 |
 |
| Susan Jacoby |
|
|
February 15, 2008
The notion that Americans aren't often at the top of the ladder of erudition isn't new. Every year the media points out how poorly U.S. kids perform in math and geography feats compared to many other nations' school children. Susan Jacoby follows a notable scholarly tradition with her new book, THE AGE OF ,AMERICAN UNREASON. In 1964 historian Richard Hofstadter won the Pulizter Prize with his lament — ANTI-INTELLECUTALISM IN AMERICAN LIFE: "The national distaste for the intellectual appeared to be not just a disgrace but a hazard to survival." Jacoby says of Hofstatder's work now: "It is difficult to suppress the fear that the scales of American history have shifted heavily against the vibrant and varied intellectual life so essential to functional democracy." Are we in danger from our "addiction to infotainment" rather than a reliance on rationality? Tell us on the blog.
Biography
Susan Jacoby, who began her writing career as a reporter for THE WASHINGTON POST, is the author of five books, including WILD JUSTICE, a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Awarded fellowships by the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New York Public Library's Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, she has been a contributor to THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST, THE NATION, TomPaine.com and the AARP BULLETIN, among other publications. She is also director of the Center for Inquiry-Metro New York and lives in New York City.
Bill Moyers spoke with Jacoby about FREETHINKERS: A HISTORY OF AMERICAN SECULARISM in 2004, in which Jacoby offered an impassioned history that challenges the current marginalization of secular values. (Watch the interview.) Her newest book is THE AGE OF AMERICAN UNREASON.
Guest photo by Robin Holland..
Published on February 15, 2008.
|
|
|
 Susan Jacoby on NOW WITH BILL MOYERS Bill Moyers talked with author Susan Jacoby about her book, FREETHINKERS, and the separation of church and state in America today, and why she believes preserving the sanctity of American secularism is fundamental to democracy and to the benefit of both religion and government. (May 14, 2004)
 Clive James Bill Moyers interviews culture critic Clive James, whose latest book CULTURAL AMNESIA comes after more than 40 years observing and commenting on arts, literature, culture, and politics. (August 3, 2007)
 Religion & the Red, White and Blue With pastor and denominational leader Mike Huckabee, surging in the polls and Mitt Romney giving a widely anticipated speech on his Mormon faith, Bill Moyers, Kathleen Hall Jamieson and scholar Melissa Rogers discuss the role of religion in politics. (December 7, 2007)
 BILL MOYERS ON FAITH & REASON Bill Bill Moyers takes on the persistent questions facing us today with some of the world's most noted authors. Watch the whole series online. Also, explore issues of faith and science.
 Jonathan Miller Bill Moyers talks with British intellectual, Jonathan Miller about his upcoming PBS series, "A Brief History of Disbelief." (May 6, 2007)
|
Susan Jacoby You can read an excerpt from THE AGE OF AMERICAN UNREASON on Susan Jacoby's Web site.
OnFaith
Susan Jacoby is a frequent contributor to NEWSWEEK and THE WASHINGTON POST's OnFaith blog. Recent entries include: "It's the Theocrats, Stupid," "Secularism: The New Taboo," and "We're Electing a President, Not A Holy Fool."
Excerpt of FREETHINKERS
Read an excerpt from Jacoby's FREETHINKERS: A HISTORY OF AMERICAN SECULARISM.
"Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans Hostile to Knowledge?" Patricia Cohen, THE NEW YORK TIMES, February 14, 2008<
The TIMES takes a look at THE AGE OF AMERICAN UNREASON and its author.
"The Renaissance of Anti-Intellectualism," Todd Gitlin, CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION, December 8, 2000.
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
DEBT DILEMMA Does America's $9 trillion federal debt mean we are mortgaging our future and jeopardizing individual savings, healthcare, and retirement for generations to come? Bill Moyers gets a reality check from Public Agenda's Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson, co-authors of WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?: YOUR GUIDED TOUR TO THE FEDERAL BUDGET CRISIS.
PHOTOGRAPHER LORI GRINKER ON DISPLACED IRAQIS
Photographer Lori Grinker takes viewers to Amman, Jordan for a devastating look at the fate of Iraqis displaced by the conflict.
SUSAN JACOBY
Bill Moyers talks with Susan Jacoby about her new book, THE AGE OF AMERICAN UNREASON.
|
|
| |
|
|
