The public intellectual has a long and storied history. Previously, the public intellectual was always expected to opine on a broad array of topics, from foreign policy to economics. Yet in recent years a new kind of thinker has supplanted that archetype: the thought leader. Equipped with one big idea, thought leaders focus their energies on TED talks rather than highbrow periodicals. In contrast to public intellectuals, thought leaders gain fame as single-idea merchants. Their ideas are often laudable and highly ambitious, but they often work through institutions that are closed to the public and less open to criticism. In The Ideas Industry, Daniel W. Drezner explains how this shift happened, pointing to the roles of political polarization, heightened inequality, and eroding trust in authority. In contrast to their predecessors, today's intellectuals are more likely to enjoy the support of ideologically friendly private funders and be housed in ideologically-driven think tanks. Increasing inequality is also a key driver of this shift: more than ever before, contemporary plutocrats fund intellectuals and idea factories that generate arguments that align with their own. Finally, the erosion of trust in experts has lowered the barriers of entry in the marketplace of ideas. But, while there are certainly some downsides to the contemporary ideas industry, Drezner argues that it is very good at broadcasting ideas widely and reaching large audiences hungry for new thinking. Both fair-minded and trenchant, The Ideas Industry reshapes our understanding of contemporary public intellectual life in America and the West.

• We started tracking this book on April 9, 2017.
• This book was $18.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 53 times in the past 2,792 days.
• The current price of this book is $7.50 last checked one day ago.
• The lowest price to date was $7.50 last reached on November 26, 2024.
• This book has been $7.50 one time since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $18.99 last reached on April 9, 2017.
• This book has been $18.99 one time since we started tracking it.
• This book is currently at its lowest price since we started tracking it.

• FranceGlobalization
• Politics & Social SciencesSocial SciencesMedia Studies
• Politics & Social Sciences

• Publication Date: March 1, 2017
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 356 Pages
• File Size: 2,920 KB