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Thomas Sowell interview

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Re: Thomas Sowell interview

#131

Post by brightball »

sradman wrote: post #15
z9e wrote: post #2

I’ve been reading a lot of his books lately, I cannot recommend enough. He does take a conservative approach to a lot of topics but the way he breaks things down helps you understand why. His book Basic Economics taught me more than any economics classes did in school.

> He does take a conservative approach to a lot of topics... Sowell's book A Conflict of Visions: Idealogical Origins of Political Struggles [1] is, ironically, a very good starting point in understanding what makes Sowell "conservative" (the Constrained Vision) vs "progressive" (the Unconstrained Vision). I think this is the work that impressed Steven Pinker. The categories get really messy, for example when he desc…

Reading the book description on Amazon, I don't associate Constrained or Unconstrained with Conservative and Progressive respectively.

Re: Thomas Sowell interview

#132

Post by dnh44 »

Eleopteryx wrote: post #33
justaman wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends on when this was said. 2015, there was a long list of republicans who didn't like Trump.

It actually doesn't depend on when it was said. It was wrong. But, for the record, he said it in October 2016.

According to the OP he said Trump would be easier to remove than Clinton. The fact that Trump was not removed from office does not make the statement wrong.

Re: Thomas Sowell interview

#133

Post by marcusverus »

pjc50 wrote: post #64
amachefe wrote: post #3

In this time of ultra conformism and cancel culture. It is refreshing to read an articulate alternative view points. Sowell has an experience of with sides of the debate and brings that experience to his writing. I can't recommend him enough

What do you mean by "Cancel culture" here and what specifically do you think might apply to Sowell?

'Cancel Culture' here seems to refer to the rash of firings and administrative punishments for academics who question the progressive dogma, especially w/ regards to BLM, the gender pay gap, institutional racism, etc.

Here is an academic 'cancellations' tracking document by the National Association of Scholars:

https://www.nas.org/storage/app/media/New%20Documents/academ...

Re: Thomas Sowell interview

#134

Post by sbuttgereit »

SantalBlush wrote: post #55
seibelj wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basic Economics is required reading for anyone who wants to claim they understand economic principles. Even if you are a hard-left Marxist you must understand classical economic theories in order to feel comfortable debating them and more firm in your own beliefs.

Basic Economics isn’t even required reading in an intro econ course. It probably has value for its alternative perspectives on a lot of economic concepts, but to say it’s “required reading for anyone who wants to claim they understand economic principles” is pretty demonstrably false.

Perhaps, but is that really a telling statement about the book or a more telling statement about the current state of academic economics?

Re: Thomas Sowell interview

#135

Post by wry_discontent »

alexarnesen wrote: post #117
wry_discontent wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For this community? Das Kapital. For something less rigorous and more accessible, probably something by Richard Wolff, but I'm not familiar enough w/ his writings to recommend anything specific.

I see you recommended the heavy work, not just the propaganda pamphlet - good. I haven't read Das Kapital and I should. However... My question: an oft repeated refrain, when Marx is touted as a reasonable alternative, is that any time anyone tried his ideas out, it was a total disaster (Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Chavez). I have watched some Wolff on Youtube, as well as other lectures on Marxism, because I'm interested an…

I've seen some decent refutations of that kind of thinking by Chomsky himself. I don't have a great recommendation just because my eyes tend to glaze over when people start droning on about how xyz would be nice but iT's NoT hUmAn nAtURe.

Also, I don't know how anybody could say that kind of thing about Marx, specifically Das Kapital, which is what I'm most familiar with. It doesn't delve much into human nature, it's all about modes of production and exchange and labor value.

Re: Thomas Sowell interview

#136

Post by kundra »

justaman wrote: post #29
jahaja wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Its so difficult to put forth effort when the basis of their beliefs are rooted in power dynamics and conformity.

If you want people to accept your point of view, the burden is on you to articulate it. There's a lot of this "people should just see it the way I do" attitude floating around the internet.

Re: Thomas Sowell interview

#138

Post by SantalBlush »

s4n1ty wrote: post #103
deiznof wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I am giving my opinion on Thomas Sowell in a post about Thomas Sowell. My post is very short, like a third of it is a quote from him. And I didn't define conservative as wrong, I said he is a standard, non-special conservative AND wrong. What are your actual disagreements?

You're offering commentary, not a counterargument. What specifically is Sowell wrong about?

What specifically is he right about? Why do we require evidence when someone says he is wrong, but we do not require evidence for the numerous times in this thread where people say his book is “required reading”?

First, everyone here who likes Sowell can put forth specific, concrete examples where he is right, instead of making vague statements about how brilliant he is and then demanding evidence only when someone disagrees.

Re: Thomas Sowell interview

#139

Post by jsonne »

brightball wrote: post #131
sradman wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> He does take a conservative approach to a lot of topics... Sowell's book A Conflict of Visions: Idealogical Origins of Political Struggles [1] is, ironically, a very good starting point in understanding what makes Sowell "conservative" (the Constrained Vision) vs "progressive" (the Unconstrained Vision). I think this is the work that impressed Steven Pinker. The categories get really messy, for example when he desc…

Reading the book description on Amazon, I don't associate Constrained or Unconstrained with Conservative and Progressive respectively.

It's a great book and one you should truly read before passing judgement on. It's helped me rationalize the various current political and social issues in the US a lot as I've read it.

Re: Thomas Sowell interview

#140

Post by SiFiPi »

claudiawerner wrote: post #56
googthrowaway42 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best criticism of Marxism I've read is in the introduction to Human Action by Mises where he shows that the concept of class struggle, specifically class itself, is illogical. Also FWIW I have been upvoting you as you get downvoted.

Rothbard (and later Mises) are both on my reading list, I'm nothing if not open-minded. Thanks.

At the end of the day, when it comes to Ludwig von Mises, it's a question of whether or not you believe humans have free will. If you've studied long enough to become a neurologist, you find that free will is laughable.
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