The Thomas Sowell Reader

This is a life's work masterpiece. As the author says himself in the preface his purpose it not to change your mind but to eliminate misunderstandings. Since all facts are friendly, Thomas tries hard to show that there are more than one side to every national issue. His relentless pursuit of empirical evidence to substantiate the continued spending of taxpayer (our) money, is refreshing. The author has gone to great lengths in nearly every subject matter to NOT give you his personal opinion, although it may seem obvious by the preponderance of his evidence. He is skeptical of vague definitions and implores constituents to demand accountability, not only in government but to life in general. As other reviews have indicated, the book is written in short essays which make it very easy to digest and easy to skip around to topics of interest without loss of continuity. There are so many observations and world lessons in the book that you will want to keep it in reach for future reference. Whether you love it or hate it, I think that all of the information presented NEEDS to be considered in light of all of the recent world events. If you keep your mind open, you will recommend this book to someone when you are finished. Well done!

Fabulous edition to my library. Unfortunately I fear the world will never know the true genius of such a great and wise man until after he passes, such is the ignorance of man. True peals of wisdom and observation.

Good read from Thomas Sowell. Everyone should read his books.

I found it randomly in the library of Anderson University, and shortly after bought my own copy. Each chapter is a short article on some hot topic from a conservative viewpoint. I love the format, and I love the author, it’s nice to know that common sense’s not dead! I read this with my teens the short article format is perfect for it, and we discuss it, great way to introduce and discuss and laid the foundation for the young people, or anyone really!

Dr. Thomas Sowell has to be one of the greatest intellectual minds when it comes to practically looking at society, the economy and politics in general. His attention to detail and focus on the facts make it hard to seriously challenge his positions without some kind of respect for the methods and thought process that goes into each article. There are some that are funny, some that are serious and some that make you wonder what it is that actually motivates people. It's hard to get a voice from the intellectual right in any country. A lot of what he proposes are controversial but he backs it up time and time again with historical and statistical facts while putting up the evidence that is used to the contrary up into the light where it is seen to be riddled with holes. You will not leave reading this book without being impacted in some kind of way. Whether it be to strengthen your arguments against him or to change your mind. If there's one thing I've learnt from Thomas Sowell it's that good intentions don't mean squat!

Readers digestcof a great thinker

Mr. Sowell speaks the truth, yes. But more than that, he speaks with kindness, Opinions are just that, opinions. But he deals with facts. He allows his research to lead him wherever it will. he supports every conclusion with facts that you can lay out on the table and see it for yourself. One of the things that he does is to take a catch-phrase like "income distribution" and analyze using real facts from real studies, history, and/or simple logic.

Thomas Sowell is such an amazing man. The world would be a better place if governments really listened to people like him. He is not just a voice of common sense in a crazy world, but he has really done his homework and he knows the statistics inside and out. The chapter that touched me more was the one where he tells his story as a student of how he came to realize that you should think many steps ahead of the policy you are supporting. There are many bright minds in the world but very few recognise, especially in public, that what they first though was wrong. Thomas Sowell is one of those few men that have the courage to face reality instead of cowering away, and that is exactly what makes you a better person so you can move ahead and improve yourself. His story is also very touching: a poor orphan boy from Harlem getting an educations and climbing to the top of the intellectual world. You cannot help but to admire this man.

Thomas Sowell speaks of subjects where an consensus has been accepted and gives reasons to overturn the consensus. This is enormously valuable in an age where many people claim to have arrived at a position of consensus, but careful examination of the facts turns everything upside down. My view of the internet is that never in the history of mankind has so much information been so freely available, with perhaps a majority of it being wrong. Even the definitions provided by standard dictionaries need to be thought about rathered than accepted, and urban dictionaries usually contain a varying mixture of ignorance and lies. Wikipedia entries on the properties of batteries can generally be relied on, but there is so much else that does not stand up to close attention. Hence Thomas Sowell writes in an excellent tradition of 'check everything' and don't assume that even the conclusions you thought you had held for 50 years are correct. I enjoy his material so much. Thank you Sir!

Um livro que pode ser uma introdução ao pensamento de Thomas Sowell pois apresenta vários escritos divididos por assuntos, como, por exemplo, a educação. O que é uma falha da obra, no entanto, é não haver a menção da data em que os ensaios foram escritos. Ótima leitura digna de reflexão a cada página.

Der Ökonom und Publizist Thomas Sowell gehört zu den führenden Vordenkern einer konservativen Gegenbewegung in den Vereinigten Staaten, welche sich vehement gegen die kulturelle Hegemonie des Linksliberalismus wendet. Deshalb ist es zweifellos zu begrüßen, dass viele seiner interessanten Beiträge, die er in den letzten Jahrzehnten veröffentlicht hat, in diesem Buch zusammengefasst worden sind. Es handelt sich hierbei um Artikel, Kolumnen, Buchbesprechungen oder Nachrufe, die sowohl in ihrer Länge als auch in ihrer Thematik stark voneinander abweichen. Behandelt werden soziale, politische, rechtliche, wirtschaftliche, ethnische, pädagogische und autobiographische Fragestellungen. Dem Leser wird also eine breite Themenvielfalt geboten, die dem umfassenden Werk von Sowell durchaus gerecht wird. Die Eigenverantwortung des Individuums lässt sich dabei als Leitmotiv des Readers herausdestillieren. Wie ein roter Faden zieht es sich durch sämtliche Abschnitte, wobei es dem Autor stets gelingt, die Vorzüge und Gefährdungen der individuellen Verantwortung klar aufzuzeigen. Vor allem den linksliberalen Verfechtern des interventionistischen Staates, der möglichst alle Bereiche des Lebens durchdringen und kontrollieren will, wirft Sowell überzeugend vor, dass sie die Verantwortung des Einzelnen für sein Tun oder Unterlassen negieren wollen. An deren Stelle tritt der Wohlfahrtsstaat als eine Art von "Kindermädchen“, der die Bürger entmündigt und bevormundet. Die einzigen, die von solch einer Entwicklung profitieren, sind eine Kaste von auserwählten Intellektuellen, Politikern und Bürokraten, die ihr reines Eigeninteresse hinter einem Nebel aus Rhetorik und Worthülsen geschickt verbergen. Eine derartige Worthülse ist beispielsweise die "soziale Gerechtigkeit“, mit deren Hilfe sich alles begründen oder kritisieren lässt, was der linksliberalen Elite am Herzen liegt. Die systematische Unterminierung der Eigenverantwortung hat für die Gesellschaft fatale Folgen. Sowell zeigt dies exemplarisch am Bildungswesen und beim Umgang mit Minderheiten auf. In beiden Fällen geht es den zuständigen "Experten“ nicht darum, die von ihrem Handeln betroffenen Personen zu selbstständigen und selbstbewussten Mitgliedern der Gesellschaft zu machen, die sich positiv und erfolgreich in diese einbringen können. Vielmehr sollen sie in einem dauerhaften Abhängigkeitsverhältnis von staatlichen Leistungen und Fördermaßnahmen gehalten werden, zu deren Rechtfertigung sie dann auch noch herhalten müssen. So dient die mit Steuermitteln finanzierte Schul- und Universitätsausbildung von sozial schwachen Minderheiten meistens nur dazu, die Schüler und Studenten ideologisch zu indoktrinieren. Eine gute Bildung, die ihnen helfen würde, sich im Leben und auf dem Arbeitsmarkt zu behaupten, wird ihnen stattdessen verweigert. Dies war keineswegs immer so gewesen, wie der Lebensweg des Autors eindrucksvoll belegt. Sowell hatte in den vierziger Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts eine sehr solide Schulbildung erhalten. Hierdurch konnte er den sozialen Aufstieg aus eigener Kraft bewältigen. Viele Schwarze seiner Generation taten es ihm gleich, ohne dabei auf die besondere Unterstützung von "Uncle Sam“ angewiesen zu sein. Dass Thomas Sowell sich mit solchen Argumenten nicht überall beliebt macht, versteht sich von selbst. Wer aber dazu bereit ist, seinen intellektuellen Horizont über die engen Grenzen der politischen Korrektheit hinaus zu erweitern, dem sei dieses Buch uneingeschränkt empfohlen. Jürgen Rupp

One of the great intellectuals of our time. Cogent, lucid, consistent and perspicacious this volume is an antidote to leftist disinformation.

Each of Sowell's essays are worth reading and re-reading.