Intellectuals and Society

An Absolute Tour de Force

What a fantastic book. Sowell details the machinations of intellectuals (using the definition of people for which the end product of their work is ideas rather than anything intangible) in excellent detail, and shows throughout history how the intellectuals have more often than not reached conclusions that have been catastrophically wrong - even leading to war. He posits that, essentially, this is because in order to convert their "special" knowledge into practice, they must necessarily step outside of their realm of true expertise. There's really much more to it than that oversimplification, but you need to read the book to see what I mean. This is the first book by Sowell I have read, and I will undoubtedly be reading more. It's occasionally funny, often frightening, always brilliantly reasoned and right on the mark. Reading this book is like taking an entire semester's class with the smartest professor you ever had in college, except this professor is one of those rogue conservatives who somehow got hired to teach young minds, defying the usual views on campus. Fascinating, terrific, five stars without hesitation. Just read it!

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

A Must Read. Blasts through the conventional wisdom of decades of thought.

For anyone that takes themselves seriously, this book is a must. It speaks to all levels of education and all layers of society and race. It certainly helps shake free the messages that have become rooted in our brains from the educational, political and media drumbeat of our times. Decisions by intellectuals with no " real life" understanding, have always and continue to, create havoc in society. This book is a voice of reason in the wilderness of modern times awash in conventional wisdom. Well written and well researched.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

A Must Read!

Thomas Sowell has done it again. In this well researched book he shows 'intellectuals' for what they are and have been...false polymaths.

The clarity of this book makes it an interesting, enjoyable and enlightening read for anybody. Its research and scholarly nature makes it great for those who wish to put such information to use in their professional life.

My hope is that many of the modern intellectuals who take a huge part in shaping our society and nudging policy, while suffering no consequences for the disasters and consequences that result from such, will read this as well. Thomas Sowell has the mirror now intellectuals just need to peer into it.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

SUPER, INFORMATIVE, ENLIGHTENING

THIS BOOK IS HARD TO PUT DOWN. THE ECONOMIC PRINCIPLE MR. SOWELL APPLIES TO THE SUBJECT MATTER IS RIGHT ON THE MONEY. MR. SOWELL DESCRIBED THE FUTURE THAT IS TODAY TO A "T".

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Brilliant!

Dr. Sowell's thoughts on the influence of certain segments of society on the current state of affairs in our country are enlightening, to say the least. He has analyzed deeply and applied common sense to his conclusions. This book is highly recommended.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Thomas Sowell Reigns

Dr. Sowell is without doubt one of the Country's leading Conservative thinkers. Each one of his books is treasure of thought provoking, educational information.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Hmmmm, let me think about this . . .

Excellent. I have only just begun researching the many quotes and suggested readings Sowell provides.

This books is an excellent example of the difference between 'right wing' writers who deliver facts and opinion in separate dishes, explain where their opinions come from and why and 'left wing' writers who seem to depend on an audience who already 'knows' what they mean when they use certain key words and phrases.

This books delivers the dirt on what I have noted in college and in the teaching profession and it does it in a way that doesn't need ad hominem attacks, clever jabs with blunt instruments and knowing winks and jarring nudges.

Sowell gives you the tools to make your own opinion and THAT is what I want in a book like this.

Excellent addition to ANY personal library right alongside Glenn Beck's Arguing with Idiots, Dianna West's The Death of the Grownup and Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

INTELLECT IS NOT WISDOM

The book opens with these four words, which many in today's culture have failed to realize. "George Orwell said that some ideas are so foolish that only an intellectual could believe them, for no ordinary man could be such a fool." Intellectuals live in a world of ideas. Many of their "ideas" find their way into mainstream life via academia, print, or wielders of power who share their circle of influence. The danger here is that these ideas are often acted upon with no empirical test or external validation. A great read for anyone interested in how so called "intellectuals" have shaped history for better or more commonly for worse.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Once again, Thomas Sowell lays bare the "intellectual left"

Sowell, being an intellectual himself, looks inward at the weaknesses and falacy of allowing the intellectual to have undue influence in sociey. His exhaustive research proves time and again his points are 100% accurate, that intellectuals are more than happy to go outside their area of expertise and claim to be experts in areas in which they are clueless. Sowell is one of my favorite authors but even he has outdone himself with Intellectuals and Society. His examination of the European intellectual and the grief caused by their influence is particularly pointed. He goes on to explain the Obama regiems' reliance upon these very flawed minds. It's a great and informative read for all.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This has become my new favorite book. Dr. Sowell is a first-rat

This has become my new favorite book. Dr. Sowell is a first-rate intellectual, so he knows what he is talking about when criticizing the intellectual establishment for applying logic to untested and unwise assumptions to reach dangerous conclusions which it sells to the public and to politicians. Particularly interesting is his criticism of attitudes of the progressives on races which switched radically to certain minorities being genetically inferior at the beginning of the twentieth century to being victims who have no responsibility for the consequences of their actions and their culture today. I am recommending this book to friends, relatives and anyone else who wants to understand the source of many of the current economic and political problems.

Erudite, Accurate, Incisive, & Clear!

Ties in well how and why both major political parties have become dominated by their wings and not their centrists.
For those interested, I recommend Brion McClanahan's "Founders' Guide to the Constitution" & my own "The Albany Plan Re-Visited".

Mr. Sowell is brilliant!

Absolutely brilliant. Thomas Sowell is one of the greatest minds of this age. This and all of his other books are a must read!

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.