Learning From the Greats: Economist Thomas Sowell

I’ve been meaning to read Thomas Sowell for a long time. Sowell is an economist that has been arguably one of the most articulate, and persuasive advocates for free enterprise in the the past several decades. I was thrilled to realize that several of his books are included for free in my audible.com membership. I am currently reading Intellectuals and Society. It is definitely a stimulating, and thought-provoking read.

The main thrust of the book is a critique of the intellectual elite in modern Western society. Many of them are influential in politics, and economics, yet most of them have expertise in completely unrelated areas. He gives the example of Bertrand Russell, a mathematician, who argued in the 1930s for the complete disarmament of Britain, even as Hitler was gearing up for war. He notes that even though Russell’s argument would have spelled disaster if it had been acted upon, that in no way diminished his stature as an influential voice in matters unrelated to his expertise. Such is the unjustified advantage that the intelligencia are given in their impact on society. Sowell argues that this is because intellectuals deal primarily in ideas. An engineer, by contrast, cannot afford to build a bridge and be misguided in the design process. Such a mistake would end disastrously, and might be the end of her career.