The Opening of the American Mind
Ten Years of The Point
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9780226735801
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The Opening of the American Mind
Ten Years of The Point
In a cultural landscape dominated by hot takes and petty polemics, The Point stands for something different. Informed by the conviction that humanistic thinking has relevance for everyday life, the magazine has long maintained a rare space for thoughtful dialogue between a wide range of political views, philosophical perspectives, and personal experiences: its contributors include liberals and conservatives, philosophers and activists, Marxists and Catholics, New Yorkers and Midwesterners. A little more than a decade since its founding on the campus of the University of Chicago, it offers a unique and revelatory look at the changing face of America, one that speaks not only to way American minds have been forced to “open” by a decade of trauma and transformation, but also to the challenge of remaining open to our fellow citizens during our deeply divided present.
Featuring award-winning and highly acclaimed essays from The Point’s first ten years, The Opening of the American Mind traces the path of American intellect from the magazine’s inception in 2009, when Barack Obama was ascending the steps of the White House, to the brink of the 2020 election. The essays, chosen both for the way they capture their time and transcend it, are assembled into five sections that address cycles of cultural frustrations, social movements, and the aftermath of the 2016 election, and provide lively, forward-looking considerations of how we might expand our imaginations into the future. Spanning the era of Obama and Trump, Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and renewed attention to reparations, this anthology offers critical reflections on some of the decade’s most influential events and stands as a testament to the significance of open exchange. The intellectual dialogue provided by The Point has never been more urgently needed, and this collection will bring the magazine’s vital work to an even broader readership.
Featuring award-winning and highly acclaimed essays from The Point’s first ten years, The Opening of the American Mind traces the path of American intellect from the magazine’s inception in 2009, when Barack Obama was ascending the steps of the White House, to the brink of the 2020 election. The essays, chosen both for the way they capture their time and transcend it, are assembled into five sections that address cycles of cultural frustrations, social movements, and the aftermath of the 2016 election, and provide lively, forward-looking considerations of how we might expand our imaginations into the future. Spanning the era of Obama and Trump, Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and renewed attention to reparations, this anthology offers critical reflections on some of the decade’s most influential events and stands as a testament to the significance of open exchange. The intellectual dialogue provided by The Point has never been more urgently needed, and this collection will bring the magazine’s vital work to an even broader readership.
392 pages | 6 x 9 | © 2020
History: History of Ideas
Literature and Literary Criticism: General Criticism and Critical Theory
Philosophy: American Philosophy, General Philosophy, Philosophy of Society
Political Science: Political and Social Theory
Reviews
Table of Contents
Introduction
The End of the End of History
Predatory Habits
Hard Feelings
No Such Thing?
Forward with Fukuyama
After Ferguson
Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul?
Linked Fate
After Ferguson
Final Fantasy
Understanding Is Dangerous
Midwestworld
Letter on Our President
Pleasure Won
Final Fantasy
Tired of Winning
Tired of Winning
I Am Madame Bovary
Closing of the American Mind
Switching Off
Thinking Ahead
Innocence Abroad
This, Too, Was History
The Dictatorship of the Present
Leaving Herland
It’s All Just Beginning
List of Contributors
Acknowledgments
Jon Baskin & Anastasia Berg
The End of the End of History
Predatory Habits
Etay Zwick
Hard Feelings
Ben Jeffery
No Such Thing?
Jonny Thakkar
Forward with Fukuyama
Daniel Luban
After Ferguson
Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul?
Jesse McCarthy
Linked Fate
Melina Abdullah
After Ferguson
Brandon M. Terry
Final Fantasy
Understanding Is Dangerous
Kathryn Lofton
Midwestworld
Meghan O’Gieblyn
Letter on Our President
The Editors
Pleasure Won
Lauren Berlant & Bea Malsky
Final Fantasy
James Duesterberg
Tired of Winning
Tired of Winning
Jon Baskin
I Am Madame Bovary
Anastasia Berg
Closing of the American Mind
Jacob Hamburger
Switching Off
Rachel Wiseman
Thinking Ahead
Innocence Abroad
Ursula Lindsey
This, Too, Was History
Peter C. Baker
The Dictatorship of the Present
John Michael Colón
Leaving Herland
Nora Caplan-Bricker
It’s All Just Beginning
Justin E. H. Smith
List of Contributors
Acknowledgments
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