Between a rock and a hard place. In Krytyka, No. 11-12 (169-170), 2011, pp. 2-6.

The article is based on a lecture delivered by Oleksandr Boichenko in 2011 as part of the project “Kyiv School of Public Governance.” The author examines the relationship between intellectuals of his time and the authorities. An intellectual is defined as a person who is able to influence others through the word. Nonconformism and distrust of propositions that society regards as axiomatic are named as the key features of an intellectual. Socrates and Plato are considered as the first European intellectuals. It is stressed that the full existence of intellectuals as a social stratum is impossible under totalitarianism. The author criticizes leading Ukrainian intellectuals for flirting with Viktor Yanukovych’s regime and expresses concern that the masses see right-wing radical movements as the only alternative to the political status quo.