Nonfiction

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure

  • Downloads：8103
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-06 11:55:27
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Greg Lukianoff
  • ISBN：0141986301
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

A timely investigation into the campus assault on free speech and what it means for students， education， and our democracy。

The generation now coming of age has been taught three Great Untruths: their feelings are always right; they should avoid pain and discomfort; and they should look for faults in others and not themselves。 These three Great Untruths are part of a larger philosophy that sees young people as fragile creatures who must be protected and supervised by adults。 But despite the good intentions of the adults who impart them， the Great Untruths are harming kids by teaching them the opposite of ancient wisdom and the opposite of modern psychological findings on grit， growth， and antifragility。 The result is rising rates of depression and anxiety， along with endless stories of college campuses torn apart by moralistic divisions and mutual recriminations。

This is a book about how we got here。 First Amendment expert Greg Lukianoff and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt take us on a tour of the social trends stretching back to the 1980s that have produced the confusion and conflict on campus today， including the loss of unsupervised play time and the birth of social media， all during a time of rising political polarization。

This is a book about how to fix the mess。 The culture of “safety” and its intolerance of opposing viewpoints has left many young people anxious and unprepared for adult life， with devastating consequences for them， for their parents， for the companies that will soon hire them， and for a democracy that is already pushed to the brink of violence over its growing political divisions。 Lukianoff and Haidt offer a comprehensive set of reforms that will strengthen young people and institutions， allowing us all to reap the benefits of diversity， including viewpoint diversity。

This is a book for anyone who is confused by what’s happening on college campuses today， or has children， or is concerned about the growing inability of Americans to live and work and cooperate across party lines。

Download

Reviews

Tristan Donofrio ，

If you're just getting started learning about what's been going on at college campuses （and how this spills into our culture） this a great place to start。 Would recommend Cynical Theories for a more detailed， sober， scholarly and accurate assessment though。 If you're just getting started learning about what's been going on at college campuses （and how this spills into our culture） this a great place to start。 Would recommend Cynical Theories for a more detailed， sober， scholarly and accurate assessment though。 。。。more

Jennifer Bohnhoff ，

This was written pre-COVID， but it's spooky how much it explains about the mindset of the nation。 We are endangering ourselves and our future。 This was written pre-COVID， but it's spooky how much it explains about the mindset of the nation。 We are endangering ourselves and our future。 。。。more

Nigel Fortescue ，

A thoroughly enjoyable read。 Haidt helpfully dissects much of the modern mindset and concludes with helpful practical application。 I was particularly struck by the way that I have started using certain words in completely wrong ways。 The idea of safetyism and the use of “safety” language for anything except physical safety is quite odd。 I consider it quite bizarre that words can be violence in this modern age and I’m looking forward to contributing to the public sphere in order to respectfully a A thoroughly enjoyable read。 Haidt helpfully dissects much of the modern mindset and concludes with helpful practical application。 I was particularly struck by the way that I have started using certain words in completely wrong ways。 The idea of safetyism and the use of “safety” language for anything except physical safety is quite odd。 I consider it quite bizarre that words can be violence in this modern age and I’m looking forward to contributing to the public sphere in order to respectfully and carefully demonstrate that disagreement can be done in a way that honours both those speaking and those listening。 。。。more

Shem Doupe ，

A must-read for teachers and parents I would say。 Haidt always does a great job bringing interesting data to his books。 A particularly interesting stat is that "In the early 1990s， liberal professors outnumbered conservatives by 2-to-1。 By 2011， liberals outnumbered conservatives by 5-to-1。 In certain fields， the lopsidedness was even more extreme。 In academic psychology， it went from 4-to-1 in the 1990s to 17-to-1 in 2016。"This is something you might want to know if you're sending your kid to c A must-read for teachers and parents I would say。 Haidt always does a great job bringing interesting data to his books。 A particularly interesting stat is that "In the early 1990s， liberal professors outnumbered conservatives by 2-to-1。 By 2011， liberals outnumbered conservatives by 5-to-1。 In certain fields， the lopsidedness was even more extreme。 In academic psychology， it went from 4-to-1 in the 1990s to 17-to-1 in 2016。"This is something you might want to know if you're sending your kid to college and wondering why they aren't getting a liberal education in the traditional sense。 The parental advice was particularly helpful。 I've been careful not to overprotect my kids as I see them climbing and adventuring。 I also learned about cognitive behavioral therapy which was pretty interesting。 I've seen so many young people have mental breakdowns and become paralyzed over such trivial things and I never really understood it until reading this book。 Recommend highly 。。。more

Kristin Mitchell ，

An eye opening look at some tough questions and trends。 Very interesting read。

W M ，

I think “the coddling of the white American mind” might have been a more apt name for this book。 While the book was based in some pretty solid insights （American youth are being “babied，” unable to take criticism/opposing viewpoints and to approach issues with nuance） he failed to properly account for structural inequality inherent to the experiences of many of these people （example， his derision of micro aggressions as in summary “not a big deal”）。 I struggled a lot to get through this book and I think “the coddling of the white American mind” might have been a more apt name for this book。 While the book was based in some pretty solid insights （American youth are being “babied，” unable to take criticism/opposing viewpoints and to approach issues with nuance） he failed to properly account for structural inequality inherent to the experiences of many of these people （example， his derision of micro aggressions as in summary “not a big deal”）。 I struggled a lot to get through this book and question the quality of many of the examples pulled in to support the authors arguments。 While this book really felt like “please let us white people be racist in peace， it hurts our feelings when you call us oppressors 😔😔” I did enjoy having to confront/reason against the authors views， and there are a few valuable takeaways I had: I will try to avoid dichotomous “good vs。 evil” thinking， take more time to read content that conflicts with my own views， and consider whether or not anger/ “callouts” is the most effective way to achieve a goal of greater inclusion and social cohesion。 （I still plan on hating on white people for the rest of my life though， so don’t worry @my fans） 。。。more

Joaquín ，

3。5/5

Maaz Muhammad ，

Compelling analysis and indictment of excessive "safety"-ism on campuses。 Compelling analysis and indictment of excessive "safety"-ism on campuses。 。。。more

autumnatopoeia ，

A challenging argument brought forward in a humble and logical tone， this book is well-researched， unbiased， and convincing。 It's organized well and the summaries at the end of each chapter help the main points stick in your mind。 While it certainly does it's fair share of system-bashing， the suggestions at the end of the book offer accessible hope for practical change。 A challenging argument brought forward in a humble and logical tone， this book is well-researched， unbiased， and convincing。 It's organized well and the summaries at the end of each chapter help the main points stick in your mind。 While it certainly does it's fair share of system-bashing， the suggestions at the end of the book offer accessible hope for practical change。 。。。more

Tbone ，

Probably one of， if not the best book explaining what is happening in our society and why this "cancel culture" garbage is happening。 The authors are liberal professors but they see the truth and the anti-truth。 God bless them for telling the truth。 what an amazing book。。 Probably one of， if not the best book explaining what is happening in our society and why this "cancel culture" garbage is happening。 The authors are liberal professors but they see the truth and the anti-truth。 God bless them for telling the truth。 what an amazing book。。 。。。more

Jessie ，

I think this book brings up important topics but it was hard to get through。 I wish it was more engaging because I think it would be good for people to read， but I just found it a bit dry。

Matt ，

Great book！

Benjamin ，

Teach your children to be a blazing fire and not a candle so that when the wind blows the flame is strengthened and not extinguished。

Becky ，

Book club book。

Melissa ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Reading this book as a parent in 2021 was an interesting exercise。 The authors begin by laying out the three great untruths that， according to their premise， have led to significant shifts on college campuses and beyond: 1） what doesn't kill you makes you weaker， 2） always trust your feelings， and 3） life is a battle between good people and evil people。 If you fully disagree with their premise， you won't like the book。 （Of note: The events that have transpired since its publication lend to its c Reading this book as a parent in 2021 was an interesting exercise。 The authors begin by laying out the three great untruths that， according to their premise， have led to significant shifts on college campuses and beyond: 1） what doesn't kill you makes you weaker， 2） always trust your feelings， and 3） life is a battle between good people and evil people。 If you fully disagree with their premise， you won't like the book。 （Of note: The events that have transpired since its publication lend to its credibility。） However， if you find that any one of those three statements has seemed to seep into society recently， you'll find that their assessment and research is fair and their discussion very even-handed。 This book made me dive a little deeper into a few areas -- for example， I felt rather foolish in discovering， in a small reference in this book， that classic statues such as those from ancient Rome were not white marble as we have come to think of them but were actually vividly painted。 （In that particular reference in the book， the authors point out how the person who wrote about how that perception could influence our ideas of race had her position distorted and mocked by sensationalist headlines， which incited certain members of what tends to now be called the alt-right。） Personally， I do wonder if， now， their first "great untruth" might come be questioned by young people -- not necessarily the young people currently in college， but younger young people who have simply had to give up some privileges and adapt during the pandemic and will likely end up stronger because of it。 The "great untruth" that seems the most dangerous to me now and into the future is the third one。 I agree with the author's description of this viewpoint and find that an increasingly binary approach to the world as one of good guys vs。 bad guys/ heroes vs villains， rather than the more complex viewpoint that good and bad lies in each of us and all of us make both wise and unwise， good and evil choices throughout our lives， is damaging to our society。 I gave the book four stars because portions of it felt a little repetitive， but overall I highly recommend this book。 。。。more

Lorien Carter ，

This book described what I am experiencing as a faculty member in a highly ranked graduate program。。。so much so that I wondered if the authors had somehow observed my classes， our student led town halls and my office hours。The descriptions of the 3 Untruths （fragility， emotional reasoning and us vs them） are spot on， with clear examples supported by research data。I appreciated the attention paid to what parents and universities should do to remedy the coddling but unfortunately， I do not think t This book described what I am experiencing as a faculty member in a highly ranked graduate program。。。so much so that I wondered if the authors had somehow observed my classes， our student led town halls and my office hours。The descriptions of the 3 Untruths （fragility， emotional reasoning and us vs them） are spot on， with clear examples supported by research data。I appreciated the attention paid to what parents and universities should do to remedy the coddling but unfortunately， I do not think that I can enact the solutions alone and my colleagues are understandably reticent to take bold action。。。no one wants to be on the receiving end of “cancel culture”。 。。。more

Betsy ，

This felt like a really long research paper but valid points and thought-provoking concepts。

Alexis ，

Interesting read but also a big downer。 Could only take it in small chunks。

Aadil ，

Despite the titular reference to the "American mind"， this book is just as relevant to those on the other side of the Atlantic， and beyond I suspect。 The "coddling" here isn't meant to cast judgement—rather the authors identify the pathologies that result from this among many of "iGen" （the Internet generation， synonymous with Gen Z/'zoomers'）， assess the foundations of the central dependant "untruths"， and propose alternatives derived from sage advice and cognitive behavioural therapy （CBT）。The Despite the titular reference to the "American mind"， this book is just as relevant to those on the other side of the Atlantic， and beyond I suspect。 The "coddling" here isn't meant to cast judgement—rather the authors identify the pathologies that result from this among many of "iGen" （the Internet generation， synonymous with Gen Z/'zoomers'）， assess the foundations of the central dependant "untruths"， and propose alternatives derived from sage advice and cognitive behavioural therapy （CBT）。The 3 "Great Untruths" referenced throughout are “what doesn’t kill you makes you weaker”; “always trust your feelings”; “life is a battle between good people and evil people。 How these manifest is illustrated through anecdotes， mostly taking place on college campus in the preceding years。 While early reviews of this book frequently expressed skepticism about the pervasiveness of these ideas outside of the campus， similar instances are now unfortunately more evident thanks ever in the workplace and in cultureshaping elite media institutions。 In 2021， the influence of these untruths is as glaring as ever—the moral miasma of authoritarian impulses purporting to be a concern for justice is often accepted at face value， despite being predicated on all of the worst impulses derived from these untruths and engendered by the would be victims。 How did we get here？ This is where the book excels。 Among other exploratory threads outlined， this can be attributed to: changes in parental behaviour consistent with rising prosperity， a "problem of progress" leading to overprotection and a culture of safteyism; the heightened paranoia of a news saturated age; and the misguided idea that equality of outcome is what should define social justice。To its credit， this book avoids veering into polemic， rather the authors propose practical advice for willing listeners， parents and educators to hopefully foster a world of resilient， gracious individuals。 。。。more

Dandy Lyons ，

As a reader， I will often do a cursory search of an author I am interested in reading to quickly surmise the author's implicit bias and intended audience。 In general， I assume that when any writers pens a piece they hope their essay/book/paper has broad appeal and implications。 The intended audience of this book is， broadly， and any thinking person interested in public discourse， and more specifically; College Administrations， Boards， and Department Heads。 In other words， anyone who is in a pos As a reader， I will often do a cursory search of an author I am interested in reading to quickly surmise the author's implicit bias and intended audience。 In general， I assume that when any writers pens a piece they hope their essay/book/paper has broad appeal and implications。 The intended audience of this book is， broadly， and any thinking person interested in public discourse， and more specifically; College Administrations， Boards， and Department Heads。 In other words， anyone who is in a position to influence， enact， and/or block policies and regulations（including disciplinary actions） involving curriculum， speech， and debate in a college setting。 Haidt and Lukianoff stubbornly resist change and reject any and all criticism as "distorted thinking"。 Yes， sometimes students can make ludicrous demands and ask for unreasonable accommodations， that does not mean we should open the door to abusive and hateful speech under the guise of protecting "intellectual populism"。 Administrators， professors， and students alike have the skills to formulate a reasonable middle ground that allows for open， honest， and controversial debate that does not involve incessantly bombarding students and faculty with bigotry。 All involved need to be willing to do the work and when necessary， make concessions。 Moreover， for Lukianoff， and Haidt to insinuate that only students need fixing， growth， and horizon-broadening is wildly laughable and disingenuous。 。。。more

Mark Davidson ，

This is a book that seems to be for critical thinkers and those who dare listen to other perspectives， as well as their own。 Confirmation Biased minded people may not enjoy this book， but is is a fascinating read from a still well respected professor， which is a feat in itself in this polarized world today。

Christie ，

For anyone who is looking at what is going on in America right now （2021）， this book is a must read。 Very well balanced。 This book draws to light a few of the ways cancel culture started and gives tips on how to stop it from becoming the norm。

Teresa ，

An important book。 I expected this book to have a condescending tone after hearing about the premise from a friend— but instead I sensed real concern and care for young Americans and American academic culture。 It was hard not to zone out a little toward the end chapters meant to apply the ideas of the book as action steps for parents， universities， students， etc。 The book as a whole could have been a little shorter。 I did appreciate that many times the authors would point to their website for fu An important book。 I expected this book to have a condescending tone after hearing about the premise from a friend— but instead I sensed real concern and care for young Americans and American academic culture。 It was hard not to zone out a little toward the end chapters meant to apply the ideas of the book as action steps for parents， universities， students， etc。 The book as a whole could have been a little shorter。 I did appreciate that many times the authors would point to their website for further resources concerning a particular subject。Audiobook available on Libby through the Dayton Metro Library。 。。。more

Frederic Kerr ，

I listened to this audio book on Audible， narrated by author Jonathan Haidt。Universities are supposed to be a haven for free expression and rational discussion。 Ironically， at some of the same college campuses that were among the original defenders of free speech， students and faculty are clamouring to cancel， "de-platform" and block opinions that violate progressive orthodoxy。 In an era that fetishizes identity diversity， opinion diversity is no longer tolerated。Authors Lukianoff and Haidt set I listened to this audio book on Audible， narrated by author Jonathan Haidt。Universities are supposed to be a haven for free expression and rational discussion。 Ironically， at some of the same college campuses that were among the original defenders of free speech， students and faculty are clamouring to cancel， "de-platform" and block opinions that violate progressive orthodoxy。 In an era that fetishizes identity diversity， opinion diversity is no longer tolerated。Authors Lukianoff and Haidt set out to explain how liberal enquiry turned into illiberal censorship and why bold debate disappeared， replaced by hysterical calls for "safe spaces" to shelter delicate students from the alleged "verbal violence" of opinions differing from their own。I have read several other books on this topic， each of which takes a slightly different approach to the question of how we got here。 Haidt is an academic and sociologist interested in educational issues。 Lukianoff is a lawyer who runs a free speech organization for colleges。 Both noticed that the trend to illiberalism and censorship is relatively recent， increasing sharply around 2013。 They document long term trends in parenting toward seeing children as fragile as among the culprits。 Opening their story with an imagined pilgrimmage to visit a misguided oracle， the authors debunk his three really terrible ideas that are currently very popular:1） What doesn't kill us makes us weaker。2） The world is made up of good and evil people。3） Always trust your feelings。While pointing out the intense leftward shift in university faculty members over the last few years， the authors are scrupulous to highlight their own world views as classical liberal， Centre/Left。 They point out instances in which the extreme Right and Left have fed off each other's provocateurs。 Their discussion of humans' tendency to embrace tribalism is excellent。 Based on other books I've read， they're being much too kind to the Left。 Universities， schools， governments， media， social media and even some corporations are now completely swept up in Intersectionality/Critical Theory/Postmodernist philosophy。 That post-Marxist malignancy views people only as members of their identity groups， assigns each group an oppressed/oppressor ranking and tries to avenge the wrongs of history by suppressing science， speech， logic， grammar and nuclear families as constructs of a hateful， colonialist patriarchy。 Language itself must be neutered and heavily censored to avoid offending the marginalized。 Boundaries are blurred or erased。 To these disciples of Foucault and Derrida， endless conflict and incoherence are positive features， not bugs。The Coddling of the American Mind is a very useful， balanced， funny book， written by people who clearly have the best interests of society and children at heart。 They offer relatable examples of their concepts。 Highly recommended。For further reading about the giant Postmodernist squid that threatens to strangle debate and learning， I recommend three other books:The Parasitic Mind， by Dr。 Gad Saad， which is funny and irreverent。The Madness of Crowds， by Douglas Murray， which is good but drier。Cynical Theories， by Helen Pluckrose， a very academic， thorough overview of the philosophical roots of Postmodernism， Intersectionality， Trans Theory， Queer Theory， Fat Theory etc。For examples of Intersectionality's emotional reasoning， mislabelling and catastrophism described in all these books， look no further than the cover of the current issue of Time Magazine， entitled "Climate is EVERYTHING"， which links the Climate Emergency！！！ （the artist formerly known as Global Warming， then as Climate Change） to Intersectionality。 Or schools now teaching that absolutely anyone can menstruate and governments insisting that in lieu of the term "mother"， women must be called "menstruators" or "pregnant people"。 。。。more

Jenna ，

I enjoyed that this book didn’t put all the blame on 1 factor， but rather drew from 6 contributing factors。 It also wasn’t doom bait， giving a problem but no solution。 It proposed both individual and collective solutions to the problems it presents。 It gave both data and anecdotes for both its problems and solutions and in its conclusion gives hope by offering evidence of change， however gradual。

Taylor ，

A must-read for anyone in the field of education（early childhood development through graduate studies）and for any parent。 I wish this were required reading for all students entering university as well as all university administrators。 Great stuff！

Eric ，

If you're a person， you should read this book。 If you're a person， you should read this book。 。。。more

Charlie Kubal ，

One of the best books I've read for understanding a lot of how we debate and think today， the dissolution of nuance， generational divide and polarization， and what could be done about it。 Highly recommended。 One of the best books I've read for understanding a lot of how we debate and think today， the dissolution of nuance， generational divide and polarization， and what could be done about it。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

David Sager ，

I thought it was a thought provoking book but as a Christian I disagree with CBT。 I think CBT is helpful but not complete。 I also disagreed with the push to delay adolescence。 We need to help kids grow up so they can be more independent when they reach 18 （with the exceptions of mental handicaps）。 I would still recommend the book though and the suggestions at the end of the book were very good。

Gabi Cruz ，

Great book， made me reevaluate my perspective

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0