294
PARTISAN REVIEW
Neither Benda nor Aron defined intellectuals in tcrms of their visibil–
ity in the public realm: to thcm, the conccpt of "public intcllectual" was
an oxymoron. Of course, Aron wrote regularly for Paris's
Le Figaro,
and thus figures among Posner's university professors for whom public
appearances offer "a part-time career." But Aron rathcr disliked his
celebrity, whereas the rcviewers of Posncr's book who "made" his lists,
(including Posner himself) are somewhat touchy about thcir own rank–
ings. (The late French sociologist Pierre Bourdinl dubbcd them all
hlst
Talkers-whether
or not they made the cut of Posncr's "Top
100"
or thc
original list of "Top 546.") Indeed, the compctition for celebrity is
fierce, though unacknowledged. Mcdia appearanccs beget mcdia
appearances, and with these come recognition, mention by columnists,
and monetary advantages.
Indolent gatekeepers, states Posner, "prefer having a cclebrity intel–
lectual opine outside the area of his expertise
to
scarching for a partic–
ula r expert on a particula r topic." Thcrcby, "acadcm ics of modcst
distinction who accidentally acquire sufficient namc rccognition becomc
sought-after commentators on current events." And no one keeps track
of their pronouncements, so that they may contradict thcmselves from
one appearance to another. tor the most part, Posncr "neither finds
them very prescient nor very in fl uentia I" and oftcn "ca rcless with facts
and rash in predictions." Both the med ia and thc pu bl ic a rc
fa
iI
ing to
keep better score, due to people's short attention spans, philistinism,
and embrace of "sound bites." Audiences like their ncws anchors
to
be
attractive and their information spiked with cntertainmcnt.
Posner chooses his examples from both the Right and the Left. tor
instance, he cites Chomsky's absurd anti-Americanism, his defense of
America's enemies, and his claim that "the Unitcd States is officially
committed to terrorism"-even before his outragcous statements after
September
1
J.
Chomsky'S equivalent in thc scicnccs is the biologist
Stephen Jay Gould, who "wears his politics on his slecve," ever since
publishing his bestseller,
The Mismeasllre
of
Mall
(198
I).
Gould denics
that his acknowledged Marxism has influcnced his scicntific works, or
his criticism (in
L996)
of Richard Hernstein and Charlcs Murray's
The
Bell Curve
as "a manifesto of conservative ideology." He "mischarac–
terizes their book," states Posner, since thei
I'
actua I d iffcrences a bout the
concept of "general intelligence" are negligible.
Camille Paglia does not fare much bcttcr. Aftcr publishing
SexIIal
Personae
(1990),
she was found "relentless in sclf-promotion, and lack–
ing any verbal restraint, ... land] becamc one of thc bcst-known intel–
lectuals in the United States." She is one of Posner's "academics Iwhol
