The American Mind, Shifts in Pedagogy a Critique of Harold bloom

1.           “The American Mind, Shifts in Pedagogy; a Critique of Harold Bloom”

By Robben Wainer

         Allan Bloom's “The Closing of the American Mind” is his inquiry into what has transgressed among academic intellectuals from the classical period up until the twentieth century. He depicts all intelligence as being formed by knowledge and reason. Of which he states dates back to the classical thought to “know thy self”. In his review he is making the point that this philosophical thought lacks unity among academic scholars today. He points to different periods of philosophical periods such as the Enlightenment, and the Romantic period, as he states that by the time Freud and Marx have come into fruition the emphasis on the working class as a form of state governance, and the school of thought that depicts all intelligence as coming from within a psychological depth, is in contrast to the humanitarian frame work set by Classical Philosophers. This contrast he asserts creates a disunity, among academic scholars that shows no autonomy, or agreed upon school of knowledge and reason. Therefore, those questions which need to be asked to understand what is right for people are lacking in a foundation.

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        Bloom asserts that by the Twentieth Century we have contradicting arguments and constructs of knowledge of disunity in the American mind from believing what is right for them. Bloom states that the Humanitarian Philosophers such as Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau made it clear that knowledge could be attained by faith, and belief in working through cause and effect to have knowledge of the soul. He shows a contrast to the Classical period when values in education were emerging, and the great thinkers such as Plato, Socrates and Aristotle felt that self inquiry could bestow upon us a wealth of knowledge of reason. The distinction he points to between those periods, and what happens by the twentieth century, is that political values that lead to a dis empowerment of the clergy and the aristocracy, undermine what those thinkers deemed as appropriate judgment. Whereby, the political movement would argue all schools of the intellect in favor of the conditions, are suitable for working conditions.

          Bloom says in his description of the self that “Allan Bloom, 1987,” The Closing of The American Mind.” Touchstone Press. NY. NY.” ” We are suffering from a three hundred year long identity crisis. We go back,and back, ever farther, hunting the self as it retreats into the forest. “ In this comment he is suggesting that the only way to rise above the contradictions of civil pursuits is to retreat back to schools of knowledge and reason that date back to antiquity. In today's world, as Bloom believes scholars are unable to agree upon virtue and vice, faith and belief, and those elements of knowledge, and reason that might attribute to the conquest of will, soul searching, and an inquiry into self knowledge.

           I do not agree with Blooms assertion that scholars have lost their way due to contradicting statements in values. Bloom describes our cultural frame work by stating, “Culture is the unity of man's brutish nature, and all the arts and sciences he acquired from the state of nature to civil society. Culture restores the lost wholeness of first man on a higher level, where his faculties can be fully developed without contradiction between the desire of nature and the moral imperatives of his social life.” Here I feel Bloom is making a medieval point about the nature of how we understand.virtue and vice, as he develops these points to show how schools of thought since the twentieth century have sought a more productive means of emotional, and moral support, that do not achieve the goals of education.

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The Closing of The American Minds is an attempt to show how free thinkers have served to create a digression from the varying focus of today's political climate, and how academic education suffers, since rather than a melting pot what we have is an unstable thought provoking battle among scholars to show that their knowledge, and reasoning is based on sound values, ethics and judgments. However little is said about individual authority, and how the contrast between Democracies and Marxism help to establish a self governing discipline in relation to the values of education. He says nothing about the grace in which American students fall from, that can demonstrate how knowledge, and reasoning is indeed based on faith and belief.

Allan Bloom implies that the cause of academic failure in America is due to the fact that the schools of thought lack a structure for which they can base the logic of those values that attribute to human nature. I disagree with Bloom's point that differing philosophies must be in agreement for an educational system to work. I make the point that education teaches it's student that they can cultivate, and enrich their minds by developing perspectives that are based on human nature. Yet, I agree that by the twentieth century this assessment of moral ethics, and judgments carried out in the study of philosophy has reached such a peek that it is not uncommon to speak out in relation to the validity, and proofs cast out by our great thinkers to show a dis-harmony, and dis-credit in assertion of what we understand are the principles of human nature.

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I would like to comment on this climax of assertions of sound knowledge and reasoning that we find as Bloom states may lead one to confusion about their own interpretation of evidence that states that by the twenty first century considering the advance of educational skills. This argument while it makes sense from a historical point has in no way denied the scholar from achieving his assertion of values based on the revolutionized system from which we can communicate, and gather information. It may be that these philosophers that were so critical to Western Philosophy will have emerged in a time, and place that was very critical in relation to personal intellectualism. It maybe they still have a place among the moral undertone for which we base our understanding of knowledge and reason. Yet we all witness that by the twenty first century this perspective has broadened in depth of what we view to be human nature that it is safe to say we are developing skills to be applied to our own way of life in the modern world. Whereas this reliance on understanding in what exactly is knowledge that is based on human nature is vastly spoken about, and referenced by the twenty first century.

Bloom is speaking about this dis-unity among American schools of reasoning to credit the failure of academic intent to a gross manipulation of evidence brought on by intellectuals. I believe it is the sub-cultures of the American population that would rebel against all claims of the intellect that set themselves at a disadvantage in furthering their own educational needs. The resilience to any political system, and the resilience to any school of knowledge has been vastly represented by a sub culture that aims to revolutionize our principles based on judgment, yet they have cast themselves at a disadvantage in our society by severing the links that would be better suited for their application of reasoning, and skills. To isolate the question of academic failure in America in the twentieth century I believe it had more to do with the motivational elements that contribute to an assessment of self knowledge, and

inquiry as the proper use of the will, but I don't agree that the goals of education led by academics had somehow been corrupt by a confusion of what is a justified understanding of the developments of human nature.

           The question I am left with by the end of “The Closing of The American Mind' is can we as 5. 5.

scholars afford to take our focus off educational aims as we proceed into great social communications system that seem perfect for understanding of motivational theories. The answer to this point I feel is no, that we should let relative academics of the past stand as sufficient, for understanding that even as psychology frames our cognitive knowledge, we must further develop the results, and outcomes that we receive in the present day to help others achieve their goals, in a way that is educational and based on our knowledge of self-inquiry.

           In all fairness to my criticism of Bloom, His argument that Twentieth century Philosophy served as a climax for how we may approach questions of self inquiry, is a good one. Yet in view of the developing transitions one makes within a communications network. I believe it is safe to say this climax may prove to demonstrate that while the possibilities are endless, it is not beyond the moral scope of academics, to show harmony in the pursuit of human nature, considering that great adaptable resources for viewing our roles in society in relation to what we understand is carried out with sound reasoning. I believe there is evidence for his argument, but Bloom fails to recognize how communications system while it is still developing. I believe that it is our responsibility to create from our valuable resource a sense of understanding that is greatly inclusive of all those who wish to serve their own needs by furthering their education in the way of the world.

Bibliography:

1. Allan Bloom, 1987. “The Closing of the American Mind.” Touchstone Press, N.Y. N.Y.

2. Robert D Heslep, 2002. “The Closing of the American Mind; How Higher Education has Failed Democracy, and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students.” Philosophy of Education. University of Georgia.

3. Anthony Earls, 2012. “Blooms Lament for Americas Higher Education.” Journal of Thought. University of Nebraska