I listened to the audiobook version of Allan Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind last week with very mixed feelings. There seemed a certain inconsistency in his message, as he was convinced that there was such a thing as absolute truth and that it could be arrived at by reason, but hailed the salutory effects of religion even though he didn’t believe its tenets to be true. His deification of the University is also a bit difficult to swallow, though he does point very perceptively at some of the things that have hampered the American student’s ability to learn. All in all a worthwhile read, though it would be difficult to imagine anyone getting through the whole thing without saying “No, no, that’s not right!” at some point.