Every time I retort a point, I start with "I read an article about..." Every time Tom Sowell retorts a point, he starts with "I wrote a book about...." There are levels to this
"one of the benefits of having a harvard degree is never again having to be impressed by someone with a harvard degree." LOL man this interview is so good.
This gentleman is 88 years old in this video and his mind is crystal clear and on top of all the points. What an accomplishment, I wish to age as well as he has.
I'm black man and I've never read anything by Mr.Sowell, yet I have had these same views since I was a teen-ager. I guess just using your head and looking at things with an open mind and common sense goes a very long way. I will be reading Thomas Sowell now.
Perhaps *the* most important consideration in Politics, and yet many (if not most) don't even factor in the Incentives of the people who make Government. Sad! If we can bring this into the Public Consciousness it would be yuge.
As a black person, i find it difficult to understand how people like Thomas Sowell, who actually grew up poor, lived through Jim Crow and every other hardship blacks faced back then, could somehow rise above all that resentment of establishment white society and make something of himself, despite the challenges, while youngish people like Ta nehisi Coates, who grew up in a much less racist time and in better conditions, can hold such regressive ideas about whites and race relations and actually be commended for it by the intelligentsia and media of today. It just baffles me. I cannot for the life of me blame a white person today for the atrocities committed by people with whom he shared a skin tone with decades ago.
" I cannot for the life of me blame a white person today for the atrocities committed by people with whom he shared a skin tone with decades ago." That is because you are intelligent and reasonable.
I think it's an enduring proof that Thomas Sowell is truly an individualist. In his mind the actions of racist white people were representative of themselves, basically, and don't have any bearing on other white people who behave totally differently.
As a fellow black i can straight up tell you why, the liberal whites that are true racist fooled the black man and woman of yester year with welfare, with affirmative action and fooled them that they ate helpless and they weak and need these things to catch up whilst they tell their own kind to toughen up... That is why blacks to this day worldwide are mentally defeated.
People need battles to fight, a weight to carry. Perhaps people like Ta Nehisi Coates would rather carry the weight and fight the battles of Sowell's generation than find their own, despite the fact that those battles have been largely won. Or maybe BECAUSE those battles have been largely won, which is a more depressing proposition.
Please optimistic. Wisdom won't go unnoticed. There are several youngsters in YT , so brilliant but never heard of Dr. Sowell or Dr. Williams, not to mention Hayek, Rothbard, Friedman etc.
When I was a school failure, nothing happened. When I got a University education, nothing happened. When I learned to take personal responsibility for my life, everything started to happen.
Thomas Sowell's book, Basic Economics, helped me pass my economics classes and realize that my professors were teaching it wrong. I mean, I could literally show them how their math was wrong and they would at first argue, then threaten to fail me. Which is ironic since I grew up with learning disabilities. So I did it their way and passed at the top of the class, which is the goal. One example is the micro effect on the cost of living of mandated minimum wages. Thank you Mr. Sowell, you have helped me succeed and see the world the way it is, not the way we want it to be.
We dont celebrate the ability to finally be able to take responsibility and live meaningful lives, instead we tell each other that our failures are someone else's fault and we are just innocent victims.
Same here. I wish there were a more concentrated effort to push us and our kin to reach the intellectual heights of people like Mr. Sowell and Larry Elder.
+Jason Lewis "The economic anarchy of capitalism is the root of all evil." - Albert Einstein technology changes the world, capitalism is no longer useful. Malthusian premise is untrue due to efficiency increase, machines replace labour!!!!
@@globaldigitaldirectsubsidi4493 So are you planning on commenting this on every comment strand on this video sir? if so you are wasting your time. No one here is going to buy your bs, even if you quote Einstein. And in solidarity with your mission, I will reply this exact comment to every one of yours, even if you are a troll. When did anyone turn to Einstein for his economic input? Why do you think there are advancements and innovations in technology? It's because of capitalism. I can do the same thing that dear Einstein did, just replace the first five words with a random word and you have yourself an inane and unsubstantiated quotation, "Altruism is the root of all evil". - Zach McIntire. And "economic anarchy of capitalism", what is this implying? If I were to say anything I would say irrationality is the root of all evil and success in a capitalist society requires rationality. Embrace capitalism my friend, and you will be set free.
Dr. Sowell is perhaps our last great 20th Century economist still on Earth. Mises, Hayek, Rothbard, Friedman, Buchanan, Becker... all no longer with us- but Dr. Sowell still carries the standard. We love you, sir.
I’m sitting here in Dublin, Ireland being blown away by this man’s intellect, integrity, humility and clarity of thought. What a great pity most of our leaders of today, and especially our politicians, on both sides of the Atlantic, are not worthy of any of these adjectives. If we fail to heed the likes of Dr Sowell, we will indeed pay a heavy price.
0:30 Context on Thomas Sowell 1:48 Western Union Messenger, Transportation 3:40 Seeing Tenements 4:54 Reading Marx. 5:43, 9:07What changed Sowell’s view on Marxism? 9:30 Conflict of Visions (1987) (1) Constrained Vision (2) Unconstrained Vision 13:45 Not meant to show one as better than other. It is to highlight the implicit assumptions in each view. 14:30 Rebutting Nicholas Kristoph 15:20 Hard, serious, Evidence 16:10, 48:20 Bernie Sanders and Venezuela 🇻🇪 16:45 Poverty and Progress among Blacks 21:10 Family Structure 23:11 If Lyndon Johnson embraced constrained vision, would it have been a better America? 24:18 Affirmative Action (harms everyone in different ways. Mismatching). 30:25 What is to be done? - Better lifestyle choices - 43:25 Charter Schools 33:19 Post-College Sowell 36:31 Jim Crow/ Reparations 39:39 39:46 Charles Murray, Losing Ground. 40:20 Trump 52:30 Thomas Sowell Reading his 1987 book “A Conflict of Visions”
Thank you for the breakdown, it really helps grasp the entirety of this thought provoking conversation by one of the brillant minds that still lives today.
He dropped out of high school, joined the Marines, and then still attended *Harvard*. This right here is what real intelligence looks like. He didn’t need an honor roll in high school to tell him he was smart enough to learn from and teach at Ivy League schools.
+TrustMeI´mADoctor "The economic anarchy of capitalism is the root of all evil." - Albert Einstein technology changes the world, capitalism is no longer useful. Malthusian premise is untrue due to efficiency increase, machines replace labour
@@coletrain5667 plus we should remember Einstein fled a nationalist socialist nation so socialism is somthing he may have been partial to. Not certain however but i agree he wasn't an economist by any stretch of the imagination.
@@globaldigitaldirectsubsidi4493 So are you planning on commenting this on every comment strand on this video sir? if so you are wasting your time. No one here is going to buy your bs, even if you quote Einstein. And in solidarity with your mission, I will reply this exact comment to every one of yours, even if you are a troll. When did anyone turn to Einstein for his economic input? Why do you think there are advancements and innovations in technology? It's because of capitalism. I can do the same thing that dear Einstein did, just replace the first five words with a random word and you have yourself an inane and unsubstantiated quotation, "Altruism is the root of all evil". - Zach McIntire. And "economic anarchy of capitalism", what is this implying? If I were to say anything I would say irrationality is the root of all evil and success in a capitalist society requires rationality. Embrace capitalism my friend, and you will be set free.
It's so refreshing to see an interviewer who's actually prepared with quotes and actual good deep exploratory questions. Thomas Sowell is definitely worth to listen to. Thanks for sharing this interview.
14:50 “If we wanted to be serious about evidence, we might compare where blacks stood a hundred years after the end of slavery with where they stood after 30 years of the liberal welfare state. In other words, we could compare hard evidence on ‘the legacy of slavery’ with hard evidence on ‘the legacy of liberals.’” -Thomas Sowell BOOM!
Every new Sowell interview is a gift from God. Honestly, in a few more years there might be a revolution of Sowell. His works are resonating with huge numbers of youth who have never been exposed to such eloquent and commonsense arguments. There are 2 shelves devoted to the works of Thomas Sowell in my library. Simply put, he changed my world view. - 26 year old, American
I worked as a bag boy at a small grocery store in the late 80s. I ate the same lunch every day. Small chocolate milk, ham sandwich and powdered donuts by Wonder...and was excited when minimum wage was going up 25 cents an hour. Then I went to pay for same lunch and the prices went up! I went to store manager and he said every person working g right now is making more so the store had to raise prices to pay their salaries and said to me why do you think Sue and Mark aren't on the schedule this week? He said we had to let them go. I learned alot that day in 1987...long term ago
One of the worst thing you can do for someone is pity them because your solutions for help will be based in emotions instead of logic. It is that emotion that drives people to help poor and disenfranchised people via charity by giving them fish instead of helping them to learn how to fish.
I have said it many times, Mr. Sowell has a way of stating facts so clearly and plainly that it hits you like a slap to the face. What a genius, what a man.
@@EmperorsNewWardrobe "does that mean you’ve submitted your intellect these proposals of his can be assessed or that you’re simply a fan of his?" With all respect, that sentence is incoherent.
Just imagine. Thomas Sowell began his adult life as a Marxist. Through experiencing real life, education, and doing a lot of critical thinking, his worldview changed. He is a national treasure and I often post his quotes on my FB page. God bless him. Wouldn't you love it if everyone was introduced to him in the course of their public education?
It is June 13th, 2020. My 30th birthday is on the 18th. In the middle of COVID-19 and widespread civil unrest, this is water to my soul. I am entirely certain that prior to watching this video, I have not consumed a more eye opening, life changing and empowering hour of content. Thank you Dr. Sowell.
In Jamaica in the 70s I remember our flirtation with Socialism. We had bare shelves, constant power and water lock offs. We had a patchy phone service only for the well connected , rich and government officials. Everyone else had to use one of the few payphones. You can keep that.
I am 51 years old and my entire life experience was illuminated to me watching this video. The welfare state and the utter failure became clear to me years ago when I toured the LBJ Museum in Austin, Texas. The more they helped the worse it got.
One could get a damn fine education simply by watching and listening to Tom Sowell on UA-cam. I never get tired of listening to Sowell, no matter the topic.
I didn't even know about Thomas Sowell until yesterday, but after watching some videos it's clear this man is staggeringly intelligent. He's so well-spoken and has an excellent memory, being able to recall dates or quotes on a dime. Really awe-inspiring to watch.
God bless you Mr. Sowell. My heartaches for my children and grand children who have been led to believe the lie that government is the savior of mankind.
When I was a teenager in the Caribbean island state of Trinidad & Tobago, one had to take a School Leaving exam at the end of one's high school career and obtain passes in various subjects which summed up and evidenced to the world how well one had learned the subjects that one had studied for years, and was now being tested on. These passes were looked at very seriously by employers in determining whether or not they would hire you. The exams were created by Cambridge University in England, and the island government paid a fee to the University for each and every student in the island-state who took the school-leaving test, for each and every subject tested. There was great prestige conferred upon students who excelled on the tests, and the single student in the entire island who had the highest average passing score among all the tests would win an ISLAND SCHOLARSHIP to go to England to study. Since there was not the infrastructure to support it, and zero firms to hire such a graduate, no Island Scholar in those days ever studied engineering. Instead they would study Law or Medicine and return home to automatically find themselves among the upper crust of society. But there were hundreds of other students who did not win THE Island Scholarship, but who all came within a hair's breadth of it. Because of the racial composition of the population of the island, the island scholar, the hundreds who came within a hair's breadth of the scholarly achievement of the island scholar, and the thousands who came within a little finger's width of the scholarly achievement of the Island Scholar, WERE ALL BLACK OR BROWN, AND OF EAST INDIAN OR AFRICAN HERITAGE. This destroyed the theory of racial intellectual superiority but affirmed the fact of cultural superiority. You see all these black and brown students were culturally British in outlook and values, and a member of WESTERN CIVILIZATION. The cultural heritage that they had absorbed, and of which they were now living embodiments, had PREPARED THEM to excel at ALL OF these subjects. The skewing of the BELL CURVE towards the upper percentiles which the scholarly achievements of these thousands of students caused was so robust that many a year Cambridge University would send investigative teams to determine if there was any cheating. They never found any cheating because there never was any cheating. We on the island knew that they had become suspicious because what these black and brown students on the outskirts of the former British empire were doing was, by liberal dogma, IMPOSSIBLE!! They were trouncing the white students of England, in exams written by white university-educators of England, even despite the higher percentage of money spent per student in England for classrooms outfitted with the most modern equipment, and taught well-compensated teachers dragging around Ph.D. in he subjects they taught. This violated the liberal orthodoxy that educational achievement is improved by spending more money. We were VERY DISAPPOINTED during those - thankfully few _ years when the University did not see fit to send down an investigative team. It meant that we were slipping and had to tighten up. My detached (from the rest of the school, as those about to take the school leaving exams were put in a special class that was physically separated from all the other classes) classroom for preparing for the school leaving exams was, when I think back to it, really just a big chicken shed, with large, 2 inch square, grid wire all the way around to let in the morning and afternoon breezes. And yet there was more excitement about learning there, within that chicken coop of learning, than I have experienced anywhere else, even including American University, where I found that there were many students in attendance for all sorts of reasons, none of which was a love for learning. They were all interested in "what is the answer" and not "what is the correct method". They all wanted to know "how", but no one ever asked "why". They were all more interested in obtaining the high grade than in obtaining the knowledge which that high grade is SUPPOSED to reflect. And they were all perfectly willing to lie, cheat, or engage in any and all underhanded and unethical actions to obtain that high grade. They mastered cheating and deception, but not the subject matter, and now I wonder if that was not the function and the goal of the 'educational' system all along. But in my previous 'chicken coop of learning', I remember the teacher asking a question, especially so in mathematics, and most especially so calculus, and the entire class of students would be literally scrambling over each other with our hands raised beseeching the teacher to call upon us to give the answer. We were all in fierce competition with each other, and yet if you asked the guy with whom you were in closest competition, and who is only a fraction of a point above you in a particular subject, for help or tutoring in that subject, he would willingly and gladly do so, and he would not sabotage you by giving false information, as I experienced in my American University days. We were in serious competition with each other but we all expected to prevail honorably through hard work, and not through lying and trickery. Black Americans suffer the curse of low expectations, first of the world towards them, and then eventually of themselves about themselves. I remember correcting the language of a female, black American student in my college days. Talking about her plans for the coming semester she said, "If I pass Calculus II over the summer, then next semester I am going to take ...". My head immediately came up, and I told her she should instead say, "After I pass Calculus II this summer, what I am going to take next semester is ...". I would not relent until she said the sentence the correct way. She had already been in college 10 years at this point, and had failed or dropped Calculus II three times. We joked that she was on the lifetime college plan, but maybe it really was no joke. Anyway she corrected her language, and that made her do whatever she had to do to pass the class, which she did, that summer". Thank you Tom Sowell for being an intellectual giant who sees through the many layers of liberal bullshit under which this society is buried.
Wow! What a unique and valuable experience you had in the “chicken coop of learning”. Thank you for telling us about it. The number of schools, programs, classes, and teachers and students who want to really dive deep and understand the subjects is likely a relatively smaller percentage than we would hope.
I'll admit when was younger I had a bias against blacks because for the most part I'd had bad experiences with them. As I grew up I started reading more and I came across Thomas Sowell and he cured me of liberalism and my small bit of racism in 1 book. I'll never forget reading him and breaking down my assumptions and beliefs. One of the most underrated men of all time. I'll always be grateful.
White (me) or black....he’s just a perfect model of a human being. I have tremendous respect for this man. We need to fill the whole world with people like him.
I'm a liberal and really enjoy Thomas Sowell with his empirical and rational way of tackling issues. He's convinced me of something I'd long suspected, the welfare state harms more than it helps poor people, but when I make the argument to anyone left of me they just call me a conservative even though I'd be for any social safety net that helped people get out of poverty which I thought was the point. Granted some lazy people like me or unintelligent people may not have the drive to move up, if we want to help poor people, as liberals or even progressives who I think are just Marxists, we must be willing to admit when our policy harms those we hoped it would help and reform replace or end the bad policy.
Given money (welfare) to families/mothers/fathers has to be linked to their kids education, even performance and presence of the kids in school. Otherwise you can't incentivise the parents to demand from their kids. For adults they should have a chance for further training and retraining by the government paying for their education directly to the school if they request it (and not in their pockets). Government should give the people fishing net and not the fish itself.
@@bslay4r Bingo! This is why I am a conservative, yet do not condemn Bobby Bee, a liberal. He wants to help people; so do I. I am not against government programs to help the poor as long as they are implemented and run in such a way as to actually ensure that they *do* rise out of poverty and get education and/or vocational training (and that their children get good educations in school), rather than it becoming a way of life (and a career for those who administer such programs). To give one example of this: I was pleasantly surprised to learn that in Sweden (which isn't socialist, but is a free enterprise company with a large welfare state, which they're dialing back), people at the lowest income level, who are on public assistance, are taxed at a *higher* rate than even low-income workers, because this encourages people to improve their situations; "Get off welfare, and you keep more of your income."
Liberalism is sold as compassion, but anyone who is REALLY compassionate soon sees that it's not, that it has actually gone so far down into the depths of pathological altruism that it's more akin to a death cult. I believe most people who realize this inevitably settle for something that mixes classical conservative and liberal concepts with modern values. Unfortunately, the libertarian party is too screwed up to offer something like that today.
Your interviews together are simply the best. Peter always manages to maintain a tone of both curiosity and respect. Curious enough to ask a little further for clarification, but respect enough to stick to journalistic professionalism and remain impartial. His curiosity never imposes his own view or challenges what Sowell is saying. He's simply here to let Thomas speak his mind and allow the viewers to decide how they feel about it. He doesn't try to interject himself. He's here to interview an intellectual rockstar and masterfully takes the backseat when necessary. I love it. Much can be learned from the way Peter interviews people. You cannot tell how peter feels about the topics him and sowell have discussed over the years. That means something. That's truly special. It sadly used to be the norm but it's always on perfect display in these talks.
This man is everything, street smart, was out in the real world working, military and very well educated. This is a man that should definitely be listened to.
The most influential person in my life. Noone has changed my perspective on things more than Dr Sowell. You are a gift to the world and I cherish every bit of knowledge you share with us all. I'm a hardcore Capitalist because of you !
Both men have brilliantly outlined the key to better understand many hidden secrets of economics by students, economists and teachers worldwide ! Greetings from the Brazilian rainforest in Manaus.
I first heard of Dr. Sowell 15 years ago when my grandson was not hitting his milestones. I purchased Late Talking Children for his parents. He is a brilliant mind. His reaction to AOC was priceless. The woman is a bobble head. I swear I can hear rocks.
Dr Sowell can real off an incredibly profound idea in such a matter of fact manner, inspiring man, I call him a "National Treasure", a voice I feel privileged to be able to hear in my lifetime.
His statement on matching the eduction level of students to the University they attend is so on point. It is important to have the chance to thrive at the appropriate University. I left my University with a sense of accomplishment that has served me well. My SAT scores were not at the 99% and I am thankful I did not attend a University that required such a high level.
You can always tell Dr. Sowell isnt big on being flattered. He almost has a distaste for it. Not so much in an attitude sense but you can always see it on his face when someone says something about him (thats always true by the way) thats flattering. He knows it. But isnt arrogant about it.
One of the great contributions of Thomas Sowell for this generation is that he taught us again to begin with facts and data. It’s impressive to have ideas and the masses can be swayed by flowery rhetoric or eloquent speeches but at the end of the day the evidence must support the idea. If not, then the idea must be revised or discarded. Welfare, socialism, tax the rich, climate change, racism, affirmative action and radical notions of equality must all be examined thoroughly in light of the data. Our educational system has an obligation to teach the facts.
Gave it a thumbs up before I even listened to it because I know its going to be good. I cant wait to get off of work so that I can be schooled by Mr. Sowell.
C, I know how you feel but thumbing it up before watching does concede defeat of your critical thought, unless of course you’re simply saying you’re a fan of the man Thomas Sowell
@@EmperorsNewWardrobe The ability to 'unlike ' negates your statement. If the commenter essentially disagrees with TS after liking the video and doesn't dislike the video THEN he/she is not exercising critical thought.
Every time I retort a point, I start with "I read an article about..." Every time Tom Sowell retorts a point, he starts with "I wrote a book about...." There are levels to this
Keep reading!
"one of the benefits of having a harvard degree is never again having to be impressed by someone with a harvard degree." LOL man this interview is so good.
As a black man I just want to say... this man changed my life and taught me how to think. I've never felt more free.
Southern aviator - as a white man I agree with you absolutely, he is a brilliant man I wish there were more people like him around the world
Same here my brother, same here.
Mr. Sowell is a remarkable man. Why isn't he more popular w/ Blacks?
Lots of young conservatives fired up!
Sargon of Akkad kills this topic.Open Border Imperialists
I am white guy and Thomas learned me so much :)
This gentleman is 88 years old in this video and his mind is crystal clear and on top of all the points. What an accomplishment, I wish to age as well as he has.
One of the greatest mind of our time !
Happy 93 Dr Sowell 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
I'm black man and I've never read anything by Mr.Sowell, yet I have had these same views since I was a teen-ager. I guess just using your head and looking at things with an open mind and common sense goes a very long way. I will be reading Thomas Sowell now.
"Government is not the personification of the national interest. They have their own interests." An incredibly important statement.
indeed!
Perhaps *the* most important consideration in Politics, and yet many (if not most) don't even factor in the Incentives of the people who make Government. Sad!
If we can bring this into the Public Consciousness it would be yuge.
Organizations always serve what is closest to them. The Bureaucracy is closer than the People in a centralized government system.
Exactly where i paused to think
So true
As a black person, i find it difficult to understand how people like Thomas Sowell, who actually grew up poor, lived through Jim Crow and every other hardship blacks faced back then, could somehow rise above all that resentment of establishment white society and make something of himself, despite the challenges, while youngish people like Ta nehisi Coates, who grew up in a much less racist time and in better conditions, can hold such regressive ideas about whites and race relations and actually be commended for it by the intelligentsia and media of today. It just baffles me. I cannot for the life of me blame a white person today for the atrocities committed by people with whom he shared a skin tone with decades ago.
" I cannot for the life of me blame a white person today for the atrocities committed by people with whom he shared a skin tone with decades ago." That is because you are intelligent and reasonable.
Agreed!
I think it's an enduring proof that Thomas Sowell is truly an individualist. In his mind the actions of racist white people were representative of themselves, basically, and don't have any bearing on other white people who behave totally differently.
As a fellow black i can straight up tell you why, the liberal whites that are true racist fooled the black man and woman of yester year with welfare, with affirmative action and fooled them that they ate helpless and they weak and need these things to catch up whilst they tell their own kind to toughen up... That is why blacks to this day worldwide are mentally defeated.
People need battles to fight, a weight to carry. Perhaps people like Ta Nehisi Coates would rather carry the weight and fight the battles of Sowell's generation than find their own, despite the fact that those battles have been largely won. Or maybe BECAUSE those battles have been largely won, which is a more depressing proposition.
The world still has Thomas Sowell in it. All is not lost.
He is now 88 years old and still completely lucid.
Please optimistic. Wisdom won't go unnoticed. There are several youngsters in YT , so brilliant but never heard of Dr. Sowell or Dr. Williams, not to mention Hayek, Rothbard, Friedman etc.
thanksfernuthin. People that need to here shut down at logic
I hear you but He is almost 90. We need a million more guys just like Him and then maybe the MADNESS may Stop.
When I was a school failure, nothing happened. When I got a University education, nothing happened. When I learned to take personal responsibility for my life, everything started to happen.
I am happy that you figured this out and that you are happier living a life you chose. Inspiring.
“Apparently...lifestyle choices have major consequences”
It’s infuriating how people ignore this
Thomas Sowell's book, Basic Economics, helped me pass my economics classes and realize that my professors were teaching it wrong. I mean, I could literally show them how their math was wrong and they would at first argue, then threaten to fail me. Which is ironic since I grew up with learning disabilities.
So I did it their way and passed at the top of the class, which is the goal.
One example is the micro effect on the cost of living of mandated minimum wages.
Thank you Mr. Sowell, you have helped me succeed and see the world the way it is, not the way we want it to be.
I wish they mentioned Dr Sowell during African-American History Month.
We dont celebrate the ability to finally be able to take responsibility and live meaningful lives, instead we tell each other that our failures are someone else's fault and we are just innocent victims.
He's not a liberal so they won't no matter how accomplished he is.
Same here. I wish there were a more concentrated effort to push us and our kin to reach the intellectual heights of people like Mr. Sowell and Larry Elder.
+Jason Lewis "The economic anarchy of capitalism is the root of all evil." - Albert Einstein technology changes the world, capitalism is no longer useful. Malthusian premise is untrue due to efficiency increase, machines replace labour!!!!
@@globaldigitaldirectsubsidi4493 So are you planning on commenting this on every comment strand on this video sir? if so you are wasting your time. No one here is going to buy your bs, even if you quote Einstein. And in solidarity with your mission, I will reply this exact comment to every one of yours, even if you are a troll. When did anyone turn to Einstein for his economic input? Why do you think there are advancements and innovations in technology? It's because of capitalism. I can do the same thing that dear Einstein did, just replace the first five words with a random word and you have yourself an inane and unsubstantiated quotation, "Altruism is the root of all evil". - Zach McIntire. And "economic anarchy of capitalism", what is this implying? If I were to say anything I would say irrationality is the root of all evil and success in a capitalist society requires rationality. Embrace capitalism my friend, and you will be set free.
Dr. Sowell is perhaps our last great 20th Century economist still on Earth. Mises, Hayek, Rothbard, Friedman, Buchanan, Becker... all no longer with us- but Dr. Sowell still carries the standard. We love you, sir.
Don't forget Walter Williams!
@@redv8214 Water E. Williams (the "E" is for "Economist") ;)
As much as it pains me to say so, unfortunately probably not for too long. So we must carry it on for them.
And our Mexican friend, Robert Higgs.
Also Richard Epstein!
I just left my room and went straight to Barns and Noble and bought 4 of his books. This man is amazing. Why aren't we playing this guy everywhere
I totally agree with you. Some of his books should be curriculum in high school and college
Dr. Sowell should have been our first black President
Absolutely!
Be careful, the antifa fascists will come git yah. Don't speak out against the mob.
God's Cop I agree with you !
Same. I felt alone in the swath of anarchist propaganda.
Amen, Brother!
I’m sitting here in Dublin, Ireland being blown away by this man’s intellect, integrity, humility and clarity of thought. What a great pity most of our leaders of today, and especially our politicians, on both sides of the Atlantic, are not worthy of any of these adjectives. If we fail to heed the likes of Dr Sowell, we will indeed pay a heavy price.
If we had 1 pill that would take 50 years off of a persons age id say give it to Dr. Sowell we need that man around for as long as we can have him.
FACTS
Agree
0:30 Context on Thomas Sowell
1:48 Western Union Messenger, Transportation
3:40 Seeing Tenements
4:54 Reading Marx.
5:43, 9:07What changed Sowell’s view on Marxism?
9:30 Conflict of Visions (1987)
(1) Constrained Vision
(2) Unconstrained Vision
13:45 Not meant to show one as better than other. It is to highlight the implicit assumptions in each view.
14:30 Rebutting Nicholas Kristoph
15:20 Hard, serious, Evidence
16:10, 48:20 Bernie Sanders and Venezuela 🇻🇪
16:45 Poverty and Progress among Blacks
21:10 Family Structure
23:11 If Lyndon Johnson embraced constrained vision, would it have been a better America?
24:18 Affirmative Action (harms everyone in different ways. Mismatching).
30:25 What is to be done?
- Better lifestyle choices
- 43:25 Charter Schools
33:19 Post-College Sowell
36:31 Jim Crow/ Reparations
39:39
39:46 Charles Murray, Losing Ground.
40:20 Trump
52:30 Thomas Sowell Reading his 1987 book “A Conflict of Visions”
Thank you for the breakdown, it really helps grasp the entirety of this thought provoking conversation by one of the brillant minds that still lives today.
From a fellow indexer, thanks!
PIN THIS TO THE COMMENT SECTION @HooverInstitution
Alejandro I do my best
I LOVE YOU
It makes you feel so much more powerful when you realize you are responsible for yourself.
He dropped out of high school, joined the Marines, and then still attended *Harvard*.
This right here is what real intelligence looks like. He didn’t need an honor roll in high school to tell him he was smart enough to learn from and teach at Ivy League schools.
The logic and articulation from people like Thomas Sowell made me realize that deep down I'm conservative.
+TrustMeI´mADoctor "The economic anarchy of capitalism is the root of all evil." - Albert Einstein technology changes the world, capitalism is no longer useful. Malthusian premise is untrue due to efficiency increase, machines replace labour
Logic + articulation = conservative
Rhetoric + hysteria = liberals
@@globaldigitaldirectsubsidi4493 Einstein was exceptionally intelligent, but intelligence is no guarantee of wisdom.
@@coletrain5667 plus we should remember Einstein fled a nationalist socialist nation so socialism is somthing he may have been partial to. Not certain however but i agree he wasn't an economist by any stretch of the imagination.
@@globaldigitaldirectsubsidi4493 So are you planning on commenting this on every comment strand on this video sir? if so you are wasting your time. No one here is going to buy your bs, even if you quote Einstein. And in solidarity with your mission, I will reply this exact comment to every one of yours, even if you are a troll. When did anyone turn to Einstein for his economic input? Why do you think there are advancements and innovations in technology? It's because of capitalism. I can do the same thing that dear Einstein did, just replace the first five words with a random word and you have yourself an inane and unsubstantiated quotation, "Altruism is the root of all evil". - Zach McIntire. And "economic anarchy of capitalism", what is this implying? If I were to say anything I would say irrationality is the root of all evil and success in a capitalist society requires rationality. Embrace capitalism my friend, and you will be set free.
16:01 "Socialism is a great idea, that does not mean it's a great reality." Congratulations sir, you just made my heroes list.
It's so refreshing to see an interviewer who's actually prepared with quotes and actual good deep exploratory questions. Thomas Sowell is definitely worth to listen to. Thanks for sharing this interview.
14:50 “If we wanted to be serious about evidence, we might compare where blacks stood a hundred years after the end of slavery with where they stood after 30 years of the liberal welfare state. In other words, we could compare hard evidence on ‘the legacy of slavery’ with hard evidence on ‘the legacy of liberals.’” -Thomas Sowell BOOM!
Every new Sowell interview is a gift from God. Honestly, in a few more years there might be a revolution of Sowell. His works are resonating with huge numbers of youth who have never been exposed to such eloquent and commonsense arguments. There are 2 shelves devoted to the works of Thomas Sowell in my library. Simply put, he changed my world view. - 26 year old, American
Agreed!
-27 year old American
Agreed!
- 36 year old American
I love Dr. Sowell. I haven't bought his books yet. I will tho.
- 28 year old, American
I read Economic Facts and Fallacies and it was brilliant. I need to get another book from him but I haven't decided which one to get.
He's a refreshing change from what I've taken in my University classes.
- 31 year old Canadian
I worked as a bag boy at a small grocery store in the late 80s. I ate the same lunch every day. Small chocolate milk, ham sandwich and powdered donuts by Wonder...and was excited when minimum wage was going up 25 cents an hour. Then I went to pay for same lunch and the prices went up! I went to store manager and he said every person working g right now is making more so the store had to raise prices to pay their salaries and said to me why do you think Sue and Mark aren't on the schedule this week? He said we had to let them go. I learned alot that day in 1987...long term ago
One of the worst thing you can do for someone is pity them because your solutions for help will be based in emotions instead of logic. It is that emotion that drives people to help poor and disenfranchised people via charity by giving them fish instead of helping them to learn how to fish.
I have said it many times, Mr. Sowell has a way of stating facts so clearly and plainly that it hits you like a slap to the face. What a genius, what a man.
Came here to restore my faith in humanity
I'm a simple man, I see Thomas Sowell and up vote
every time
I'm more simpler and see your comment and like
TJ Hall, does that mean you’ve submitted your intellect these proposals of his can be assessed or that you’re simply a fan of his?
@@EmperorsNewWardrobe "does that mean you’ve submitted your intellect these proposals of his can be assessed or that you’re simply a fan of his?"
With all respect, that sentence is incoherent.
I’m a simple man, too. I see norm Macdonald, and I upvote. But I upvoted this as well!
Just imagine. Thomas Sowell began his adult life as a Marxist. Through experiencing real life, education, and doing a lot of critical thinking, his worldview changed. He is a national treasure and I often post his quotes on my FB page. God bless him. Wouldn't you love it if everyone was introduced to him in the course of their public education?
It is June 13th, 2020. My 30th birthday is on the 18th. In the middle of COVID-19 and widespread civil unrest, this is water to my soul. I am entirely certain that prior to watching this video, I have not consumed a more eye opening, life changing and empowering hour of content. Thank you Dr. Sowell.
Shame this man doesn't get more mass media attention, truly one of the greatest thinkers of our time.
"Socialism is a great idea, but it doesn't mean is a great reality" Gold.
I yearn for the day when our society focuses on actual intellectual dialogue like this.
In Jamaica in the 70s I remember our flirtation with Socialism. We had bare shelves, constant power and water lock offs. We had a patchy phone service only for the well connected , rich and government officials. Everyone else had to use one of the few payphones. You can keep that.
THIS MAN IS A NATIONAL TREASURE! *HE MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS!*
I am 51 years old and my entire life experience was illuminated to me watching this video. The welfare state and the utter failure became clear to me years ago when I toured the LBJ Museum in Austin, Texas. The more they helped the worse it got.
I dont want Thomas Sowell to die :(
One could get a damn fine education simply by watching and listening to Tom Sowell on UA-cam.
I never get tired of listening to Sowell, no matter the topic.
Sowell is a breath of fresh air in this cesspool of 'western' politics.
And proof black people can do whatever which their youth need to see to shake the miasma of victimhood.
How can anyone listen to this man and not be changed in some significant way.
I am ashamed that this is the first time I have ever known of Dr. Thomas Sowell. He is now another hero of mine, fighting the good fight.
Dr. Sowell is a great American. He is now 94...let's hope he can live much longer to teach his wisdom!
This man should be required reading for every young person. And his appearances with Buckley ... phenomenal.
I would love to hear a conversation between Dr Thomas Sowell and Joe Rogan. Make it happen. There's an audience that needs to hear this man.
This guy is pure class. Seems like a genuinely nice guy.
2 out of 3 children in Iceland are in single parent families. In South Korea, only 1 in 66 are single parent families. Wow.
I didn't even know about Thomas Sowell until yesterday, but after watching some videos it's clear this man is staggeringly intelligent. He's so well-spoken and has an excellent memory, being able to recall dates or quotes on a dime. Really awe-inspiring to watch.
this should have 100 million views not 100 thousand
Here! Here!
And Peter robinson, as ever polite, curious, measured, respectful and precise. A pleasure to listen to any of your interviews.
God bless you Mr. Sowell. My heartaches for my children and grand children who have been led to believe the lie that government is the savior of mankind.
Watching this so I don't get brainwashed in 2020 💪
When I was a teenager in the Caribbean island state of Trinidad & Tobago, one had to take a School Leaving exam at the end of one's high school career and obtain passes in various subjects which summed up and evidenced to the world how well one had learned the subjects that one had studied for years, and was now being tested on. These passes were looked at very seriously by employers in determining whether or not they would hire you.
The exams were created by Cambridge University in England, and the island government paid a fee to the University for each and every student in the island-state who took the school-leaving test, for each and every subject tested. There was great prestige conferred upon students who excelled on the tests, and the single student in the entire island who had the highest average passing score among all the tests would win an ISLAND SCHOLARSHIP to go to England to study.
Since there was not the infrastructure to support it, and zero firms to hire such a graduate, no Island Scholar in those days ever studied engineering. Instead they would study Law or Medicine and return home to automatically find themselves among the upper crust of society. But there were hundreds of other students who did not win THE Island Scholarship, but who all came within a hair's breadth of it.
Because of the racial composition of the population of the island, the island scholar, the hundreds who came within a hair's breadth of the scholarly achievement of the island scholar, and the thousands who came within a little finger's width of the scholarly achievement of the Island Scholar, WERE ALL BLACK OR BROWN, AND OF EAST INDIAN OR AFRICAN HERITAGE. This destroyed the theory of racial intellectual superiority but affirmed the fact of cultural superiority. You see all these black and brown students were culturally British in outlook and values, and a member of WESTERN CIVILIZATION. The cultural heritage that they had absorbed, and of which they were now living embodiments, had PREPARED THEM to excel at ALL OF these subjects.
The skewing of the BELL CURVE towards the upper percentiles which the scholarly achievements of these thousands of students caused was so robust that many a year Cambridge University would send investigative teams to determine if there was any cheating. They never found any cheating because there never was any cheating. We on the island knew that they had become suspicious because what these black and brown students on the outskirts of the former British empire were doing was, by liberal dogma, IMPOSSIBLE!! They were trouncing the white students of England, in exams written by white university-educators of England, even despite the higher percentage of money spent per student in England for classrooms outfitted with the most modern equipment, and taught well-compensated teachers dragging around Ph.D. in he subjects they taught. This violated the liberal orthodoxy that educational achievement is improved by spending more money. We were VERY DISAPPOINTED during those - thankfully few _ years when the University did not see fit to send down an investigative team. It meant that we were slipping and had to tighten up.
My detached (from the rest of the school, as those about to take the school leaving exams were put in a special class that was physically separated from all the other classes) classroom for preparing for the school leaving exams was, when I think back to it, really just a big chicken shed, with large, 2 inch square, grid wire all the way around to let in the morning and afternoon breezes.
And yet there was more excitement about learning there, within that chicken coop of learning, than I have experienced anywhere else, even including American University, where I found that there were many students in attendance for all sorts of reasons, none of which was a love for learning. They were all interested in "what is the answer" and not "what is the correct method". They all wanted to know "how", but no one ever asked "why". They were all more interested in obtaining the high grade than in obtaining the knowledge which that high grade is SUPPOSED to reflect. And they were all perfectly willing to lie, cheat, or engage in any and all underhanded and unethical actions to obtain that high grade. They mastered cheating and deception, but not the subject matter, and now I wonder if that was not the function and the goal of the 'educational' system all along.
But in my previous 'chicken coop of learning', I remember the teacher asking a question, especially so in mathematics, and most especially so calculus, and the entire class of students would be literally scrambling over each other with our hands raised beseeching the teacher to call upon us to give the answer. We were all in fierce competition with each other, and yet if you asked the guy with whom you were in closest competition, and who is only a fraction of a point above you in a particular subject, for help or tutoring in that subject, he would willingly and gladly do so, and he would not sabotage you by giving false information, as I experienced in my American University days. We were in serious competition with each other but we all expected to prevail honorably through hard work, and not through lying and trickery.
Black Americans suffer the curse of low expectations, first of the world towards them, and then eventually of themselves about themselves. I remember correcting the language of a female, black American student in my college days. Talking about her plans for the coming semester she said, "If I pass Calculus II over the summer, then next semester I am going to take ...". My head immediately came up, and I told her she should instead say, "After I pass Calculus II this summer, what I am going to take next semester is ...". I would not relent until she said the sentence the correct way. She had already been in college 10 years at this point, and had failed or dropped Calculus II three times. We joked that she was on the lifetime college plan, but maybe it really was no joke. Anyway she corrected her language, and that made her do whatever she had to do to pass the class, which she did, that summer".
Thank you Tom Sowell for being an intellectual giant who sees through the many layers of liberal bullshit under which this society is buried.
Wow! What a unique and valuable experience you had in the “chicken coop of learning”. Thank you for telling us about it. The number of schools, programs, classes, and teachers and students who want to really dive deep and understand the subjects is likely a relatively smaller percentage than we would hope.
This was fascinating to read. I agree with many of your thoughts and conclusions. Thank you for sharing.
Great comment, really interesting
This was very insightful, thank you for sharing.
Love listening to Thomas Sowell!
I'll admit when was younger I had a bias against blacks because for the most part I'd had bad experiences with them. As I grew up I started reading more and I came across Thomas Sowell and he cured me of liberalism and my small bit of racism in 1 book. I'll never forget reading him and breaking down my assumptions and beliefs. One of the most underrated men of all time. I'll always be grateful.
Thank you so much for continuing to feature Dr. Sowell. He truly is one of the brilliant minds of our time.
I appreciate how Mr. Sowell has always presented information. No bias, no subjective spin, just objective information.
White (me) or black....he’s just a perfect model of a human being. I have tremendous respect for this man. We need to fill the whole world with people like him.
"Some people are just stubborn..." wow.
Yep, that is sometimes, truly all it is.
I love this man Dr Sowell. It shows how much our media is controlled if I have never seen him on TV or read about him.
One of the greatest minds we have today. Love from the UK
When you allow others to determine your future, it is no longer yours it has been manufactured for you!
Thanks again Hoover Institute! This was so fascinating and enlightening. Dr. Sowell really should be a an advisor or a leader in some capacity.
I'm a liberal and really enjoy Thomas Sowell with his empirical and rational way of tackling issues. He's convinced me of something I'd long suspected, the welfare state harms more than it helps poor people, but when I make the argument to anyone left of me they just call me a conservative even though I'd be for any social safety net that helped people get out of poverty which I thought was the point. Granted some lazy people like me or unintelligent people may not have the drive to move up, if we want to help poor people, as liberals or even progressives who I think are just Marxists, we must be willing to admit when our policy harms those we hoped it would help and reform replace or end the bad policy.
I'm pretty sure that sooner or later you'll find out that deep down below, you always have been a libertarian, not a liberal.
Given money (welfare) to families/mothers/fathers has to be linked to their kids education, even performance and presence of the kids in school. Otherwise you can't incentivise the parents to demand from their kids.
For adults they should have a chance for further training and retraining by the government paying for their education directly to the school if they request it (and not in their pockets).
Government should give the people fishing net and not the fish itself.
@@bslay4r Bingo! This is why I am a conservative, yet do not condemn Bobby Bee, a liberal. He wants to help people; so do I. I am not against government programs to help the poor as long as they are implemented and run in such a way as to actually ensure that they *do* rise out of poverty and get education and/or vocational training (and that their children get good educations in school), rather than it becoming a way of life (and a career for those who administer such programs). To give one example of this:
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that in Sweden (which isn't socialist, but is a free enterprise company with a large welfare state, which they're dialing back), people at the lowest income level, who are on public assistance, are taxed at a *higher* rate than even low-income workers, because this encourages people to improve their situations; "Get off welfare, and you keep more of your income."
Liberalism is sold as compassion, but anyone who is REALLY compassionate soon sees that it's not, that it has actually gone so far down into the depths of pathological altruism that it's more akin to a death cult. I believe most people who realize this inevitably settle for something that mixes classical conservative and liberal concepts with modern values. Unfortunately, the libertarian party is too screwed up to offer something like that today.
I like Jordan Peterson but I think I like Thomas Sowell even more. What a great mind.
Different disciplines, great minds both.
Peterson is smart but sounds like a genius. Sowell is both.
They are in different fields
Your interviews together are simply the best. Peter always manages to maintain a tone of both curiosity and respect. Curious enough to ask a little further for clarification, but respect enough to stick to journalistic professionalism and remain impartial. His curiosity never imposes his own view or challenges what Sowell is saying. He's simply here to let Thomas speak his mind and allow the viewers to decide how they feel about it. He doesn't try to interject himself. He's here to interview an intellectual rockstar and masterfully takes the backseat when necessary. I love it. Much can be learned from the way Peter interviews people. You cannot tell how peter feels about the topics him and sowell have discussed over the years. That means something. That's truly special. It sadly used to be the norm but it's always on perfect display in these talks.
Thank you for your insite your right it's been so long since I've seen that from an interviewer that I hadn't even noticed!
This man is everything, street smart, was out in the real world working, military and very well educated. This is a man that should definitely be listened to.
I’m standing in my living room, alone, clapping very louding for Mr. Sowell. Going to go buy his book!!!!!
The most influential person in my life. Noone has changed my perspective on things more than Dr Sowell. You are a gift to the world and I cherish every bit of knowledge you share with us all.
I'm a hardcore Capitalist because of you !
Both men have brilliantly outlined the key to better understand many hidden secrets of economics by students, economists and teachers worldwide ! Greetings from the Brazilian rainforest in Manaus.
The past hour was definitely the best hour of my entire day.
This gentleman is a national treasure , love his wisdom. Long may he live.
Thank you, Thomas Sowell, I was so discouraged before listening to you. You give me renewed hope that this beautiful country will not die.
I would like to see Sowell talk with Ocasio-Cortez. It would be hilarious.
This man is brilliant. Facts over emotions. Thank you Thomas Sowell for your hard work!
I truly believe that every American needs to either read or listen to Thomas Sowell
I first heard of Dr. Sowell 15 years ago when my grandson was not hitting his milestones. I purchased Late Talking Children for his parents. He is a brilliant mind.
His reaction to AOC was priceless. The woman is a bobble head. I swear I can hear rocks.
Amazing man. One of a kind. How fortunate one would be to have him as a teacher.
I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation. I will be a very sad day when Dr Sowell and Dr Williams leave this earth. I enjoy them immensely.
This man speaks from the heart. He has a truly educated opinion on the mistakes we have made with entitlement programs in our great country.
Imagine the cognitive dissonance required to dislike this.
Dr Sowell can real off an incredibly profound idea in such a matter of fact manner, inspiring man, I call him a "National Treasure", a voice I feel privileged to be able to hear in my lifetime.
His statement on matching the eduction level of students to the University they attend is so on point. It is important to have the chance to thrive at the appropriate University. I left my University with a sense of accomplishment that has served me well. My SAT scores were not at the 99% and I am thankful I did not attend a University that required such a high level.
You can always tell Dr. Sowell isnt big on being flattered. He almost has a distaste for it.
Not so much in an attitude sense but you can always see it on his face when someone says something about him (thats always true by the way) thats flattering.
He knows it. But isnt arrogant about it.
You can see the love and admiration in Robinson's eyes every time Sowell responds.
One of the great contributions of Thomas Sowell for this generation is that he taught us again to begin with facts and data. It’s impressive to have ideas and the masses can be swayed by flowery rhetoric or eloquent speeches but at the end of the day the evidence must support the idea. If not, then the idea must be revised or discarded.
Welfare, socialism, tax the rich, climate change, racism, affirmative action and radical notions of equality must all be examined thoroughly in light of the data. Our educational system has an obligation to teach the facts.
I love how much Peter look's up to Thomas. All there interviews are a pleasure to watch.
I always was a big fan to Dr. Sowell. He opened up my eyes back in the 80's
I see Thomas Sowell, I watch and like.
Thomas Sowell should have been the first black president
Gave it a thumbs up before I even listened to it because I know its going to be good. I cant wait to get off of work so that I can be schooled by Mr. Sowell.
This is the umpteenth comment like this! I got on to say the same thing. Instead, I gave dozens of 👍
C, I know how you feel but thumbing it up before watching does concede defeat of your critical thought, unless of course you’re simply saying you’re a fan of the man Thomas Sowell
@@EmperorsNewWardrobe The ability to 'unlike ' negates your statement. If the commenter essentially disagrees with TS after liking the video and doesn't dislike the video THEN he/she is not exercising critical thought.
get an education, stay married, and do your job
Wowwwwwwwwwwww this man is the greatest i have seen as a black man i have changed my philosophy in life what a great mind he is
This man knows SO MUCH about SO MUCH! And the interviewer is FANTASTIC!
Christmas came earlier this year. My god more Thomas Sowell. What more can i say. You can't get enough of this man.
Or maybe its a late Christmas present from the year before
How am I the first comment?
When Dr. Sowell has a new interview, you drop everything and come watch/listen.
synthesizerneil truth
Thomas Sowell has a brain like Chernobyl, if you get too close, the power of his brain will fry you. Thomas Sowell is a national treasure.
He's a brilliant man. He deserves much more recognition. Suppose that makes him a treasure 🙏
I wouldn't mind a statue of someone like this. Going to be doing some reading. Great interview!