Dr. Levi Baker

Psychology
College of Arts and Sciences
Associate Professor, 2021

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

Far more measured than the title suggests, this book argues that many of the recent changes to the education system have inadvertently stunted students' intellectual and personal growth. The authors carefully avoid blaming students, professors, parents, and administrators, and even note that many of these changes have addressed legitimate problems. Nevertheless, they present a compelling argument for why (a) healthy adversity and stress fosters resilience, (b) we should not confuse our emotional reactions with reasoned evidence, and (c) assuming malevolence fosters partisanship and ignorance.

View title in library catalog