Peter Robinson, former Reagan speechwriter and Hoover Institution Fellow, has produced an interview, in five segments, with Dr. Thomas Sowell for his Uncommon Knowledge video series sponsored by Hoover and National Review Online. The interview focuses on Sowell’s new book, Intellectuals and Society.
The description of the book at Amazon.com reads as follows:
The influence of intellectuals is not only greater than in previous eras but also takes a very different form from that envisioned by those like Machiavelli and others who have wanted to directly influence rulers. It has not been by shaping the opinions or directing the actions of the holders of power that modern intellectuals have most influenced the course of events, but by shaping public opinion in ways that affect the actions of power holders in democratic societies, whether or not those power holders accept the general vision or the particular policies favored by intellectuals. Even government leaders with disdain or contempt for intellectuals have had to bend to the climate of opinion shaped by those intellectuals.
Intellectuals and Society not only examines the track record of intellectuals in the things they have advocated but also analyzes the incentives and constraints under which their views and visions have emerged. One of the most surprising aspects of this study is how often intellectuals have been proved not only wrong, but grossly and disastrously wrong in their prescriptions for the ills of society—and how little their views have changed in response to empirical evidence of the disasters entailed by those views.
Dr. Sowell needs no further introduction here.
Last week, NRO posted a segment each day of the week and I will do the same here on LST. The introductory segment is below:
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Just bought a new TV that hooks up to the internet and can connect directly to Youtube. I’ll have to try it out on this segment.
#1 hamous
Dr. Sowell is a national treasure. He’s also a book writing machine – astonishingly productive. Anyone who tries to write for public consumption knows what incredibly hard work that is.
I’ve toyed with different ideas for books, but the specter of it is intimidating, not to mention the time involved. Sowell, I think, has cranked out 2 books a year for a couple of decades. I can’t imagine.
I’ve been reading Dr. Sowell for years. He’s definitely one of the great minds of our time.
One of the things I’ve consistently admired about Dr. Sowell’s writing is the way he can convey complex ideas without resorting to pretentiousness or unnecessarily flowery language. He just gets right down to the meat of things and this topic seems to mesh with that quality of his quite well. I’m really looking forward to reading the book. Whether discussing boxing or economics (or intellectuals no doubt), Dr. Sowell is always worth my reading time.
Wow, LST is really moving up the scale if it is starting to include intellectuals among its discussion topics. I suppose that I can understand the demand from readers and posters for something a little more intellectually stimulating than just the old politics as usual fare that we’ve been dealing with for so long now. Why just look at post #1 on this very site from Mr. Hamous. Now he just bought a new TV with internet connectivity built in to it. Now is that a sign of intellectual curiosity or what? I’ll bet it’s even got a USB port on it somewhere. Wow.
I knew we were headed somewhere on this site when the “Stupid People” paper was linked yesterday. Obviously it’s up, up, and away from here on. Get your thinking cap, your smoking jacket, your pipe, and your aperitif ready to go for an on line experience nothing short of a 6 week diploma from the University of Phoenix. If you don’t keep up, you’ll be left in the choking clouds of academic failure dust.
EG
Your welcome to bring up intellectually stimulating discussion topics anytime you want and for free!. What you waiting for?
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