What became of the public philosopher?

A century ago, philosophers like John Dewey, Bertrand Russell, and Susan Stebbing were intellectual stars, called upon by media and government for wise words on social issues far beyond their academic research. But it has been decades since any philosopher in the English-speaking world had that sort of public stature. What happened? Professor Regina Rini considers several theories, from changes in philosophical interests and media attention to political interference and the overwhelming intellectual prestige of science. Professor Rini will also suggest another possibility: Dewey and company simply succeeded. In making philosophy a thing anyone can aspire to do, last century’s intellectuals ended our cultural need for philosophers as all-purpose public sages.