The Coddling of the American Mind
by Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt
New paperback release: 20th August 2019 (US); 6th June 2019 (UK)
The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure was named the best book of 2018 by Bloomberg, as well as spending four weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. Written by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt and president of FIRE Greg Lukianoff, it has been a fiercely controversial book, addressing the rise of what the authors call “safetyism” on college campuses. As such, it examines the rise of “safe spaces”, “no-platforming”, and “trigger warnings” alongside inflammatory free speech debates.
In The Coddling of the American Mind, the authors propose the provocative thesis that many of the steps currently taken to safeguard psychological health on college campuses may, in fact, be doing more harm in the long run. With rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide rising, the authors say this is a call for alarm.
Jonathan Haidt spoke to Five Books about the best books on happiness.
“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 at Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now
“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.”
The New York Times Book Review, by Thomas Chatterton Williams
“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.”
Financial Times, Edward Luce
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