Public Intellectuals: A Study of Decline

Richard A. Posner, Senior Lecturer in Law Richard A Posner

Harvard University Press, 2001 - Political Science - 408 pages

In 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.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - kant1066 - LibraryThing

I’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 ...

PUBLIC INTELLECTUALS: A Study of Decline

User Review  - Kirkus

Is 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 ...

Bibliographic information

• Title: Public Intellectuals: A Study of Decline
• Authors: Richard A. Posner, Senior Lecturer in Law Richard A Posner
• Editor: Cambridge University Press
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2001
• ISBN: 067400633X, 9780674006331
• Length: 408 pages
• Subjects: Political Science / General; Political Science / Political Process / General; Political Science / Public Policy / General