At the end of the day, I took out of my bookshelf the fall issue of Daedalus, the Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences… because it has been more than a decade since I’ve taught in a classroom, I had almost forgotten the importance of knowing how learning happens… throughout life.  The 1971 fall issue of Daedalus focused on early adolescence, ages 12 to sixteen.  A section entitled “The Adolescent as a Philosopher” of the issue was written by Lawrence Kohlberg and Carol Gilligan, two thinkers who talked and wrote about how learning happens.  I reread their section of the issue and I thought with some dread about the November election.  I thought about Donald Trump and his campaign for the presidency and my worries increased as I read Kohlberg’s and Gilligan’s conclusion that “almost 50 percent of American adults never reach adolescence in the cognitive sense.”  We should not be surprised that Trump is a hero to many Americans who believe he is saying something profound when he declares the he will make America great again. The man is saying nothing that requires clear operational reasoning to understand… and if it is true that almost 50 percent of Americans never reach adolescence in the cognitive sense, Trump can sing his song to that group of Americans who vote and can possibly win the election in November.  I’ll reread the piece tomorrow, and maybe I’ll be reassured that he can’t win.