Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone?: Confronting 21st Century Philistinism

For me, this was a challenging read. What most concerns the author is too easily dismissed or missed in our thinking about art, literature, discourse, politics and even technology. It was difficult for me to keep from agreeing with the points of view of those the author uses to illustrate his belief that the Philistines have taken over the work of the mind and its value for its own sake. You, too, may be surprised by the pathways you find yourself following as the author explores where the intellectuals have gone. I enjoyed it, and recommend it.

Frank Furedi's book is a wake up call to intellectuals, and a discussion of the demise of intellectual activities in modern society. His observation that cultural relativism and fear of elitism has reaped a harvest of "I'm OK, you're OK" ratings systems that are ultimately meaningless.

Rather than coddle the masses, treating them as brainless chattle, we should reinvigorate the reach for greatness so that society as a whole can benefit. If we attempt to protect everyone from feelings of inadequacy, we end up rearing generations of lackluster performers.

I ordered two copies of this book the minute I heard of it: one for myself, and one for the public library where I select the non-fiction titles. If I could afford it, I'd sent one to every intelligent person I know, for not only is Furedi dead-on in his assessments of the impoverished state of intellectual life today, his plea resonates with those who should be contributing to public knowledge and debate, but don't.

After ripping through this short but poignant volume, I felt giddy with inspiration, as did every single other person I suggested this book to. If the author sought to fill those empty cafe chairs, he has succeeded brilliantly.