Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind (New York: 1988), p. 247.
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Tocqueville found that Americans talked very much about individual right but that there was a real monotony of thought and that vigorous independence of mind was rare. Even those who appear to be free-thinkers … are creatures of public opinion as much as are conformists—actors of nonconformism in the theater of the conformists who admire and applaud nonconformity of certain kinds, the kinds that radicalize the already dominant opinions.
— Allan Bloom on Conformity
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Tocqueville found that Americans talked very much about individual right but that there was a real monotony of thought and that vigorous independence of mind was rare. Even those who appear to be free-thinkers … are creatures of public opinion as much as are conformists—actors of nonconformism in the theater of the conformists who admire and applaud nonconformity of certain kinds, the kinds that radicalize the already dominant opinions." in the context of "Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind (New York: 1988), p. 247." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Conformity" (B)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Allan Bloom
Allan David Bloom (14 September, 1930 in Indianapolis, Indiana – 7 October, 1992 in Chicago, Illinois) was an American philosopher, essayist and academic. Bloom championed education based on the study of 'Great Books', as did his mentor Leo Strauss. He criticised contemporary American higher education in his 1987 book, The Closing of the American Mind, which became a bestseller.
About Allan Bloom
Allan David Bloom (14 September, 1930 in Indianapolis, Indiana – 7 October, 1992 in Chicago, Illinois) was an American philosopher, essayist and academic. Bloom championed education based on the study of 'Great Books', as did his mentor Leo Strauss. He criticised contemporary American higher education in his 1987 book, The Closing of the American Mind, which became a bestseller.
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