University of Chicago

Allan Bloom's 1987 book "The Closing of the American Mind" had a significant impact on public discourse, sparking debates about the state of higher education and the cultural changes of the 1960s.

The book became an unexpected bestseller, eventually selling close to half a million copies in hardback[1]. Bloom argued that universities were no longer teaching students how to think critically and were instead promoting moral relativism and a lack of interest in the lessons of the past[3]. He blamed misguided curricula, rock music, television, and academic elitism for the "spiritual impoverishment" of students[3].

Bloom's blistering critique, while offering no solutions to the crisis in education, struck a chord with a broad public[1]. The book became a "rallying point for the conservative side" in the "culture wars" of the 1980s and 1990s, with Bloom emerging as a "chief critic" of higher education[2].

While some scholars dismissed Bloom's arguments as conservative barbs, the essence of his critique remained influential[1]. Bloom's book offered an engaging account of the deep intellectual and social history behind the changes in academia and student attitudes[2]. His central motif of the interplay between different understandings of "openness" and "closedness" was brilliantly exploited[2].

Sources [1] The Closing of the American Mind - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Closing_of_the_American_Mind [2] The Legacy of “The Closing of the American Mind” - VoegelinView https://voegelinview.com/the-legacy-of-the-closing-of-the-american-mind/ [3] Allan Bloom | Closing of the American Mind, Conservative Critic ... https://www.britannica.com/biography/Allan-Bloom [4] The Closing of the American Mind Revisited | R. R. Reno - First Things https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2007/02/the-closing-of-the-american-mi