Public Lives is a collection of the columns of Randy David, eminent opinion writer and sociologist. Compared to Reflections, this work is less ideological and political, and more philosophical and reflexive. The style is more taut and powerful, perhaps due to the need to deliver a persuasive message within the space constraints of a column. There is greater comfort with ambiguity and alternative modes of perception and explanation. Also, there is more focus on understanding the self as a way to interpret the external world.
I see Randy as the most important analyst of Philippine politics and society today and the country's foremost public intellectual. I sometimes envy the unhurried, reflective life of the academic he leads, but I am afraid I have already made a choice to take a different path. He remains hopeful that my generation can bring Philippine society into modernity, and I hope I can help take the lead in making that a reality.
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