Where have all the intellectuals gone?

Author: (English) Frank Furedi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: For some time, I have deeply felt the confusion of intellectuals and been troubled by it, a feeling that seems to afflict many in our cultural institutions, universities, and colleges. The public has a right to hear high-quality academic discussions from our cultural institutions, and as an audience with infinite potential, they should be afforded greater respect. This book is written for many intelligent men and women who long for a more challenging academic and cultural life. It is not a lament for the lost golden age of academic life. We have not become fools. We have many unforgettable works of art and scientific achievements, and we continue to make outstanding discoveries. This book aims to examine the ways in which we are currently developing ideas, educating the public, and shaping a new kind of public, while questioning the anti-democratic and protectionist foundations of contemporary educational and cultural politics—that is, portraying mass participation as incompatible with maintaining high standards. I believe that today's cultural elites have wholeheartedly accepted a view that has led to the rise of a philistine attitude toward academic life and a harmful instrumentalist attitude. A culture that tends to equate discussion with tedious exchanges of professional opinions will suffer from indifference and social alienation. Given the importance of all these issues, a cultural war against philistinism has long been underway. —Frank Furedi
Intellectuals are a dangerous breed. In the views of learned, broad-minded scholars concerned with public issues, such as Bertrand Russell, Raymond Williams, and Hannah Arendt, today we only have superficial experts, shallow orators, and deceptive doctors. In the age of the knowledge economy, we have combined widespread participation in higher education with boring culture. In this book, the author delivers a sharp satire and critique of the philistine trend and practices that, under the banner of "anti-elitism," emphasize widespread participation to the detriment of intellectuals, the dumbing down of cultural fields, and cultural vulgarization. It elucidates the essential contributions of intellectuals to culture and democracy, attempting to explain why, today, we need to rebuild a public sphere where intellectuals and the general public can engage in dialogue.