The triumph of Thomas Sowell

New Criterion ^ | 5-25-21 | John Steele Gordon

[DeweyCA]

Many of you, like me, have for decades admired the talents and insights of Dr. Thomas Sowell. This article is a nice summary of a few of his most important insights and also gives a nice summary of his early life. Truly, a great great man.

[alstewartfan]

I have few heroes, but Dr. Sowell is right at the top.

[bert]

Amen..... In the old days he wrote for Forbes and was the first thing I looked for in the new issue.

[rlmorel]

Since day one on my Freep Page, I have had Dr. Sowell listed as one of my heroes.

He might be one of the smartest and most capable men on earth today.

And a Marine back during the Korean War, too.

I buy the book “Basic Economics: A Citizen’s Guide to The Economy” as a gift for people, and my favorite of his is “A Conflict Of Visions”.

Great man.

[rlmorel]

For me as well too, as my Freep Page has stated for going on two decades now...:)

[volunbeer]

Dr. Sowell is the best. Period. If you have never read his works you have no idea what you are missing.

Definitely one of my favorite Americans.

[jazusamo]

Thanks for posting, DeweyCA!

Thomas Sowell Ping

[cyclotic]

He’s a member of my short list of personal hero’s too.

[DeweyCA]

Btw, when thinking about the worthlessness of advanced Ivy League degrees that were obtained via Affirmative Action, just think of the lack of talent of Barack Obama (Harvard Law), Michelle Obama (Harvard Law), and Sheila Jackson Lee (Yale Law). They are exhibits A, B and C of the negative effects of Affirmative Action: promoting people to positions for which they are thoroughly unqualified..

[Diana in Wisconsin]

As you know, I have the BIGGEST CRUSH on this man’s brain!

He is required reading for EVERYONE. *BUMP* :)

[Vigilanteman]

When Milton Friedman passed, Dr. Sowell became the greatest living economist on the planet. Once upon a time, I once attended a college graduation just to hear Friedman speak.

In some ways, I think Dr. Sowell has even surpassed him.

[jazusamo]

Amen to both! :^)

[Yardstick]

His book The Quest for Cosmic Justice was influential for me early on.

[volunbeer]

I think for the breadth of his work, Sowell gets the nod from me.

A fantastic economist, but he is the very best person at explaining the political left. Period.

Nobody holds a candle to him.

[GOPJ]

He also couldn’t help noticing that his fellow bureaucrats did not care if the minimum wage helped workers. Their job was to enforce the laws. It was not to see if the laws did any good. “It forced me to realize, Sowell wrote, “that government agencies have their own self-interest to look after, regardless of those for whom a program has been set up.” Marxist theory ignores the powerful force of self-interest in the working of economies, and Sowell came to realize the centrality of self-interest to the human universe.

We were blessed Sowell walked the earth while we were here - and that he had a love of sharing his insights with the rest of us... a true blessing.

[marktwain]

“Some of the biggest cases of mistaken identity are among intellectuals who have trouble remembering that they are not God.”

I have been saying the same for years, arrived at independently of Sowell.

But he said it much earlier, and much better and more eloquently.

[GOPJ]

Later, when Sowell was asked to teach a course on the Soviet economy, the significance of Hayek’s essay hit home: I could see what the factors were that led the Soviets to do what they were doing, and why it wasn’t working. There was a knowledge problem that was inherent in that system. In a nutshell, those with the power didn’t have the knowledge, and those with the knowledge didn’t have the power.

A central problem 'the people' of the United States have with their 'elites' living in DC....

[lewislynn]

Thomas Sowell = Never-Trumper

No thanks.

[JimRed]

Bump

[ChildOfThe60s]

Thanks for the Post!