Posted on 01/31/2021 3:27:28 PM PST by Rummyfan
When I hear the name Thomas Sowell, it gets my immediate attention. Dr. Sowell, recently retired from his position as Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, is an American economist turned social theorist, political philosopher, and best-selling author.
Born in North Carolina in 1930, Sowell grew up in Harlem, New York. He dropped out of high school at age 17 due to financial difficulties and problems at home, but went on to serve in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. Following the war, he received a bachelor’s degree from Harvard, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1958. The following year, he received a master’s degree from Columbia University. In 1968, he earned a Doctorate in Economics from the University of Chicago.
Sowell served on the faculties of Cornell University and University of California, Los Angeles, and also worked for think tanks such as the Urban Institute. He has written more than 30 books and is a National Humanities Medal recipient for innovative scholarship which incorporated history, economics and political science.
(Excerpt) Read more at intellectualtakeout.org ...
1. “Too much of what is called ‘education’ is little more than an expensive isolation from reality.”
Health Services
2. “It is amazing that people who think we cannot afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, and medications somehow think that we can afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, medications and a government bureaucracy.”
....
I life long friend has finally settled in the conservative camp after I got him reading Thomas Sowell.
I insisted my kids read BASIC ECONOMICS when they were in high school
Since I read my first Thomas Sowell book, I have been hooked. He has had a prominent part on my Freep Page for going on two decades now...
The first book I read of his was "Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide To The Economy" and it lit me on fire. Since then, I have read these books of his:
I have never been disappointed by ANY of his books. The man IS a national treasure. Pity that more people don't listen to him or even know who he is.
IMO Sowells’ real genius was to express himself so that even high school students could understand his concepts.
I have converted a few people fully by exposing them to Thomas Sowell's work.
My brother now, when we get together, will say "You want to watch some Thomas Sowell?"
Hah, I have also got him to start saying "You want to watch some Bill Whittle?"
“You want to watch some Bill Whittle?”
LOVE Bill Whittle. Always thought he’d be great as one of Rush’s regular substitutes.
later
Walter Williams said no one ever wins an argument with Tom.
Exactly. I found his style of explaining things to be incisive and approachable, to the point of being entertaining.
And if you can make something entertaining and approachable...it becomes learnable.
You are correct. That is clearly, for me, a large part of his genius.
There are those on FR who slander him as a “Free Trader”, but Thomas Sowell would be the first to say that it isn’t “free trade” when one side observes the law of market conventions and the other side does not. Such as Communist China.
That isn’t a “Free Market”.
I love his story about how he started out as a Marxist, and Milton Friedman had a role in his conversion. As Thomas Sowell described:
“...As a professor, he did not attempt to convert students to his political views. I made no secret of the fact that I was a Marxist when I was a student in Professor Friedman’s course, but he made no effort to change my views. He once said that anybody who was easily converted was not worth converting. I was still a Marxist after taking Professor Friedman’s class. Working as an economist in the government converted me...”
I can’t find the account so I am going by memory, but one day after class Milton Friedman stopped him on the way out of class to talk to him, and observed that Sowell sounded like a Marxist, and Sowell said he was. Friedman didn’t start proselytizing, but used the Socratic method, and began asking him questions, such as, “Why do you feel that way?”
What he did, was simply asked questions, and observing he was engaged in what Thomas Sowell calls “Stage One Thinking”, said, “Okay, if you believe that, what happens next...” and kept taking him to the next step where Sowell eventually realized that his view was untenable.
Friedman never speechified to him...he let Sowell answer his own questions and reach his own results.
Pretty impressive.
I think he is one of the foremost and most approachable spokesmen for conservatism today.
I have had a membership for a while, and just doubled it this year, getting out of the entry level phase.
He is worth it. I do wish that he had a wider audience. When I post his material on here, it never goes anywhere.
Unfortunately, I think that is me. I am too wordy, but...I am too old to change horses now. Oh well.
LOL, how on earth could they? When you watch video of him, he has command of the facts and can present them in context.
Heh, what Leftist idiot is going to stand up to that? Even they aren’t that stupid.
“When I post his (Whittle’s) material on here, it never goes anywhere.”
Same here. I post links often, but they seem to go flat. He is, I think, the best.
He gets huge contributions from this family. After the election, and then the debacle on 1/6/21, it was decided to not support any candidate. Instead, money goes to people like Whittle who are — I guess they’re called influencers.
When I post his material on here, it never goes anywhere.
There isn’t often a lot to say in response.
Seconded. Dr. Sowell is a brilliant man, no doubt, but his real genius lies in his ability to explain a complex subject in simple terms.
Dr Sowell has never retired from the Hoover Institute. He was there 2 years ago, and he is still there. https://www.hoover.org/profiles/thomas-sowell
One of President Trump’s mistakes was not giving the Medal of Freedom to Thomas Sowell, in spite of my repeated emails urging him to do so. Sowell disliked Trump and Trump disliked Sowell. It was Trump’s job to rise above his personal feelings for the good of the country he led, and in this case he failed to do so.
I could not agree more. Thomas Sowell is a national treasure.
Bookmark
LOL, that never occurred to me..
I’ll grab onto that as if I were floating in the ocean and came across a beer keg...:)
Sigh. I don’t give money to candidates much any more. I am superstitious, and lately it seems like a death knell if I give money.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.