One of the few things liberal and conservative educators agree on these days is that college students are too fragile. Many of them are intellectually and emotionally unable to engage ideas uncongenial to them. Many are incapable of accepting honest assessments of their academic performance. They seem anxious to get through life successfully, pleasurably, and painlessly rather than seeing it as an adventure and possible source of unanticipated joys.
In his new book, The Vanishing American Adult, Ben Sasse, historian, former university president, and current Republican Senator from Nebraska, goes beyond the usual complaints about young people. He blames our dominant educational approach. Often oriented toward self-esteem and other therapeutic goals, it contributes to the general lack of self-reliance that makes many young people unready for adult responsibility. There are better ways, and his interesting and useful volume abounds in robust but not especially surprising alternatives.