In 1987 professor Allan Bloom published The Closing of the American Mind, a stinging indictment of American higher education. But according to former policy advisor Robert Reilly, a much more dramatic “closing of the mind” happened in the Muslim world 800 years ago, and is at the heart of the modern conflict between Islam and
READ MORE
Over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article on the prevalence of cheating at American colleges and universities. What I found surprising about the article was the fact that foreign students, particularly those from China, were found to be more likely to cheat than their American counterparts: “A Wall Street Journal analysis
READ MORE
Most of those in the Intellectual Takeout audience already believe that college education has become a shadow of its former self… that its curriculum has been significantly dumbed down… and that its students spend more time partying than hitting the books. Here is just one more statistic that confirms that belief. According to a study
READ MORE
Isn’t philosophy supposed to help people live well, not just exercise the mind? That was the ancient view. The evidence is clear that exposure to philosophical questions, ideas, and dialogue at an early age improves academic outcomes generally, and in particular cultivates the skills needed for reasoned dialogue. (Intellectual Takeout has posted several pieces to
READ MORE
Over the weekend, author and economist Ben Stein made some rather disparaging comments about the presidential candidates for both parties. In essence, Stein believes they are clueless when it comes to important issues, particularly economics. But the cluelessness doesn’t stop at the presidential candidates. According to Stein, the clueless candidates are simply a symptom of
READ MORE
There were more heroes on D-Day than can be counted. The vast majority of them died long ago, their lives marked by little more than a stone cross at a quiet commune in northwestern France. Juan Pujol García—aka Agent Garbo—is one of the few heroes of D-Day whose story has been told. And though the
READ MORE
Most Read from past 24 hours
Most Read from past 7 days
Most Read from past 30 days
Most Read of All Time
Most Read of All Time
