Public Intellectuals: A Study of Decline, With a New Preface and Epilogue

In this timely book, the first comprehensive study of the modern American public intellectual—that individual who speaks to the public on issues of political or ideological moment—Richard Posner charts the decline of a venerable institution that included worthies from Socrates to John Dewey.

With the rapid growth of the media in recent years, highly visible forums for discussion have multiplied, while greater academic specialization has yielded a growing number of narrowly trained scholars. ...