A Variety of Intellectual Experiences

Abstract

This chapter outlines a variety of intellectual activities and the labels associated with them, from martyr to amateur and beyond. The plurality of ways in which public intellectuals are viewed explains the difficulty in assigning one exclusive role to these activities. It also attests to the manner in which intellectuals find themselves at times outsiders and at times insiders, without thereby necessarily abnegating their critical edge in judging and interfering with the activities of their communities.