In the Introduction, Bloom distinguishes between “two kinds of openness, the openness of indifference […] and the openness that invites us to the quest for knowledge and certitude” (41). What does he mean by this distinction, and how does it relate to the title of the book?

What are the main factors responsible, in Bloom’s view, for the intellectual decline of American society? Discuss several of these causes, considering their interrelations.

Today’s youth, Bloom argues, have little interest in or respect for books. What are the causes and consequences of the cultural illiteracy of American students? Is his argument valid?