Relativism is a central theme of The Closing of the American Mind. Bloom argues that the language of value relativism, originating with Nietzsche and popularized by the sociologist Max Weber and contemporary psychotherapy, has permeated American culture in recent decades yet has gone virtually unnoticed. The central thesis of Bloom’s book is that value relativism and multiculturalism are symptomatic of a crisis of reason in our society that threatens the foundations and survival of democracy.

The replacement of the traditional terms of good and evil by the language of value relativism constitutes a profound change in our conceptions of the human self and morality, Bloom declares. Good and evil are non-negotiable moral judgements; they claim universal status and are assumed to reflect the true natural or supernatural order. In the West, the ideas of good and evil are rooted in Judeo-Christian tradition and allude to their theological origins even in the modern secular age. The conflict of good and evil is unavoidably distressing and potentially risky. The term “value,” by contrast, neutralizes the opposition between absolute moral terms, thereby making conflict resolution easier. Values are abstract and amenable to adjustment. Their flexibility enables a reduction of the tension between opposing positions, since it is easier to modify one’s values than to modify intractable ideas of good and evil.