Patreon Q&A: The Work and Impact of Thomas Sowell

[@cameronidk2]

Thomas Sowell's Philosophy about intellectuals "who pay no societal price for being wrong." IS exactly the problem we're facing today

[@RonKraftwerk]

Facts. He also said that he had a problem with intellectuals who became masters in all disciplines. A PHD in basket weaving also knew everything there was to know with social issues.

[@finestcitycycling621]

Yep, also touched on by Nassim Taleb’s work, in particular Skin in the Game.

[@helenlundeberg]

@@RonKraftwerk Isn't it the same in this respect? An economist who discusses societal and racial issues beyond his area of expertise?

[@helenlundeberg]

"Isn't he" not "isn't it"

[@jasmadams]

Interestingly, McMaster's book on Vietnam "Dereliction of Duty" bears a similar message.

[@teesthoughts6717]

I discovered Sowell by watching old clips actually...life changing, he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. My kids will know of him even after he leaves this earth. Amazing human and great research.

[@turgonnaish]

That's how to do it. Pass that knowledge to your kids yourself, consciously and intentionally. How else are we to raise good human beings for the future?

[@andysantosiii1971]

He is bar none the greatest living American intellectual/philosopher of today.

[@bigplanslittledrive4791]

Thomas and Cornel West. Listen to both sides fairly and take what has convinced you. They are both worth anybody’s time.

[@Theflyingviener]

@@bigplanslittledrive4791 Agreed! I actually enjoy them both very much. At the end of the day, I’d argue both care deeply for the well being of humanity and have contributed valuable POV’s. It’s up to anyone what they choose to take away from their insights.

[@natashka1982]

@@bigplanslittledrive4791 CW is a race grifter

[@cameronidk2]

"There are no solutions' .. only trade off's "

[@nakrat11]

That simple statement by Sowell has changed my thinking about a lot of things - I wish I'd started listening to / reading him a long time ago.

[@Dusted000]

The quote is "there are no solutions, only trade-offs."

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

@Cameron, Matthew’s comment is right about the quote. Please edit for the sake of accuracy!

[@genzcurmudgeon8037]

That statement in combination with “everything has a price” is mandatory knowledge if you want to consider yourself a mature and reasonable adult.

[@cameronidk2]

@@EmperorsNewWardrobe wow those are like my own thoughts .... .i don't even know who Tom is .. .. (j/k i'll switch it up for posterity sake ...)

[@bwake]

Professor Sowell writes clearly about complex subjects. His writing will never shake you loose from the thread of his argument. This is a rare gift, especially in academia.

[@freedomfight1933]

Thomas Sowell should absolutely be required reading in universities. But at this point most probably wouldn't even let him speak on campus.

[@ATMyles]

Academia has been corrupted.

[@JohnnyCarthief]

The nice thing is he’s available on KZbin. You don’t even have to sell out your future to get access his wisdom.

[@barbarradevlin9111]

My macroeconomics & microeconomics professor recommended me Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell, as he knew I was already a fan of his videos. I tore through that book so fast 😂. I’m studying Business Admin at community college, and I will be transferring to university for Economics next year. Because of people like my professor, Thomas Sowell, Milton Friedman, and Walter Williams, I have totally fallen in love with economics and helping people in a way that actually matters.

[@ATMyles]

@@barbarradevlin9111 That’s a great story! Good luck!

[@UltimateFIUFan]

Absolutely true, he doesn’t fit the narrative. Remember, a group can be diverse but NOT inclusive. Always happens.

[@genzcurmudgeon8037]

He tried out for the dodgers. He was a shooting instructor in the marines. He came from nothing. Amazing photographer. Prolific writer. Unbelievably humble and non self referential, the words “I” rarely appears In his books.

[@itcamefromthedeep]

Where can his photography be found?

[@Antwanh5]

@@itcamefromthedeep on his website

[@kingofthorns203]

His accomplishments since turning eighty pale the entire lives of some people.

[@genzcurmudgeon8037]

@@kingofthorns203 except Joe Biden of course lol.

[@kingofthorns203]

@@genzcurmudgeon8037 Biden is the greatest of all politicians, much how Dr Jill Biden and Dr Anthony Fauci are the greatest of all doctors 😆😆

[@samknox1]

Tom Sowell’s work transcends race, even when the subject is race.

[@appropriatedproductions4267]

Perfectly put

[@brandonbayangos6261]

wonderfully put

[@kaseryn]

That is a perfect comment. Brilliantly said!

[@kaseryn]

And just to take that a little further.. isn't that really the crux, the conundrum at the centre of all these pc/id issues. i.e. to address something without making everything about that.. be that race, feminism, whatever. It almost, when you look at the progression of all these movements, it almost seems universal that the issue taken up becomes the lens through which all other issues are seen. Probably more an indictment of human nature than the issues as such.

[@booneblocker3200]

Mount Rushmore

[@bromack3]

Glen, I'm a huge fan of Dr. Sowell. I'm black. I read my first book by Sowell titled "The Economics and Politics of Race" back in the 1980's. Ironically, I did not know he was black. I thought it was a respectable review of how the world views race. I did not discover Dr. Sowell was black until the mid 90's. After that, I always made it a point to read all of his books.

[@kmaidotia]

That has happened to many, thinking he is white

[@GabrielleTollerson]

awesome 😄

[@xchen3079]

He cannot be white because the whites either dare not or will not to say truth.

[@StarboyXL9]

@@xchen3079 Because when we do the overlords crucify us, sometimes literally, and often other races follow suit. They don't like to hear the truth at all, but they especially get uncomfortable hearing the truth coming from yte mouths.

[@cowabungadude7408]

By the mid 80s, Sowell had already described in schematic detail the social justice mindset of the left. First, in his magnificent book, "A Conflict of Visions," published in 1985 and then in its two sequels, "Vision of the Anointed," and "Cosmic Justice." It wasn't until 1991 that Krenshaw's Mapping the Margins had formalized the intersectional left as we know it today. In other words, Sowell prophesied the coming revolution and saw in the early to mid 1980s what most of us only began to see in the last couple of years.

[@Game-of-Heroic-Meaning]

YES YES YES! And his recent integration of those three books in to the towering "Intellectuals and Society." These books are absolute MUSTS for people who care about the issues of Loury and WcWhorter speak about. They are mind-altering books.

[@jlushefski]

Just to note, others have presented similar arguments and philosophy, even back in ancient Greece. One of my favorite books, also dealing with many of these topics, is 'The God of the Machine' by Isabel Paterson, published in 1943 I think. She does an amazing job of balancing "broad history," economics, philosophy and covers Rome through modern times [modern for her of course]. Anyway, you're totally right: Sowell's books are magnificent. He has a data/fact driven writing style that I personally find very appealing; it's the difference between showing and simply telling.

[@ejackson6073]

Sowell is an absolute genius!!!

[@codex3048]

Great to hear Glenn mention Sowell's "A Conflict of Visions." Definitely one of his best books.

[@Ac-ip5hd]

It’s Sowell’s favorite book.

[@paulf1113]

Ironically, if you spell out to a leftist the essence of the constrained and unconstrained visions, with some examples, and historical quotations, they start to look quite uncomfortable as they realise they intellectually hold to the ridiculous one.

[@neilgibbs1973]

I'm reminded of his reply when asked why he abandoned Marxism.He simply said "facts".

[@buckchile614]

Somehow the demise of late capitalism's facts "escape' him though

[@BlueJDMMR2]

Apparently our economic status quo of laissez faire capitalism is ending the planets ability to sustain life.

[@neilgibbs1973]

@@BlueJDMMR2 Apparently or is ? The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. H. L. Mencken Groupthink is a phenomenon in which a group of individuals come to a consensus without critical reasoning or considering the consequences or alternatives

[@BlueJDMMR2]

@@neilgibbs1973 Ok. Man Made Climate Change is a fact and the planet is losing it's ability to sustain life for all these 7.6 billion people. Empirical Scientific Evidence is not group think. We dont need to debate The Law of Gravity for example. That line wouldnt work if the ship builder on the titanic says 5 compartments filled will sink this ship and someone writes him off as creating a hobgoblin and "this ship is unsinkable". Some of these retorts ive read over the years here are simply examples of denialism around the topic.

[@neilgibbs1973]

@@BlueJDMMR2 Your failure to accept and consider other viewpoints on the subject is another example of denialism.Irving Janis coined the term groupthink and climate zealots worldwide meet all 3 of the characteristics that define the word..Read Rupert Darwall's "Green Tyranny" to see how fanatical leftists worldwide used climate as the trojan horse for their real aim of global socialism. Remember the "consensus" once held by the majority of the world's scientists held that the world was flat.No doubt you would have agreed with them.

[@IntentionalityMentor]

I would pay good money to see these three minds come together to discuss any topic

[@ATMyles]

100 percent! What a meeting of the minds that would be. I don’t think we’ll get so lucky. We got Shelby Steele though.

[@kmaidotia]

For real, but Sowell is hard to get.

[@ATMyles]

@@kmaidotia At 90-years-old (!), I don’t blame him. I’m a little less than half his age, nowhere near as accomplished - not even in the same universe of achievement, obviously - and I don’t even want to go anywhere.

[@freeindeed8416]

How much? Thats all I need to know✊🏾

[@user-vd2jk7dl3p]

Topic: Is cereal a soup?" GO!!!!😋

[@Harlembrown]

History has, does, and will appreciate the work of Thomas Sowell. I can say, without question, he opened my eyes in countless ways. I'm very grateful for his work. More than I can say.

[@anonosaurus4517]

Man am I glad I found Loury and McWhorter! And Thomas Sowell? A living American legend, and nothing less.

[@tteot1wph]

I discovered Thomas Sowell a year ago. I immediately went to my local bookstore about bought all they had by him

[@Game-of-Heroic-Meaning]

That is a long-term but well-spent project. Fortunately, I was introduced to him in 1997, so having read 25+ of his books was a rather leisurely process. :-)

[@ATMyles]

Bravo.

[@kmaidotia]

@@Game-of-Heroic-Meaning woow

[@kkampy4052]

Sowell's Basic Economics is a fantastic book. Not one chart, graph, or equation. Very readable. Also, the documentary was excellent. I think Sowell has educated more people about economics than anyone and should get a Noble Prize just for that.

[@dashrirprock]

A Nobel Prize for being a popularizer??

[@dashrirprock]

​@Hardway Harrison Did you just compare a Nobel in an academic subject to the Peace Prize? Obama wasn't even much of a popularizer.

[@dashrirprock]

​@Hardway Harrison Well, it's nice that you acknowledged posting nothing.

[@dashrirprock]

@Hardway Harrison Do you see how far afield you've drifted? This is such a terrible argument that nothing more should be said. Sowell's book does not merit a Nobel Prize in economics. It's an invalid argument to say Barack Obama (of all people) also does not merit a prize in Peace. They're different prizes awarded by different bodies. While the most prestigious, the Peace Prize is often the most controversial. If pressed, Obama will probably agree that he did not merit the Peace Prize. It was awarded to him less than a year in office. That said, he's a more plausible recipient of his prize than Sowell would be of the one for econ (it's simply not awarded for being a popularizer. One must be an innovator).

[@dashrirprock]

​@Hardway Harrison ​ Thanks for this non-reply and all of its unsupported claims (where are these "contradictions"?) I pointed out why the arguments are invalid, and then generously entertained your imaginary comparison, and still found it lacking. I welcome anyone to stack your "arguments," such as they are, against what I have said. You don't want to debate because you can't. You're terrible at this. Find a new hobby.

[@macibranch6901]

I had never heard of the man until I started watching the Glenn show. If I learned anything from watching this show, it’s that we should be reading Thomas Sowell.

[@itcamefromthedeep]

Basic Economics has a quote to the effect of "the scarcest commodity is always information" and that's the kind of idea that shakes up the foundations of one's thinking. I can't un-see it. There are many such insights from Sowell.

[@betbuk]

Rush Limbaugh introduced me to Thomas Sowell. Rush revered him and spoke of him often. Same with Walter Williams. As a recovering Lefty in the late 80's these guys were a revelation.

[@TheJohnnywbred]

Exactly. It started with Rush who I started listening into in my car ride home from work. It opened up major doors.

[@Appleblade]

Tom Sowell crucial insights (IMO): 1. government workers and agencies have their own interests that will often override the good they exist to produce or preserve (notably, problems they exist to solve will never be solved if solving the problem means the dissolution of the agency or position). 2. it is wrongheaded to study the causes of poverty. Poverty is not caused; it is the natural state. Study and support, instead, the causes of wealth creation. 3. it is irrational to expect groups to display the same levels of achievement, to expect groups to remain in their current levels, or to think a group's achievements depend on the nature of the group rather than the age of its members, their interests, their traditions, etc.

[@itcamefromthedeep]

When he pointed out that differences in average age will have an effect on average wealth of groups I felt like such an idiot for not having seen it before, and I felt angry at all the analysis that failed to account for it since Sowell came to prominence.

[@fatpotatoe6039]

@@itcamefromthedeep Same, it’s so bloody obvious

[@dave131]

I read / listen to Dr Sowell and then I go on Twitter and realize that tens of millions of Americans listen to Trevor Noah while having no idea who Sowell is. We're so screwed.

[@asdfasdf7199]

noah might be the most ignorant person i've ever had the displeasure of experiencing.

[@stuntman1359]

Thomas Sowell changed my life. Reading Basic Economics was like getting out of Plato's Cave. I will forever be in his debt. Thanks for taking the time to talk about him, Glenn and John.

[@kingofthorns203]

Same here. That these three are all in communication with each other is just so amazing

[@jonathanpopp7808]

You two are very enjoyable to listen to. You both fully listen to each other, and you never raise your voices. It draws me in.

[@willpower3317]

Inequality is the rule, not the exception.

[@ryanburdeaux]

so true

[@zacharypayne4080]

Thank you for your open mindedness..to the truth

[@bigplanslittledrive4791]

How cruel, how true. I’m definitely stealing that as an original quote 👍

[@Ladjoke]

That quote is from “Discrimination and Disparities” by Thomas Sowell right?

[@APG2112]

Such a brilliant man. My father taught me how to think objectively or critical thinking when I was in my teens. When I listen to Mr. Sowell speak, I’m reminded of that. Thank you Mr. Sowell for everything you have done and continue to do for the sake of our country and it’s people and the human race (which is the only race as far as I’m concerned.) Thank you both Mr. Lowery and Mr. McWorther as well, I’ve learned a great deal from your studies and discussions. You have all made what my father taught me in my teens become much clearer and relevant to me today in my adult life.

[@AnthonyFransella]

One of my personal heroes and someone that helped me learn how to think and ask better questions. If I had a school he'd be required reading in High School.

[@johnbrown4568]

Two of my favorite fellow Americans....Glenn & John! Thomas Sowell is an intellectual gift to America ----> FACT!

[@craigdiesslin7441]

I felt deprived after finding out about Hayek. In all my my university classes as a history major with a business minor, his name or ideas never came up. Last year, on youtube, I ran across Sowell. I'm now well into a third book of his. The Glenn show is a plus, too. The skepticism I started to develop in university after a poly sci professor lashed out at me after I asked politely where his statement had come from in development has proven justified over the years. That marxist professor later became the provost of that public university. Sometimes, B.S. does lead to M.S. and then to Piled Higher and Deeper (PhD). My wife wants me to keep my head low until I retire from my teaching position in a college. With all the garbage that is pushed there, especially in the English Dept., it is hard. I'd like to hear Glenn and John do more in relation to Sowell.

[@mitchjames9350]

A Physics teacher I had told me his experience in Universities during the 60's New York when he had to take this class run by some Marxist Women who said on the first day that she is a Communist and she will not be giving any lone higher than a C if they do not write about Communism in there essay. He told me he ignored her as Maxism is false and wrote an essay on the fundemental problems of Communism.

[@david_6063]

As an engineer, where technical writing is totally free of the fragrances referred to by John, Sowell's ability to similarly write social and economic history free of identity politics is extremely welcome and exactly what we need. To me it is like manna from heaven, and anything but sterile. Glenn is pure gold once again. Priceless.

[@Brandon-fv5sm]

I love reading everyone’s comments about Sowell’s impact on them. I feel the same. It is telling that when people learn and start to research Sowell, there is such a strong desire to share his work. He may not be praised by intellectuals (which I don’t think he cares about) but he is praised and spread by all of us “common” folk. A true testament of what kind of person he is. ❤️

[@DerryckBirch]

Thank you both for your opinions on Thomas Sowell. Great doc by Jason Riley

[@delailama736]

6:20 - I have had conversations with people who have become perplexed when I have asked why people of different cultures should be expected to have equal outcomes. The people who think this really seem to think that someone of one culture (aka a set of beliefs, values, goals) wouldn't lead them to pursue a different path in life to that of someone in an alternate culture.

[@MrTodayistheday]

I think Thomas Sowell is the greatest man of the last hundred years. He came at the right time and his works will be referenced for a hundred years. His works provide a playbook for solving many of our country's problems.

[@175epi]

Thank you for this conversation. Discovering the work of Thomas Sowell didn't just change what I thought about the world, it changed how I thought about it, as well.

[@arturoalvarezkawai6773]

Thomas Sowell might be one of the most underrated academics today. Can't believe he's not mandatory reading in universities. Here in Latin America, most economists never even heard of him.

[@danielpeirson3071]

I'm a 46 year old white Libertarian that wears a Thomas Sowell T-shirt once every two weeks with a picture of his mug on it and a quote from him below the picture that reads "Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it." With him being an economist I hope to God he got a nice royalty on my purchase of the shirt.

[@The_Other_Brother_Karamazov]

I don’t think that is a fair assessment. It is fairly obvious from his writings that Sowell would not have wanted to sign up for the freedom trade off necessary to make those ‘democratic socialist’ countries function. Quality of life is also a fairly subjective level of analysis. Those democratic socialist countries you praise are dramatically different from the US and assuming that those policies would work when applied here, makes little sense to me. Democratic Socialist is perhaps the most fluid badly defined term in modern day politics. It does not commit to specific policy prescriptions, but instead advocates its merits on platitudes. All well and good if you want to live in that world, but I do not.

[@michaelc9287]

@Fritz Feuer Quality of life is nebulous and tired old Europe has been subsidized since WW II by the American security umbrella and American innovation.

[@The_Other_Brother_Karamazov]

Well for starters I don’t live in a mcmansion, and speaking of hyperbole, your example of young men knocking on doors with shotguns… This is exceedingly rare and not representative of the experience living in the US. We do have more crime here, and the causes of that would make for an interesting conversation. But I am sure the problem is more complicated than to be solved by simply pursuing ‘democratic socialist’ policies. Freedom tradeoffs like high taxes. Legal curbs on free speech are becoming more prevalent across Europe. Membership in the EU comes at the cost of autonomy of country. The right to bear arms and the regulations surrounding it. You don’t have to agree with me on these things, but it is expected that you respect people’s right to hold views that differ from yours. Polite debate and the mantra of agree to disagree are the core to making this system work. I am not here to insult the countries that you label as democratic socialist. My only point is that US politicians pursuing ‘democratic socialist’ policies, don’t want to talk about the tradeoffs. That is one of the primary points of Thomas Sowell’s work, there are no solutions, only tradeoffs. Part of the Nordic model that never gets discussed is the low corporate tax rates, low minimum wages, and reduced or simplified business regulations that keep their markets free. A free market economy with a redistributive federal government is an apt description of these countries. As to measures of quality of life, one thing we do agree on is that the US Healthcare system is broken. We may disagree on the methods of fixing it, but it seems we have the worst aspects of all systems rolled into one. A couple points though, healthcare outcomes are as much factor of life choices, as they are about the system where it is administered. The population of the US and Nordic countries are vastly different and make different choices. Adjusting for car accidents and suicides causes the US mortality statistics to be more in line with the balance of the world. Infant mortality is measured differently in the US compared to other countries. That accounts for about 30% of the variance. What accounts for the balance of the difference is the interesting question? What are the differences between the people in the US and the Nordic countries that might account for this? The only thing we ought to be interested in is finding solutions to the complex problems society faces. But to do that we need to admit that the problems we face are incredible complex and do not have easy solutions. To do that we need to stop silly name calling and playing politics like a team sport. We need to have adult conversations weighing the tradeoffs of proposed policies.

[@honeybadger5933]

@@michaelc9287 100% accurate. If U.S. pulled all our troops out of Europe and closed the bases their quality of life would sink REALLY fast.

[@ryanburdeaux]

@Fritz Feuer no

[@Vanderdude404]

Thomas Sowell is the wisest man living

[@johnneville403]

@Austin Classy.

[@joshuaberge956]

Thank you Glenn and John.

[@EricLehner]

Subscribed. The intelligence of this channel is refreshing.

[@HarryParratestis]

Would love a similar discussion around their thoughts on Milton Friedman.

[@bryanhawkins9418]

Dude! I thought the same thing! Anytime I listen Friedman I think of Loury! I’m so curious about his thoughts on him.

[@omni_0101]

Same

[@helenmalinowski4482]

Thomas Sowell is an American hero... approachable, learned and a wealth of wisdom amassed over decades.

[@MichaelSHartman]

Thomas Sowell is one of the most intelligent, and likeable person I have seen. His ability to step outside himself, and observe across space and time the global recorded actual behavior of humanity makes him unique, and should make him required reading. He holds to facts, what works, and doesn't work. A number of his audiobooks are on KZbin.

[@evanboettger1834]

The practical wisdom and intellectual integrity of Thomas Sowell and Walter E. Williams (RIP) have been a rare gift to the nation, and the world. Thank you for the question, and thank you Glenn and John for honoring him.

[@MrDoobysm]

Thomas Sowell has guided my education on economics, history, modern political philosophy more so than any other person on earth. He’s a living legend. And I thank you two gentlemen for your current and continued contributions in a similar space.

[@hinteregions]

I have been wondering about Thomas Sowell for a long time, thank you both for this one in particular.

[@trampassmith6482]

Wow, Glen gives a brilliant overview of Sowell right off the cuff!

[@josiahwyncott7519]

Mr. Sowell explains things with so many different sources of information, and in such an easy-to-understand way that I think whenever I learn something from his writings, "How did I not know this? It is so obvious!" or "How could I not put this into words?" He is one of the people that most impacted my way of looking at things. Love the man.

[@tommyharmon214]

I absolutely admire and respect you gentlemen’s dialogues. Inspiring, educational, intelligent, thoughtful….I can’t say enough and I just want to share my gratitude because I learn so much from you.

[@Boldaslove71]

I'm very pleased that there are scores of KZbin channels out there hosted by younger black men that are reacting to and discovering the works of Dr. Sowell. Many of these channels were previously reacting to music videos and have found Dr. Sowell and others and watching the journey of enlightenment is fascinating.

[@adamburke1088]

Two of my favorite people honoring one of my living heroes - yea, Im loving this!!

[@davidmorgan9245]

#ThomasSowell is an American treasure!!

[@garlicgirl3149]

Thank you for explaining Sowell. Sometimes when I listen to him I am not sure what he fully means. But explaining his personality helps. It would have been nice to listen to him with you both.

[@amazingcezo]

Sowell is an American hero. I have found his writings and insights to be foundational to my thinking.

[@sbaumgartner9848]

Thanks for some of your perspectives on Sowell. Well done. I'm so happy to hear that even though he is more right wing than you, there's still so much you agree with. Sowell does deserve the Nobel Prize but I see why he won't get one. I admire him for being so strong and digging so deep into sources of information before formulating his views. I see now it's more important for him to find out for himself "his truth" and offer his findings to the world in the form of his books and few interviews, rather than spend his time on interviews. I'm a Canadian who's gone from left thinking to centrist, but I think he's my very favourite man. That said, I'm sooooo very happy that you Glenn & John, and Coleman Hughes, etc. are using your heart beats to share Sowell and your views on racism, economics, etc. I love you all!

[@rdptll]

Mr. Sowell is my favorite person on social/political/historical/economic issues.

[@mac94312]

I think John underestimates the level of fame Thomas Sowell has reached in recent years. The guy is a conservative god.I would wager Sowell is more popular now than ever due to his many hoover institute interviews. The man has written something like 7 or 8 books since he's turned 80. Incredible!

[@davedecayed8218]

Agreed. Those Hoover Institute interviews are possibly the best thing on KZbin.

[@AriZBlade]

Mind-blowing, Glenn.

[@alrahn]

Come through Glenn 🙌

[@michaelferguson9679]

Most people have favorite places to eat, but few people seem to express favorite places to feed their minds and hearts. Thomas Sowell is one of my favorite authors, and speakers. He is one of those who not only have researched, and thought, to great depth, but has command of way to share it that reaches broad levels of understanding. He understands that all of us are more is defined by color of skin.

[@Mattical1980]

Man, I love these conversations. If only there was a talk akin to "The Four Horseman of Atheism", but with Glenn Loury, John McWhorter, Thomas Sowell, and Colman Hughes. We can dream, at least.

[@ATMyles]

The Four Horseman Against the Wokepocalypse?

[@davedecayed8218]

You should check out The Fifth Column podcast. Kmele Foster hosted two exceptional conversations with Loury, McWhorter, Hughes and Chatterton-Williams. So, sadly no Sowell, but still an Avengers level supergroup!

[@ATMyles]

@@davedecayed8218 Sowell would be the Nick Fury of that Avengers team. I’ll second the Fifth Column recommendation. One of my top five favorite pods. And I’ll add, check out the Black Intellectual Roundtable hosted by Bret Weinstein on his DarkHorse podcast: Loury, McWhorter, Foster, Williams, Coleman Hughes, John Wood, Jr. and Chloé Valdary (love her). I’m hoping they’ll...assemble for a part 2.

[@davedecayed8218]

@@ATMyles amen! And Kmele would be Doesn't-Identify-as-Black Panther 😂

[@ATMyles]

@@davedecayed8218 HA! 😄 Yes! That’s great!

[@BillBenzon]

Sowell is also a superb photographer. You should be able to find his photos at his website.

[@ATMyles]

I didn’t know about that until seeing Jason Riley’s documentary about the great man. Another layer of impressiveness.

[@joejoe6952]

Well said Glen.

[@JohnBdog]

A two hour blog production with Glenn, John, and Thomas would be worth its' weight in gold to our Country and Culture.

[@Bebkins]

I find it extraordinary that Glenn can expand on a whole philosophy in the most eloquent and articulate of terms at the drop of a hat.

[@lemonysnick5171]

Sowell has a way of putting into words what you might be sub-consciously or instinctually aware of, but didn't understand it enough to be able to label or explain it. He's actually made me understand things I already kind of knew, but didn't realize it.

[@lesliepage3886]

Same here.

[@rokyericksonroks]

That’s what a great teacher does.

[@jimjr4432]

Dr. TS is my hero!

[@glenngross1356]

“A few doses of truths can work wonders.” Thomas Sowell

[@Patchaddictedpolymath]

The "no such thing as a free lunch" thing really got to me, and made me change my mind on things, Sowell will go down in history for sure

[@figward]

Thanks for sharing.

[@brianjoyce9040]

Thx guys and keep talking and informing us all

[@reichensperger1847]

"For him to write, not with that fragrance of identity" (12:30) is a nice example of McWhorter's off-the-cuff eloquence & insight. This was one terrific segment, with a certain poignancy, given that Sowell is 90 years old. But I don't get that sense that either Loury or McWhorter read Sowell's splendid autobiography, "A Personal Odyssey." It's unflinchingly honest, often painfully so (e.g., the chapter about Marine Corps basic training), and I commend it to you all -- if you admire Sowell, this is the book that explains how he came to be.

[@hamidmoradi1340]

Amazing opinions, thank you.

[@garysweeten5196]

In Psychology there is one group that focuses on “What is “Good and how did it happen over bad”? I was in a group one time and a fellow said he came from a family of 8 kids, 6 of whom came to a bad end but he became a manager at a Fortune 500 company. He asked “Why did my siblings fail?’ I asked, “How did you become such a great success?” In my rural arena I was the first person to attend college. I am one of only three or four to do graduate school. Why? Look for why GOOD happens.

[@kimj5037]

Just added Knowledge and Decisions to my reading list. Thanks, Glenn!

[@323lessthanzero]

Knowledge And Decision is my on deck book. I can't wait to start it (my 7th of his many)....have to Finish 12 Rules for LIfe by Jordan Peterson first.....

[@stogies3]

Thanx for this discussion, also for the word "plangent".

[@genzcurmudgeon8037]

I would’ve liked to hear John talk about Sowells criticisms of his work in Discirmination and disparities. He mentioned him in that book and I would like to hear John speak a little about that.

[@aaoppe]

In Norway, Sowell was recently mentioned in an article due to how popular he has become among young and curious youtubers with an interest for politics - so it’s easy to underestimate his reach and appeal. I know that’s where I first heard of him and listened to him, and his books have completely changed how I think about the topics of discrimination and equality. For all I know, the peak of his popularity may still be way ahead of us.

[@18S12]

Brilliant analysis as always

[@exiledskunk5046]

Your description of the way in which Thomas Sowell and Hayek tackle economics and analyse society is very much in the tradition of the Austrian school of economic philosophy. Personally my favourite branch of economic philosophy

[@gregorydayton5428]

I read all Thomas Sowell I can find, a great man.

[@The_ScapeGoat]

Thomas Sowell is the greatest political thinker of our time. The man is simply brilliant and more importantly, accessible.

[@Appleblade]

Sowell's problem is, his insights appear obvious once you recognize them, and his brilliance is, no one recognizes them until he points them out.

[@themerryharridan8409]

He is deserving of a Nobel.

[@brianberthiaume7930]

These forums give me hope for the future, watching these men discuss deep end of the pool topics and give props to Dr Thomas Sowell on the other side of aisle , just made my day ,God Bless these true rational thinkers.

[@zeigbert1743]

I love The Vision Of The Anointed.

[@__-xq9gp]

Tom Sowell is a National treasure!

[@maximuskhan2100]

If anyone deserves a spot on a mountain as a great American hero, it is Thomas Sowell. Could you imagine how great a country we could have been with him having two terms to prove what he knows?

[@ccdavis94303]

Sowell's ideology : "I just call balls and strikes."

[@robertoseveno]

He is a great man and thinker. Look him up kids :)

[@mitchellseeman4783]

Tom Sowell is the man that changed my life

[@petermathieson5692]

Glenn, what a thoughtful, insightful, erudite and gentlemanly appreciation of the man. Thank you.

[@phillipharris8277]

If Thomas Sowell has inspired ordinary people to think, there is no committee adequate to recognize him.

[@softballbryan]

I agree completely with your statement.

[@LifeWithTarsha]

It would be amazing to see Glenn and John talk with Thomas Sowell, even if they had to go to him! ❤️

[@jlushefski]

He's an academic hero. Many of his ideas, both economics and philosophy, overlap with others throughout history, but he has a wonderful unique style of leading the reader carefully to his conclusions by presenting numerous data points. Make a point; use data to support that point; connect it to the next one; connect all to an overarching idea. It's unfortunate that even in areas of supposedly "hard" sciences, biology for example, we do no see the same level of rigor. So what are the chances we see him celebrated on the google search page?

[@Ac-ip5hd]

We should add that though Hayek was a big picture writer, but he also crunched the numbers when they awarded him a Nobel prize for proving market disco-ordination in interest rate manipulation. So did Sowell when he stopped being a Marxist after trying to tell the left wing politicians he worked for that their minimum wage increase would cause unemployment. I’d add that Sowell’s positions are conservatarian, which in my humble opinion surpass the neoliberal submission to markets and metaphysics, and our red meat neocons and populists. His Conquests and Cultures is another great work, and in Is Reality optional he has a good essay making a conservative case for ending the drug war that should be read and discussed by conservatives who name drop him.

[@ddilink]

I am a fan of Thomas Sowell and am pleased to see he is getting increasing visibility of late. I am reading Conflict of Visions. I think the way you synthesized his multi-disciplinary approach was well-described. I thought the way Thomas Sowell described the consequences of welfare on the black community and the destruction of the black family opened some eyes.

[@robertdenis7942]

All Hail Thomas Sowell. He put in the work that most won’t do. Thank you Mr. Sowell.❤️

[@jaybailleaux630]

Thomas Sowell is the most intelectual person I know of that can communicate to the average person like myself. What a gifted man. Only one Thomas Sowell in a lifetime. Can't say enough good about him.

[@patriciatoth7715]

Thomas Sowell is a national treasure.

[@samuelyeates2326]

Conflict of Visions really clarified a lot of my thinking on how people can talk past each other. To be honest, that book helped my interpersonal conversation abilities as much, or more, than it helped me to understand political/philosophical discourse.

[@47bricklayer]

I've read everything by Dr. Sowell that I could find. I may have read as many as two dozen of his books. He is one of the most influential people in my life that doesn't know I exist.