Diogenes and Plato in Silicon Valley

​Tech elites are, for better or worse, the princes of the contemporary age—wielding, perhaps more than politicians, the power to shape our present and future. Obsessed with innovation yet increasingly drawn to questions of politics and culture, many have become self-conscious members of a distinct intellectual class, seeking the guidance of modern “court philosophers.” They seem aware that, given their influence, they require a new kind of education.

​Across history, philosophers have tried to shape rulers and regimes—from Plato counseling kings to Diogenes mocking them in the streets. Today, as both political authority and the figure of the “public intellectual” wane, the question returns with new urgency: what would it mean for today’s elites to be educated rightly—and who could still teach them?

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​About Blake Smith

​Blake Smith is a historian and writer whose work explores the intersections of political thought, literature, and modern culture. He is a regular contributor to publications such as Tablet, The Hedgehog Review, and Compact. His research focuses on the transmission of ideas between France and the wider world, and on the changing role of intellectuals in modern society.