I currently have either Covid or a Covid-adjacent cold, and I don’t trust myself to write a longer message from behind the haze of brain fog. So all I have to say is that I have two recent pieces I hope you’ll read.
The first is about the amazing Chilean author Benjamin Labatut: https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/09/21/maniac-benjamin-labatut-review-cease-understand/
the second is about public intellectualism and condescension: https://yalereview.org/article/becca-rothfeld-public-intellectuals
enjoy!!
completely agree about "public philosophy" treating readers like idiots!
Hmmm, I wonder about using Ryan Holiday as an example of public intellectual & academic. He's a former marketing manager at American Apparel turned self-help writer, and not someone regularly contributing to academic journals.