Intellectuals in Politics

Modern politics has ushered in the era of the professional adviser, the expert co-opted from the world of ideas and the world of actions. From Woodrow Wilson through the Carter Administration the increasing presence of intellectuals in the making of national and international policy has highlighted the interdependence between the practice of statecraft and the study of statecraft. What are the moral responsibilities, the social obligations, the philosophical motivations of members of the community of scholars brought into contact with the political destines of entire nations? What happens when expertise meets power? These are some of the thoughts presented here in the collection of essays by eight leading intellectuals.