Public Intellectuals: A Study of DeclineIn this timely book, the first comprehensive study of the modern American public intellectual--that individual who speaks to the public on issues of political or ideological moment--Richard Posner charts the decline of a venerable institution that included worthies from Socrates to John Dewey. Leveling a balanced attack on liberal and conservative pundits alike, he describes the styles and genres, constraints and incentives, of the activity of public intellectuals and offers modest proposals for improving the quality of public discussion in America today. This paperback edition contains a new preface and and a new epilogue. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - kant1066 - LibraryThingI’ve always been interested in the idea of the intellectual, and especially our ideas about whether or not the intellectual has special work to do in the public sphere. This idea of the “public ... Read full review
PUBLIC INTELLECTUALS: A Study of Decline
User Review - KirkusIs the state of public intellectualism in decline, or is Posner just really smart and terribly grumpy?The answer: a bit of the former, a lot of the latter. Anyone who watches cable news knows the ... Read full review