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austinghelms's review against another edition
5.0
To say that a book chronicling America’s systematic downward spiral into willful ignorance a depressing and frustrating read is an understatement. However, author Susan Jacoby does a wonderful job tracing this unfortunate history from our founding fathers in the Age of Enlightenment to our modern day culture of science deniers and contempt for intellectuals. But I do have to wonder if a book trying to bring awareness to a country boasting less and less readers will fail to reach the audience that needs to hear it the most.
enelvee's review against another edition
3.0
So depressing. Why people don't want to be smart is a mystery.
lindy_b's review against another edition
2.0
I read The Age of American Unreason in hope that it would help me identify the cultural shifts that occurred during the Obama administration which lead to the formation of the alt-right, where adherents style themselves as intellectuals beholden to rigorous ideals of logic and reason, sneer at you about "sky fairies" and then in the same breath reproduce eugenic race science straight out of the late nineteenth century. Was the book useful in this regard? Overall, I'd say yes; Jacoby's discussion of the widespread lack of acknowledgement of the religious conservative movements of the 1960s, in particular, was not something I'd considered before.
However, the whole experience of getting to the good stuff in this book was an exercise in patience with eyebrows permanently raised. In fact, I'm not sure who is the intended audience of this book, because I cannot think of a demographic where it would be safe to assume knowledge of Ned Rorem but would need the concept of a Beatles cover band explained to them. In the introduction, Jacoby praises Hofstadter's [b:Anti-Intellectualism in American Life|582067|Anti-Intellectualism in American Life|Richard Hofstadter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327787785s/582067.jpg|233538] for the "fairness of his scholarship... [with] a serious attempt to engage the arguments of the opponents and to acknowledge evidence that runs counter to one's own biases" (xvi). Jacoby then proceeds to write a polemic, employing frequent enormous assumptions about How The World And Humanity Work in the past or in the present that are occasionally just weird and without justification but there are a select few which are cringe-inducing from the vantage point of ten years in the future. The most frustrating problem for me though, was the framing of "junk science/thought" and "pseudoscience." She doesn't directly position them as diametric opposites of "real science/thought" until the conclusion, but the implications of essential purity of a scientific/intellectual culture are clear throughout. Jacoby dismisses Sandra Harding's work on the basis that it "attack[s] some of the most monumental fields of human endeavor as hopelessly tainted by the male lust for violence and domination," (230-231) which I am supposed to recognize as inherently ridiculous even though it is, in fact, a egregious misreading; Jacoby would do well to revisit strong objectivity. Likewise, Jacoby pooh-poohs the entire field of fat studies by pointing to a few books/articles/panels that appear to be messes, but we all know you can do that with every academic field under the sun, and I would argue that fat studies have been instrumental in working towards a more science-based approach to understanding (the inefficacy of and social preoccupation with) dieting and weight loss.
(In case you were curious, the word "Foucault" or any derivatives or associated concepts do not appear in the text; this is kind of cowardly on the part of the author. Jacoby doesn't mention social history either, but I think it's fair to assume she thinks it's debasing.)
Anyway I'm going to go read a book about the history of disco music now.
However, the whole experience of getting to the good stuff in this book was an exercise in patience with eyebrows permanently raised. In fact, I'm not sure who is the intended audience of this book, because I cannot think of a demographic where it would be safe to assume knowledge of Ned Rorem but would need the concept of a Beatles cover band explained to them. In the introduction, Jacoby praises Hofstadter's [b:Anti-Intellectualism in American Life|582067|Anti-Intellectualism in American Life|Richard Hofstadter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327787785s/582067.jpg|233538] for the "fairness of his scholarship... [with] a serious attempt to engage the arguments of the opponents and to acknowledge evidence that runs counter to one's own biases" (xvi). Jacoby then proceeds to write a polemic, employing frequent enormous assumptions about How The World And Humanity Work in the past or in the present that are occasionally just weird and without justification but there are a select few which are cringe-inducing from the vantage point of ten years in the future. The most frustrating problem for me though, was the framing of "junk science/thought" and "pseudoscience." She doesn't directly position them as diametric opposites of "real science/thought" until the conclusion, but the implications of essential purity of a scientific/intellectual culture are clear throughout. Jacoby dismisses Sandra Harding's work on the basis that it "attack[s] some of the most monumental fields of human endeavor as hopelessly tainted by the male lust for violence and domination," (230-231) which I am supposed to recognize as inherently ridiculous even though it is, in fact, a egregious misreading; Jacoby would do well to revisit strong objectivity. Likewise, Jacoby pooh-poohs the entire field of fat studies by pointing to a few books/articles/panels that appear to be messes, but we all know you can do that with every academic field under the sun, and I would argue that fat studies have been instrumental in working towards a more science-based approach to understanding (the inefficacy of and social preoccupation with) dieting and weight loss.
(In case you were curious, the word "Foucault" or any derivatives or associated concepts do not appear in the text; this is kind of cowardly on the part of the author. Jacoby doesn't mention social history either, but I think it's fair to assume she thinks it's debasing.)
Anyway I'm going to go read a book about the history of disco music now.
leannaaker's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book, which takes a detailed look at the dumbing down of America and how our society has come to devalue intellectualism. Jacoby looks at religion, distractionism, the nature of politics, TV culture, etc. I found the book a fascinating account of the historical changes that have lead us to this point, though I found myself wishing for a tighter tie-in to her thesis. Just felt like the individual chapters could have been woven better into the whole. I would recommend this for any discerning reader who might be looking for a historical take on why society is in the disturbing predicament it is.
thebradking's review against another edition
3.0
Susan Jacoby's book is at its best when she's weaving together her philosophical take on intellectualism and elitism with failings in modern education, American citizens, and public debate. Unfortunately, she sometimes falls into a sense of "days gone by," reminiscing about individual moments in history, e.g. Robert Kennedy announcing the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr, without convincingly connecting that moment to her thesis.
That Robert Kennedy uses a few lines of poetry in an extemporaneous speech hardly qualifies as proof of his intellectualism, any more than I using poetry from the likes of Robert Frost or Stephen Crane as a teacher proves my elitism. Still the book offers an interesting take on how relativism in education has helped usher in the age of pseudo-science, which in turn begets a dumbed-down public debate in America.
There's little chance that anyone reading the book will come away with an opinion, as Jacoby's take on religion, television, media, education, and politics are the foundation of the work. While some essays left me wanting the author to prove her point (she often argues with anecdote), each section forced me to consider where I stood on the issue of intellectualism in America.
That Robert Kennedy uses a few lines of poetry in an extemporaneous speech hardly qualifies as proof of his intellectualism, any more than I using poetry from the likes of Robert Frost or Stephen Crane as a teacher proves my elitism. Still the book offers an interesting take on how relativism in education has helped usher in the age of pseudo-science, which in turn begets a dumbed-down public debate in America.
There's little chance that anyone reading the book will come away with an opinion, as Jacoby's take on religion, television, media, education, and politics are the foundation of the work. While some essays left me wanting the author to prove her point (she often argues with anecdote), each section forced me to consider where I stood on the issue of intellectualism in America.
gigihotch's review against another edition
Couldn't finish this one. I'll try picking it up later!
sternjon's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best things I read last year -- an account of how smart became uncool and untrustworthy.
thbevilacqua's review against another edition
2.0
While there are certain aspects of the book that I disagreed with (even to a profound degree), overall I found Jacoby's book to be a thoughtful diagnosis of the issues in America regarding our lack of intellectual curiosity as well as the degree to which we have become conditioned to not trust those who present themselves as intellectuals. This book addresses a problem in American society that, sadly, persists to this day.