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The Burden of Bad Ideas

How Modern Intellectuals Misshape Our Society

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The Burden of Bad Ideas

Written by: Heather MacDonald
Narrated by: Anna Fields
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About this listen

 In closely reported stories from the streets of New York to the seats of intellectual power, MacDonald shows how bad ideas get started and then acquire a life of their own. Her reports trace the transformation of influential opinion-makers and large philanthropic foundations from confident advocates of individual responsibility, opportunity, and learning into apologists for the welfare state.

The prevailing orthodoxy of ideas, she finds, has affected our schools with ruinous consequences for our children. While these beliefs have damaged the nation as a whole, she observes, they have hit the poor especially hard. When it comes to urban problems and social policy, The Burden of Bad Ideas is more than a breath of fresh air. It's a cold shower.

©2000 Heather MacDonald (P)2001 Books on Tape, Inc. Philosophy Politics & Government Public Policy

What the critics say

"Anna Fields has a rich, womanly voice. She brings every anecdote to life, careening from fiery indignation to icy sarcasm and back again." (AudioFile)
"Spirited, stimulating essays....Vivid and devastating....Social, cultural and political criticism of the first order." (Washington Post)
"Provocative...even when you disagree with her you recognize that her viewpoint must be thoughtfully considered and countered." (Wall Street Journal)
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