author : Jacques Barzun

Mr. Barzun, in fact, has achieved not simply the first but the only comprehensive diagnosis of the ills which underlie our loud dissatisfaction with our schools, mass media, government attitudes toward art and education, and the institutions committed to advancing intellectual activity and attainment. He sees, and makes us see, that their various inadequacies and failures are symptoms of an impairment common to all: the fundamental misunderstanding of what intellect is and what it requires in order to thrive and to produce.

One of the singular virtues of The House of Intellect is that Mr. Barzun writes from a clearly stated and firmly held point of view deriving from acute observation of, intense reflection on, and active participation in the materials of his subject. It is therefore as an authentic “expert” that he examines the threats to the life of intellect in the several significant areas in which it functions and is presumably being fostered. His wisdom, cutting wit, and persuasive power will stir echoes in the minds of honest thinkers in every party, profession, and intellectual stratum, and will surely influence everyone with any stake in the life of intellect.