The Hollow Men: Politics and Corruption in Higher Education

by Charles J. Sykes

Examines the decline of college curricula arguing that modern colleges are producing hollow men and women with little or no exposure to the great books and ideas of Western civilization

Genres: Education, Politics

368 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 1990

Reviews

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sykes was at one time a rising star in conservative media who then became a never Trump Republican, and a minor one at that. The Hollow Men is his attempt to chronicle the decline of the university, from being focused on students and academic excellence towards specialization, research, and politicization. His case study is Dartmouth. Much of what he discusses is common today in 2021 and certainly more so. What is telling to me is that while many elite institutions had experiences similar to what he describes, from about 1990 to 2014 those trends were generally resisted in most universities and in the general public. Why they took off decades after their limited success in the Reagan era is a little discussed subject. Indeed, Sykes seems to think in 1990 that most colleges would fall in line. They did not right away, but that does not take away from a book that, while obviously biased, is still a solid read, with analysis that has held up since 1990.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our educational system is failing kids from top to bottom…….I can agree with this. But I would have enjoyed the book more with a broader focus instead of just a one school focus.

[Dale Singer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, someone with an ax to grind and found information to support his rant.