The Age of American Unreason
- ISBN-10
- 0307377121
- ISBN-13
- 9780307377128
- Category
- Political Science
- Pages
- 384
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2008-02-12
- Publisher
- Vintage
- Author
- Susan Jacoby
Description
A cultural history of the last forty years, The Age of American Unreason focuses on the convergence of social forces—usually treated as separate entities—that has created a perfect storm of anti-rationalism. These include the upsurge of religious fundamentalism, with more political power today than ever before; the failure of public education to create an informed citizenry; and the triumph of video over print culture. Sparing neither the right nor the left, Jacoby asserts that Americans today have embraced a universe of “junk thought” that makes almost no effort to separate fact from opinion.
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