DOCSLIB.ORG

Remembering Allan Bloom

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Remembering Allan Bloom FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF Remembering Allan Bloom Herbert London I first met Allan Bloom after the publication and startling success of The Closing of the American Mind. His candor was both amusing and disarming. He said that the first time he called the office of his publisher, Simon and Schuster, the secretary inquired, "Allan who?" When his book made the bestseller list, every time he called he was immediately connected with a senior editor. When the book reached number one, the president of the company answered his calls. After it remained at the top for several months, the chairman of the parent company, Gulf and Western, called him. When the book finally fell from the bestseller list Allan had occasion to call the company only to be connected with the secretary he spoke to originally. After listening to his message, she asked, "Allan who?" Allan was always entertaining. At several social events we both attended, he was the center of attention. Like Paul Heinreid in a scene with Bette Davis, he would drag on his cigarette before delivering his epigrammatic punch line. It was hard for me to believe that this gifted storyteller could become the b~te noire of academic circles. With the publication of The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students, Bloom became the scholar university officials loved to hate. He's an "elitist," said one president of a major eastern university. That fatuous charge fails to distinguish democratic elitism from antidemocratic elitism. Rigorous stand- ards of the kind advocated by Bloom enable newcomers to achieve success by work that benefits all of society, whereas lack of standards permits existing elites to entrench, securing privileges no longer earned. The latter readily adopt the rhetoric of radical egalitarianism, which disguises their true motives, even from themselves. Whenever a commencement address derided Bloom's critique of higher education, in what I called Bloom-bashing, I found myself marveling at the extent to which radical egalitarianism has insinuated itself into higher education. Although Bloom's book was embraced by conservatives, he was uncomfort- able with that political label. He was a scholar whose translations of and In addition to being editor in chief ofAcadem/c Quest/0m and chairman of the National Assodation of Scholars, Herbert London is John M. Olin University Professor of Humanities at New York University, New York, NY 10003. From the Editor's Desk 11 commentary on Plato's Republ/c and Rousseau's t~mile have had enormous influence. He was broadly cultured and entirely at ease not only with the philosophical classics but Mozart's symphonies and Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. Most of all, he was an inspiring teacher. He was not immersed in the world of politics. Perhaps that explains why he was surprised by the vitriol poured on his work. Bloom answered his cridcs with an essay addressing their concerns, but remained baffled by his book's commercial success and the generally negative academic reviews it received. On one occasion, he asked me to speculate on the reason for the book's success. I argued that many middle-class parents spend $25,000 a year only to hear their children speak in a form of psychobab- ble, describe them as hopeless pawns of bourgeois culture, and denounce this democratic polity. "It is therefore not surprising that they would invest $20 in your book to discover why they are wasting $25,000." Bloom looked at me with a wry smile and simply nodded approvingly. When I saw Allan at a conference in Washington a few years ago, he thanked me for my defense of his thesis. I noted then, as I have since, that his book was one of the most important written in the past two decades. It set the stage for the parodies of political correctness that appeared later and made legiti- mate an examination of the radical sensibility now reigning on American campuses. There have been notable books written on higher education in the past few years, including those by Peter Shaw, Dinesh D'Souza, Charles Sykes, and Roger Kimball. These authors and all the others who have written about higher education work in the shadow cast by Allan Bloom and his extraordi- nary book. Until the university changes its direction, The Closing of the American Mind will stand as the most powerful excursion into the byways of the modern university. Allan Bloom died last fall. He set the standard by which the university will be measured. Anyone who talks seriously about higher education today cannot ignore his comments. He inspired, he challenged, and he attacked. He was our Socrates on a journey from Cornell to Chicago, from anonymity to fame and back again, from the halls of ivy to the caverns of publishing. He jolted the academy out of complacency, and for that alone he will be remem- bered and sorely missed. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Nietzsche's Early Political Thinking II: “The Greek State” Timothy H. Wilson
    ISSN 1393-614X Minerva - An Internet Journal of Philosophy 17 (2013): 171-216 ____________________________________________________ Nietzsche’s Early Political Thinking II: “The Greek State” Timothy H. Wilson Abstract This paper uses an extended discussion of Nietzsche’s essay “The Greek State” to uncover the political aspects of his early thinking. The paper builds on a similar discussion of another essay from the same period, “Homer on Competition,” in arguing that Nietzsche’s thinking is based on a confrontation with the work of Plato. It is argued that the key to understanding “The Greek State” is seeing it, in its entirety, as an enigmatic interpretation and re-writing of Plato’s Republic. Nietzsche interprets the Republic as Plato’s accomplishment of the task of the genuine philosopher: the legislation of values and the moulding of human character. As a birthday gift to Cosima Wagner in December 1872, Nietzsche sent a carefully crafted, leather-bound manuscript in his best handwriting; the manuscript was entitled Five Prefaces to Five Unwritten Books. Although this work has not received wide attention within Nietzsche scholarship, two of the essays in that volume, “Homer on Competition” and “The Greek State,” give us an insightful summary of Nietzsche’s early political thinking. “Homer on Competition” presents Nietzsche’s understanding of the nature of existence as strife, while “The Greek State” presents Nietzsche’s understanding of how this natural strife unfolds itself in human institutions and regimes. The essays, then, provide the early Nietzsche’s most thoughtful articulation of the relation between nature and culture or convention – phusis and nomos – the distinction which lies at the very roots of Western political philosophy.
    [Show full text]
  • The Political Views and Political Legacies
    Philosophical Radicals and Political Conservatives: The Political Views and Legacies of Eric Voegelin and Leo Strauss Remarks by Robert P. Kraynak, Colgate University APSA Panel, “Roundtable on Strauss and Voegelin” September 4, 2010 at 4:15pm, Washington, D. C. I. Introduction: Voegelin and Strauss were scholars in the field of political philosophy, yet they did not have an explicit political teaching. They wrote books about the great political philosophers of the past in order to learn lessons that might become living truths for today. But they did not write political treatises, defending a political ideology, for example, conservatism or liberalism, or a specific regime, such as liberal democracy or ancient Sparta or constitutional monarchy. Aside from early writings or occasional statements, their books do not contain a specific political doctrine.1 Nevertheless, their approach to philosophy is essentially “political” (rather than metaphysical or epistemological or ethical in the narrow sense). And they are widely regarded today as “conservatives,” with students and followers who are prominent conservatives of one kind or another. For example, Voegelin‟s legacy is carried on by scholars such as, John Hallowell, Ellis Sandoz, and David Walsh who defend the religious basis of the American founding and the Christian basis of liberal democracy. Strauss‟s legacy is carried on by a variety of followers – by Jaffaites defending the natural rights doctrine of the Declaration and Lincoln, by Mansfield defending the Aristotelian basis of politics,
    [Show full text]
  • Allan Bloom on Jane Austen and Aristotelian Ethics Mary Beth Garbitelli & Douglas Kries
    Virtue and Romance: Allan Bloom on Jane Austen and Aristotelian Ethics Mary Beth Garbitelli & Douglas Kries ithin Allan Bloom’s last book, Love mized; the rural is superior to the urban; Wand Friendship, stands a chapter on sentiment tends to be predominant. What Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.1 The chap- is perhaps unexpected, though, is Bloom’s ter is short—just over seventeen pages in insistence on “Austen’s classical prefer- length—but that it exists at all in a volume ences,” on her appearance “as a partisan of that features Plato and Rousseau may be Aristotelian rationalism against the domi- surprising to many. Nevertheless, Bloom nant principles of modernity,” and on her offers an incisive if unorthodox interpreta- desire “to celebrate classical friendship as tion of Austen’s novel, ultimately suggest- the core of romantic love.”2 ing that Austen advances a position that Without claiming that Austen actually features a unique combination of mod- read Aristotle, we may accept and even ern romantic love and ancient friendship. extend Bloom’s claim that there is a strong That the translator of Emile sees echoes of Aristotelian element in her work. Indeed, modern romanticism in Austen’s books is Bloom attributes to Austen a unique and hardly to be wondered at, for her works daring synthesis between modern mar- display many themes that are reminiscent riage and classical friendship, but does not of Rousseau: marriage is the foundation think that her attempt to reconcile these of society and, for most, the source of elements wholly succeeds. Nevertheless, meaning and purpose in life; social barri- his refutation does not take into account ers such as class often present themselves as that Austen has anticipated and answered unjust obstacles to romantic desire; chas- his objections in her fi ction.
    [Show full text]
  • Was Leo Strauss a Zetetic Political Philosopher?
    Harald Bluhm WasLeo Strauss aZetetic Political Philosopher? I In recent years, the ideas of Leo Strauss have receivedagreat deal of attention. They have alsobeen asourceofcontroversy.Strauss’sconcept of political philosophyand his interpretationofcanonicalphilosophical texts gained influenceinthe 1950s with the emergenceofthe Straussianschool and spread over the following decade as for- mer studentstook teaching jobs at major Americanuniversities. Several years after Strauss’sdeath in 1973,the academic writingsofhis disciples triggered the first wave of Straussianism. The wave’sswell was amplified by the entry of Straussians into top-level government circlesduringthe first Reagan administration, where they served as political advisors, particularlyinthe State Department.In1987, Straussianism became known to the wider public through TheClosing of the Ameri- can Mind,the best-selling work by Allan Bloom, Strauss’smostillustrious student.¹ As surprising as this public resonancewas, Strauss’steachings would rise to even greater prominencetwo decades later duringthe heated debate about the pivotal role Straussians were alleged to have playedinGeorgeW.Bush’sdecision to invade Iraq. Amid the ongoing disputes between Straussians, their opponents, and some more measured voices,contemporary scholars have begun to take acloser lookat Strauss’spolitical philosophy. Volumes such as TheCambridge Companion to Leo Strauss (2009) and Brill’sCompanion to Leo Strauss’ Writings on Classical Political Thought (2015) have since secured Strauss aplace in the academic pantheon. ‘Among the great philosophersofthe twentieth century,’ Heinrich Meier,aleading interpreter and the editor of Strauss’scollected works in German, wrotein2014, ‘po- litical philosophyhad onlyone advocate.’² Whether this assessment of Strauss is jus- tified—and whether his political philosophyisamere product of idiosyncratic read- ingsofother philosophers—will not be discussed here.
    [Show full text]
  • Nietzsche and the Politics of Perspectivism
    NIETZSCHE AND THE POLITICS OF PERSPECTIVISM Government 396/696.003 Professor Borden Flanagan The American University Office: Ward 220 Fall 06 Phone: 885-6258 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:20-12:30; Tu-Fri 12:45-2 There is perhaps no philosopher who has exerted as profound an influence on contemporary thought as has Friedrich Nietzsche. He may properly be considered to be the philosopher of the twentieth century, and, to the extent our thought continues in its current trajectory, the twenty-first. Even as the thought of Marx rose to be the official armature of vast despotisms its intellectual vigor began a long downward march, so that, remarkably, thinking persons on the left found it necessary to look to Nietzsche, or to Nietzsche's follower Heidegger (both men of the radical right), as sources of philosophic vitality. Marx is very important to contemporary thought, but primarily as a Nietzscheanized version. Nietzsche is the common source of post-structural political, social, feminist, and literary theory. These later modes of thought may vary in seriousness and rigor. For all movements in thought there is a hard core and a flabby periphery, and the originators are, because of their originality, often forced to articulate and defend their positions more thoroughly than those who, coming later, are able to inherit a position without needing to search it to its depth. It is especially useful, then, for those who wish to understand contemporary postmodernism and to evaluate its various schools, to understand the central arguments of the thinker who inspired it.
    [Show full text]
  • Nietzsche on Truth and Power
    University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies Legacy Theses 1999 To love a tainted world: Nietzsche on truth and power Roach, Robert Roach, R. (1999). To love a tainted world: Nietzsche on truth and power (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/17950 http://hdl.handle.net/1880/25267 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY To Love a Tainted World: Nietzsche on Truth and Power by Robert Roach A THESIS SUBMl7TED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE CALGARY, ALBERTA OCTOBER, t 999 O Robert Roach 1999 National Library Biblioth&que nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services sewices bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington OtEawaON KtAON4 Ottawa ON Kt A ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant a la National L&rary of Canada to Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distriiute or sell reproduire, prEter, di~mbuerou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats.
    [Show full text]
  • Leo Strauss-Man of War? Straussianism, Iraq and the Neocons
    NOTE TO PARTICIPANTS IN CONFERENCE ON LEO STRAUSS, UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM, MARCH 27-28, 2006. The long essay below is the core of a short monograph I am writing on Leo Strauss; the final version will also include extended discussions of Strauss on Machiavelli and Nietzsche, and of the relationship of “Straussianism” and especially Allan Bloom to Strauss’s thought. Rob Howse “In some cases . ideologies are known to have been originated by outstanding men. In such cases it becomes necessary to consider whether and how the ideology as conceived by the originator was modified by the adherents. For precisely if only the crude understanding of ideologies can be politically effective, it is necessary to grasp the characteristics of this crudity: . .”—Leo Strauss LEO STRAUSS-MAN OF WAR? STRAUSSIANISM, IRAQ AND THE NEOCONS Robert Howse1 Alene and Allan F. Smith Professor of Law University of Michigan Law School [email protected] FIRST DRAFT: CITATIONS INCOMPLETE, COMMENTS WELCOME 1 I am grateful to Peter Berkowitz, Tod Lindberg, Harvey C. Mansfield Jr., Nasser Behnegar, Jan-Werner Mueller, Kalypso Nicolaidis, Anne Norton, Tracy Strong, among others, for conversations about Leo Strauss or reactions to my previous writing on Strauss and/or Schmitt and Kojeve . Some of the ideas in this paper on Strauss’ relation to Kojeve and Schmitt were developed in my lectures on Kojeve as a visiting professor in the fall of 2005 at the University of Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne). My thanks to Emmanuelle Jouannet for encouraging me to present Kojeve’s thought to this audience; in Paris, I also have learned much from my discussion with Corine Pelluchon, whose recent book on Strauss is probably the best overall treatment of his thought yet published.
    [Show full text]
  • Allan Bloom, the Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed of All, a Pa' Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students
    86 BOOK REVIEWS intellectual [For this issue, we received two reviews of Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American among the Mind. Because this book has provoked so much controversy, and because the review­ travagance ~ ers take differing positions, we decided to print both submissions. Ed.] scholarly ae< Emile, speak dent throu§ Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed of all, a pa' Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students. Foreword by Saul Bellow. Movingly New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987. must feel w tion from al How can you explain the astonishing sales of this book? Allan Bloom has made land, where an unpopular and scandalizing charge. It is that a Socratic self-examination of college the youth, 1 educators and students would uncover a collective intellectual and moral sloth. This discover th< sin is evident in that, doubting and even denying that any truth can be known in the child w studying the great questions of man, nature and God, and the good, the true and do in fact w the beautiful, we have stopped asking the questions. For few seriously will ask whether can have an formal education should be judged by students' mastery of a predetermined set of a heart. "[1 books, those which are Great Books because they treat the great questions. Still less likely are we to expect students to acquire a certain body of truths about such things. he should st We attach as little moral significance to education as to our own democratic values.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to the Reading of Hegel
    INTRODUCNONTO THE READINGOF FIEGEL LECTURESON THE PHENOMENOTOGYOF SPIRIT ALEXAI{DREKOIEVE of hisinsight into Hegel's Phcnomcnologr ol Spirit. illoreimportant, for Kojive was above all a philosopherand not an ide- ologue,this profound and venturesome work on Hegelwill expose the readersto theexcitement of discovering a great mind in all itsforce and power. AlexandreKojlve was born in Russiaand educated in Berlin. After WorldlVar ll heworked in theFrench Ministry of EconomicAffairs as one of thechief planners lor theCommon Market while also continuing his philosophicalpursuits. AllanBloom is Professorof the Committee onSocial Thought atthe Uni- vasityof Chicago.He is theeditor of Politicsend thc futs: Lcttc to I. Ufhr$cdon thc Thcalre, byJeanJacques Rousseau. ANAGORA PAPERBACK EDMOil GE]{ERALEDTTOR: ALLAI{ BLOOil Ildlcyrl PolltlcalPhilosophy, edited by RatphLemer and Muhsin MaMi FolltlF lnd the Ails, byJean-Jacques Rousseau On Tynnny, by LeoStraus COflIIEIIPAPERBACfiS rsaN n_Anl,q_9e03_3 CORlIELTUilIVERSITY PRESS ('1t,''L"y l( ot' ff"'-, "I f'p,,,1 Agora Paperbatk Editions GENERAL EDITOR: ALLAN BLOOM Introduction to tbe Readingof Hegel Agora Paperb ack Editions GENuner,Eprron: Ar,leN Bloou Plato'sDiahgue on Frimdsbip: An lnterpretatianof tbeLysis, with a Nnl Tians- htion,by David Bolotin Introhution n rte Readingof Hegel:Lecttres on rle Phenomenologyof Spirig by AlexandreKojive MedieaalPolitical Pbilosophy, edited by Ralph Lerner and Muhsin Mahdi Tbe Rootsof PoliticalPbilosophy: Tbn Forgonm Soratic Diahguu, by Thomas L. Pangle Polititsand the Arts,byJeatJacques Rousseau INTRODUCTION TO THE READING OF Htr,GE[- BY ALExANDRE KoJbvB LECTURES ON THE Pbenomenologyof Spirit ASSEMBLED BY RAYMOND QUENEAU Editedby Allan Bloom Translatedfrom tbe French by JamesH. Nichols,lr. Cornell (Jniaersitjt Press ITHACA AND LONDON Copyright @ 1969by BasicBooks, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • European Studies As Answer to Allan Bloom's" the Closing of The
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 317 451 SO 020 582 AUTHOR Macdonald, Michael H. TITLE European Studies as Answer to Allan Bloom's "The Closing of the American Mind." PUB DATE Jan 90 NOTE 14p. PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) -- Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Christianity; Cultural Influences; *European History; French Literature; Greek Civilization; Higher Education; Intellectual History; Music; *Philosophy; Social History; *Western Civilization IDENTIFIERS Bloom (Allan); Europe (West); *European Studies; Roman Civilization ABSTRACT European studies can provide a solution to several of the issues raised in Allan Bloom's "The Closing of the American Mind." European studies pursue the academic quest for what is truth, what is goodness, and what is beauty. In seeking to answer these questions, the Greeks were among the first to explore many of humanity's problems and their legacy had an impact on democracy and the disciplines of history and philosophy. The Romans were heavily influenced by the Greeks but passed on their own contributions to law, government, language, and literature. The English also made significant contributions to these same areas. The most notable French contributions include the writings of Montaigne, Pascal, Moliere, Rousseau, Sartre, and Camus. German influence is seen in music, with great composers such as Bach and Beethoven offering outstanding contributions. Christian orthodoxy also has been a significant force in European culture. Contributions of Thomas Aquinas and Martin Luther show major impacts on the development of religion in Europe. European studies can and should be used as a key component of the search for truth, goodness, and beauty.
    [Show full text]
  • Nihilism and the Neoconservatives: Allan Bloom's Encounter with the American Intellectual Right
    Nihilism and the Neoconservatives: Allan Bloom's Encounter with the American Intellectual Right Jake Hamburger Undergraduate Thesis Department of History Columbia University 3 April 2015 14,244 Words Table of Contents Introduction: The Philosopher and the 1 Intellectual I. Nihilism and the New American 7 Conservatism II. The Making of a Movement and the 19 Closing of the American Mind III. Reagan's Intellectuals and Bloom's 31 Culture Wars IV. Political Correctness and the Rhetoric of 39 Postmodernism Conclusion: The Closing of the 52 Neoconservative Mind? Bibliography 55 Introduction: The Philosopher and the Intellectual The philosophers' teaching, even when it has a political cast, could never be implemented directly or 'immediately.' One might therefore view it as by definition inapplicable.... But 'intellectual mediators' have always taken hold of it and confronted it with contemporary reality by trying to discover or to construct a bridge between the two.... Sooner or later some tyrant always sought guidance in his day-to-day actions from the usable (oral or written) advice issuing from these 'mediators.' – Alexandre Kojève1 Though Allan Bloom may not have had the presumption to include himself among the philosophers, he certainly would have rejected being called an “intellectual” in the sense meant by his former teacher Alexandre Kojève. Bloom preferred to follow the example of his other lifelong teacher Leo Strauss, for whom the proper “mediation” between philosophy and contemporary life took place most directly not through engagement with the politics of the present, but rather through the careful study and teaching of the greatest thinkers of the past.
    [Show full text]
  • BA Thesis.Pdf (241.9Kb)
    The Politics of Performance Music’s Political Utility in the Writing of Plato, Aristotle and Nietzsche A Senior Honors Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for graduation with research distinction in Political Science in the undergraduate colleges of The Ohio State University by Leah K. Batstone The Ohio State University June 2011 Project Advisor: Professor Eric MacGilvray, Department of Political Science Batstone 2 While music is a consistently present and important part of most people’s lives in some way or another, it seems its importance is often overlooked when we consider the composition and meaning of our existence.1 Yet discussions of music can be found at the center of the major works of political philosophers, including Plato, Aristotle, and Friedrich Nietzsche. In the writing of these three authors, music plays an important, even central, role in how we connect with the experiences of others and evaluate our own existence. As a result, I believe a discussion of this role is important to the larger social and political discourse. For each of these authors, music has the ability to alter, for better and worse, our relationship to the world around us and our interaction with others. For all three authors, this debate centers on a discussion of Greek tragic drama. The power of Greek drama is difficult to segregate from its musical elements, particularly the chorus. Although tragic drama combines visual and poetic elements with the musical, the powerful influence of its content rests largely on the effects created by the music. For Plato, discussions of music’s potential and the role of tragic drama take place most notably in the Republic.
    [Show full text]