Allan Bloom
Also known as Allan David Bloom
American philosopher and classicist (1930 to 1992); wrote The Closing of the American Mind.
At a glance
Main ideas
The theoretical life, Relativism closes minds, Great Books …
See all 4Criticism
Martha Nussbaum, Benjamin Barber and Alexander Nehamas
See all 2Books to start with
The Republic of Plato, The Closing of the American Mind, Giants and Dwarfs …
See all 4Connections
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Bloom was a philosopher and classicist who studied under Leo Strauss and championed Great Books education.
- He taught at Yale, Cornell, Toronto and the University of Chicago.
- His 1987 book The Closing of the American Mind, a critique of American higher education, became an unexpected bestseller.
- He also translated Plato's Republic.
- Saul Bellow based the novel Ravelstein on him.
Why it matters
- His book set off decades of argument about relativism, the canon and what universities are for.
Key facts
- Born
- 14 Sep 1930, Indianapolis, Indiana1
- Died
- 7 Oct 19921
- Education
- BA, University of Chicago, at 18; PhD, Committee on Social Thought, University of Chicago (1955)1
- Career
- Yale from 1960 to 1963; Cornell until 1970; University of Toronto until 1979; then the University of Chicago1
- Teachers
- Leo Strauss, David Grene, Richard McKeon and Alexandre Kojève1
Main ideas
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The theoretical life1
He denied being a conservative, saying he defended the philosophical life.
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Relativism closes minds2
Openness as relativism undermines critical thinking.
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Great Books2
Students need old texts such as Plato's Republic to think for themselves.
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Music and the soul1
Rock music, he argued, crowds out passion for art and thought.
Criticism
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
Connections
Links
Sources
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