Intellectualism: A Foundation in Faith

Without doubt, the source of the public intellectual’s influence extends far beyond his or her use of statistical analysis to gain insight into the functioning of the economy, as previous blog posts have indicated. Rather, it reaches into much broader areas such as in “Wicked Paradox: The Cleric as a Public Intellectual,” where Stephen Mack makes the shrewd argument that “public intellectuals are a product of both our secular and religious traditions.” This point of view is particularly important, because it highlights the multifaceted role demanded of the public intellectual. Thereafter, an example of such a public intellectual, John Winthrop, is used to support this statement. In his sermon “City upon a Hill,” Winthrop proposes that the Puritans colonists are “defined by moral purpose” and had a special pact with God (Mack). However, the theologian Roger Williams strictly opposed Winthrop’s mixing of government with religion, because of secular reasons. Nonetheless, this conflict between public intellectuals is just one of many examples of the strong influence both spheres of tradition have exerted upon society. As a result, the history of public intellectuals demonstrates that religion and secularity profoundly affect many of these individuals’ thoughts and beliefs.

Indeed, John Winthrop is perhaps one of the first most influential public intellectuals whose convictions are deeply rooted in spiritual faith. He was a forefather of the Puritan experiment and set about forming a government that was not separate from the church. On the opposite side of the religious spectrum, Williams believed in secular traditions although he “was a theologian, deeply concerned with the health and vitality of the church.” Williams did not just believe in the separation of church and state, but more importantly that the people “are in charge of the church.” Consequently, both public intellectuals drew great strength in their logic and reasoning from the passionate belief that “religion and civil society are political codependents” (Mack). Whether or not this codependency is benevolent for society or not remained to be seen.

However, Winthrop and Williams represent a trivial number of the many public intellectuals whose authority is rooted in secular and religious customs. For example, Cotton Mather, the pastor of Boston’s North Church in 1723, was a prolific writer about the nation’s “moral tone.” He exerted great influence over younger generation Puritans and explained the American experiment by using the symbolic language of the Bible to connect past events with the present. Additionally, Mather wrote about his belief in diabolical possession and witchcraft to the Boston clergy during the Salem witch trials causing the execution of a number of individuals. Consequently, he was a significant force in both secular and spiritual matters (“Cotton Mather”). Indeed, the witch trials symbolized exactly what Williams feared where religion when enforced through law led to tragedy (Mack).

Additionally, Jonathan Edwards epitomizes an important episode of the influence the secular and religious played upon the American public intellectual. He is one of America’s most important theologians who defended Calvinism and the Puritan heritage. His work is most significant however, due to his public role during the First Great Awakening as a revivalist and particularly intelligent philosopher. Edwards believes that God is a sovereign power and humanity is depraved; thus necessitating “the New Birth conversion.” Edwards role as a public intellectual in the religious and secular domains was further accentuated, because of how greatly widespread across all of society the Great Awakening was. These beliefs were further placed into wedlock with politics, because of the role that Christian morality took upon leaders of New England (“Jonathan Edwards”).

Lastly, Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American leader of the Transcendentalist movement, also demonstrated the influence of lay and spiritual mores upon the public intellectual nearly a century after Winthrop first did. This development was unique, because a whole new generation of men and women “each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men” ("Ralph Waldo Emerson"). Emerson’s faith was the basis for many of his later actions such as social reform and serves a great example of “a deep religious sensibility” that had the power to transform hundreds of thousands of individuals through the power of God.

While these five social leaders derive their authority from different sources, the inherent role of secular and religious practices remains clear. One’s connection to their faith has throughout time and continues to be a succinctly important dynamic upon one’s way of life – particularly for the public intellectual. Additionally, the role of the public intellectual is sometimes rooted in secularity where religion is entirely separate. However, as Stephen Mack warns, politics and government is most dangerous when either side of the debate is at a complete extreme of the power pendulum. Indeed, perhaps American democracy is still functioning, because this has not yet occurred.



Works Cited

Mack, Stephen. “Wicked Paradox: The Cleric as the Public Intellectual.” 14 Aug 2007. 25 Sep 2007

NNDB: Tracking the Entire World. “Cotton Mather.” 24 Sep 2007

The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University. “Jonathan Edwards” 24 Sep 2007

American Transcendentalism Web. “Ralph Waldo Emerson.” 25 Sep 2007