THE CLOSING OF THE AMERICAN MIND

INTRODUCTION

- Optional: Background on Arnold Bloom

(Explain why he was able to come up with such philosophy)
- What is relativism in general? Cite specific or personal examples for easier
understanding.
- Introduce “The Closing of the American Mind”
o (Be able to contextualize; It was criticism of what particular group of
people? Of what time? Why was he able to come up with such
conclusions? *This is important since, in relativism, you are banking
on the argument that the people are a function of their society; focus
on music, maybe)

BODY

- What is the gist of the book: Briefly explain how he attacked relativism.
MAIN POINT.
- How did he explain relativism (Proceed with the details: Types of
relativism?) and/or in relation to OPENNESS
- What were his arguments? (Go through the main arguments per chapter.
Answer why he thinks relativism is that way *relate to main argument* but
focus on music)
- On Nihilism: discuss directly that the values of today doesn’t really have
values anymore.
- On University: discuss the argument in connection with the curriculum of
schools regarding with “great books” and “great authors”

CONCLUSION

- Summarize. Go back to main argument. Relate to MUSIC, BOOKS,

RELATIONSHIPS and with the curriculum.
THE CLOSING OF THE AMERICAN MIND:
How higher education has failed democracy and impoverished the souls of today’s students

“The substance of my being has been informed by the books I learned to care for.”

Bloom critiques the contemporary American university and how he sees it as failing its students,
criticizing modern movements in philosophy and the humanities.

“The real community of man in the midst of all the self-contradictory simulacra of community, is the
community of those who seek the truth, of the potential knowers, that is, in principle of all men to
extent they desire to know”

He also attacks the “moral relativism” that he claims has taken over American universities for the barrier
it constructs to the notion of TRUTH, CRITICAL THINKING, and GENUINE KNOWLEDGE.

Bloom claims that the students of the 1980s have prioritized the immediate, blind relegation of
prejudice as inferiority of thought, and therefore have “closed’ their mind.

TWO FORMS OF OPENNESS

a. Openness of Indifference
- this form of openness is of intellectual pride and the empowering feeling of
becoming whatever, you want to be. It effects by stunting students desire for
SELF – EXPLORATION by having all endeavors have the same value.
- this form also teaches LOOSE INTERPETATION of important documents.
- their self-doubt increases and their amour-propre (self-esteem) depending on
others actions towards them.

b. Openness of Knowledge
- this openness is encouraging to students giving them AMBITIONS to learn about
history and culture.
- activates their amour-soi (self-love) from within oneself and is independent of
what others think of them.
- it teaches a close interpretation of important documents.

“openness results in American conformism – out there in the rest of the world is a drab diversity that
teaches only the values are relative, whereas here we can create all the life-style we want. Our
openness means we do not need others, thus what is advertised as a great opening is a great closing. No
longer is there a hope that there are great wise men in other places and times who can reveal the truth
about life – except for the few remaining young people who look for a quick fix from a guru”
Bloom notes that “to be sure of yourself is to be ignorant”, and it means that you are closed minded and
you must have a democratic/open mind to everything.

STUDENTS

Bloom details how the young American mindset, the BOOKS, MUSIC, RELATIONSHIP, and other aspects
of American pop culture contribute to the sanctimony of what he perceives to be DULL, LAZY MINDS in
American universities today.
BOOKS

Bloom delves into what he believes is the “Great Books” dilemma. He believes that the “great books” of
Western thought have been devalued as a source of wisdom – but more importantly, that “our students
have lost the practice of and the taste of reading”.

Because of this, students are unable to derive their beliefs from EVIDENCE, CENTRAL TEXT, or any PRINT
SOURCE at all.

Bloom contends that without understanding of important older texts, modern students lack any
reference point with which they can critically think about or address current events. Students are
instead left with vague and abstract ideas of “GOOD” and “EVIL”.

MUSIC

Bloom notes that the “addiction to music” he observes in modern students is unparalleled and has been
for centuries. Fewer and fewer students have a surface level, let alone nuanced, understanding of
classical music, and that instead, “rock music is as unquestioned and un-problematic as the air the
students breathe. Pop music, he believes, employs sexual images and language to enthrall the young
and to persuade them that their petty rebelliousness is authentic politics.

Blooms conclusion about the effects of music on education is that the oversexualization in the 20th
century makes it very difficult for students to have a passionate relationship with the substance of
liberal education. Students no longer seek pleasure from the pursuit of learning.

RELATIONSHIP

Because of the relationships students have with POPULAR CULTURE, their FAMILY, and PEERS, they no
longer come to university asking questions, seeking instruction or with imagination.

Issues on Relationship

Self-Centeredness: Students are pushed to be individuals and become unique, not some sheep in the
crowd that has no aspect of difference from other people. Students are told they can be whatever they
want to be, thus allowing them to decide their own fate and have a sense of value over their actions and
goals.

Equality: This idea ruins a student’s idea of the differences that lead to development and growth. The
idea of making all equal in all ways goes against Bloom’s idea.

Race: Bloom’s idea of affirmative action state: “Those who are good students fear that they are equated
with those who are not, that their hard-won credentials are not credible.”

Sex: Bloom recognizes this as a fulfilling of physical desire/needs. It is safer to let urges flow freely than
holding them reserved and risking rebellion.
Separateness: The breakdown of the family is made possible by individualism.
Divorce: Everyone loves themselves most but want others to love them more than they love themselves.
“To children, the voluntary separation of seems worse than their death precisely because it is voluntary,
children do not realize that parents have the right to their own lives; they think they have a right to total
attention and they believe their parents must live for them.

Love: This goes against the value of youths. Youths do not want to embrace love as a binding contact in
a relationship. The idea of making life-changing situations goes against the young spirit. Although, love is
an urge of security and comes from a fear of being hurt.

Eros: “The eroticism of our students is lame. It is not divine madness as Socrates praise.”

NIHILISM

Philosophical viewpoint that suggests the denial or lack of belief towards the reputedly meaningful
aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism, which argues
that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value.

Students follow the path of last resistance when developing their values. For students, Bloom writes
“values are not discovered by reason, and it is fruitless to seek them, to find the truth or the good life.”
Ironically, when travelling this path without reason, Bloom opines, students still “adopt strong poses and
fanatic resolutions.”

THE UNIVERSITY

The greatest observation of Bloom is the evolution of reasons for attending education institutions. He
noted in Lincoln’s time that students went to seek KNOWLEDGE, rather than what students do today to
guarantee a successful career. He also criticizes schools because everything learned in classes today is
memorized for a standardized test and then forgotten to make room for the next course’s requirements.
Instead of students pursuing knowledge they desire, the knowledge is planned out for them with little
say in what the students actually wants to learn.

For Bloom, true education comes from contemplating the questions the great philosophers asked, “Who
am I?” and What is Man?”. Bloom feels that by making study of philosophy optional and not mandatory,
universities have lost an important aspect of what made them great. He feels that by studying and
learning to ask questions, students today can open their minds. By learning simply what we need to
know for our future careers, we are closing our minds. Students today struggle with the philosophical
question of life but rather accept scientific answers as truth. He concludes by reminding students that
the love of wisdom and truth must be kept alive in universities.

Bloom suggest that one way of re-invigorating the college curriculum is by adding back a study of Great
Books and classical authors whose books fell into disuse. With this kind of refocusing of educational
resources and redirection of college students, he expects students will come to understand that before
one can really experience the thrill of liberation, one has to have something to really believe in.
That experience of really believing can come whenever students fully study classical authors in their
original works, and, after fully believing in what they’ve read, learn to question and evaluate the beliefs
of those original authors held as self-evident to them. Until we and our students do that for ourselves.