Thomas Sowell

In this wide-ranging interview marking the publication of his new book, The Thomas Sowell Reader, Thomas Sowell, the Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution, discusses, with Hoover research fellow Peter Robinson, his life, Barack Obama, class warfare, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and the influence of Milton Friedman.

[@muckey7800]

Dr Sowell's argument cuts the mustard. I went from homeless to homeowner in 8 years following this advice. Thank you Dr Sowell for confirming what I've grown to believe. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to him and those like him. God bless Thomas Sowell 🙏

[@HelpMeFindTheseSongs]

Can you share which specific advice Thomas Sowell said that helped you? I'm hitting rock bottom and I need everything I can. Thank you!

[@jeremyc2445]

Mr Robinson is a tremendous interviewer

[@michaeljdorgan]

Fantastic. Great chemistry between them. I could listen to them for hours

[@ktowncapitalist]

I believe that he actually reads the books and knows the context before interviewing.

[@jayneweaver8695]

I've watched almost every Peter Robinson, Thomas Sowell interviews, some twice or more, both men, really brilliant, great interview!!! Thank you Thomas Sowell!!!

[@somewhereyouarent]

Dr.Sowell is a personal hero of mine. Great man, brilliant mind.

[@sneakthieve]

My brain explodes every time I hear Dr. Sowell speak. He’s helped me have a much greater understanding of life.

[@jeremyc2445]

Tom Sowell is astounding

[@ingridnozahic7784]

American academics are so much easier to understand than Europeans. They cut through to the ‘need to know ‘ rather than the need to sound as highbrow as they can. Great host and Thomas Sowell is an inspiration.

[@laurenceflynn7231]

“Four-letter words like love, duty, work, and save are hallmarks of people with a very different vision, who make their own way through life without being part of some grandiose scheme of the anointed or of government bureaucracies that administer such schemes. No wonder those words are not nearly as popular as other four-letter words.” - Thomas Sowell

[@kathymayes4290]

This interviewer is brilliant.

[@rrrrrrktjtj]

The look on his face as he watched himself 30 years ago made me so happy.

[@danieljakubik3428]

Excellent highly skilled interviewer with Thomas Sowell.

[@VincentMMoore0]

Mr. Robinson, you probably don’t read these comments. But thank you so much for this show. I enjoy every episode I watch, and find myself with a separate tab open, adding book after book to my online shopping cart. Thank you.

[@geraldpolmateer3255]

My first job was working in the fields for less than minimum wage. Like Sowell it motivated me in a huge way to have some skills that kept me away from that level of income. Sometimes the best educator is knowing what it feels like and not left at the intellectual level. The truth of an ideology is not found in the ideology but what its results are.

[@5dmkiii60]

I'm very pleased this man has written so much and continues to do so at 81. I want every drop of this man's knowledge in writing before he passes out of the world. What a sad day that will be, but his wisdom, at least, will still be there for the benefit of generations to come.

[@ChalKhutiKothig]

Dr. Sowell, you are my guru __/\__

[@BarbaraJoanneBJ]

Mine too.

[@neversurrender6112]

Mine too, aditya

[@DatKidJohnny]

I wish young Americans would know him better.

[@srijanagrawal255]

I usually play interviews at 1.5x speed to save time. Not when I'm watching Dr Sowell though, just so I can watch him for longer. Absolute legend.

[@trishclarke8578]

What an amazing and practical man the world is a better place for.having him in it🙏👍

[@russellsnook3164]

I love " uncommon knowledge " . A welcome break from the daily rhetoric of the news. I always feel bless to listen to the guest on this show;)

[@alexandravenera707]

This man is a gift to society.

[@movableorigins4194]

I have no idea how many times I watched Sowell interviews....10? 20? IDK. And every time I learn something new, a new vision, a new perspective. Thank you Thomas Sowell.....Thank you for giving me knowledge.

[@christianbolt5761]

Love this guy, truly a national treasure.

[@GMoolah0]

Isn't it a shame? People hate hearing the truth, man. It's such a shame.

[@RickyJr46]

A truly admirable man and a mind well used!

[@LittleHatori]

@22:00 Love the segment about marriage and love. Even though the topics were completely unexpected to me. "ITs been there from the beginning. The left wanting to come in and undermine the autonomy of the parents." -T. Sowell

[@janvincent497]

Thomas Sowell is a fucking legend. Truly should have been our first president.

[@elduderinoii1434]

“Love is one of the ways we influence each other and work our our inter-related lives without the help of the anointed.” Whatever powers may be, that weave order into space and time out of chaos, I thank everything and nothing for the blessing of Thomas Sowell and all people like him, they shine light upon the darkness.

[@furtherdefinitions1]

Thomas Sowell is a brilliant man!

[@BarbaraJoanneBJ]

Probably one of my favorite interviews of Sowell.

[@regeneratedwordsmythe8732]

Could listen to this all day. Thank you Mr. Sowell for the knowledge you share freely with others through these videos. Thanks for being a role model. 8 years later , still relevant. Anthony Brian Logan wears your mantle, to a degree. Thanks to Peter also.

[@aking1914]

Excellent interview! Truly the definition of a good man!

[@poeglives]

Such a gem you American's have in the inclusive intellectual, Thomas Sowell.

[@sebastianbooth5659]

Truly an outstanding man!

[@edwardshaw691]

This 45 min clip is old but worth a watch. You gotta love Thomas Sowell..

[@BigDaddyDJD]

9:00-9:05 Sowell captured perfectly my exact same reaction!

[@afreedman4361]

"And I preferred the food."

[@pedrojorge8942]

The fastest 46 minutes of my whole Life. Thank you for this Mr Sowell

[@powerslave6944]

I wish I can be as great as this man

[@MRios1128]

9:03 I've never seen him so animated 😂

[@gmayers35]

I just want to say thank you sir! I would be proud as a white man to serve under your intelligent ideas & morals as a Christian

[@tabithadorcas7763]

Thomas Sowell is such a treasure. Peter Robinson is the best!

[@pretorious700]

It's amazing how idiotic Obama sounds in this context.....or any context actually.

[@millamilla10]

How I love the great TS! What a treasure!

[@bombanwarn78]

a master at work

[@dartharpy9404]

Awsome, thanks for recording these truths

[@bruceli9094]

Living Legend. Save this video.

[@androiduser6928]

Just wonderful!

[@jonashermans8691]

23:33 Best moment

[@groverwashingtonjr.9978]

lol Sowell's reaction at 9:00

[@justinhebert5155]

Lol, I rewound it just to watch it again 😂

[@eddy8828]

Brilliant interview. Thank you.

[@millamilla10]

"Love, Guns and Automobiles!"

[@P0RKINS2]

His face @ 9:03 is now my standard response to all Socialist Talking Points or Policy Positions.

[@HaukurIceland]

I love your show Robinson :)

[@Inquisitivebob]

what he said at the end is funny in 2011 until November 1st i was 20. i had just spent 8 months learning as much as i could about politics and other philosophy. reading people like Milton Friedman watching you tube videos from people like Bernard Chapin. then i finally decided i was not only right but libertarian.

[@Kykylandfarming]

This video was Awesome!

[@pmanisc]

Thomas Sowell speaks, 13000 views; News Anchor Fail Compilation 2012: 66,000,000 A Tragedy

[@robertbrothers2099]

Awesome.

[@paul_bellini]

May he live to be 120.

[@anthonytracey4545]

Thank you Mr. Sowell

[@amryan7571]

I love hearing Obama so angry and wrong.

[@rickcolumbo3148]

i am surprised that when thomas started talking about love in a voice that would put barry white to shame just for a moment i wondered what else might he have become

[@beosborne705]

This guy is the man… wish he could be President

[@echo1174]

There is, in fact, such a thing as 'class antagonism'. The Bourgeoisie against the Bourgeoisie. The easy going ''I'm all right it's someone else paying for it any way'' Public sector Vs the high risk, ''Make a mistake and you get burned!'' Private sector. If a person is foolish enough to believe that they have brand new answers to questions that have yet to be asked by those concerned any way and no one else in the whole history of human civilization all combined has been capable of coming up with such answers yet ''I'm different. I have a whole systemic shift that will fix poverty for ever, even though I admit I do not even understand what poverty is and how it's caused. If a person is foolish enough to believe that 'Alienation', 'Inequality' and also the 'instability' of the business cycle are things that plague our society so much so that people are not nor have ever been complaining or worrying about such things themselves nor are they voting that way. So, It must be that people who actually live their own lives every day are so feeble minded that adults who are working everyday to take responsibility for their family, do not actually know what is in their own best interest. What peoples best interest is, also, is to hate the 'Capitalists' and 'Rich' people who actually produce things and have skills and services to provide are some how the 'Vampire squids' and 'Greedy Pig monsters' while the people who have a whole history of funding themselves and their Party either through slavery, getting the Unions to actually stop looking after what's in the best interest of everyone concerned to become lobbyists on their representatives money or from the Banking system and Wall St. in general that can not fail but to make all the wrong decisions and to corrupt everything within a yard from their reach, despite being the most regulated part of the economy that keeps getting bailed out. If a person is foolish enough to believe that all the bad things happening in the world right now are injustices, committed by either stupid people, Evil people or Stupid enough to be manipulated by the Evil people, and that's that. Stupid Evil people who some how manage to control everybody and everything, even the money supply [That sounds like what the 20th Century Socialists did actually]. These people are the 'System' and the 'System' is 'Capitalism' - Dun, Dun, Dun!! So swap the word Capitalist for 'Jew' and who do they sound like? Swap the word Capitalism for 7'5'' shape-shifting lizard people and who's that? Any one who is overlooking the outcomes because they either believe it's about what motivates you [It's the thought that counts, right?] or it's the 'Manipulators' behind the scenes. 'Everyone's running my Country, except me!' Boo-Hoo! These idiots are all the same. Thank heavens for Dr. Sowell. God bless you sir and all the hard work you do, Capitalist scumbag!!

[@jackbotman]

This guy is going to be the first person to turn 200

[@rickcolumbo3148]

right on, what a decent human being. as for the disparity in view totals, i think it was bevis and butthead who said " people will watch pretty much anything as long as it's stupid.

[@Onieracraft]

Sowell has unqualifiedly "positive opinions " about very little in contemporary political life. As his work "A Conflict of Visions" outlines, he believes that life is about trade offs, and selecting the best alternatives among those provided. He isn't a spaced out ideologue that believes in first backing lost causes, and then resigning and doing nothing once those causes have gone down.

[@johnbedell2376]

Pure GOLD!

[@TheMrsMenes]

If only Sowell ran for presidency!!

[@alanaadams7440]

I was a nurse and I payed 37 per cent taxes

[@cleopatraanu2203]

Brilliant

[@DAWN001]

5:20 one-step vision 20:25 cut out the anointed 26:34 the work has value in itself

[@Aphoresis]

@mjn76 Wait I didn't explain that to you clearly, let me break it down a little better. The dishonesty in Obama's analysis was that he was taking the Capital gains tax rate for long term investments (15%) and comparing it to the ANNUAL income of people like teachers. If an investor makes an investment and then collects the gains from that investment in the same year, he pays the standard tax rate, which will be a higher rate if he took in more than the teacher.

[@gomedoc1]

wow!!!

[@Aphoresis]

@mjn76 If someone is holding a stock for 2 years and then sells it and collects the funds, paying a rate of 15 percent, it's basically the same as paying a rate of 30 percent for funds made within one year.

[@truevoice08]

Sowell is like Ron Paul. Their writing is much much better than their speaking (which is not to say they're bad speakers).

[@Onieracraft]

@poeglives Why are you giving us a definition of Capital gains/losses? (oh and my other comment for some reason was not added here so my full context was lost a bit.)

[@samuils]

"why should the secretary pay more than the boss"? First of all she doesnt pay more if we are being honest and are talking in sums and not % rates. Second, well I dont know Mr. you tell me why you are charging her more.

[@PQRXYZ433]

Just remember that army of people it took to put and keep them in jail is an absolute bargain compared to the cost of lost revenue through lost business, property damage, theft, rape and murder. Would you prefer #Occupy on the streets, behind bars, or best of all, met with overwhelming force and scared off after their first tiny infraction, never to riot again?

[@socalcraigster]

@40.25 - pretty much sums it up.

[@poeglives]

@Aphoresis Paying on the difference in value is capital gains/losses. Too many bemoan gross revenues without understanding such.

[@MagnusCattus]

I know this is a super old post, but I have to say it, there's a huge reason I've never heard of this man until about a week ago. What he says is SOO contrary to what African americans are "supposed" to say. He is supposed to say, they need more of this and that and how terrible it is to be black, but the problem is he's actually brilliant. Which makes it somewhat hard for him to say something so stupid. But the point being, men like him who deny the party line are thorns in the marxists' sides.

[@JohnCasteel1333]

This makes me so depressed. Everything is so wrong and messed up.

[@dennispresiloski3964]

As bad as things might have seemed like back in 2012, they look like "the good old days" compared to 2024.

[@PeterControl]

if that is result of appealing to rationalism and empirical facts then so be it

[@mrgetrealpeople]

Just remember your paying ten time more for the army of people it took to put and keep them in jail.

[@henrybn14ar]

Pity he had never come across Henry George.

[@6155510]

His story of his boss, whom he later took to dinner at the WTC, tends to make one misty eyed, donut?.

[@Vintagecoilylocks]

Its interesting that it seems Obama meant to spread the wealth but what he did not say was he meant to people all over the world. So the plummer her was talking to was not necessarily who he was talking about who would benefit equally.

[@z4nizzle]

1 person would get smoked by Thomas Sowell in a debate.

[@Aphoresis]

@mjn76 Unrealized gains from an investment do not count as income.

[@AndrewD624]

VOTE RON PAUL 2012 A vote for Dr. Paul is a vote for yourself. He wants to limit gov intrusiveness in our lives & allow US to make our own choices. Stop politicians and the elites from thinking that they are so smart that they know how to run our lives better than we do. He is one of the few politicians that will make difficult decisions, he will balance the budget by his 2nd year, while other politicians plan to balance the budget after their term LISTEN, UNDERSTAND, DECIDE. RON PAUL 2012

[@Aphoresis]

You think Sowell's speaking style is difficult?! What must you think about guys like Richard Epstein? lol. Sowell is extremely plain spoken for an academic. Now Paul is a politician, so ofcourse is going to be plain spoken.

[@RoberinoSERE]

Thomas Sowell the wisest of men. I was robbed of the pleasure of his wisdom absent my father in my youth. Mom was Roman Scourge to my butt. I am a beta or omega mgtow.

[@pretorious700]

I think with him it's a matter of choice, and he still bears the delusion that politics matter.

[@kennylewis6702]

The interviewer keeps trying to prove his own intelligence instead of shutting up and letting Dr. Sowell finish a statement...frustrating...

[@mansmind_]

3:10

[@Droodeex]

@medlock01 Agree, i would add Epstein though, smart guy too ;)

[@jobu2100]

this is the pits.

[@ralphbernhard1757]

At kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqSwZqaHfr-Loskm45s mins Look how they quickly change the criteria. Obama asked why 'Warren Buffet's secretary should pay a higher personal income tax rate than Warren Buffet'. Then, these two gents laugh about it, but quickly change the criteria to 'who pays the most income tax?' No, it's about the rate (10, 15 or 25 % of total income), and NOT where the government gets the most money from. Yup, of course the most INCOME tax comes from a mega rich, but these mega rich also make the most money. Why try to stick to 'income tax' only? Why not look at taxing in general, as a proportion of income? Seen as a percentage of income, even those who pay NO income tax (because they earn too little), pay a lot of tax as a percentage of what they earn. For example, the 50% gasoline tax, or sales tax (7-10%) would cut 'Joe the plumber' deep. Yet, the mega rich Wall Street banker laughs at the (seen as a percentage of his income) 50% of his gas tax. If Warren Buffet pays 30 dollars of tax on a 60 dollar gas bill, he'll laugh it off. For a low income family, 30 dollars of taxes on a tank full of gas, is a much, much higher percentage of their total earnings. Of course, you'll NEVER find a 10%-er from the upper income bracket, arguing that the 90% of average and low income families pay the vast majority of fuel and sales tax. Hmmm....

[@audiorage82407]

+Ralph Bernhard You'll also never find a Democrat who didn't like a new tax. Perhaps the solution is to reduce taxes across the board, along with government spending.

[@pebutts]

+Ralph Bernhard The idea that Warren Buffet pays a lower personal income tax rate than his secretary on earned income is simply not true. Buffet earns a majority of his income via capital gains, not earned income. His secretary receives solely earned income. If his secretary got capital gains, he/she would pay the exact same percentage as Buffet. It's fine if you want to say them paying the same rate is unfair, but definitions of things are important. "Personal income tax rate" is a very misleading term. Capital gains are paid when they occur, but they are in no way guaranteed. If you invest your money in something you may make money over time, you may not, or you may lose your money. Earned income caries with it no such risk. If you work a designated number of hours, you will get paid your salary. The difference in risk between the two is one of the reasons that the tax rate on investment income is lower. Another reason is that investment income is typically accrued over many years, so the government actually receives more money if they wait until the end and tax it at a lower rate. Still another is that the money invested has already had income tax paid on it (unless it is in an IRA or similar account). The debate here is about the income tax, not taxes in general. I'm pretty sure that Sowell would have strong opinions about the wisdom of a 50% gas tax. Oddly, the same people that tend to support high gas taxes are the same people that scream about income inequality. Also, there is no place of which I am aware that has a 50% gas tax. Finally, the point that Sowell was making is that adjusting the income tax rate makes people feel better but actually hurts the primary function of taxes, which is to extract money to fund the government. If it makes you feel good that rich people pay a higher percentage in taxes, fine, but that does lead to consequences including less money coming in. If you are designing a tax system, you'd be most interested in what would generate revenue efficiently, not what would meet some arbitrary definition of "fairness". You're changing the argument here to suit your narrative, rather than debating what was actually discussed. If you want to talk about earned income tax rates, or capital gains rates, those are fair topics. You also propose a dubious assertion that the "90% of average and low income families" (I have no idea what you mean by this) pay the vast majority of fuel and sales tax. Even if we accept this as true, why should we expect 10% of the population to pay the majority of those taxes?

[@ralphbernhard1757]

pebutts​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Thanks for your input. The reason I posted, is because I recognize a certain justification made by those who are better off, when determining the criteria used in this debate. First off, why limit the debate to personal income tax only? Why, if the question of 'taxation' arises, immediate point the finger at the overall amount generated by a single tax, if there are hundreds of different forms of systems of tax? You seem to be very knowledgeable about the subject, so let's admit to a few facts first. Let's also not limit the debate to Buffet (a man whom I admire BTW, for his savvy and because of his philanthropic side) and his secretary, who were only examples used by Obama to address a wider problem. Firstly, there is hardly a wealthy person on the planet, who is not ALSO a company, or several companies, at the same time. This fact already offers massive advantages of ' shifting' money around. Extremely wealthy people keep money invested in firms, company funds and accounts, etc. As a 'mere' average bloke, if I sell my shares with a profit, get dividends, etc., I immediately have to cough up the taxes due. Not so, somebody with much more money than I do. That person would use the methods made available to him by ' the system', and found a company. As you know, companies have all the benefits of using bookkeeping tricks to artificially reduce the 'profit'. Therefore, if I get a few thousand Euro in dividends, I ( as a private person) IMMEDIATELY pay the tax due. With a person who has more money left over to invest in stocks and shares, and collects several hundred thousand, won't get paid directly. These dividends first flow into a 'company', where it is then handled in the usual profit and loss manner. In end effect, the 'businessperson' pays a lower rate overall, despite the added costs involved in running a company. I know what I'm talking about, since I was the PA of a rich family here in Europe for a long time, and I can add up the sums myself :-) Of course, the overall amount paid by ' rich folks', is still higher, BUT as a percentage of overall income, it is lower. The taxation on fuel (50% for some US states) is about right. I didn't work out the exact average of all US states though, because I was merely using it as an example to illustrate a problem. I quickly googled it before I wrote this essay. If I remember correctly, some states had rates as low as 35%, other states were much higher. Over here in Europe, rates are as high as 60%. All of this is beside the point though. Look around you on the streets, and then determine that the most cars that you see belong to lower and mid income citizens, who also do most of the driving, and therefore use most of the fuel. If they use most of the fuel, they also pay most of the taxes generated by the sale of gas. Correct? However, you don't see a lobby for low and mid income citizens trying to limit the debate to gas taxation ONLY. You don't see average Joes pointing out how they pay most of the gas taxes generated by the government, because it benefits their argument. You don't see a low and mid income citizens lobby cherry picking criteria which makes it look as if they are being treated unfairly. This is my only point. It's the 'whiney super rich', complaining about how the unfair system is milking them, when the reality is that they actually already have 'the system' on their side. It's system which affords the really affluent to shift money around, to avoid what most others have to do AT ONCE. That is to pay their taxes, the moment the income is generated, or a service is paid (VAT), without the benefit of getting some of that back at the end of the year with a MASSIVE tax return. And, again, I worked for 'rich folks' long enough to know exactly what I'm talking about... Furthermore, how many of these low and mid income citizens (like 'Buffet's secretary') have a company along the side, under which they can balance the income generated by the dividends they earn, and can 'juggle the figures' in order to evade immediate payment of taxes? But, how many '10%-ers' make use of this opportunity?

[@pebutts]

The reason to limit the debate to the personal income tax is because that's what most people think of when they think of "tax rates". Even if you broaden the idea to all forms of taxation, Warren Buffet does not pay a lower tax rate than does his secretary. Buffet pays the same sales tax rate, gas tax rate, FICA rate, and so forth, along with a higher capital gains rate and marginal income tax rate. It's just not true to claim that high income earners pay lower tax rates than those with median incomes. Please define what "wealthy" means. Are we talking the top 10% of all income earners? But income does not equal wealth, which is what you accumulate. Wealth is a very hard thing to measure. Most people who are in the top 10% of income in a given year do not stay there. Do we define someone as wealthy one year and not the next? These are hard questions that must be answered if we are going to have an honest discussion about these matters. "Filthy rich" is not a term with any meaning. An income of $65,000 puts you in the 90th percentile of income in the United States. I guarantee you most people wouldn't consider than income level to be "rich". I would also challenge you that people making 60k are not the top ten percentile company owners you are postulating. I would challenge your assertion that the wealthy, when they sell their assets, do not have to pay taxes. They can take the proceeds and immediately buy something else to defer taxes, but they have to eat, pay for housing, and buy food with something. They must realize at least some income, so they will pay some taxes. If they roll the proceeds, they are merely delaying taxation until that income is realized. I've done the same thing myself when selling mutual funds and buying new ones, and anyone can do it, not just rich people. If you decide to use the proceeds to buy a business, you must do so within 180 days of the sale. The business is then subject to risk. Some statistics indicate 8 out of 10 small businesses fail within the first eighteen months. I've seen others say one third. The truth is probably somewhere in between. Either way, you're rolling the dice on a 33-80% chance of losing all your money, not the percentage of it the taxman would take. If what you mean is that the wealthy person forms a holdings company, it is true that they can offset some of the taxes paid through company expenses, but to do so the company must spend money. Theoretically one could spend all of the money coming in to avoid taxes, but in practice there's very little point. Furthermore, if the owner of the company pays him/herself a salary, that amount is then taxed as personal income. Although it is true that there are investment opportunities available to the wealthy that are not available to others (accredited investment opportunities come to mind immediately), the reason those opportunities are not available is because they are prohibited by law for the reason that they carry high risk. A good example would be hedge funds, which may produce less volatility and higher gains than standard types of funds, but also carry enhanced risks, including fraud (Bernie Madoff is an extreme example). You are correct that total taxation for the U.S. runs about 50% if you add up all forms of taxation. This leaves out the hidden tax of inflation fueled by massive government borrowing and money creation. Rich people tend to own more vehicles than the poor or middle class. They also have less sensitivity to fuel economy when making purchasing decisions (meaning they get fewer miles per gallon) and tend to purchase cars that require premium fuel, which is taxed more in many states. If they own a company, they pay for the gas used by that company. The tractor trailers all over America's roads are not being gassed up by the poor. In other words, it's likely that the wealthy actually pay for a higher percentage of the fuel consumed in America than you are supposing and therefore pay a higher percentage of the total tax.

[@pebutts]

On further review, the percentile figures are variable depending on what source you consult. For an individual, the figure that puts you in the top 10% seems to vary between 60 to around 90k. Even if you accept the 90k figure, it's still far lower than what most people would think of as rich. The numbers for household income percentile are higher, of course, but not by as much as you'd think (about 150k or so).

[@DREwestcoast]

rofl... sure, like he couldn't have made any money teaching marxism or otherwise leftist dogma in today,s state-funded unis... x)