For this project, I collaborated with one of my classmates (Tori Watson) to create a website that explained the idea of public intellectuals. Originally, public intellectuals were seen as being the best of a society. However, the rise of the internet has both improved and complicated this definition. The website explains the history of the term "public intellectual" and introduces six individuals, picked by me and my partner, that we believe to be public intellectuals.

One expected result of this project was Tori and I having to come to terms with our own bias in terms of who we didn't choose to highlight on our website. The public intellectuals we selected are people we liked and admired. While planning the website, there were people we thought of that technically fit the mold of a public intellectual, but we didn't agree with their viewpoints. Those individuals were removed from the list.

Both Tori and I made sure to include sections that talked about people of color and women as public intellectuals. The public space is saturated with white men, so we felt it was important to be as diverse as possible when it came to our selection of individuals. We included a section entitled Limited Voices that talks more about this selection process, and addresses the need for more people of color in public spaces.

Comedy is another section we included after reading a few different articles about the rise of comedians as public figures. We mention that even when comedy is offensive, like in the television show South Park, it can still address current events and connect to a large audience. When comedy is successful, it can be used as a form of introspection, forcing the audience to think about their own thoughts and actions.

Even though this project was only created a few years ago, I think my list of public intellectuals would completely change if I were doing this project today. For example, many of the people on our current list are around the same age. Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist, would be a good example of someone to include. I would also try to include individuals who didn't make the list the first time around; people I don't agree with on a political or moral level, but still fit the definition.

Overall, this project taught me that "public intellectual" is a controversial term. Personal opinions will always get in the way. Also, the people we consider to be public in our society are not necessarily intellectuals, and vice versa. The list of people seems to be organic, always changing. What makes a public intellectual? We can provide our own thoughts and evidence, but the definition may never be set in stone.