Aristotle called it kairos. Time animated through the power of the present—a kairotic moment signals that the time to speak or act is now. And if thepundits have got it correct, right now the public-at-large could use a public intellectual or two. It needs the Cornell Wests, the Jill Lepores, the Ta-Nehisi Coates, the Judith Butlers of the world to reconcile the specialized knowledge of the ivory tower and industry experts with the broader concerns of the general public. To separate @fake news from (alt)fact and tell us why we should parse out the differences in the first place.
如果我们的社会弊病是反智力主义和不知情的大众民粹主义，那么思考就会去，那么也许公共知识分子是补救措施。这是一条思考，只有部分是正确的。
公众理智主义,从严格意义上来说,是what happens when experts speak publicly about issues of the day, and their words stick. Take, for example, Howard Zinn’s role as both a history professor and an outspoken advocate for civil rights, on and off college campuses. Or, consider linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky’srecently published statements关于特朗普时代的问题。在高高的eded的范围内踩到公众并获得政治，都踩到了船上的船只摇摆着船。对于乔姆斯基，这意味着审查和名人的增加。对于Zinn，它意味着作为民权开拓者的标志性状态和与大学的岩石关系。
That breach between the public and the experts has often nudged public opinion in a positive direction, but it has never been without consequences.
These cases demonstrate what public intellectualism is, and what it isn’t. Public intellectuals don’t pontificate the facts and offer pop quizzes later. They are not neutral, feel-good knowledge sharers either. Instead, they use their expertise to challenge and prod public opinion. As Ta-Nehisi Coates writes in hisrecent defenseMelissa Harris-Perry随着美国目前的最重要的智力，公共知识分子“通过......严谨的人和效果传达思考的工作。”
Conversations around public intellectualism get a lot right. For starters, they recognize the value of the academy as a storehouse for human knowledge. What kinds of strides could we be making on climate change, for instance, if we had more Neil DeGrasse Tysons explaining the science to us in common sense terms? What if there were more Paul Krugmans to break down economics into simple dollars and cents for the lay person trying to understand congressional budget talks?
And what democratic work can public intellectualism dowhen the public intellectual赋予人们按照信息行事？
什么Ifs - 在此事的核心上持续罢工。随着公众应该转向的知识分子，谈话可以轻松地追回公共知识产权作为一种哲学，这是一个姿态，最终是为了使知识提供知识和信任的人。
Said another way, “if you teach a man to fish…” you won’t have to bug Paul Krugman every time there are new congressional budget talks.
And truly, in light of the evidence of a growing disconnect betweenAmericans and the institutions that serve them, including educational ones, it’s worth asking: is the prospective audience for public intellectualism shrinking? It’s a bleak assessment, for definite, but in the kind of moment we find ourselves in, when everyone is assessing the state of information we receive and share, maybe it’s time to press pause and ask some tough questions.
It’s time to steer the conversationaway from the public intellectualand toward the pursuit of intellectualism as a means of empowering the public with knowledge. We need a collective strategy, not a solo or siloed one. And frankly, the university professors can’t do it alone.
So here’s our proposition to you, dear experts, leaders, professors, and community members: The public is ready, deserving and capable of understanding the insights of experts, and becoming knowledge-makers themselves.
To learn more about how to become a public intellectual and share your knowledge, read our piece: How To Become a Thought Leader by Sharing What You Know.
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