The Age of American Unreason

In this summary you will learn

• How American anti-intellectualism developed
• What caused religious fundamentalism’s growth
• What the cultural and political effects of anti-intellectualism are
• What impact the boom in video and computers has had on reading

getAbstract rating

Why you should read The Age of American Unreason

This is a stimulating tour of the history of ideas that shaped the United States’ intellectual heritage and the social forces that continue to influence it. Susan Jacoby’s expansive, provocative book is both personal and exceptionally refreshing. She shows the links among several, major intangible drivers of human behavior – religion, politics, ideology and fundamentalism – and uses them to explain why U.S. society came to devalue reason itself. Her culprits include rising fundamentalism and antiscientific thinking, and an onslaught of superficial stimuli. She doesn’t think much of some political leaders, either, for that matter. getAbstract recommends this book to those who care about the U.S.’s intellectual life and the ideas that will shape its future.

About the Author

Susan Jacoby has written seven books, including Freethinkers and Wild Justice, a Pulitzer Prize finalist. She writes for several national publications.