There is a simplistic inclination to assume that the effectiveness of any intellectual confederacy derives from its cohesiveness, compactness, and presence at the nexus point of media networks.

Intellectual centers of gravity require that a specific place combine with a particular set of circumstances to create an alignment of ideas and actions.

L.A, in the 1940s, in contrast to Paris in the 1930s, merely became a vat for people on the run or needing quick cash.

The two contrary examples dilute the notion that simply bunching public intellectuals together will magically establish a gatekeeper community.

The intellectual only really triumphs if he navigates successfully in the public sphere, which presumably means addressing laymen in a subtle, reciprocal way, while also trying to impress the value of one's opinions.