What happens when a society values achievement more than thought?

In The Intellectual Life, Harold E. Stearns examines the forces that shaped America's complicated relationship with ideas, culture, and independent thought. Tracing the American mindset from its pioneer roots, Stearns explores how an emphasis on work, practicality, and material success influenced the nation's intellectual character.

Provocative and distinctly rooted in its era, this classic essay challenges listeners to consider the value of contemplation, intellectual freedom, and ideas pursued without the promise of immediate practical reward.

A fascinating piece of American cultural criticism whose questions about success, conformity, and the life of the mind continue to resonate today.

Narrated by Tony J. Martin.