Aug 06 2008
How to Spread Ideas Effectively: Becoming a Public Intellectual
At an August 2, 2008, speech at the Ludwig von Mises Institute, economist Jörg Guido Hülsmann described one of the factors that facilitated Mises’s long-term success in spreading his economic and political ideas. Instead of following the typical academic track and looking above all for tenured positions, respect among his colleagues, and places in prestigious organizations and publications, Mises decided to become a public intellectual, trying to communicate his ideas to intelligent laymen rather that merely talking to other academicians. The result? Many of the economists and political thinkers whom Mises confronted in his time are hardly known today, even though they were quite fashionable during the mid-20th century. Mises, on the other hand, still appeals to thousands of scholars around the world, and even more laymen.
Those seeking to spread ideas most effectively to the most people should seek to become public intellectuals rather than academic intellectuals. Even those who wish to work in academia to earn a living should also develop ways to communicate ideas to people outside of academia. Milton Friedman is another great example of an economist who, while he succeeded in the academic arena, took an entirely different approach when he communicated to the general public. He produced some of the most inspiring pro-liberty works of the 20th century, including Capitalism and Freedom and the Free to Choose book and video documentary series.
Sincerely,
Gennady Stolyarov II
Editor-in-Chief, The Rational Argumentator: http://rationalargumentator.com
Writer, Associated Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/46796/g_stolyarov_ii.html
Author, Implied Consent, A Play on the Sanctity of Human Life: http://rationalargumentator.com/impliedconsent.html
Author, A Rational Cosmology: http://rationalargumentator.com/rc.html
Author, The Best Self-Help is Free: http://rationalargumentator.com/selfhelpfree.html
Author, The Progress of Liberty Blog: http://progressofliberty.today.com/
Brilliant! You’ve just inspired my blog! Thanks!
I never understood the whole limiting of ideas in academia. I really think effective ideas MUST reach the pop culture tipping point before they go anywhere. For instance, I never understood why term papers and graduate thesis are not shared with the class as well as the professor. Writing for an audience of one should be left to letters and secret love poems for a special one on an idle Wednesday in my view. Why can’t common sense ever be considered as a marker for intelligence?
http://waxingpoetically.today.com