Pop Philosophers

Leonard Peikoff, from The Ominous Parallels, p. 139:

Today Americans no longer seek philosophic guidance from philosophers, but from whoever fills the place philosophers have vacated: politicians, economists, psychologists, gurus, etc.

No, it’s worse than that. Americans today, as a general rule, seek philosophic guidance from celebrities—pop singers, movie stars, etc.; basically, whoever is the box office draw du jour. At least politicians, economists, and psychologists are generally well-educated and can be expected to read a book once in a while.