I am a big believer in a liberal arts education. Now, as for your last comment about pragmatic politcians and abstract philosophers. You clearly note that academics are not productive people. Hey, I appreciate the joke, and I've said it myself. In fact, I really don't see myself as a part of those academic circles.
Some academic folks have their head up their ass.
I recently attended a conference in Chicago, and while many sat around in the evenings in the hotel lobby discussing all the fascinating sessions they heard that day, I went off with some friends I knew up there and hit the blues clubs. I happen to like both philosophers and politicians. I think Nietzsche, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Sartre and all those guys have contributed immensely to shaping modern thought. I have deep respect for philosophy as a discipline and for the people who do it well. But I also love Machiavelli.