It's not every day that a lecture on intellectualism references rapper 50 Cent, but for Michael Eric Dyson, professor in the Religious Studies and Center for Africana Studies departments, knowledge isn't limited to academia.
Provost Robert Barchi introduced Dyson, who spoke as part of the Provost's Lecture Series, by saying that the series allows Penn professors to "speak about accessible and interesting aspects of their work" outside the "esoterica of academia."
Dyson's speech, "Why I Am an Intellectual," defined public intellectuals as people with "passion to think, study and distribute the fruits of their labor in useful form."
Dyson, a nationally recognized speaker and author of eight books, started off by expressing a hope to "produce scholars who are as rigorous with class work as they are with issues of public life."
With references to Lord Alfred Tennyson and Curtis Mayfield, Dyson wove social consciousness and pop culture intelligence into a desire to turn "words into redeeming social action."
Dyson's speech was not the typical college lecture -- at one point, he mentioned 50 Cent, joking that his song "P.I.M.P." stands for "Public Intellectual with Moral Principles."
Touching on issues including racial bigotry, politics and social criticism, Dyson said, "I became an intellectual to talk back to suffering."
Dyson's speech affirmed intellectualism as a means of furthering justice and celebrated education as he discussed his personal development as a thinker.
"I slid into philosophical aphorism like sliding into a pair of jeans," he said.
He recalled reading as an activity in which he "looked no further than the page to leave home."
Dyson also urged audience members to use their intelligence, saying, "We should not only be as smart as we can, we should do good with those smarts."
His speech seemed to have an effect on audience members.
"The speech was full of energy," College sophomore Fatimah Muhammad said of the lecture. "It was so packed with substance, it was hard to take it all in."
Muhammad also said of Dyson, "He is not only willing to criticize the world, but also himself, which is great."
Others echoed her comments.
"It was so full of information that you want to listen to it again. I wish I could record it or get a transcript," College of General Studies student Jennifer Landis said.
Dyson said that intellectuals should "get our hands dirty as we help our world become more just.... Knowledge is not neutral, and we should shirk the contemptuous pose of distant observation."
At an after-speech reception, Dyson said that being a professor enables him to affect more change than anywhere else.
"Teaching allows me to interact with students and hopefully shape their opinions," he said.
