tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post8707797367417695270..comments2023-06-20T02:25:36.578-07:00Comments on The Scholar's Stage: Public Intellectuals Have Short Shelf Lives—But Why?T. Greerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621529800248145193noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-16641586239608375382020-11-24T06:56:24.148-08:002020-11-24T06:56:24.148-08:00Turchin, within his niche, has remained relevant b...Turchin, within his niche, has remained relevant by making a ten-year prediction in 2010 that is relevant to today. LOL<br /><br />Too bad it's not a happy prognosis :(russell1200https://www.blogger.com/profile/16258915475311426433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-11449580672138357062020-03-02T11:58:12.125-08:002020-03-02T11:58:12.125-08:00I'm not convinced by the (mainly) neurological...I'm not convinced by the (mainly) neurological explanation, although that obviously plays a role. "Public intellectuals" tend to be stupider than real intellectuals, because they are selling mono causal and popular theories to a willing audience. Over 15 years or so political economy changes and the audience dries up. Thomas Friedman is a good case: he sold globalization daydreams Richard Lewisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-60990794312490827362020-02-18T16:04:39.587-08:002020-02-18T16:04:39.587-08:00"The Friedman of the 20th century rushed to t..."The Friedman of the 20th century rushed to the scene of war massacres; the Friedman of the 21st hurries to conference panels. What hope does a man living this way have of learning something new about the world?"<br /><br />This is very insightful. Explains Robert D. Kaplan, as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-1967074295384771342020-02-18T07:05:09.289-08:002020-02-18T07:05:09.289-08:00In a great many cases it is simply that the empero...In a great many cases it is simply that the emperor has been shown to be naked, and public reverence has shifted to the next fad. Marcus Aurelius may be a voice for the ages, but he cannot fill every months literary supplement.Freddonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-91676308371928230832020-02-12T09:53:41.172-08:002020-02-12T09:53:41.172-08:00The tweet you're thinking of is this one by ei...The tweet you're thinking of is this one by eigenrobot, I think: https://mobile.twitter.com/eigenrobot/status/1193304397658222592Lucy Keerhttp://drossbucket.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-43622142128464640222020-02-10T06:52:01.724-08:002020-02-10T06:52:01.724-08:00All the reasons mentioned in your post are probabl...All the reasons mentioned in your post are probably true, but I think you're missing one additional, simpler, explanation: regression to the mean. Producing original intellectual works requires creativity and analytical powers, but also one's share of luck. I think it is an often underestimated part of the work of an intellectual, explorer of ideas who can find a nugget of gold in his Troof_noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-46139929378178306392020-02-05T08:35:13.983-08:002020-02-05T08:35:13.983-08:00I like the Hornby example above. He wrote 3 books...I like the Hornby example above. He wrote 3 books based on the same character idea (improving each time). Then he tried new stuff and became boring.ReLunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-81325673425235101982020-02-04T17:58:57.752-08:002020-02-04T17:58:57.752-08:00It all depends, of course, on what SORT of public ...It all depends, of course, on what SORT of public intellectual you are.<br /><br />The three models of 'public intellectual' that I have found that have had any currency across time and culture are these:<br /><br />1. The Prophet, speaking outside the gates of the Court, speaking truth to power.<br /><br />2. The Court Scholar, justifying the actions of the Court, and those in power.<br Bernard Brandthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00159541603126407072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-52190728607235869512020-02-01T19:01:30.469-08:002020-02-01T19:01:30.469-08:00Rock stars have fairly short shelf lives for creat...Rock stars have fairly short shelf lives for creating famous original songs. After awhile, the novelty wears off.<br /><br />Most famous individuals bring a new perspective that is their's alone. That's pretty impressive. But, if they are good at getting famous, pretty soon it's not a new perspective.Steve Sailerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920109042402850214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-83739537839831533862020-01-31T16:22:49.996-08:002020-01-31T16:22:49.996-08:00@Kartturi
Interesting you bring up Chomsky, becau...@Kartturi<br /><br />Interesting you bring up Chomsky, because he's the first name that came to mind as an example of what T. Greer is talking about (I am speaking to his foreign policy views here, not linguistics, of which I've read very little of his work). I'd argue that he only existed as a true public intellectual with new ideas and a broad audience (i.e., not only BigAnonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-46342165271346878432020-01-31T08:35:03.546-08:002020-01-31T08:35:03.546-08:00I don't know- I read National Review/NRO and t...I don't know- I read National Review/NRO and the Weekly Standard for many years, and their ability to say anything to me drained away at a steady clip over the period 2003-15. I'm 49 now, so in their demographic.<br /><br />I quite agree with the idea that Aurelius speaks to history and Peterson to a subset of a finite moment. I admit I am not too familiar with Peterson other than his random observerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02348644823854777418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-1016373551338868322020-01-31T03:17:19.406-08:002020-01-31T03:17:19.406-08:00T Greer: there is a reason the people who rule the...T Greer: <i>there is a reason the people who rule the roost at NRO and the now-defunct Weekly Standard had their moment c. 2000 but struggle to develop anything useful or attractive to a conservative under 45 today.</i><br /><br />Sure, but those seem as compatible or more with simple mean reversion in productivity and perhaps a dose of cohort ingroup loyalty (and cohort differences in needs). AsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-14195506874387765742020-01-30T20:38:52.291-08:002020-01-30T20:38:52.291-08:00ginsudo-
"If you think this theory is true, ...ginsudo-<br /><br />"If you think this theory is true, then you should seek out studies correlating superior brain cell count with creativity, independent of age"<br /><br />I do not see why that would be true. Does a Ferrari have more parts in its engine than a pick up truck? Extra engine parts might not make a car go faster... but you take enough of the car parts out, and performance T. Greerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04621529800248145193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-70736335557214438032020-01-30T20:32:06.865-08:002020-01-30T20:32:06.865-08:00Anon says: "Penguin might not pay, but would ...Anon says: <i>"Penguin might not pay, but would a university or corporation?"</i><br /><br />Academics often *do* do this. Think of the university professors who switch to a truly novel research program once they gain tenure!<br /><br />Kitturi says:<br /><br /><i>"Maybe there's also an aspect that "public intellectuals" who are journalists or even philosophers have T. Greerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04621529800248145193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-39348148043284706022020-01-30T12:48:25.791-08:002020-01-30T12:48:25.791-08:00And then there are public intellectuals whose (ir)...And then there are public intellectuals whose (ir)relevance has stayed about constant all their life: Chomsky for example. Still they seem to gather fans.<br /><br />What about biologists? Many seem to be prolific even to a very ripe age. Maybe they are comparable to historians, because they synthesize vast amounts of data (thus "natural history").<br /><br />Then, in the computing Kartturihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05665180338794009040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-31714788938445248172020-01-30T10:27:53.402-08:002020-01-30T10:27:53.402-08:00Even Royko lost his fastball eventually. It happe...Even Royko lost his fastball eventually. It happens. I know I couldn't be interesting for very long. roundeyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134002062962448706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-14441543132951845172020-01-30T10:12:12.536-08:002020-01-30T10:12:12.536-08:00T Greer: Analytic brilliance is not constant over ...T Greer: <i>Analytic brilliance is not constant over the course of life. Both general intelligence and more nebulous measures of creativity have clear peaks over the course of a lifespan.</i><br /><br />Alternative hypothesis: Simple mean reversion. Test by comparing prominence over time to age at first prominence. If it's governed largely by time since prominence and not age at first Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-5363592578801463902020-01-30T10:05:45.152-08:002020-01-30T10:05:45.152-08:00"Penguin will pay you a hefty advance for you..."Penguin will pay you a hefty advance for your next two hundred pages of banal boilerplate; they will not pay you for two or three years of archival research on some narrow topic no one cares about."<br /><br />That's <i>very</i> interesting. This makes me want to know how much value there would be in tackling some new subject with no experience, vs. tackling it with a lot of ryan_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12133590962954326955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-34547668565053557992020-01-30T02:49:59.591-08:002020-01-30T02:49:59.591-08:00A complementary perspective: Some people have one ...A complementary perspective: Some people have one big, attractive idea in their lives. Once they have used up this idea, they can do one of two things: Work with new ideas (novelist example: Nick Hornby), repeat themselves (novelist example: Charles Bukowski).<br /><br />If they use a new idea, chances are the new one is not going to be as attractive as the old one.<br /><br />If they keep LemmusLemmushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00917054221547240969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-46779099006925879902020-01-29T19:18:50.591-08:002020-01-29T19:18:50.591-08:00Similarly, movie comedians like Jerry Lewis, Robin...Similarly, movie comedians like Jerry Lewis, Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey, and Will Ferrell typically have about a half decade at the top before audiences start getting tired of them. <br /><br />After awhile, the public begins to figure out their shticks and anticipate it, so even the most brilliant talents no longer seem surprising.Steve Sailerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920109042402850214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-70430433745709306302020-01-29T17:09:38.243-08:002020-01-29T17:09:38.243-08:00This is an interesting piece. I’m just writing in ...This is an interesting piece. I’m just writing in to let you know that you spelled Steve Vaisey’s name wrong. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-90985970416265489722020-01-29T16:22:29.852-08:002020-01-29T16:22:29.852-08:00You have an interesting point here, but defaulting...You have an interesting point here, but defaulting to a theory of brain cell loss shows an ageist bias. If you think this theory is true, then you should seek out studies correlating superior brain cell count with creativity, independent of age.<br /><br />Consider an alternate theory: Creativity in a field is a function of time in that field. As you point out, some disciplines (say, math) have ginsudohttps://blog.ginsudo.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-57369027094798841732020-01-29T15:22:37.942-08:002020-01-29T15:22:37.942-08:00Perhaps the ones who fade and spend their lives re...Perhaps the ones who fade and spend their lives reiterating their perspective are more public than intellectual.Evanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13355215688351759230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378807093271153119.post-7588763338890281372020-01-29T13:36:57.772-08:002020-01-29T13:36:57.772-08:00Or maybe time gives us some perspective and weeds ...Or maybe time gives us some perspective and weeds out those who don't quite make the cut. After reading Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, for example, the YouTube pontifications of Jordan Peterson seem a bit lacking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com