Thursday, September 16, 2004
Bloom and Malkin
Great writers transcend their times. It may be early to place Allan Bloom in this category, but his 80’s bestseller The Closing of the American Mind still speaks to us today. Fortunately, Michelle Malkin is bearing the brunt of his thesis.
Bloom’s book is a self-contained liberal arts education. And within its broad scope he makes a comparison between the atmosphere on the campuses of U.S. universities in the 1960s and the atmosphere on the campuses of German universities in the 1930s. Philosophically both eras manipulated Nietzsche’s writings. Radical 60s professors, such as Marcuse, even drew intellectual power from the radical theorists of Germany’s philosophy specifically Heidegger. Their radical nihilism was used to discredit the logic of their adversaries by questioning motives not by questioning premises. The tactics of Nazi Brown Shirts who burned books were replicated by the Black Power take over of university buildings. Many Ivy League professors, including Bloom, fled to Canadian campuses to teach in a more even handed environment. In both eras radicals created an atmosphere that silenced dissent with the threat, and reality, of violence.
Malkin has given us a new thesis that challenges an idea that most thought uncontroversial. In her new book, and in syndicated columns, she has argued that the Internment of U.S. citizens in World War II were justified. This, needless to say, causes controversy. But when she goes to a university to speak in an open forum, in this instance at U.C. Berkeley (http://users.lmi.net/zombie/malkin/), she is not just met with vigorous debate. She is shouted down by radical protesters. Their goal is not the refutation of an argument; their goal is the silence of debate. Bloom’s analysis remains valid.
But Malkin is strong enough to stand up to the radicals. And she continues to speak. Hopefully honorable adversaries will argue with her points. In the face of threats to academic freedom the scholar’s responsibility to the truth is doubled. Malkin is owed our gratitude for reminding us of this duty.
The Closing of the American Mind on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671657151/qid=1095347504/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-6410822-1493430?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
Bloom’s book is a self-contained liberal arts education. And within its broad scope he makes a comparison between the atmosphere on the campuses of U.S. universities in the 1960s and the atmosphere on the campuses of German universities in the 1930s. Philosophically both eras manipulated Nietzsche’s writings. Radical 60s professors, such as Marcuse, even drew intellectual power from the radical theorists of Germany’s philosophy specifically Heidegger. Their radical nihilism was used to discredit the logic of their adversaries by questioning motives not by questioning premises. The tactics of Nazi Brown Shirts who burned books were replicated by the Black Power take over of university buildings. Many Ivy League professors, including Bloom, fled to Canadian campuses to teach in a more even handed environment. In both eras radicals created an atmosphere that silenced dissent with the threat, and reality, of violence.
Malkin has given us a new thesis that challenges an idea that most thought uncontroversial. In her new book, and in syndicated columns, she has argued that the Internment of U.S. citizens in World War II were justified. This, needless to say, causes controversy. But when she goes to a university to speak in an open forum, in this instance at U.C. Berkeley (http://users.lmi.net/zombie/malkin/), she is not just met with vigorous debate. She is shouted down by radical protesters. Their goal is not the refutation of an argument; their goal is the silence of debate. Bloom’s analysis remains valid.
But Malkin is strong enough to stand up to the radicals. And she continues to speak. Hopefully honorable adversaries will argue with her points. In the face of threats to academic freedom the scholar’s responsibility to the truth is doubled. Malkin is owed our gratitude for reminding us of this duty.
The Closing of the American Mind on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671657151/qid=1095347504/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-6410822-1493430?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
