The Past
"By understanding the origins and historical variations of the public sphere in Western culture, compositionists might be able to more fully theorize public discourse in the present and future" (Weisser 61).
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Although the concept of public intellectuals is relatively new, the birth of the public space emerged as early as the 17th century. This type of public was different from the norm, instead of a group of people loosely related by a common trait or goal, a public was defined as being related to the "common good". It is this distinction that separates a public from a group, and it is a distinction that proved important during pivotal points in history.
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The timeline below not only shows the journey from "public" to "public intellectual"’ but also shows how, from the very beginning, public intellectuals were related to the good of a society. The rise of the internet has both improved and complicated this definition, but the relation between a public and "common good" remains.