Mediocre Public Intellectuals - Essay Example

Mediocre Public Intellectuals The two authors Edward Said and Cynthia Ozick wrote extensively on the issues of academic freedom and public intellectual respectively. Edward Said, expressed his sentiments on the article Identity, Authority and Freedom: the Potentate and the Traveler. While, on the other hand, Cynthia Ozick’s arguments were presented in the article Public and Private Intellectuals. After reading and conceptualizing on works by these two authors, a connection with academic conversation essay came in the form of the topic Mediocre Public Intellectuals. It is evident that some individuals have taken advantage of academic freedom, and the fact that they are public intellectuals to manipulate the members of public for their political gain. This is an academic conversation essay giving a discussion on mediocre public intellectuals. Edward Said reiterates that interpretation of academic freedom is based on different societies also on different curriculum taken up by universities. According to Said, there has been a group taking the position that traditional curriculum entailing the liberal arts is under attack. While the other group, arguing that social sciences and humanities curriculum should focus its interests on people in the society who are ignored, suppressed or papered (Said 7). Academic freedom has been demonstrated in the United States’ universities through adoption of non-Western societies in the academic fields of history, literature, film and mass communication. Unfortunately, Said maintains that academic freedom has been inhibited by controversial issues presented in seminars and lectures such as gender, race, war, slavery and imperialism. Said, further gives an extensive detail on how academic freedom has been suppressed in the countries in the Arab-Islamic world which have been subjected to foreign education. Edward Said concludes his article by stating that academic freedom should take the model of a traveler or migrant. As a traveler, or migrant individuals looking for knowledge should embrace other identities, other varieties and other selves during the adventure (Said 23). Ozick’s article posit on who are the private intellectuals and who are the public intellectuals. He gives a list of intellectuals and state whether they are public or private. For instance, he starts by stating public intellectuals such as Socrates, Maimonides, Emerson and Voltaire. However, he includes private intellectuals his article such as Lionel Trilling and William James. Ozick refers to the author E.M Forster and take a critical look at his works as it relates to public intellectuals. According to Ozick, Forster has an essay featuring the issue of liberty in England, and most importantly Forster attacks censorship while defending freedom of speech. A public intellectual is seen as an individual with a strong mind commitment which are channeled to have positive impacts in the whole society (Ozick 354). According to Ozick, public intellectuals are aware of the essence and impact of history in today’s world. Ozick affirms, public intellectuals’ responsibility is to focus on loyalty and activism in progressing democracy. Public intellectuals strategically formulate out historic and cognitive patterns, which lead to public issues. Ozick commends Forster for his thoughtful way addressing political issues through his art. Ozick concludes by noting that public intellectuals are subject to public contemplation. The difference between public and private intellectuals is from the fact that, if private thinkers do not speak out they are viewed as cowards, however, when they speak out they are seen as bunglers (Ozick 356). The topic that I would develop from the above articles is on the issue of mediocre public intellectuals. This topic came as a result of the following situation; I recently had a political discussion with Vitali Klitschko. He currently holds the heavy weight champion, and he is now contemplating to run for a public office in Ukraine. Since Klitschko holds a PhD and on the public domain, he is active a lot of people consider him as a public intellectual. According to my arguments he is not a public intellectual. That came after I heard his speech, which proved clearly that he does not know what he is trying to express exactly, and he is only a puppet/figure head belonging to a normal political party. Vitali Klitschko is the best example to use when displaying a typical mediocre public intellectual. He hides under the façade of being a public intellectual with the intention of political gain (Ozick 354). Edward Said’s understanding of academic freedom goes inline with native or local people being educated in terms of their own culture without any foreign influence. In the case of Ukraine where Vitali Klitschko comes from, the education is influenced by Russia, and this is a clear indication that Ukraine does not have academic freedom. The influence of Ukrainian education by Russia must have been embedded in Klitschko’s PhD, a clear indication that he does not have any academic freedom. Klitschko’s lack of academic freedom is also a direct indication that he represents Russian policies in Ukraine, and this pushes him further away from the essence of a public intellectual according to Cynthia Ozick. Academic freedom as Said has stated, is very instrumental in building and growth of a responsible public intellectual as Ozick had expressed (Ozick 358). The situation of Klitschko, who in this case is referred to as a mediocre public intellectual is very important to note. Klitschko’s lack of academic freedom shows that he is not informed of the real issues affecting the Ukrainians. Since he does not have the real connection with the people of Ukraine, he is forced to come up with a strategy in which he presents himself as a public intellectual for political advantage. The reason Russia had too much influence on Ukrainian education was because both countries were part of the USSR up to the year 1991. After the termination, of USSR, Russia was still powerful in terms of its energy resources and it continued supporting Ukraine in turn influencing its internal structure. An individual like Vitali Klitschko has Russian influence written all over him. His speech clearly signified that he was a puppet echoing sentiments that had originated from the Russians. Klitschko turns out to be an easy victim of mediocre public intellectual because of the poor academic freedom he has experienced (Said 23). Conclusion The main connection between Said’s and Ozick’s articles is on the fact that one issue leads to another. A strong academic freedom paves the way for a responsible public intellectual, and the opposite is true. The topic Mediocre Public Intellectual exemplifies how an individual like Vitali Klitschko due to lack of academic freedom, can resort to tactics that are below standards like portraying himself as a public intellectual. Mediocre Public Intellectuals come as a result of lack of academic freedom in a country since its education system is influenced by foreigners. Works Cited Ozick C. Public and Private Intellectuals. New York: Random House, 2001. Print Said E. "Identity Authority and Freedom: The Potentate and the Traveler." T. B. Davie Academic Freedom Lecture (1991): 1-54. Print Read More