One of the most important reasons rational thought has been replaced by opinions and belief systems in 21st century Western society is the death of the public intellectual. Historically public intellectual’s ideas were respected by communities that understood the ideas that were put up for public discussion were independent of prevailing ideological, political and theological concerns. The public knew the public intellectual was able to provide an unbiased opinion because they were independent of the institution that employed them and the state.
People trusted that ideas raised in the public arena by experts in a particular field were based on facts. Intellectuals employed in universities and technology based institutions were able to freely articulate their ideas because they enjoyed the security of tenure. Irrespective of the topics they believed needed to be raised in the public arena, they knew that except for the most extraordinary situation they could not be removed from their positions. Tenure gave the public intellectual the freedom to raise issues in the public arena because their livelihood was not put at risk by speaking their minds.
Today we don’t hear from public intellectuals, in the main we hear from spokespersons from the university’s media department whose long term job prospects are totally dependent on the current university administration. We tend not to hear from professors whose academic career is normally due to the amount of resources that are pumped into universities by privately funded institutions.
Research in universities today is dominated by privately owned and run organisations that expect value for money. Results are the private property of those who fund the research. The light of day is hardly ever shone on research that is privately funded especially if the research conducted does not show the private sponsor in a good light.
The privatisation of public universities, the acceptance of fee paying students and the loss of tenure have all played a part in frightening off those few academics who had something to say. Knowledge, especially new knowledge, is just another commodity that is bought and sold to the highest bidder.
The public intellectual in a capitalist society is as dead as a dodo. Governments have embraced the corporatisation of the independent nation state. University media departments with specific agendas have taken over the role of the public intellectual. Their responsibility is to the institution that funds them, not society as a whole. The re-introduction of tenure, increased state and federal funding of universities and the promotion of a public first approach is the best way to resurrect the public intellectual as a significant public figure.
Dr. Joseph Toscano