The State of the American Mind

The current state of the American Mind is one of “disarray,” suggest Bauerlein (The Dumbest Generation) and Bellow (New Threats to Freedom). Along with 15 other political and social thinkers, they devote this right-of-center essay collection to criticizing the selfish values and intellectual laziness that, according to this book, permeate today’s society. The authors tackle such eclectic topics as the prevalence of psychiatric drugs, the inability of young people to write well even upon graduating college, and the online prevalence of conspiracy theories. The central theme, however, is the loss of moral and intellectual rigor in American life. R.R. Reno dubs the modern-day United States an “Empire of Desire,” while Dennis Prager deems our era the “Age of Feelings.” In K-12 schools, the contributors complain, youths are taught abstract thinking at the expense of learning American history; in college, they are taught that they possess the “right not to be offended” by contrary (i.e., right-leaning) viewpoints. “The American Mind was an extraordinary creation, and it has to be remembered,” argue Bauerlein and Bellow. This anthology will be a distressing but worthwhile read for those who believe traditional American values are endangered and must be preserved. (June)