Why Are All the Public Intellectuals Men?

Theory #18 | And is this a problem that needs to be solved?

First, what is a "public intellectual?" Here's a solid dictionary definition — "an intellectual, often a noted specialist in a particular field, who has become well-known to the general public for a willingness to comment on current affairs." It's arguably vague, but they have a big impact on public discourse.

So, who is the modern day public intellectual?

The most identifiable people in this arena aren’t "traditional" scholars. They’re usually not researchers, scientists, or writers by education or trade. Instead, they seem to have just put themselves forth as vessels — to study the world, share their observations, and sprinkle in their own thinking along the way.

The other thing they have in common: they’re men.

At least the most "top-of-mind" ones seem to be. What’s the basis of this? Well, a lot of observations and studying the world. And asking who comes to mind when people hear the phrase “public intellectual.” One friend rattled off names of several prominent men, then paused for a minute and named one woman, admitting she needed to think longer to diversify the list.

What kinds of men are these public intellectuals?

I call the first kind the “new media men.”

The work-life generalists like Tim Ferris. Social scientists like Sam Harris. Long-form interviewers like Lex Friedman. Modern shaman like Andrew Huberman. Social psychologists like Jordan Peterson. Sociopolitical pundits like Ben Shapiro. Modernized network hosts like Jon Stewart. Why do we all know of them? They preach on widely applicable topics and have adopted new media to go direct, to reach us online and in our ears.