Murray Rothbard on the role of Court intellectuals

Since its rule is exploitative and parasitic, the State must purchase the alliance of a group of "Court Intellectuals," whose task is to bamboozle the public into accepting and celebrating the rule of its particular State.  The Court Intellectuals have their work cut out for them.  In exchange for their continuing work of apologetics and bamboozlement, the Court Intellectuals win their place as junior partners in the power, prestige, and loot extracted by the State apparatus from the deluded public.

~ Murray Rothbard, Anatomy of the State (1974)

(As quoted by Jon Miltimore, "Education Secretary Touts Mask Study—Gets Rebuked by Senior Author of the Study," Fee.org, October 1, 2021.)