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The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure Paperback – August 20, 2019

by Greg Lukianoff (Author), Jonathan Haidt (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 9,361 ratings
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New York Times Bestseller • Finalist for the 2018 National Book Critics Circle Award in Nonfiction • A New York Times Notable Book • Bloomberg Best Book of 2018 • One of Bill Gates’s Top Five Books of All Time

“Their distinctive contribution to the higher-education debate is to meet safetyism on its own, psychological turf . . . Lukianoff and Haidt tell us that safetyism undermines the freedom of inquiry and speech that are indispensable to universities.” —Jonathan Marks, Commentary

“The remedies the book outlines should be considered on college campuses, among parents of current and future students, and by anyone longing for a more sane society.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Something has been going wrong on many college campuses in the last few years. Speakers are shouted down. Students and professors say they are walking on eggshells and are afraid to speak honestly. Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide are rising—on campus as well as nationally. How did this happen?

First Amendment expert Greg Lukianoff and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, show how the new problems on campus have their origins in three terrible ideas that have become increasingly woven into American childhood and education: What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker; always trust your feelings; and life is a battle between good people and evil people. These three Great Untruths contradict basic psychological principles about well-being and ancient wisdom from many cultures.  Embracing these untruths—and the resulting culture of safetyism—interferes with young people’s social, emotional, and intellectual development. It makes it harder for them to become autonomous adults who are able to navigate the bumpy road of life.

Lukianoff and Haidt investigate the many social trends that have intersected to promote the spread of these untruths. They explore changes in childhood such as the rise of fearful parenting, the decline of unsupervised, child-directed play, and the new world of social media that has engulfed teenagers in the last decade. They examine changes on campus, including the corporatization of universities and the emergence of new ideas about identity and justice. They situate the conflicts on campus within the context of America’s rapidly rising political polarization and dysfunction.

This is a book for anyone who is confused by what is happening on college campuses today, or has children, or is concerned about the growing inability of Americans to live, work, and cooperate across party lines.
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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    August 20, 2019
  4. Dimensions
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  5. ISBN-10
    0735224919
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0735224919
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  1. That means seeking out challenges (rather than eliminating or avoiding everything that “feels unsafe”), freeing yourself from cognitive distortions (rather than always trusting your initial feelings), and taking a generous view of other people, and looking for nuance (rather than assuming the worst about people within a simplistic us-versus-them morality).
    Highlighted by 8,600 Kindle readers
  2. There is a principle in philosophy and rhetoric called the principle of charity, which says that one should interpret other people’s statements in their best, most reasonable form, not in the worst or most offensive way possible.
    Highlighted by 7,428 Kindle readers
  3. Avoiding triggers is a symptom of PTSD, not a treatment for it.
    Highlighted by 6,994 Kindle readers
  4. Many university students are learning to think in distorted ways, and this increases their likelihood of becoming fragile, anxious, and easily hurt.
    Highlighted by 4,597 Kindle readers
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From the Publisher

Also read The Anxious Generation

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A disturbing and comprehensive analysis of recent campus trends . . . Lukianoff and Haidt notice something unprecedented and frightening . . . The consequences of a generation unable or disinclined to engage with ideas that make them uncomfortable are dire for society, and open the door—accessible from both the left and the right—to various forms of authoritarianism.” —Thomas Chatterton Williams, The New York Times Book Review (cover review and Editors’ Choice selection)

"So how do you create ‘wiser kids’? Get them off their screens. Argue with them. Get them out of their narrow worlds of family, school and university. Boot them out for a challenging Gap year. It all makes perfect sense . . . the cure seems a glorious revelation." —Philip Delves Broughton, Evening Standard

“The authors, both of whom are liberal academics—almost a tautology on today’s campuses—do a great job of showing how ‘safetyism’ is cramping young minds. Students are treated like candles, which can be extinguished by a puff of wind. The goal of a Socratic education should be to turn them into fires, which thrive on the wind. Instead, they are sheltered from anything that could cause offence . . . Their advice is sound. Their book is excellent. Liberal parents, in particular, should read it.”— Edward Luce, Financial Times
 
“Their distinctive contribution to the higher-education debate is to meet safetyism on its own, psychological turf . . . Lukianoff and Haidt tell us that safetyism undermines the freedom of inquiry and speech that are indispensable to universities.” —Jonathan Marks, Commentary

“The remedies the book outlines should be considered on college campuses, among parents of current and future students, and by anyone longing for a more sane society.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Perhaps the strongest argument in Haidt and Lukianoff’s favour, though, is this: if you see this issue as being about little more than a few sanctimonious teenagers throwing hissy fits on campus then, yes, it is probably receiving too much attention. But if you accept their premise, that it’s really a story about mental wellbeing and emotional fragility, about a generation acting out because it has been set up to fail by bad parenting and poorly designed institutions, then their message is an urgent one. And it is one that resonates well beyond dusty libraries and manicured quadrangles, into all of our lives.” —Josh Glancy, The Sunday Times (UK)

“Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff’s new book, The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure, persuasively unpacks the causes of the current predicament on campus – which they link to wider parenting, cultural and political trends . . . The Coddling of the American Mind is both an enlightening but disquieting read. We have a lot of challenges in front of us.” —Quillette, Matthew Lesh

"The authors remind us of some of the campus happenings that, since 2015, have afrighted old liberals like me . . . In the end [despite some objections] I agreed with Messrs Lukianoff and Haidt that protecting kids has gone too far, and that some campus behaviour is absurd and worrying." —David Aaronovitch, The Times (UK)

"The speed with which campus life has changed for the worse is one of the most important points made by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt in this important if disturbing book." —Niall Ferguson, Sunday Times

“Rising intolerance for opposing viewpoints is a challenge not only on college campuses but also in our national political discourse. The future of our democracy requires us to understand what’s happening and why—so that we can find solutions and take action. Reading The Coddling of the American Mind is a great place to start.” —Michael Bloomberg, Founder of Bloomberg LP & Bloomberg Philanthropies, and 108th Mayor of New York City

“Our behavior in society is not immune to the power of rational scientific analysis. Through that lens, prepare yourself for a candid look at the softening of America, and what we can do about it.” —Neil DeGrasse Tyson, director, Hayden Planetarium, and author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

“Lukianoff and Haidt explain the phenomenon of “helicopter parenting” and its dangers—how overprotection amplifies children’s fears and makes them less likely to become adults who can manage their own lives. Children must be challenged and exposed to stressors—including different perspectives—in order to thrive.” —Susan McDaniel, University of Rochester, former President of the American Psychological Association

“An important examination of dismaying social and cultural trends.” —Kirkus Reviews

"I lament the title of this book, as it may alienate the very people who need to engage with its arguments and obscures its message of inclusion. Equal parts mental health manual, parenting guide, sociological study, and political manifesto, it points to a positive way forward of hope, health, and humanism. I only wish I had read it when I was still a professor and a much younger mother." —Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO, New America, and author of Unfinished Business
 
“A compelling and timely argument against attitudes and practices that, however well-intended, are damaging our universities, harming our children and leaving an entire generation intellectually and emotionally ill-prepared for an ever-more fraught and complex world. A brave and necessary work.” —Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Emeritus Chief Rabbi of UK & Commonwealth; professor, New York University; and author of Not in God’s Name
 
“No one is omniscient or infallible, so a willingness to evaluate new ideas is vital to understanding our world. Yet universities, which ought to be forums for open debate, are developing a reputation for dogmatism and intolerance. Haidt and Lukianoff, distinguished advocates of freedom of expression, offer a deep analysis of what’s going wrong on campus, and how we can hold universities to their highest ideals.” —Steven Pinker, professor, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now
 
“This book synthesizes the teachings of many disciplines to illuminate the causes of major problems besetting college students and campuses, including declines in mental health, academic freedom, and collegiality. More importantly, the authors present evidence-based strategies for overcoming these challenges. An engrossing, thought-provoking, and ultimately inspiring read.” —Nadine Strossen, past President, ACLU, and author of HATE: Why We Should Resist it with Free Speech, Not Censorship
 
“How can we as a nation do a better job of preparing young men and women of all backgrounds to be seekers of truth and sustainers of democracy? In The Coddling of the American Mind, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt provide a rigorous analysis of this perennial challenge as it presents itself today, and offer thoughtful prescriptions for meeting it. What’s more, the book models the virtues and practical wisdom its authors rightly propose as the keys to progress. Lukianoff and Haidt teach young people—and all of us—by example as well as precept.” —Cornel West, professor, Harvard University, and author of Democracy Matters; and Robert P. George, professor, Princeton University, and author of Conscience and Its Enemies

“Objectionable words and ideas, as defined by self-appointed guardians on university campuses, are often treated like violence from sticks and stones. Many students cringe at robust debate; maintaining their ideas of good and evil requires no less than the silencing of disagreeable speakers. Lukianoff and Haidt brilliantly explain how this drift to fragility occurred, how the distinction between words and actions was lost, and what needs to be done. Critical reading to understand the current campus conflicts.” —Mark Yudof, president emeritus, University of California; and professor emeritus, UC Berkeley School of Law

"This book is a much needed guide for how to thrive in a pluralistic society. Lukianoff and Haidt demonstrate how ancient wisdom and modern psychology can encourage more dialogue across lines of difference, build stronger institutions, and make us happier. They provide an antidote to our seemingly intractable divisions, and not a moment too soon.” —Kirsten Powers, author of The Silencing
 
"We can talk ourselves into believing that some kinds of speech will shatter us, or we can talk ourselves out of that belief. The authors know the science. We are not as fragile as our self-appointed protectors suppose. Read this deeply informed book to become a more resilient soul in a more resilient democracy.” —Philip E. Tetlock, author of Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction 
 
“In this expansion of their 2015 piece for the Atlantic, Lukianoff and Haidt argue that the urge to insulate oneself against offensive ideas has had deleterious consequences, making students less resilient, more prone to undesirable “emotional reasoning,” less capable of engaging critically with others’ viewpoints, and more likely to cultivate an “us-versus-them” mentality . . . the path they advocate—take on challenges, cultivate resilience, and try to reflect rather than responding based solely on initial emotional responses—deserves consideration.” —Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Greg Lukianoff is the president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Lukianoff is a graduate of American University and Stanford Law School. He specializes in free speech and First Amendment issues in higher education. He is the author of Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate and Freedom From Speech.

Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He obtained his PhD in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and taught at the University of Virginia for sixteen years. His research focuses on moral and political psychology, as described in his book The Righteous Mind. His latest book, The Anxious Generation, is a direct continuation of the themes explored in The Coddling of the American Mind. He writes the After Babel Substack.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books (August 20, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0735224919
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0735224919
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 9,361 ratings

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  1. Jonathan Haidt

    Jonathan Haidt

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    Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University's Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and then did post-doctoral research at the University of Chicago and in Orissa, India. He taught at the University of Virginia for 16 years before moving to NYU-Stern in 2011. He was named one of the "top global thinkers" by Foreign Policy magazine, and one of the "top world thinkers" by Prospect magazine.

    His research focuses on morality - its emotional foundations, cultural variations, and developmental course. He began his career studying the negative moral emotions, such as disgust, shame, and vengeance, but then moved on to the understudied positive moral emotions, such as admiration, awe, and moral elevation. He is the co-developer of Moral Foundations theory, and of the research site YourMorals.org. He is a co-founder of HeterodoxAcademy.org, which advocates for viewpoint diversity in higher education. He uses his research to help people understand and respect the moral motives of their enemies (see CivilPolitics.org, and see his TED talks). He is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom; The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion; and (with Greg Lukianoff) The Coddling of the American Mind: How good intentions and bad ideas are setting a generation up for failure. For more information see www.JonathanHaidt.com.

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  2. Greg Lukianoff

    Greg Lukianoff

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    Greg Lukianoff is an attorney and the president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). He is the author of "Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate" and his writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Boston Globe, in addition to dozens of other publications. He is a regular columnist for The Huffington Post and has appeared on television shows, including the "CBS Evening News," "Fox & Friends," "The Today Show," CNN's "New Day," C-SPAN's "Washington Journal," and "Stossel." He received the 2008 Playboy Foundation Freedom of Expression Award and the 2010 Ford Hall Forum's Louis P. and Evelyn Smith First Amendment Award on behalf of FIRE. He is a graduate of American University and Stanford Law School.

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
9,361 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book excellent, pleasantly readable, and useful. They also say it's packed with great information, ideas, and statistics. Opinions are mixed on the political content, with some finding it healthy and unbiased, while others say it's hypocritical in some areas and engages in logical fallacies.

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274 customers mention "Readability"246 positive28 negative

Customers find the book excellent, pleasantly readable, and useful for anyone dealing with Gen Z or iGen. They say it presents a well-written structured argument of how we got to where we are today. Readers also mention the book is well thought-out, articulated, and compelling.

"...Especially for our kids! Maybe . . .Easy read. Writing for general reader, not academics...." Read more

"...This allows for thoughtful analysis and generous criticism that actually contributes to the conversation...." Read more

"...The first three sections were great. When you agree with every point made by the book, you get a certain kind of Identity and familiarity with it...." Read more

"...This may be the most interesting part of the book, rich in social scientific detail and fair-minded in its analysis...." Read more

262 customers mention "Insight"257 positive5 negative

Customers find the book packed with great information, thoroughly researched, and provides ideas and statistics we should consider as we ponder societal issues. They say it's an excellent thought-provoking read and provides an accessible introduction to cognitive behavioral therapy. Readers also mention the book contains genuine wisdom and practical explanations as to the current state of affairs.

"...These thinkers provide a longer range, historical, even philosophical analysis. Tremendous!)" Read more

"...This book thoughtfully and fairly engages with serious issues in our society which will get worse unless we commit to making serious changes...." Read more

"(As posted in Goodreads closed parentheses)What a comprehensive book! It has four sections, then a conclusion, and then acknowledgments!..." Read more

"...As a person, it provided an accessible introduction to cognitive behavioral therapy, identifying the cognitive distortions that misshape our..." Read more

10 customers mention "Pacing"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's pacing very timely, spot-on, and quick. They also say it's culturally informative.

"Topic for the day. Book in great condition and speedy delivery. Would buy from this vendor again." Read more

"Excellent read and spot-on! My only gripe is that, as usual, Aaron Beck gets credit for developing Cognitive Behavior Therapy in the 1960s...." Read more

"This books hits the nail on the head. They tell us as it is into today's collegiate world...." Read more

"...It’s very well written and is a super quick read" Read more

10 customers mention "Resolutions"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the resolutions in the book simple and attainable. They appreciate the clear explanation of the problem with myriad examples. Readers also like the easily delineated causes and effects. Overall, they say the resolutions are valid.

"...Remedies at the end are valid; however, implemention somewhat problematic in today's society." Read more

"...care to bring in relevant science and data, and presents solutions to the issues discussed...." Read more

"...Thankfully the proposed remedy is simple and attainable...." Read more

"...have done an outstanding job of outlining the problems AND providing practical solutions...." Read more

28 customers mention "Political content"16 positive12 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the political content of the book. Some mention it promotes healthy discourse, is unbiased, and intelligent. Others say it's hypocritical in some areas, engages in logical fallacies, and is full of irrelevant political propaganda.

"...Throughout the The Coddling of the American Mind, I hear an upbeat, positive tone...." Read more

"...CHAPTER 2 | The Untruth of Emotional Reasoning: Always Trust Your Feelings..." Read more

"This book is a combination of self-help and social commentary...." Read more

"...the other outcomes were the polarization of American politics, social injustices, and suppression of free speech, particularly on college campuses...." Read more

10 customers mention "Bias"5 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's bias. Some mention it provides a great perspective and non-biased point of view, while others say it has its own political bias.

"The authors did an amazing job of maintaining a very neutral view of the facts and presenting their opinions in a way that did not seem biased to..." Read more

"...Among the other outcomes were the polarization of American politics, social injustices, and suppression of free speech, particularly on college..." Read more

"...Providing a non biased point of view, the book is very interesting and I would argue a must read for high schools /colleges." Read more

"...the book: I thought parts of the book came across as having its own political bias...." Read more

Brilliant Synthesis of Systemic Issues - Required Reading for Parents & Educators
5 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Synthesis of Systemic Issues - Required Reading for Parents & Educators
Lukianoff and Haidt have greatly expanded their popular Sept 2015 Atlantic article into a more detailed and nuanced book of the same title. Haidt is a social psychologist and Lukianoff is a First Amendment Lawyer - a perfect pairing for this project. Haidt is also author of the highly relevant and absolutely brilliant 2012 book, "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion." A major reference and parallel running throughout the book is Nassim Taleb's seminal book, "Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder."Key Coddling conclusion: Parents and educators are unwittingly, and paradoxically, harming today's students by trying so hard to protect them. This is from perceived physical dangers as well as from ideas that might prove uncomfortable. The net is that "helicopter" parenting and increasingly ideologically uniform college campuses aren't allowing children to develop natural resilience (identical in concept to children being susceptible to diseases if not properly immunized). Kids are not receiving the proper stress-testing to the issues they will undoubtedly encounter in the real world and "the growing tendency to cultivate vulnerabilities in students carries unacknowledged costs" (Erika Christakis).An important and highly unsettling second derivative of the cited trends are the "consequences for the future of liberal democracies." The book references "the coarsening of social interaction," and desire to "invoke coercion by other parties to solve problems" as one of the "vulnerabilities of democracies." A wonderful speech excerpt from Chief Justice John Roberts highlights his grasp of the importance of antifragility and ability to "see the message in your misfortunes." Parents need to let children fall, fail and skin their knees more, while colleges need to make sure students are exposed to diverse ideologies and ideas that make them uncomfortable. In the end, "safe spaces" are anything but.There is a great chapter on "The Bureaucracy of Safetyism" that opens with a prescient Alexis de Tocqueville quote from Democracy in America: "The Sovereign power [or soft despot] extends its arms over the entire society; it covers the surface of society with a network of small, complicated, minute and uniform rules...it does not tyrannize, it hinders, it represses, it enervates, it extinguishes, it stupefies, and finally it reduces each nation to being nothing more than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd." Safety, conformity and resume wars breed "Excellent Sheep."Lastly, Haidt and Lukianoff's chapter "The Quest for Justice" demonstrates their ability to parse polarizing issues, like "social justice," and disaggregate them into the component parts. In this instance, the important distinction between "distributive justice" (the perception that people are getting what is deserved) and "procedural justice" (the perception that the process by which things are distributed and rules are enforced is fair and trustworthy).Do your brain a favor - buy The Righteous Mind, Antifragile and Coddling and then steal away for a weekend to read them all.
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Top reviews from the United States

Clay Garner
5.0 out of 5 stars “Education should not be intended to make people comfortable; it is meant to make them think.”
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
“Education should not be intended to make people comfortable; it is meant to make them think.”

This is a good indication of authors goal. For many (most) the ideas, explanations, suggestions, prescriptions, criticisms; will sound/feel . . . irritating, maybe painful.

Nevertheless, they present detailed evidence, mainly news reports and researched events (which I prefer). A few charts and statistics.

Focus on reasoning and persuasion. For example . . .

“Dictionary definitions of “coddle” emphasize this overprotection; for example, “to treat with extreme or excessive care or kindness.”

(How can kindness be bad?)

“The fault lies with adults and with institutional practices, hence our subtitle: “How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure.” That is exactly what this book is about. We will show how well-intentioned overprotection—from peanut bans in elementary schools through speech codes on college campuses—may end up doing more harm than good. But overprotection is just one part of a larger trend that we call problems of progress.’’

(I liked this new term - ‘Problems of progress’. Clever.)

“This term refers to bad consequences produced by otherwise good social changes. It’s great that our economic system produces an abundance of food at low prices, but the flip side is an epidemic of obesity. It’s great that we can connect and communicate with people instantly and for free, but this hyperconnection may be damaging the mental health of young people.’’

(Devote considerable space to the damage social media is doing to youths who have grown up with this tool. Sad.)

“In Part I of the book, we set the stage. We give you the intellectual tools you’ll need to make sense of the new culture of “safety” that has swept across many college campuses since 2013. Those tools include learning to recognize the three Great Untruths. Along the way, we’ll explain some of the key concepts of cognitive behavioral therapy, and we’ll show how CBT improves critical thinking skills while counteracting the effects of the Great Untruths.’’

(Only three ‘great lies?’)

“In Part II, we show the Great Untruths in action. We examine the “shout-downs,” intimidation, and occasional violence that are making it more difficult for universities to fulfill their core missions of education and research. We explore the newly popular idea that speech is violence, and we show why thinking this way is bad for students’ mental health. We explore the sociology of witch hunts and moral panics, including the conditions that can cause a college to descend into chaos.’’

(I really learned a lot about this. Excellent!)

“In Part III, we try to solve the mystery. Why did things change so rapidly on many campuses between 2013 and 2017?’’

The Search for Wisdom
PART I Three Bad Ideas
CHAPTER 1 | The Untruth of Fragility: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Weaker
CHAPTER 2 | The Untruth of Emotional Reasoning: Always Trust Your Feelings
CHAPTER 3 | The Untruth of Us Versus Them: Life Is a Battle Between Good People and Evil People

PART II Bad Ideas in Action
CHAPTER 4 | Intimidation and Violence
CHAPTER 5 | Witch Hunts

PART III How Did We Get Here?
CHAPTER 6 | The Polarization Cycle
CHAPTER 7 | Anxiety and Depression
CHAPTER 8 | Paranoid Parenting
CHAPTER 9 | The Decline of Play
CHAPTER 10 | The Bureaucracy of Safetyism
CHAPTER 11 | The Quest for Justice

The quotes appear in the text, not as footnotes. For example . .

“Marcuse argued that true democracy might require denying basic rights to people who advocate for conservative causes, or for policies he viewed as aggressive or discriminatory, and that true freedom of thought might require professors to indoctrinate their students:

‘The ways should not be blocked [by] which a subversive majority could develop, and if they are blocked by organized repression and indoctrination, their reopening may require apparently undemocratic means. They would include the withdrawal of toleration of speech and assembly from groups and movements which promote aggressive policies, armament, chauvinism, discrimination on the grounds of race and religion, or which oppose the extension of public services, social security, medical care, etc. Moreover, the restoration of freedom of thought may necessitate new and rigid restrictions on teachings and practices in the educational institutions which, by their very methods and concepts, serve to enclose the mind within the established universe of discourse and behavior.’”

This doctrine of Marcuse plays a key role in this book. They spell out how this idea has influenced university life. Chilling.

Another excerpt . . .

“In June 2017, John Roberts, the chief justice of the United States, was invited to be the commencement speaker at his son’s graduation from middle school. Like Van Jones (whom we quoted in chapter 4), Roberts understands antifragility. He wishes for his son’s classmates to have the sorts of painful experiences that will make them better people and better citizens. Here is an excerpt from his speech:

(be aware - this very counter-cultural)

‘From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice. I hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty. Sorry to say, but I hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted. I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either. And when you lose, as you will from time to time, I hope every now and then, your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship. I hope you’ll be ignored so you know the importance of listening to others, and I hope you will have just enough pain to learn compassion. Whether I wish these things or not, they’re going to happen. And whether you benefit from them or not will depend upon your ability to see the message in your misfortunes.’”

Wow!

Not what we usually want for others (ourselves). Especially for our kids! Maybe . . .

Easy read. Writing for general reader, not academics.

Nevertheless, about one thousand or more notes (linked).

Two hundred references.

Tremendous scholarship!

Extensive index (linked).

Wonderful!

Includes appendix. 1. How to do CBT 2. The Chicago Statement on Principles of Free Expression

One caveat: authors use evolutionary psychology to justify/explain the feelings/actions presented. I think Nietzsche and Dostoyevsky do a better job describing the source of human evil. The ‘will to power’, the ‘demonic’ influence provides clearer (better) explanation.

Authors do quote Solzhenitsyn: ‘Evil runs through every human heart’. He became a Christian due to this insight. Humans made in god’s image. Now fallen. All humans know — we all have both potentials. Godly greatness and animal wretchedness. Think Pascal. Convinced Solzhenitsyn that the Bible account is to be trusted.

(See also: “The Judgement of the Nations” by Christopher Dawson; “The Devil's Pleasure Palace: The Cult of Critical Theory and the Subversion of the West” by Micheal Walsh; “The Crisis of Western Education” by Christopher Dawson; “Myth of the Nation and Vision of Revolution: Ideological Polarization in the Twentieth Century” by Jacob Talmon. These thinkers provide a longer range, historical, even philosophical analysis. Tremendous!)
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Eric Mabbott
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent accessible cultural analysis - A must-read!
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2019
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What is happening on the college campus? Is it really as bad as the news stories report? What can be done about it? Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff have put together a book to help. The title is long enough to make a puritan blush, but it certainly sums up the message of the book: good intentions and bad ideas can do a lot of damage. The book was born out of a 2015 article written for the Atlantic by the same title (You can read it here). This is the second book by Jonathan Haidt I have reviewed. The Righteous Mind here. This book is not a screed against the “kids today” and how we just need to get back to the good old days. Haidt is a moral psychologist who works as a professor at NYU. Lukianoff is the president of FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) which focuses on defending First Amendment rights in higher education. Both men independently noticed some disturbing trends which led them to co-author their initial article. Afterward, they decided to put their research into a book to delve deeper into the problem and offer solutions. The book is divided into four parts:

Part 1: Three Bad Ideas

The authors explore three key bad ideas which seem to be accepted more and more in society:

1) Kids are incredibly fragile.
2) We should always trust our feelings.
3) Life is a battle between good and evil people.

These ideas are bad because they are false. First, children are anti-fragile. They are not like glass which shatters. Rather they are more like a muscle that gets stronger when tested. This is not to say trauma is acceptable any more than we would say an athlete getting injured is getting stronger. The point is that kids are stronger than we think.

Second, the problem with always trusting our emotions is that we can be easily fooled. We lose the ability to have a healthy confrontation because we stop caring about someone’s intent and only care about their impact on our emotional state.

Third, when we boil relationships down to only a conflict between good and evil people we will not be open to compromise or even listening to the other side. If I think my opponent is basically Hitler then I am not going to reason or persuade him. I am going to fight him.

These three key ideas are being taught and reinforced in our education system, entertainment, and social media. The problem with these ideas is not the intent behind them which is protection and the betterment of society. The problem is that these ideas in action make everything worse and actually do the opposite of what they intend: we become more fragile, more angry, more stressed and anxious and so on.

Part 2: Bad Ideas in Action

This section catalogs cases where these bad ideas were put into play. The authors are careful to note that events are not indicative of every college campus. However, they are present in major universities predominantly on the west and east coasts. The authors review some of the riots that occurred in recent years on college campuses as well as the march in Charlottesville. They examine the nature of intimidation and violence that is trending in the news. Then they look at why our society is so prone to witch hunts and the importance of viewpoint diversity.

Part 3: How Did We Get Here?

This section was the most emotionally difficult part of the book for me. The authors dissect how we arrived in this situation focusing upon polarization, anxiety and depression, the decline of play, the rise of safety policies, and the quest for justice. They examine the influences of social media, screens, overprotection, and misguided efforts to achieve social justice. This section is not blasting those who want justice, school administrators, parents or children. The authors are interpreting the data in terms of “six threads” that together help explain how it is we arrived in our present state.

Part 4: Wising Up

Again, the book is not just old men yelling to protect their lawns. The authors present solutions along three lines: families, universities and society. They encourage parents to allow their kids to take calculated risks while resisting the urge to jump in as soon as they struggle. The authors talk about teaching children how to cope with disappointment and pain. They strongly recommend limiting screen time. There are more solutions, but if you want to know them you should read the book!

REFLECTIONS

This book came out at the right time for me as I had just finished reading Haidt’s The Righteous Mind. I also watched the news and was actively wrestling with my own use of social media. Normally it takes me less than five minutes to fall asleep at night (apparently I’m overtired). Yet there was one-night last spring (2018) that I couldn’t go to sleep because I was so angry about things someone I didn’t know said on social media. My mind wouldn’t rest as I rolled over what my response would be to this person and how I would show them how wrong they were. I think it was around 1:00 am that I finalized my brilliant rhetorical salvo I would unleash in the morning. However, when I woke up I knew something was wrong with me. I needed to back off social media. Last fall I even deactivated my Facebook account. I didn’t even self-righteously announce it beforehand! The point is that I was primed to read this book.

This book thoughtfully and fairly engages with serious issues in our society which will get worse unless we commit to making serious changes. I appreciate the authors’ desire not to castigate or vilify anyone. They want to make things better. They assume that the people involved in these issues on the campus are acting in good faith. This allows for thoughtful analysis and generous criticism that actually contributes to the conversation. My only criticism is that the final three chapters which present solutions are very short. Perhaps in time, the authors can present how they and some of the groups they point to as good examples are handling these modern challenges. Also, this book cannot give us the reason why we ought to live this way except for the general improvement of society. For Christians, grace and holiness are central for how we interact with others (or at least they should be!). There are core reasons why we are compelled as followers of Christ to live differently than society. As a holy people (set apart by mercy) we do not participate in that which is abhorrent to God. But as people who have been saved by grace, we explain our hope and commitment to Jesus with gentleness, respect, and love. This is not really a criticism. It is an acknowledgment of the limits of a non-Christian book.

I was challenged by this book to consider how I am raising my children particularly in terms of allowing them to take risks and giving them the room to fail. This book also led me to reflect on how I interact with others. I found myself reading this book saying, “Yeah, the Bible says we should do that…” We know it yet we don’t do it. For example: thinking the best of others or at least giving them the benefit of the doubt. Or how about not be hasty with our words in person and especially online? I seem to remember something about taking every thought captive. A good sign to me that this is a good book is that you leave it hopeful that we can do better or at least how I can do better.

THE BOTTOM LINE

I said in my review of The Righteous Mind that I would likely recommend this book over that one. That turned out to be true. This book does a wonderful job explaining current trends and what can be done about them. Positively there seem to be reasons for hope that things are changing already on the college campus. While this is encouraging, the pressure to unnecessarily self-censor seems to be increasing and there remains a cause for concern. This book is well written, engaging and challenging. It is not a Christian book (I'ma pastor) so don’t expect biblical answers or a biblical worldview. I do recommend this book if you are looking for an insightful cultural analysis of the rise of terms like “trigger warning” and “safe space” and the current state of social discourse in America. Overall, an excellent read and well worth your time.
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Marsha L. Woerner
4.0 out of 5 stars It's time for Americans to put on their “ Big boy (or girl) pants”
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024
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(As posted in Goodreads closed parentheses)
What a comprehensive book! It has four sections, then a conclusion, and then acknowledgments! I read through the beginning of the acknowledgments.
The first three sections were great. When you agree with every point made by the book, you get a certain kind of Identity and familiarity with it. It points out how much we cuddle our citizens and protect them from knowledge and thought, and fighting for Their beliefs and debating and arguing to actually expand individuals' World knowledge and experience.
Part four I had some disagreement with, mostly because I hate being told what to do :-); although theoretically, It doesn't say what to do, it only gives suggestions. My own opinion is that that section should be reworked.
The conclusion does tie it all together, but overall the book is repetitive, and into the conclusion. Overall, I prefer when the book doesn't spell out conclusions, but it allows the reader to draw them.
But overall, it says some very good things, and the citizens need to stop being pampered.
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Kathleen Hambley
5.0 out of 5 stars Read this!
Reviewed in Canada on April 4, 2024
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Narciso González
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Nuestra sociedad necesita un reset y corregir el muy torcido rumbo al que se dirige, los autores hacen de este lo que debe ser libro de texto en todas las escuelas.
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Narciso González
5.0 out of 5 stars Por fin algo muy bueno que leer para corregir nuestra sociedad
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Colin
5.0 out of 5 stars essential reading for any parent
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Interesting analysis of how well intended policies can have unanticipated side-effects, particularly when raising children to be independent, antifragile, first-principle thinkers. Superbly researched and clearly explained, well worth a read!
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Christian Nugue
5.0 out of 5 stars Ne me fais pas peur
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Ce livre-phare explique bien la naissance aux USA, vers le tournant du siècle, d'une génération dorlotée, hyperprotégée, qui redoute le contact non pas avec le danger, mais avec la POSSIBILITE d'un danger. D'où, dans le monde universitaire contemporain, des dizaines d'intervenants désinvités en catastrophe parce que leurs prises de position risqueraient de heurter la sensibilité de certains étudiants. C'est ainsi par exemple que la théorie de l'évolution, qui s'appuie pourtant sur des bases scientifiques solides, a été évacuée de nombreux campus de la planète. Proprement ahurissant. Merci aux auteurs pour leurs explications éclairantes.
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