Richard Falk, Public Intellectual

Abstract

Richard Falk's critique of elites, geopolitics, corporate greed, globalization, and existential threats should logically replace the appeal of populist demagoguery. This chapter explores Falk's overarching themes by analyzing his work through his various public intellectual activities. First, these themes are reviewed in Falk's work as a public intellectual. As mentioned, Falk is a prodigious author published in various media. Next, Falk's work as a public intellectual lawyer is reviewed. However, Falk was not without his critics, the topic of the third section of this chapter. Finally, his work as a 21st-century public intellectual is discussed. This demonstrates his ability to adapt to new forms of technology and new venues for his public intellectualism. However, before exploring Falk's work as a public intellectual, we need to better understand the role and expectation of a “public intellectual”.