Aspiring to be a "public intellectual" or "thought leader" is another way of saying "I want to be famous for being smart," which is ironic because it isn't very smart to want to be famous.
I mean, consider. Wanting to be famous for thinking hard is just obviously prideful--and pride cometh before the fall. You walk around with a target on your back, just begging the twitter mob to catch you saying something dumb or hypocritical or incorrect.
And most fame is mostly unearned. How many public intellectuals really have a true lifelong record of insights and contributions to public discourse? How many are just people coasting off one or two decent books or a sweet deal as a columnist somewhere.
(So, obviously, I'm just talking about myself here. Hard not to want a wide audience for the books and articles I write, which is hard to disentangle from the desire for personal recognition).
Yet there is an actual need for true public intellectuals: those who *think for the common good.* Problem is, they get drowned out by TV, a medium over which it is impossible to have true public discourse. Thus, we chase the mirage of virality and sell our souls for clicks.
It's almost as if we need an institution for training and mentoring such thinkers, helping form their character to avoid the pitfalls of pride and sophistry, and teaching them how to make a decent living doing it so they don't need to become a shill or a hack. Ideas anyone?
