Foreign Policy published a list of the world’s top 100 public intellectuals last year, and it’s very worth checking out.
I bet you haven’t heard of most of the people, even within the top 10!
Here’s a preview: (links are to wikipedia pages)
- Aitzaz Ahsan: Lawyer/politician- Pakistan
- Kwame Anthony Appiah: Philosopher, Ghana/United States
- Anne Applebaum: Journalist/historian, United States
- Jacques Attali: Economist/writer, France
- George Ayittey: Economist, Ghana
- Daniel Barenboim: Conductor/pianist/peace activist, Israel
- Anies Baswedan: University president/political analyst, Indonesia
- Pope Benedict XVI: Religious leader/theologian, Germany/Vatican
- Ian Buruma: Essayist, Britain/Netherlands
- Fernando Henrique Cardoso: Politician/author, Brazil
Check out the full list at the link above for the other 90.
Whether you’re searching for research or the next summer reading book this list reveals what’s important in the world today. Each person has created their own body of work and their name appearing on this list shows its weight in the world.
Who do you think is missing?