Press & Media
The Foundry (Blog)
Commentary Archive
Heritage Experts
Computer-Assisted Research & Reporting
Events
À La Chart
Washington Roundtable for Asia-Pacific Press
Contact Us
Return Home





   PRESS  > Events
 
Think: Why Crucial Decisions Can't be Made in the Blink of an Eye
Date:January 25, 2006
Time:12:00 noon
Speaker(s):Michael R. LeGault
Author
Host(s):John Edward Hilboldt
Director,
Lectures and Seminars,
The Heritage Foundation


Details:
Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium

Outraged by the downward spiral of American intellect and culture, Michael R. LeGault offers the flip side of Malcolm Gladwell's bestselling phenomenon, Blink, which theorized that our best decision-making is done on impulse, without factual knowledge or critical analysis. If bestselling books are advising us to not think, LeGault argues, it comes as no surprise that sharp, incisive reasoning has become a lost art in the daily life of Americans. Somewhere along the line, the Age of Reason morphed into the Age of Emotion; and this systemic erosion is costing time, money, jobs, and lives in the 21st Century, leading to less fulfillment and growing dysfunction. Among the characteristics LeGault addresses are: permissive parenting and low standards that have caused an academic crisis among our children; America's growing political polarization from our reluctance to think outside of comfort zones; faulty planning and failure to act on information at all levels of society; a culture of image and instant gratification that has rendered curiosity of the mind and spirit all but obsolete; and the aversion to taking risks that is replacing the traditional American "can do" mind-set.

Far from perpetuating the stereotype of the complacent American, LeGault's analysis asks more of us than any other societal overview: America can fulfill its greatest potential starting today, and we need smart teachers, smart health care workers, smart sales representatives, smart students, smart mechanics, and smart leaders to make it happen.

Michael R. LeGault is an award-winning editor and writer, and a former columnist for The Washington Times. An American citizen based in Toronto, he has worked for and been a consultant to major U.S. companies on health, safety, environmental, and quality issues. LeGault received his B.S. from the University of Michigan and his M.S. from the University of Miami, Florida. Currently, he is an editor at the National Post (Canada).
 
 

Sign up for Morning Bell Email

Additional Information
Upcoming events:
 
Pirates of the Gulf of Aden: How Piracy Plunders Maritime Security
11/24/08

The 10 Big Lies About America: Combating Destructive Distortions About Our Nation
11/24/08

Taiwan, Democracy, and the Rule of Law
11/25/08

 
Related Papers:
 
No papers currently available.
Contact An Expert
MEDIA INFORMATION LINE:
Phone: 202.675.1761
Fax: 202.544.6979

Print Interview Requests:
Jim Weidman
Director, Editorial Services
202.608.6145
Jim.Weidman@heritage.org

Opinion Editorial Requests:
Paul Gallagher
Manager, Editorial Services
202.608.6151
Paul.Gallagher@heritage.org

Radio/TV Interview Requests:
Matt Streit
Director
202.608.6156
Matt.Streit@heritage.org

Elizabeth F. Lincicome
Senior Media Associate
202.608.6157
Elizabeth.Lincicome@heritage.org

Israel Ortega
Senior Media Associate
202.608.6176
Israel.Ortega@heritage.org

Audrey Jones
Media Associate
202.608.6159
Audrey.Jones@heritage.org

Asia-Pacific Media Requests:
Nick Zahn
Asia Communications Associate
202.608.6150
Nick.Zahn@heritage.org

-----
Recent Heritage Research
View All
November 21, 2008
by Jena Baker McNeill
November 21, 2008
by Dennis G. Smith
November 20, 2008
by Ariel Cohen
 
Commentaries
View All
November 21, 2008
November 20, 2008
November 19, 2008