I continue to be perplexed as to why conservatives are so enraptured with Allan Bloom's Closing of the American Mind.
Simon and Schuster is now publishing a 25th anniversary edition of Bloom's book with an Afterword by Andrew Ferguson. Ferguson's Afterword has just been published in The Weekly Standard, the leading journal of neoconservative thought. The article can be found here.
Like many conservatives, Ferguson praises the book. But why would a conservative praise an author who is fervently devoted to Nietzschean nihilism?
In a previous post, I have pointed to some of the evidence of nihilism in Bloom's book. Is there any evidence that he learned this nihilism from his teacher--Leo Strauss?
1 comment:
Dr. Arnhart,
I think that any perplexity as to why conservatives are seemingly enraptured by Bloom's "Closing of the American Mind" disappears when one reflects that the conservative movement, as a whole, is hardly monolithic in ideological outlook. The "Closing" after all, was heavily criticized by conservatives who follow in the mold of Harry Jaffa.
Might it also be the case that the "Closing", despite its nihilist core, might have some use if only because Bloom's most basic critiques of higher education in America are roundly shared by conservatives of all stripes?
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