{"product_id":"the-state-of-the-american-mind-16-leading-critics-on-the-new-anti-intellectualism-9781599474588","title":"The State of the American Mind: 16 Leading","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1987, Allan Bloom’s \u003ci\u003eThe Closing of the American Mind \u003c\/i\u003ewas published; a wildly popular book that drew attention to the shift in American culture away from the tenants that made America—and Americans—unique. Bloom focused on a breakdown in the American curriculum, but many sensed that the issue affected more than education. The very essence of what it meant to be an American was disappearing.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e That was over twenty years ago. Since then, the United States has experienced unprecedented wealth, more youth enrolling in higher education than ever before, and technology advancements far beyond what many in the 1980s dreamed possible. And yet, the state of the American mind seems to have deteriorated further. Benjamin Franklin’s “self-made man” has become a man dependent on the state. Independence has turned into self-absorption. Liberty has been curtailed in the defense of multiculturalism. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In order to fully grasp the underpinnings of this shift away from the self-reliant, well-informed American, editors Mark Bauerlein and Adam Bellow have brought together a group of cultural and educational experts to discuss the root causes of the decline of the American mind.  The writers of these fifteen original essays include E. D. Hirsch, Nicholas Eberstadt, and Dennis Prager, as well as Daniel Dreisbach, Gerald Graff, Richard Arum, Robert Whitaker, David T. Z. Mindich, Maggie Jackson, Jean Twenge, Jonathan Kay, Ilya Somin, Steve Wasserman, Greg Lukianoff, and R. R. Reno. Their essays are compiled into three main categories:\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eStates of Mind: Indicators of Intellectual and Cognitive Decline\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e These essays broach specific mental deficiencies among the population, including lagging cultural IQ, low Biblical literacy, poor writing skills, and over-medication. \u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ci\u003ePersonal and Cognitive Habits\/Interests\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e These essays turn to specific mental behaviors and interests, including avoidance of the news, short attention spans, narcissism, and conspiracy obsessions. \u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eNational Consequences\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e These essays examine broader trends affecting populations and institutions, including rates of entitlement claims, voting habits, and a low-performing higher education system. \u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e  \u003ci\u003eThe State of the American Mind \u003c\/i\u003eis both an assessment of our current state as well as a warning, foretelling what we may yet become. For anyone interested in the intellectual fate of America, \u003ci\u003eThe State of the American Mind \u003c\/i\u003eoffers an accessible and critical look at life in America and how our collective mind is faring. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Mark Bauerlein and Adam Bellow have edited a superb collection of essays on different aspects of American culture and life that extends, deepens, and updates Hofstadter’s critique of the naïve and feckless naturalism of John Dewey that now pervades and eviscerates our culture.” —M. D. Aeschliman, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNational Review Online\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In their new book titled \u003ci\u003eThe State of the American Mind\u003c\/i\u003e, Mark Bauerlein and Adam Bellow, through a compendium of essays written by experts, have outlined using empirical detail and ironclad analysis what exactly has happened to the American mind and what the “new anti-intellectualism” has done to put it in such a pitiful state. What does this deconstruction of thought look like at a systematic level? \u003ci\u003eThe State of the American Mind\u003c\/i\u003e, by providing a prismatic analysis of the dereliction of education, psychiatry and public discourse, gives the reader a roadmap to destruction and a trail of breadcrumbs back. . . . . \u003ci\u003eThe State of the American Mind\u003c\/i\u003e, while far from being light enough to read on an airplane or at the beach, is a 2015 summertime must-read for any conservative who finds him or herself at odds with the state of public discourse in the United States. . . . . While we may be intellectually lazy, clouded, unmotivated and driven by unbridled emotion devoid of right reason, Bellow and Bauerlein provide thin spaces of light and hope. From start to finish, the carefully curated selection of experts keeps the reader engaged, informed and constantly stimulated. Finally, and most hopefully, among the flotsam and jetsam of a discarded intellectual tradition, one can discern what steps need to be taken to save us from destruction by our own hand…or perhaps by our own mindset.” —Nate Madden, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eConservative Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This anthology will be a distressing but worthwhile read for those who believe traditional American values are endangered and must be preserved.” —Daniel Dreisbach, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher's Weekly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe State of the American Mind,\u003c\/i\u003e is a ‘must read,’ especially the chapter written by the political economist and \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e columnist, Nicholas Eberstadt.\" —\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Motley Monk\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Enhanced with the inclusion of an engaging Foreword (America: Are We Losing Our Mind?); an informative Introduction (The Knowledge Requirement: What Every American Needs to Know); and a concluding Afterword by the editorial team of Mark Bauerlein and Adam Bellow, \u003ci\u003eThe State of the American Mind: 16 Leading Critics on the New Anti-Intellectualism\u003c\/i\u003e is an inherently fascinating read that is exceptionally well organized and presented throughout. Very highly recommended.” —Willis M. Buhle, \u003ci\u003eMidwest Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eForeword—America: Are We Losing Our Mind?\u003cbr\u003e Mark Bauerlein and Adam Bellow \/ vii\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Introduction—The Knowledge Requirement: What Every American Needs to Know\u003cbr\u003e E. D. Hirsch Jr. \/ 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Part One—States of Mind: Indicators of Intellectual and Cognitive Decline\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 1 The Troubling Trend of Cultural IQ \/ 19\u003cbr\u003e Mark Bauerlein\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2 Biblical Literacy Matters \/ 33\u003cbr\u003e Daniel L. Dreisbach\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 3 Why Johnny and Joanie Can’t Write, Revisited \/ 49\u003cbr\u003e Gerald Graff\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 4 College Graduates: Satisfied, but Adrift \/ 65\u003cbr\u003e Richard Arum\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 5 Anatomy of an Epidemic \/ 77\u003cbr\u003e Robert Whitaker\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Part Two—Personal and Cognitive Habits\/Interests\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 6 A Wired Nation Tunes Out the News \/ 97\u003cbr\u003e David T. Z. Mindich\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 7 Catching Our Eye: The Alluring Fallacy of Knowing at a Glance \/ 111\u003cbr\u003e Maggie Jackson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 8 The Rise of the Self and the Decline of Intellectual and Civic Interest \/ 123\u003cbr\u003e Jean M. Twenge\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 9 Has Internet-Fueled Conspiracy-Mongering Crested? \/ 137\u003cbr\u003e Jonathan Kay\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Part Three—National Consequences\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 10 Dependency in America: American Exceptionalism and the Entitlement State \/ 153\u003cbr\u003e Nicholas Eberstadt\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 11 Political Ignorance in America \/ 163\u003cbr\u003e Ilya Somin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 12 In Defense of Difficulty: How the Decline of the Ideal of Seriousness Has Dulled Democracy in the Name of a Phony Populism ‘ 175\u003cbr\u003e Steve Wasserman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 13 We Live in the Age of Feelings \/ 189\u003cbr\u003e Dennis Prager\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 14 How Colleges Create the “Expectation of Confirmation” \/ 205\u003cbr\u003e Greg Lukianoff\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 15 The New Antinomian Attitude \/ 217\u003cbr\u003e R. R. Reno\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Afterword Mark Bauerlein and Adam Bellow \/ 231\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Contributors \/ 243\u003cbr\u003e Index \/ 247","brand":"Templeton Foundation Press,U.S.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51041583235415,"sku":"9781599474588","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781599474588.jpg?v=1750950883","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-state-of-the-american-mind-16-leading-critics-on-the-new-anti-intellectualism-9781599474588","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}