sgabriele2123's review against another edition
1.0
Had to give up, I could only take so many pages of “get off my lawn & turn off that damn music!”
topper2676's review against another edition
3.0
Good first few chapters, then he sounds like a man yelling get off my lawn
andersonh92's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. I think it’s a bit outdated. But, at the same time, our minds are still closing.
mamamia's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This was a re-read for me as I also read it in July/August of 2020.
This was a re-read for me as I also read it in July/August of 2020.
josiahdegraaf's review against another edition
4.0
Really thought-provoking book on the current state of American education and how it connects to American thought. Bloom made a lot of really good points and connected a lot of American thought in very fascinating ways. Because I was only listening to this on Audible, I wasn't able to get as much of it as I could have (I tend to process information better when it's on a page), so eventually I'll need to re-read this book to more fully appreciate all the brilliance of it, and may very well bump this review up to a five star when I do it since it probably deserves it. But as-is, Bloom has a very good critique of the current system of American education that I very much enjoyed.
Rating: 4-4.5 Stars (Very Good).
Miscellaneous High Points from Bloom:
Philosophy, not cultural studies, is the way to break down cultural prejudices
Democratic societies value charisma, but they shouldn't
For all that we criticize Plato for limiting music, the Enlightenment is worse because it just does away with it altogether
Rating: 4-4.5 Stars (Very Good).
Miscellaneous High Points from Bloom:
Philosophy, not cultural studies, is the way to break down cultural prejudices
Democratic societies value charisma, but they shouldn't
For all that we criticize Plato for limiting music, the Enlightenment is worse because it just does away with it altogether
lyloster's review against another edition
Found it hard to concentrate while listening to the narrator of the audiobook, very monotonous narration. Probably will pick up later as a physical book.
dkbrady's review against another edition
3.0
Read this book many years ago. A enjoyable and persuasive argument for conservatism that had an impact on my world view at the time.
scottacorbin's review against another edition
3.0
Some parts better than others. Generally a genealogy of modernity, albeit a somewhat idiosyncratic one.