If bestselling books are advising us to not think, LeGault argues, it comes as no surprise that reasoning has become a lost art in the daily life of Americans. He provides an analysis of the causes and solutions for: the erosion of growth and market share at many established American companies; permissive parenting and low standards that have caused an academic crisis among our children; America's growing political polarization, which is a result of our reluctance to think outside our comfort zone; faulty planning and failure to act on information that has led to preventable disasters, such as the Hurricane Katrina meltdown; and a culture of image and instant gratification, fed by reality shows and computer games, that has rendered curiosity of the mind and spirit all but obsolete. LeGault asks more of us than any other societal overview: now is the time to think!--From publisher description.

Causes: Don't blink, think -- Analyze what? -- Thought, American style -- Feeding the feel-good monster -- Rise of the political and correct, the fall of the smart and "stress" and "information overload" -- Inspiration: Great thinkers -- Fixes: If you don't ask, you don't get: a return to discipline and standards -- Stretching the horizon : embracing risk and reward -- Hearing the harmony of reason : embracing objectivity, thinking critically -- How to save civilization in one easy step -- Notes -- Acknowledgments.