Leaving the Nest: What It Takes To Be a Public Intellectual

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With a little assistance from Professor Kuusisto, writer of the blog Planet of the Blind, I explored the ideology behind being a public intellectual. 

Much like a bird, there comes a time in our lives when we need to leave the nest behind and stop feeding from the mouths of our parents. Leaving the nest forces the public intellectual to support and develop their own ideas through research and reflection, and when needed, defend or oppose public affairs. 

Being a public intellectual, as Professor Kuusisto consistently stressed, is being a contrarian. And being a contrarian is not always being the Devil's advocate. To be a contrarian is to be critical, reflective, and yes, sometime a little passionate. Contrarians are skeptics, analyzing modernities and engaging in conversation to provoke public discussion. To the public intellectual, nothing is sacred anymore. 

A flaw of society is, as we discussed, the idea that if a thing is not thought of as wrong for a long time, then it superficially is labeled right. A great example of this is Christopher Hitchens on the Ten Commandments. 

Mr. Hitchens a well known contrarian, takes a jab at a well-er known establishment: christianity. Standing in front of such a force usually meets unfavorable outcomes and critiques from religious bigots, but when armed with well researched arguments and statements, Hitchens is not putting himself out in the open unarmed. His passion for knowledge and willingness to give and receive criticism has allowed him to reach the world stage. As an ode to the late Hitchens, I aim to, in this blog and in life, analyze tradition and policy critically and unbiased to form honest and supportive arguments to things that I believe carry substantiative value in the world. 

If there is one thing we can learn from Hitchens, it is that persistence, rationality, critical thought and a  little passion for life can foster good character as well as public intellectuality. As a citizen of the United States it is a waste of freedom to not form an opinion on every argument. Public intellectuals are the angry birds of society released from the nest to analyze, clarify and when needed, confront the pigs of the world without mercy or remorse. Are you an angry bird?