The Age of American Unreason

Unlike other reviewers, I couldn't give a hoot if Jacoby is on the left or on the right of the political spectrum. Her book, in spite of the references to politics, transcends it and speaks to something much deeper in our culture. I love Jacoby's expressions "junk thought" and "the culture of distraction" because these expressions hit many nails on their heads. As an English professor, I can testify from my experience (although I don't have the exact data) that many students (except perhaps for English majors) don't read and no longer care to read. If they are asked to read in class, they feel as if they are asked to walk on hot coals: they can't figure out words that are more than a syllable long, they have difficulty managing complex or compound sentences, and they read mostly without intonation and emphasis. A book, in the English language, even a relatively easy one is Chinese to them. And that's where Jacoby's discussion on the culture of distraction is most relevant. Why can't college students read? Because they are constantly distracted by toys and blazing lights: video games, instant messaging, iPods, cell phones, iPhones, blogs, myspace, and of course tv. This is why, as Jacoby eloquently explains, "...the cognitive reward for the master of the game amounts to little more than an improved ability to navigate other, more complex video games." By contrast, after reading Anna Karenina, "the reader is left with an endless series of questions about the nature of betrayal, the sexual double standard, the compromises of marriage..."(252) etc., questions that help us understand ourselves and other human beings. So instead of engaging with others, the new young "distracted" generation is engaging with various screens, in isolation and ignorance of human feelings. What we are losing is what Einstein described as the most important emotion, "the emotion of the mysterious," which, he says, is at the cradle of all great art and science. Walk down the halls of any college or university nowadays (except for Ivy League schools) and look through the windows at students' expressios during class. Do you see interest? Do you see deep thought? Do you see wonder? Not generally so. Sometimes, yes. But in most students you see boredom and the expression that often transmits the message, "how do I get out of here fast enough with a good enough grade?" And if this is not a crisis, I don't know what is. We may be advancing toward the time when even college graduates won't be able to read a simple document, never mind a book. Who is to blame? Many. But the important thing is how to solve this problem. Technology is here to stay, of course, but how can we persuade the young that it must be balanced with discipline, hard work, wonder, and most importantly, learning? And how do we persuade them that learning is hard but as important as the oxygen we breathe? Perhaps Jacoby is right. We need a crusade. And I will be the first to join her if she starts one. S. Spilka

Susan Jacoby's newest book (she being the author also of among other tomes "Freethinkers") is very interesting, especially if you are of advanced years such as myself and share her historical perspective. She takes her inspiration from Richard Hofstadter's influential "Anti-intellectualism in American Life," but brings her own distinctive perspectives to bear. In brief, Jacob asks why has there been such a distinctive deline in America's formerly "vibrant and varied intellectual life," an essential element for democracy to function. Instead, we manifest a "denigration of fairness", anti-intellectualism, and a lack of patience with opposing viewpoints. Jacoby points to a number of contributing causes that have had their unfortunate impact over the period since the end of WWII. Among the leading "usual suspects" are television and other media, shortened attention spans, fundamentalist religion, local control of schools, pseudo-science and anti-rationalism, and a loss of love for the English language. The "Red Scare" and McCarthyism also took their toll, tar and feathering "eggheads" as being out of touch and snooty. A very fine chapter is devoted to the Middlebrow culture period, one I remember well growing up in the 1950's with the "Great Books," encyclopedias, and the Book-of-the-Month Club. Jacoby argues that the turmoil of the 1960's does not bear much of the blame for our intellectual decline, but she does zero in on what she terms the "culture of celebrity" and the youth culture. A principal Jacoby target is the "new old-time religion" which attacks science, argues the Bible is literally true, and has successfully linked up with political conservatives and Catholic right-wingers in an unholy alliance. Another excellent chapter is on "junk science," including intelligent design, "post-abortion syndrome," "recovered memories," fat studies, and single-sex education. A decline in scientific literacy makes us vulnerable to this pap the author suggests. Is this just ranting and raving?--if so, it is pretty interesting. Sure, Jacoby overstates her case in places, but nonetheless I found myself with 6 pages of notes after completing the book. One point that will cause disagreement is Jacoby's writing off of the internet and other electronic gizmos as devices which enhance our intellectual resources. I for one could not live with Google and am still amazed that I can get the answer to any question by pushing a button. Another quality publication by Berryville Graphics in Virginia. Unfortunately, the very folks who most need to read this book will deny themselves that opportunity, which is a pity.

This was, by far, one of the best works of non-fiction I have read in my lifetime. I have a hard time even beginning to describe all of the reasons I found this book so appealing. On the most basic level, it was very well written and researched. Simple things, such as the eloquent language of the author added to the work... and dare I say, for a person who feels well versed, I had to look up several words in the book. A fact which I loved because I was truly learning something from the author, a point I am sure she would appreciate. And the learning did not stop with the vocabulary. The history lessons she taught, many garnered from first hand accounts, went deep into a world hidden from normal minds. The term `intellectual' has received such disdain from the masses over the last century, that I have heard nothing about the true origins besides the negatives. On the other side, I also picked up insight on how many people found themselves believing much of the information spread. This book really allowed me to look at both sides from each point of view. As I followed the history, I slowly grasped the flow of society which led us to our current predicaments. As a person of only 31, I have been living through the gradual `dumbing down' of America since my birth. I lived with the hostility of having common sense at a young age. I have worked in offices that were no better then a sports bar when it came to conversation. I have seen the open hostility on the internet as `flame wars' erupt from both sides of an issue and I have wondered how my fellow humans could be making so many poor choices. In a sense, I have been isolated by the world. While this book allowed me to understand the how's and why's of a world going wrong, it did more then merely point out these flaws. It made me aware that these attacks against those seeking truth have been going on for as long as our country has been a nation (and probably since the dawn of mankind). I'm comforted in the knowledge that I am not alone in this mess. And, most importantly, this book impressed upon me that it is vital for all free thinkers and intellectuals to do even more to bring rational thought back to the table.

Although initially skeptical of the author's broad claims about anti-intellectualism and her numerous assertions, she won me over by the end of the book. How refreshing for someone to argue *for* intellectualism and reason, and to do so persuasively. Ms. Jacoby tells us there are historical roots to anti-intellectualism, and points to the markers in history. She then moves to the present state where the landscape is rather bleak. One reader suggests the book is thinly annotated and could be shorter. But her theme is broad and it's one that is perhaps difficult to show by empirical evidence. I read it more like a historical book, where the sources are generally more bibliographical in nature and one must rely in part on the soundness of the arguments presented. To this natural skeptic, her arguments stood up well. Readers are bound to find some claims, or maybe many, they disagree with. At the least, the author stimulates a great deal of thought. Those looking to weigh and measure the book on the conservative/liberal divide (as some apparently have), have probably missed the point of the book.

Susan Jacoby's beautifully written and convincingly argued book should be sine qua non reading for ALL parents, as well anyone who has anything to do with education. She clears away any doubts one might entertain about the benefits of even the most "educational" videos for young children, backing up her points with evidence from reliable sources. According to a recent study carried out by the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital, overexposure to videos like "Brainy Baby" may actually be impeding language development in babies. The book's acute analysis of political "communication" and media punditry should also be required reading for anyone who aspires to make an informed and wise choice in the crucial political battle currently being fought for the future of our nation. Her observations are all the more interesting in light of the current attack on "eloquence" in political speech--with its specious implication that one cannot be eloquent and effective simultaneously. There are purely intellectual pleasures as well to be had from Jacoby's wonderfully ambitious reach into American history. I particularly enjoyed her investigation of the idea that, from the very beginning, our democratic culture rested on a contradiction: [Jacoby, 37] "The health of democracy, as so many of the founders had proclaimed, depended on an educated citizenry, but many Americans also believed that too much learning might set one citizen above another and violate the very democratic ideals that education was supposed to foster." I particularly recommend the downloadable vodcast of Jacoby's interview with Bill Moyers [Feb. 15th] http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html . Given the very substantial interest the book has already sparked, there may be some hope for us yet.