More than just a huge #1 bestseller, this is one of the great and vitally important books of our time. Allan Bloom, a professor of social thought at the University of Chicago and a noted translator of Plato and Rousseau, argues that the social and political crisis of twentieth century America is really an intellectual crisis. From the universities’ lack of purpose to their students’ lack of learning, from the jargon of liberation to the supplanting of reason by “creativity,” Bloom shows how American democracy has unwittingly played host to vulgarized Continental ideas of nihilism and despair, of relativism disguised as tolerance. Bloom demonstrates that the collective mind of the American university is closed to the principles of the Western tradition, and that it is especially closed to the spiritual heritage of the West, which gave rise to the university in the first place.
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"Even if you don't buy Bloom's ultimate message, his examinations of a wide variety of political and philosophical thought are worth the book's price alone. One chapter is pretty much a cogent summary of Locke's second treatise on government. His commentary on certain moments in history are also worthy reads.jjhik" — Carlos (4 out of 5 stars)
"Even if you don't buy Bloom's ultimate message, his examinations of a wide variety of political and philosophical thought are worth the book's price alone. One chapter is pretty much a cogent summary of Locke's second treatise on government. His commentary on certain moments in history are also worthy reads.jjhik"
“Brilliant…No other book combines such shrewd insights into our current state…No other book is at once so lively and so deep, so witty and so thoughtful, so outrageous and so sensible, so amusing and so chilling…An extraordinary book.”
“With clarity, gravity, and grace, Bloom makes a convincing case for the improbable proposition that reading old books about the permanent questions could help to reestablish reason and restore the soul.”
“Provocative…The author’s intelligence and passion about his subject are strongly conveyed through Christopher Hurt’s lilting reading…[Hurt] seems to draw you into deep conversation, discussing the concepts with you, rather than leaving you to struggle over them.”
“Narrator Hurt gives perfect voicing to Bloom’s prose, which is both grave and witty. Like Bloom, Hurt’s narrative tone is often pompous but deeply passionate about the ideas presented.”
“Christopher Hurt brings a kindness to his reading that softens [Bloom’s] often cutting observations and makes the text even more broadly appealing than it might otherwise seem.”
" A book that was probably more resonant in it's time. Bloom has a lot of interesting critiques for the American society of the 80's (which in many ways have not changed, or intensified to his dislike), but the book seems to ramble at times, detracting from the message. "
" One of the most influential books I ever read. A bit distressing in its indictment of modern academia nonetheless better to have your eyes and mind open than to stick them in the sand. This book is definitely a game changer. "
" I need to go back and read this book. It was profound when I read it in the late 80's, on the way it attacked the US education system. I would like to see if it still stands up since the whole world has changed with the age of the Internet. "
" I read this when I was around 20 and didn't get most of it. Since then I've learned that this author is the same name that to educators is a household word. Think, "Bloom's taxonomy." "
" great satire! "
" This was a great, eye-opening book! "
" pompous "
" Perhaps instead of picking on college kids and their rock and rolling ways, Mr. Bloom should have focused his attention on the dearth of brain power exhibited by educators and rulers, i.e. adults. Young people would be better off if they read more Plato; so would grown ups. "
" This book is less impressive to me now than it was when I read it as a student, and, as with many conservative arguments, parts of it seem silly in retrospect, but other parts have held up and Bloom makes his arguments better than almost anyone else on the same topics. "
" Insightful, but prone to gross generalizations, especially when talking about the character of American university students of the 1980's, of whom he has an all-to-idealistic vision. "
" From the Foreward: Professor Bloom's book makes me fear that the book of the world, so richly studied by autodidacts, is being closed by the "learned" who are raising walls of opinions to shut the world out. "
" Dated in 2011, though accurately retelling the 80's. Could have been shorter, something like "Kids today...grumble, grumble etc." "
" This book probably did more to define the way I think about americans than any other book I've read. It's very good. "
" This was a slow read but very interesting. I very much agree with his position but do not see a solution. Incredible that this book sold so many copies - I have to believe that many more copies were sold than were actually read. "
" I enjoyed this quite a bit, although it irritated me in places. Maybe that's part of the appeal of such books. There is a lot of good food for thought here though. "
" Yes, yes, and yes. Bloom comes correct. And the sad thing is, many of our post-conservatives are carrying on the liberal legacy of abandoning The True, The Good, and The Beautiful for sociology. "
" This book didn't just change my mind... it shaped it. "
" His main thesis is that the intellectual base of our best college students is being narrowed and needs to be restored by a classical liberal education. He goes on to show how the impact of philosophy has caused this narrowing of the mind. "
" Read this when it came out. At the time I was very impressed by Bloom's ideas. Haven't gone back to look at them since. "
" Great writing, but it's difficult to read all the way through. "
" I think American intellectual life is in worse condition than it was in 1987 when this book came out. We are not thinkers; we are Facebookers and digital heads. We'd rather watch American Idol than read a classic novel. "
" How tiresome and pompous you are, Allan Bloom. You make me feel ashamed of agreeing with you occasionally. "
" OUTSTANDING!!! A must read for every American. "
Allan Bloom (1930-1992) was a professor of social thought at the University of Chicago. He was the author of many books, including the number one bestseller The Closing of the American Mind. Adam Kirsch is a poet, critic, and an editor of the Wall Street Journal’s weekend review section. His work appears regularly in the New York Review of Books, New Yorker, Tablet, and other publications. He is the author of three books of poems and several books of criticism and biography.
Christopher Hurt is an accomplished narrator with a lengthy résumé of popular titles for Blackstone. A graduate of George Washington University’s acting program, he currently resides in New York City.
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