The Dartmouth Observer |
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Commentary on politics, history, culture, and literature by two Dartmouth graduates and their buddies
WHO WE ARE Chien Wen Kung graduated from Dartmouth College in 2004 and majored in History and English. He is currently a civil servant in Singapore. Someday, he hopes to pursue a PhD in History. John Stevenson graduated from Dartmouth College in 2005 with a BA in Government and War and Peace Studies. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago. He hopes to pursue a career in teaching and research. Kwame A. Holmes did not graduate from Dartmouth. However, after graduating from Florida A+M University in 2003, he began a doctorate in history at the University of Illinois--Urbana Champaign. Having moved to Chicago to write a dissertation on Black-Gay-Urban life in Washington D.C., he attached himself to the leg of John Stevenson and is thrilled to sporadically blog on the Dartmouth Observer. Feel free to email him comments, criticisms, spelling/grammar suggestions. BLOGS/WEBSITES WE READ The American Scene Arts & Letters Daily Agenda Gap Stephen Bainbridge Jack Balkin Becker and Posner Belgravia Dispatch Black Prof The Corner Demosthenes Daniel Drezner Five Rupees Free Dartmouth Galley Slaves Instapundit Mickey Kaus The Little Green Blog Left2Right Joe Malchow Josh Marshall OxBlog Bradford Plumer Political Theory Daily Info Andrew Samwick Right Reason Andrew Seal Andrew Sullivan Supreme Court Blog Tapped Tech Central Station UChicago Law Faculty Blog Volokh Conspiracy Washington Monthly Winds of Change Matthew Yglesias ARCHIVES BOOKS WE'RE READING CW's Books John's Books STUFF Site Feed    |
Friday, December 20, 2002
The Marketing of a Public Intellectual John Stevenson said: "Unable to view the archives, I cannot remember what I posted in 'An Answer (I hope)', which was a direct answer to a lot of Tim's queries after the term ended and I had time to think. Unfortunately, the demands of College life and the role of the public intellectual-turned-free food guru took up most of time... As for Tim's opinions of myself, it is most unfortunate that our paths haven't crossed in real life; however, he keeps me thinking and has performed an invaluable service to the world. And if I am merely marketing myself, I do hope that I am doing a good job.". I had a friend at an opinion magazine who has been credited with running their blog. I congratulated him in an email and reminded him that a few years ago, when I asked him what he wanted to be, he confidently, yet with some reluctance, said he wanted to be a public intellectual. He wrote back to say if he had ever said that, I should have punched him right there. Being a columnist and a blogger does not make one a public intellectual, and the latter term is often derogatory. Phrases like "the demands of College life and the role of the public intellectual" seem pompous, and, for whatever it is worth, decidely bad marketing. Anyway, Stevenson's post a while ago on Bosnia was very short, his more recent ones are not. A later response is required, especially as he now attempted to appropriate Habermas. (Stevenson's position would seem to be: everything could potentially be wrong and discussed in the public sphere, except my positions of ethical presentism and ethical individualism, which cannot/should not be challenged in public debate.) By the way, I'd like to feel good about Stevenson's compliment that I have helped him think, but I can't get past his utter arrogance when he says that by doing so I have "performed an invaluable service to the world." I'm not asking for false modesy, but could Mr. Stevenson lose his undeserved Napolean-sized ego? |