.jpg) Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Allan Bloom |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Higher education |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | February 1987[1][2] |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 392 |
| ISBN | 978-5-551-86868-2 |
| 378.0120973 | |
| LC Class | LA227.3 |
The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students is a 1987 book by the philosopher Allan Bloom, in which the author criticizes the openness of relativism, in academia and society in general, as leading paradoxically to the great closing referenced in the book's title. In Bloom's view, openness undermines critical thinking and eliminates the point of view that defines cultures. The book became an unexpected best seller, eventually selling close to half a million copies in hardback.
- ^ Adler 2016, p. 19.
- ^ Ferguson, Andrew (April 9, 2012). "The Book That Drove Them Crazy". The Weekly Standard. Vol. 17, no. 29. Washington: Clarity Media Group. pp. 28–33. ISSN 1083-3013. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2019.