Intellectuals and Society
by Thomas Sowell · first published 2009
70% recommend30% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Sowell examines how intellectuals, people whose work centers on ideas, shape society. It serves as a counterweight to left-leaning views and a way to test one's own political assumptions.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
This is a book about intellectuals written for the lay person. Its purpose is to unravel the world of intellectuals in order to understand an important social phenomenon how the thinkers of our society mold that society, leaving an impact on people in every walk of life, even if they are basically unknown to the world at large. It is a portion of the population whose activities can have, and have had, momentous implications for nations and civilizations.
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Thomas Sowell writes about this in depth in several of his works. In Intellectuals and Society, he notes that many "intellectual elite" have been cheerleaders for some of the worst (economic) disasters and human rights abuses of the 20th century. In 2020, we can see this vividly with the coronahysterics…
on “Can too many brainy people be a dangerous thing?” ↗"Intellectuals and society" by Thomas Sowell is an interesting book on the subject. His central thesis is that intellectuals -- "people whose occupations deal primarily with ideas - writers, academics, and the like" - are having…
on “Why Don't Americans Elect Scientists?” ↗You might be interested in the book "Intellectuals and Society" by Thomas Sowell, it touches on that among other things.
on “Why Some People Think They're Great Even When Their Work Is Terrible (2017)” ↗…argument. > Darn those leftists with their college education and science and their book learnin' and their economic productivity! Thomas Sowell calls you folks the "intelligenstia". I suggest you read "Intellectuals and Society". The arrogance of America's ruling oligarchy and intellectual elite will be a major contributor to our country's destruction or downfall.
on “Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy” ↗…distributed. > Are you asserting that history has been just? Think hard before you answer this one. What is "just"? Think hard before you answer that one. Actually, read "The Quest for Cosmic Justice" and the "Intellectuals and Society" by Sowell. You'll find that the social justice version of justice is vastly different from what people have historically thought of as justice. It is also, in my estimation, far more unjust, unfair,…
on “What “diversity and inclusion” means at Microsoft” ↗If you're interested in a more modern and less French-centric take on this topic, Thomas Sowell's "Intellectuals and Society" is not bad: https://www.amazon.com/Intellectuals-Society-Thomas-Sowell/d...
on “The Opium of the Intellectuals” ↗Could I suggest reading Thomas Sowell's Intellectuals and Society, or at least, watch this short interview about his book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERj3QeGw9Ok
on “Everything I Know: Buckminster Fuller (1975)” ↗Intellectuals and Society by Thomas Sowell really challenged my political ideology in my mid-20s. I left unsatisfied or in disagreement with a lot of it, but it was the first time I could clearly apply conservative ideals to my…
on “Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?” ↗You may appreciate the book “Intellectuals and Society” by Thomas Sowell.
on “The Shaming-Industrial Complex” ↗His book "Intellectuals and Society" helped me better understand the difference of visions between the "right" and the left. Highly recommend it to anyone who's interested in politics.
on “Thomas Sowell interview” ↗I really liked his book "Intellectuals and Society" as well. Of course, it is opinionated but there's also a lot of great insight on the root of disagreements in politics. His theory being that there are two broad competing visions of the world: the utopian…
on “Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?” ↗I'm reading Thomas Sowell's "Intellectuals and Society," and while I disagree with a lot in his arguments and his view of the world, I think he nails a key point about the philosophy behind free market economies. He says that conservative intellectuals don't…
on “The Bulk of Software Engineering in 2018 Is Just Plumbing” ↗…inequality. What I want is fairness, or equity." (https://youtu.be/vDUhpaO1YCE?t=3131). A classic one I like on the topic is Sowell's manna from heaven slant on income and its distribution... Peter Robinson: Intellectuals and Society once again, “The very phrase income distribution is tendentious. Wealth can be created only after capital and labor have reconciled their competing claims and agreed to terms on which they can operate…
on “Revised estimates of the share of national income going to top earners” ↗This set of observations has been made repeatedly throughout history, albeit usually in works that sink immediately into obscurity. That's a pity because the key insights are very important. The same theme - why do so many intellectuals find themselves supporting dictatorships long after the rest of the world has understood their true nature - has been extensively explored by Sowell in books like
on “The Opium of the Intellectuals (2005)” ↗