective: based on the text Life of Galileo, by Bertolt Brecht, and the theory of the social fields of Pierre Bourdieu, the article sets out to demonstrate the dialogue between the work and the taking of positions - politically and aesthetically - by Brecht in relation to the role of the intellectual in times of crisis, as well as a reflection on the retraction of the hero, from the perspective of historical need and the social conditions of production and reception of the work. Methodology: The study uses the methodology of Pierre Bourdieu's social analysis and notions such as social space, social fields, autonomy, heteronomy and habitus, to establish both the relations between the scientific, economic and power fields in the work and the dialogue with the taking of the Brechtian position in the middle of the 20th century. Results: Pierre Bourdieu's social analysis reveals the complex network of tensions, networks and temporalities on which Life of Galileo is built and enables the opening of dialogue between the networks of relationships and the social structures that are configured between fictional discourse and the conditions of production and reception of the work. Conclusions: It realizes the relevance of social analysis as a method that, with emphasis on practical experience, departs from the essentialist vision of literary work; the potentialities of the analysis are presented in the relationship of the two moments of the analysis: on the one hand, within the framework of Life of Galileo; on the other hand, in taking the author's position against the influence of totalitarianism in the mid-20th century.