-Please tell us about Public Intellectuals.
My image of a public intellectual is someone who has a specialized field, but is not limited to that field and has knowledge in a wide range of fields. A person who raises issues in the world, takes action, or encourages others to take action. It’s very difficult to translate, but I think “public intellectual” might be a closer translation. I thought that having knowledge in a wide range of fields was very ICU-like.
-I see. That’s interesting word for me too. Where did you learn this word?
It was a talk event by ICU PRISM and Chitose Masaki. It wasn’t directly related to the content of the event, but during the discussion, the guest speaker said, “You’re a ‘public intellectual’, aren’t you?” I wondered what “public intellectual” meant, and that’s how I found out about it.
-Why is it important to be a public intellectual?
In Japan, the people who teach us knowledge are the experts and professors on news programs, but I didn’t like them because they were too formal for me. I think that being a Public Intellectual, I believe that more young people will be interested in what I have to say if I can communicate in a way that is friendly to the citizens of society.
-Thank you very much. Finally, what is your goal?
I want to become a Public Intellectual person. I have always wanted to be a journalist because I like to tell people things. However, I felt that there was something different about it, because I didn’t want to be as serious or distant as a journalist. Then I came across the term “Public Intellectual” and thought, “This is what I want to be! I didn’t know the word to describe this kind of person, but when I learned the word Public Intellectual, I felt that it was okay for people to share their knowledge in this way. I would like to be an intellectual who can communicate issues in a casual and pop way, and who can get even my friends who are not interested in the issues.
Haruka Inoue (ICU ’24)
Currently attending International Christian University, studying Media Communication and Culture.
She writes about her interests on her blog, I Over Think.