Deciding what qualifies an individual as a public intellectual would be an exhaustive or merely impossible task. As USC Professor Stephen Mack put it on his website, “…our notions of the public intellectual need to focus less on who or what a public intellectual is—and by extension, the qualifications for getting and keeping the title. Instead, we need to be more concern with the work public intellectuals must do, irrespective of who happens to be doing it.”
In my opinion, most modern “public intellectuals” (I will let you decide who you believe to be a public intellectual) are of a different breed than those of the past. With a high-tech society and more room in the media for controversial topics (such as global warming, religion, sex, genetics) I believe many public intellectuals today are those that are experts in his/her field and may venture beyond their expertise but more often use what they know to create awareness and help others. As Professor Mack put it, “What is sometimes identified as anti-intellectualism is in fact intellectual—that is, a well articulated family of ideas and arguments that privilege the practical, active side of life (e.g., work) over the passive and purely reflective operations of the mind in a vacuum.”
A scholarly individual who writes extensively about a very abstract discipline may be highly respected in their field among his/her colleagues, however I believe they play less of a social role than those whose fields play into modern culture, religion, politics, etc. I think public intellectuals play a substantial role today in the way people view different topics. Now, there is a fine line, I believe, between expertise and opinion, which I will get into later. There are individuals who are very opinionated but are regarded as public intellectuals.
A lot of intellectuals today, who would be considered “public,” in my opinion, are those whose names become household in the various disciplines. Public intellectuals are brought on TV shows and news shows to comment on various topics. Other public intellectuals speak at college campuses. Others don’t leave their house or office. But I believe those who are remembered and continually referenced by the public are those that appear online, in print and on TV.
Modern public intellectuals may not carry as much influence as those in the past; it’s hard to say. I can speculate, that to a certain degree, public intellectuals today (however many you believe there to be) are as much respected and appreciated for their expertise as those from the past. I don’t believe Americans need to be led by public intellectuals, as there are other ways to stay well informed. But, public intellectuals have the ability to influence others and bring rich insight into others’ lives.
Modern day “public intellectuals”
Dr. David Drew Pinsky, better known as “Dr. Drew,” is an American board certified internist and addiction medicine specialist. He has authored three books and is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the USC Keck School of Medicine. He is the Medical Director of the Department of Chemical Dependency Services at Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena, CA and is a staff member at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, CA. But, most people that know of Dr. Drew don’t know any of this. This is just simply part of his background.
Dr. Drew has been the host and addiction medicine specialist for many years on a daily late-night radio television program called “Loveline” on 106.7 FM in Los Angeles. However, “Loveline” is broadcast throughout the majority of the country on various radio channels. The idea of this program is people, usually teens and young adults, call in to talk to Dr. Drew about their issues with adolescence, drugs, family, sex, etc. You name it, it’s been talked about. If you listen to the program, you can tell that Dr. Drew takes this job quite seriously and is genuinely interested in helping people (even though he’s getting paid to do it). This dialogue between Dr. Drew, one other host, and the various callers that call in are basically what makes up this radio program. It’s intriguing and informative to hear what callers have to say and what kind of advice Dr. Drew gives to each caller. Dr. Drew, the majority of the time, does not give his opinion, from what I can tell, but just his objective medical advice.
Dr. Drew also has a show on Discovery Health Channel called “Strictly Dr. Drew” where he addresses everyday health issues. Dr. Drew often appears on news channels such as CNN, MSNBC and shows like “Ellen” and “Oprah” where he gives his medical advice. Dr. Drew even has his own MySpace page. So, does this make him just some doctor that goes on TV and the radio? No. This is a qualified and seasoned doctor who uses his expertise to make young adults aware of modern-day issues. He speaks to a much larger audience than just his colleagues. Dr. Drew is a modern day public intellectual.
Then, we have someone like Ann Coulter. A lot of people think she is insane. Rightfully so. However, there are arguments that this woman is a “public intellectual.” As much as I don’t care to acknowledge this, it is a possibility, depending on a person’s idea of what a public intellectual is. Coulter is well educated, published and experienced in the fields of law and politics, but also, as we all know, incredibility extreme, outspoken and stubborn in her views (of which could be considered very close-minded.) But, she does play some kind of social function I suppose.
On Coulter’s website, it says in her biography that she was “named one of the top 100 Public Intellectuals by federal judge Richard Posner in 2001.” Funny. An opinion by a federal judge doesn’t mean that much. But they made sure to include that in her bio. People may dislike Ann Coulter for her radical opinions, but they still make sure to bring her on their news programs. She still speaks at college campuses. This has to mean people still want to hear what she has to say, even if what she’s saying makes them squint.
Within public intellectualism, in the case of Ann Coulter, this is where the lines of expertise and experience blur with opinion and bias. The blur is pretty apparent here. Coulter may have some sort of expertise but her viewpoint seems to out do her intelligence. It is up to the public (on an individual basis) to decide whether or not she is an intellectual. Check this out for starters. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s63rzfy8FFs
Modern day public intellectualism, with the rapid growth of technology, appears to make it even more difficult to decide who qualifies as a “public intellectual,” as more individuals’ perspectives and ideas are exposed into the public. Not all public intellectuals may be a special class of academics anymore, as public intellectuals penetrate the realm of more realistic, rational and everyday life issues. These type of public intellectuals, like Dr. Drew Pinksy, are the types of intellectuals that benefit the public and don’t just serve as abstract figures that write abstract essays to collect dust. They make a difference in people’s lives.
WORKS CITED
http://www.stephenmack.com/blog/archives/2007/08/index.html
http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/content.cgi?name=bio
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=153391934
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