Allan Bloom
American philosopher and classicist known for championing Great Books education.
Chronology: 1930-09-14 – 1992-10-07
Origins & Early Life
Allan David Bloom (September 14, 1930 – October 7, 1992) was an American philosopher, classicist, and academician. He studied under David Grene, Leo Strauss, Richard McKeon, and Alexandre Kojève. He subsequently taught at Cornell University, the University of Toronto, Tel Aviv University, Yale University, the École Normale Supérieure, and the University of Chicago. Bloom championed the idea of Great Books education and became famous for his criticism of contemporary American higher education, expressing his views in his bestselling 1987 book, The Closing of the American Mind.
Pivotal Works & Achievements
Characterized as a conservative in the popular media, Bloom denied the label, asserting that what he sought to defend was the "theoretical life". Saul Bellow wrote Ravelstein, a roman à clef based on Bloom, his friend and colleague at the University of Chicago. == Early life and education == Bloom was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to second-generation Jewish parents who were both social workers. The couple had a daughter, Lucille, two years earlier. As a thirteen-year-old, Bloom read a Reader's Digest article about the University of Chicago and told his parents he wanted to attend; his parents thought it was unreasonable...
Enduring Legacy & Impact
The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.
Source: Wikipedia