Final answer:
Antonio Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony describes how the powerful maintain authority through cultural norms embedded in society, suggests that all people are capable of philosophical thought due to their interaction with these cultural institutions, and posits that self-knowledge comes from acknowledging the myriad of cultural and historical influences on our consciousness.
Step-by-step explanation:
Antonio Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony is a concept that explains how people with power maintain and exert their influence not through force but rather through the control and manipulation of culture, shaping the prevailing social norms and beliefs. This assures that marginalized groups accept and even support the dominant group's authority by subtly embedding these norms in societal institutions such as education, religion, and media. Gramsci's work also suggests that everyone has the capacity to reason and engage philosophically because we all interact with these societal structures, hence he believes that all people are philosophers. To achieve self-knowledge, as per Gramsci, we must recognize the 'infinity of traces,' understanding the numerous cultural and historical influences that form our individual and collective consciousness.