Politics

Intellectuals and Society

Intellectuals and Society

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  • Create Date：2021-05-09 10:56:40
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Thomas Sowell
  • ISBN：0465025226
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Summary

The influence of intellectuals is not only greater than in previous eras but also takes a very different form from that envisioned by those like Machiavelli and others who have wanted to directly influence rulers。 It has not been by shaping the opinions or directing the actions of the holders of power that modern intellectuals have most influenced the course of events， but by shaping public opinion in ways that affect the actions of power holders in democratic societies， whether or not those power holders accept the general vision or the particular policies favored by intellectuals。 Even government leaders with disdain or contempt for intellectuals have had to bend to the climate of opinion shaped by those intellectuals。

Intellectuals and Society not only examines the track record of intellectuals in the things they have advocated but also analyzes the incentives and constraints under which their views and visions have emerged。 One of the most surprising aspects of this study is how often intellectuals have been proved not only wrong， but grossly and disastrously wrong in their prescriptions for the ills of society -- and how little their views have changed in response to empirical evidence of the disasters entailed by those views。

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Reviews

Clay ，

This really should be required reading。

Effy Feng ，

Thomas Sowell is basically anti elite， opinion like expert knowledge is little value is not fresh at all。 At one point， I’m thinking is he try to reverse all mainstream idea in order to get eye ball of reader。 Economist never provide solutions。‘ There is a cult of ignorance in the United States， and there always has been。 The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life， nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "m Thomas Sowell is basically anti elite， opinion like expert knowledge is little value is not fresh at all。 At one point， I’m thinking is he try to reverse all mainstream idea in order to get eye ball of reader。 Economist never provide solutions。‘ There is a cult of ignorance in the United States， and there always has been。 The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life， nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge。" - Issac Asimov’ 。。。more

Ebenezer Suresh ，

> wisdomA euphemism for confirmation biased state of mind。

مُهنا ，

Often times we would look towards those we consider intellectuals for guidance and advice。 Or they would attempt to guide us without regard for our thoughts and opinions。This book shows the foolishness of many intellectual elites who think they know more than cumulative knowledge of the regular “non-intellectual” members of society。 And how that belief and elitism made them claim and push certain ideologies on society that end up having more harm than good with no repercussions for those so call Often times we would look towards those we consider intellectuals for guidance and advice。 Or they would attempt to guide us without regard for our thoughts and opinions。This book shows the foolishness of many intellectual elites who think they know more than cumulative knowledge of the regular “non-intellectual” members of society。 And how that belief and elitism made them claim and push certain ideologies on society that end up having more harm than good with no repercussions for those so called intellectuals。Sowell shows how often times intellectuals who specialize in certain specific fields would try to move to other fields and make claims based on nonsense and false information because of some misguided belief that they have the right to change the way people think only because they do not agree with it even though their own beliefs are factually wrong and harmful。The main point of this book is to never take what ever someone may say， even if we consider them to be smarter than the average person and try to research the basis for their claims and compare them to other opposing claims。The book shows how sometimes those who consider themselves to be intellectuals would disregard and look down own the thoughts and ideas of non-intellectuals， even if that person was stating something that is part of his specific expertise， and those intellectuals would mock those individuals by saying that those people and their ideas are "too simple"。 。。。more

Lauren ，

What an eye opener！ A book exposing intellectuals written by an intellectual。。。 it’s a bit of a conundrum。 I felt like Sowell’s perspective is a unique one as an African American professor speaking out against the leftist elite with a litany of evidence。 His endless economic data to back up his claims clearly explain the ways the few steer society as a whole to accomplish a unified purpose。 I look forward to reading more by him。

Edy Gies ，

Thomas Sowell never ceases to blow my mind with his big ideas and grand ability to put them in a way that the average person can understand。 Verbal virtuosity being all around us it was wonderful to hear how the pride of the intellectuals， which has been prevalent for ages， has led to multiple predicaments and failures in state， national， and world policy。 Knowing a lot isn't the problem。 Thinking you know more than others and that you don't need to listen to others is。 He also explains that thi Thomas Sowell never ceases to blow my mind with his big ideas and grand ability to put them in a way that the average person can understand。 Verbal virtuosity being all around us it was wonderful to hear how the pride of the intellectuals， which has been prevalent for ages， has led to multiple predicaments and failures in state， national， and world policy。 Knowing a lot isn't the problem。 Thinking you know more than others and that you don't need to listen to others is。 He also explains that this is not to embrace the imbecilic and anti-intellectual thought stream but rather to understand that submitting only to intellectuals and shunning the experience of those in the field is terrible for policymaking。 。。。more

Camilla ，

This was another crucial Sowell book， written in his inimitable voice。 He talks eloquently and intelligently about the actual harm and damage we as citizens can do when we push for movements and social justice causes without fully understanding the repercussions。 Using historical examples from most of the American-led wars for the past 150 years， in addition to eugenics， DDT and Silent Spring， racial incarceration， gun control， and even the influence of the media， Sowell paints a picture of inte This was another crucial Sowell book， written in his inimitable voice。 He talks eloquently and intelligently about the actual harm and damage we as citizens can do when we push for movements and social justice causes without fully understanding the repercussions。 Using historical examples from most of the American-led wars for the past 150 years， in addition to eugenics， DDT and Silent Spring， racial incarceration， gun control， and even the influence of the media， Sowell paints a picture of intellectuals using their intelligence without wisdom to push for pet causes without concern for the sometimes devastating results。 It was a grim tale， but eye-opening and has definitely taught me to strive for understanding first and vocalization second。 。。。more

Micah Piper ，

Sowell was quite hard on intellectuals in this book。 But he is a data-driven guy and time and time again showing that intellectuals have their position in society， but the diversity of people not just in intellect， but in real-world experiences have to be able to come together， compromise， and bring about ideas to conquer problems and progress in development。 At this time， the numbers have been greatly and thankfully decreasing in those who are infected with COVID。 At the beginning of this nasty Sowell was quite hard on intellectuals in this book。 But he is a data-driven guy and time and time again showing that intellectuals have their position in society， but the diversity of people not just in intellect， but in real-world experiences have to be able to come together， compromise， and bring about ideas to conquer problems and progress in development。 At this time， the numbers have been greatly and thankfully decreasing in those who are infected with COVID。 At the beginning of this nasty virus， I thought Trump should get an epidemiologist like Fauci， an economist， a behavioral professional， and a small business owner to come together to discuss recommendations for how we should approach this。 It seems like we just had the medical professionals come together and they took a route from their perspectives that ended up destroying the economy and have wreaked havoc on the psychology of people （especially the children）。 Again， the importance of diversity of thought would have likely balanced risks much more effectively。 Sowell's mind is like a diamond。 。。。more

Alexey ，

Dr Sowell depicts the intellectual plagues of today: oversimplification of society and history， intellectual snobbery and aloofness， contempt and disdain for nonconformity。 With wit and virtuosity， he attacks ‘intelligentsia’ for their blindness to reality and alternative interpretation。 However， the book is not unbiased。 I can justify it with the polemic nature of the work， but falling in the vices one criticises is comical。 He bombards judicial activism with mockery。 At the same time， he prais Dr Sowell depicts the intellectual plagues of today: oversimplification of society and history， intellectual snobbery and aloofness， contempt and disdain for nonconformity。 With wit and virtuosity， he attacks ‘intelligentsia’ for their blindness to reality and alternative interpretation。 However， the book is not unbiased。 I can justify it with the polemic nature of the work， but falling in the vices one criticises is comical。 He bombards judicial activism with mockery。 At the same time， he praises common law， if the common law could exist without judicial activism of the past。 He praises politics based on systemic processes and criticised leftwing intellectuals for the promulgation of interventionism like the former is something that exists from eternity。 However， this politics is relatively new。 It became possible as the intelligentsia of the day created lesser fair as a comprehensive doctrine。The book is worth reading， despite being the work of the intellectual。 。。。more

Mark Kliesen ，

DNF- liked what I read but it’s due at the library。 I read to page 100 and I hope to come back again

Mark ，

Excellent book written by a brilliant writer。

Tony ，

You need a strong stomach for this book。 This was published in 2011 and has never been more relevant than today， 10 years later。 I fear for what our country will be in another 10 years。 Reality and history has been distorted and replaced by ideas and emotions。

Steve P ，

This is a comprehensive exposition of media and academic elites along with all their flaws。 It contains an abundance of examples， many of them very useful。 In an age where it's hard to trust any institution， this book seems particularly germane。 What's great about it is it has a certain rigor， and in a way that's hard to find in a lot of the other "the media is evil" perspectives out there。 Sowell rarely disappoints。 This is a comprehensive exposition of media and academic elites along with all their flaws。 It contains an abundance of examples， many of them very useful。 In an age where it's hard to trust any institution， this book seems particularly germane。 What's great about it is it has a certain rigor， and in a way that's hard to find in a lot of the other "the media is evil" perspectives out there。 Sowell rarely disappoints。 。。。more

Maren bosley ，

I love having a good Sowell book to listen to when I get the chance。 Always thought provoking and eye opening！ And he's always so fact-based and non-impassioned。 It's amazing that this book， written 10 years ago， can so perfectly articulate how the intelligentsia think and act still today！ So thankful for clear thinkers that look at all the facts and don't just spout the stuff that people want to hear。 I love having a good Sowell book to listen to when I get the chance。 Always thought provoking and eye opening！ And he's always so fact-based and non-impassioned。 It's amazing that this book， written 10 years ago， can so perfectly articulate how the intelligentsia think and act still today！ So thankful for clear thinkers that look at all the facts and don't just spout the stuff that people want to hear。 。。。more

Sally Kintz ，

The ideas in this book are really interesting。 The reader is terrible - very mechanical and abrupt。 I think I would have enjoyed this better and had the ideas sink in better with a different reader。

Karen Morenz Korol ，

A lesson in the importance of humility for anyone aiming for wisdom。 I wish everyone read this book。

Cav ，

"A scientist who filtered out facts contrary to some preferred theory of cancer would be regarded as a disgrace and discredited， while an engineer who filtered out certain facts in building a bridge could be prosecuted for criminal negligence if that bridge collapsed as a result， with people on it。But those intellectuals whose work has been analogized as “social engineering” face no such liability—in most cases， no liability at all—if their filtering out of known facts leads to social disasters。 "A scientist who filtered out facts contrary to some preferred theory of cancer would be regarded as a disgrace and discredited， while an engineer who filtered out certain facts in building a bridge could be prosecuted for criminal negligence if that bridge collapsed as a result， with people on it。But those intellectuals whose work has been analogized as “social engineering” face no such liability—in most cases， no liability at all—if their filtering out of known facts leads to social disasters。。。"This one was outstanding。 It is my second from author Thomas Sowell， after his 2018 book Discrimination and Disparities。 Intellectuals and Society is a monumental full-court press against （as Orwell said）: "ideas so stupid that only intellectuals could believe them。。。"Given that， this book has garnered many negative reviews; likely from many of the very people that Sowell writes about here。 How ironic。。。Thomas Sowell is an American economist， social theorist， senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution， and one of the most formidable contrarian thinkers of the modern age， IMHO。 Thomas Sowell: The writing here is exemplary。 Sowell writes with an extremely pointed and concise style， while still managing to produce an easily readable book。 There are so many excellent quotes here。。。 Even more amazing， considering that Sowell was ~80 years old at the time of his writing of this book。 A brilliant mind， for sure。 As its title implies， Intellectuals and Society talks about how modern societies and social policies have been influenced - and indeed shaped by "intellectuals"。While this sounds great upon a cursory examination， Sowell takes a deep dive into how this paradigm often collapses， and yields results contrary to initial aims: "A sense of superiority is not an incidental happenstance， for superiority has been essential to getting intellectuals where they are。 They are in fact often very superior within the narrow band of human concerns with which they deal。 But so too are not only chess grandmasters and musical prodigies but also computer software engineers， professional athletes and people in many mundane occupations whose complexities can only be appreciated by those who have had to master them。 The fatal misstep of many among the intelligentsia is in generalizing from their mastery of a certain kind of knowledge to a general wisdom in the affairs of the world—which is to say， in the affairs of other people， whose knowledge of their own affairs is far greater than what any given intellectual can hope to have。 It has been said that a fool can put on his coat better than a wise man can put it on for him。。。"Sowell cites many examples of "intellectuals" opining out of their depth， and commenting on topics they have zero relevant experience with。 He mentions the topic of police shootings here: "。。。Similarly， many of the intelligentsia express not only surprise but outrage at the number of shots fired by the police in some confrontation with a criminal， even if many of these intellectuals have never fired a gun in their lives， much less faced life-and-death dangers requiring split-second decisions。 Seldom， if ever， do the intelligentsia find it necessary to seek out any information on the accuracy of pistols when fired under stress， before venting their feelings and demanding changes。 In reality， a study by the New York City Police Department found that， even within a range of only six feet， just over half the shots fired by police missed completely。 At distances from 16 to 25 yards—less than the distance from first base to second base on a baseball diamond—only 14 percent of the shots hit。。。"Intellectuals and Society also fields the left-right dichotomy， and its moral implications。 Sowell coins the term "the anointed" to describe the identity of the modern leftist "progressive"， noting that: "。。。The two visions differ fundamentally， not only in how they see the world but also in how those who believe in these visions see themselves。 If you happen to believe in free markets， judicial restraint， traditional values and other features of the tragic vision， then you are just someone who believes in free markets， judicial restraint and traditional values。 There is no personalexaltation resulting from those beliefs。 But to be for “social justice” and “saving the environment，” or to be “anti-war” is more than just a set of beliefs about empirical facts。 This vision puts you on a higher moral plane as someone concerned and compassionate， someone who is for peace in the world， a defender of the downtrodden， and someone who wants to preserve the beauty of nature and save the planet from being polluted by others less caring。 In short， one vision makes you somebody special and the other vision does not。 These visions are not symmetrical。。。""。。。Because the vision of the anointed is a vision of themselves as well as a vision of the world， when they are defending that vision they are not simply defending a set of hypotheses about external events， they are in a sense defending their very souls—and the zeal and even ruthlessness with which they defend their vision are not surprising under these circumstances。 But for people with opposite views， who may for example believe that most things work out better if left to free markets， traditions， families， etc。， these are just a set of hypotheses about external events， and there is no such huge personal ego stake in whether those hypotheses are confirmed by empirical evidence。 Obviously everyone would prefer to be proved right rather than proved wrong， but the point here is that there are no such comparable ego stakes involved among believers in the tragic vision。This difference may help explain a striking pattern that goes back at least two centuries—the greater tendency of those with the vision of the anointed to see those they disagree with as enemies who are morally lacking。 While there are individual variations in this， as with most things， there are nevertheless general patterns， which many have noticed， both in our times and in earlier centuries。 For example， a contemporary account has noted: Disagree with someone on the right and he is likely to think you obtuse， wrong， foolish， a dope。 Disagree with someone on the left and he is more likely to think you selfish， a sell-out， insensitive， possibly evil。。。" Some of the other topics covered here by Sowell include:*Karl Marx and Communism。*Income distributions。*Positive sum economics， economic prosperity and the "poor" classes。*Disparate outcomes in group-level performance。*Propaganda and manipulating scientific data。*Gun crime statistics and war treaties。*Media corruption and propaganda， including the softening of language; referred to here as "verbal cleansing。"*Causes of crime， and debates around how to deal with criminality。*Multiculturalism as a doctrine。*Wars and the intelligentsia: WW1， WW2， the Cold War， Vietnam， and the Iraq wars are covered。 *Teachers， academics， and politicians。*Slavery， imperialism， and the modern leftist vision of Western civilization。Intellectuals and Society also has some super-interesting writing about the influence of the intelligentsia on a post-WW1 society， that helped create a culture of pacifism that permeated through France and much of western Europe。 Sowell argues that this culture of pacifism would eventually lead to an emboldened Hitler violating the treaty of Versailles with military build-ups， Germany annexing the Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia， then on to Poland and starting the Second World War。 Sowell writes this of The Battle of Britain: "Here， as in many other situations， the intelligentsia’s effect on the course of events did not depend upon their convincing the holders of power。 All they had to do was convince enough of the public so that the holders of power became fearful of losing that power if they went against the prevailing vision—pacifism， in this case。 If Baldwin had lost power， he would have lost it to those who would turn the pacifist vision into a reality potentially disastrous to the country。 Britain， after all， narrowly escaped being invaded and conquered in 1940， and only because of a belated development of its interceptor fighter planes that shot down German bombers during the aerial blitz that was intended to prepare the way for the invasion force being mobilized across the English Channel。 Had the pacifists in the Labor Party come to power in 1933， it is by no means clear that this narrow margin of survival would have been in place。。。"Near the end of the book， Sowell talks about the prevalence of dislike for one's own society by members of the intelligentsia， a political termed coined by the late conservative author Sir Roger Scruton as "oikophobia": "。。。They have romanticized cultures that have left people mired in poverty， violence， disease and chaos， while trashing cultures that have led the world in prosperity， medical advances and law and order。。。""。。。To condemn their country’s enemies would be to be like the masses but to condemn their own society itself sets the anointed apart as moral exemplars and incisive minds—at least to like-minded peers。 Given the incentives and constraints， it is hard to see how they could do otherwise， when whatever significance that they might have in the larger society so often depends on their criticisms of that society and their claims to have special “solutions” to whatever they define as its “problems。。。。”This was a superlative work。 Thomas Sowell has knocked it out of the park with this one。 The voices of heterodox opinions are more important now than ever before， IMHO - and Sowell is one of the sharpest thinkers towards this end that I have come across。 Intellectuals and Society was an incredibly well reasoned， written， edited， and presented book。 I was blown away by the caliber of the writing here， to be quite honest。 I didn't expect the book to be as good as it was。。。I would most definitely recommend this one to anyone interested。An easy 5-star rating， and a place on my "favorites" shelf。 。。。more

Matt ，

Absolutely stunning book that could very well change your worldview。 Intellectuals are often the ones critiquing every aspect of the world but seldom do they themselves get critiqued。 So many times throughout history， intellectuals have done more harm than good， and this might be the norm。 Though this book has many concepts from Sowell's other books， this is not a compilation。 Most of this book is new content that isn't in his other writings。 A real stick of dynamite。 Absolutely stunning book that could very well change your worldview。 Intellectuals are often the ones critiquing every aspect of the world but seldom do they themselves get critiqued。 So many times throughout history， intellectuals have done more harm than good， and this might be the norm。 Though this book has many concepts from Sowell's other books， this is not a compilation。 Most of this book is new content that isn't in his other writings。 A real stick of dynamite。 。。。more

Thaj Anaz ，

3。75/5。0 （may change in future） "One cannot critique a pattern of thinking without examining concrete examples of that thinking"I agree with that to some extent， I would like to read this book again some time next month before finalising my critique of this book。 I listened to this on Audible as an audio book， even though it was great and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience， I am quite sure I need to read this more thoroughly in a book format where I could take notes。 :） 3。75/5。0 （may change in future） "One cannot critique a pattern of thinking without examining concrete examples of that thinking"I agree with that to some extent， I would like to read this book again some time next month before finalising my critique of this book。 I listened to this on Audible as an audio book， even though it was great and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience， I am quite sure I need to read this more thoroughly in a book format where I could take notes。 :） 。。。more

Rachel ，

Deep thoughts。 Appreciate his voice and perspective。

Vrouw To ，

Phew。 This is a rough read。 I went into this fully aware of Sowell's clearly defined libertarian beliefs， but as when I read "Discrimination and Disparities" I came to this as someone who leans left but thirsts for some pushback on increasingly unchallenged ideas。 You don't need to agree with the conclusions Sowell comes to on economic and social policy to be able to value this incentive-based analyses and sharp criticism of intellectuals as a class。I four-star this not because I believe the boo Phew。 This is a rough read。 I went into this fully aware of Sowell's clearly defined libertarian beliefs， but as when I read "Discrimination and Disparities" I came to this as someone who leans left but thirsts for some pushback on increasingly unchallenged ideas。 You don't need to agree with the conclusions Sowell comes to on economic and social policy to be able to value this incentive-based analyses and sharp criticism of intellectuals as a class。I four-star this not because I believe the book has the answer to everything， but as an indication of how much value I think people could get from reading it today。 。。。more

Andy Luong ，

The whole book is an attempt to criticize the group of intellectuals who live in a too different world from reality， who do/talk/advocate anything they believe that could make them famous， or， using Sowell's own words， "on the side of the angels"。 As a person who is trying to stay in academia myself， it's such an important lesson to keep in mind: be extremely careful whenever stepping out of my own field and talking about the societal issues that I do not know enough。 However， I find it's so dif The whole book is an attempt to criticize the group of intellectuals who live in a too different world from reality， who do/talk/advocate anything they believe that could make them famous， or， using Sowell's own words， "on the side of the angels"。 As a person who is trying to stay in academia myself， it's such an important lesson to keep in mind: be extremely careful whenever stepping out of my own field and talking about the societal issues that I do not know enough。 However， I find it's so difficult to follow Sowell's arguments， and I can't help but think that many of his true/wrong evidences there are much more complicated than what he presents。 Also， another weakness of his argument is to use repetitively these phrases: "arguments without arguments"， "on the side of the angels" etc。， that makes me feel like he hopes these mundane repetitions will strengthen his biased arguments in readers' minds somehow。 Overall， some great lessons about attitude in seeking and spreading knowledge/one's own beliefs， but the arguments are too many， too mundane， but not really convincing。 。。。more

Jimbo ，

I like it。 I almost did not finish， but caught a second wind。 The title should be "Shitting on Liberals" because that is mostly what the book does。 Most ideas are directly or indirectly linked to liberals。 With that said， the criticism is fair and worth hearing。 Just ironic。 I like it。 I almost did not finish， but caught a second wind。 The title should be "Shitting on Liberals" because that is mostly what the book does。 Most ideas are directly or indirectly linked to liberals。 With that said， the criticism is fair and worth hearing。 Just ironic。 。。。more

Nick Price ，

Man I can't recommend this more。 Just a fantastic summary of the two polarizing world views permeating Western Civilization right now Man I can't recommend this more。 Just a fantastic summary of the two polarizing world views permeating Western Civilization right now 。。。more

Marco ，

If you can't see what's wrong with lending your support to intellectuals with high-sounding ideals， and think along the lines of "surely it can't be bad to support （insert noble cause here）" check out Sowell's arguments in this book and see if they give you food for thought。 I know they gave me。 If you can't see what's wrong with lending your support to intellectuals with high-sounding ideals， and think along the lines of "surely it can't be bad to support （insert noble cause here）" check out Sowell's arguments in this book and see if they give you food for thought。 I know they gave me。 。。。more

Adnan ，

Thomas Sowell is a masterful writer， a philosopher extraordinaire， an economist par excellence。 This is my third Sowell book， after his Basic Economics， and his The Quest for Cosmic Justice。 Each is a towering book， and this book is no less。This is the best book I read about intellectuals， and one of the best books I have ever read。 It tackles all issues concerning the occupation intellectuals have in society， and their influences， and how they operate， which problems they tackle， and what their Thomas Sowell is a masterful writer， a philosopher extraordinaire， an economist par excellence。 This is my third Sowell book， after his Basic Economics， and his The Quest for Cosmic Justice。 Each is a towering book， and this book is no less。This is the best book I read about intellectuals， and one of the best books I have ever read。 It tackles all issues concerning the occupation intellectuals have in society， and their influences， and how they operate， which problems they tackle， and what their demonstrated preferences are in terms of subjects they take。 And he shows you exactly how intellectuals （often in the derogatory sense） don't only not understand what they are talking about， but moreover， seek to socially profit off of the pains of society， aggravating them， etc。。。This book is a masterpiece of history， political analysis， and even in his arguments for armament， he is unparalleled。 He gives a detailed analysis of cultures， traditions， and how intellectuals seek to deride them for their visions to be accepted among both those parties which are wont to agree and then flip one part of society over another。I really loved this book and can't promote it any further。 Grab a copy and read it。 It's just so wonderful。 。。。more

Eileen ，

4。5 stars

John ，

A thoroughly good read！！ I highly， highly， highly recommend this work to anyone who wants to understand the world we live in in the West！

Jon Walgren ，

Thomas Sowell is one person， academic， speaker， author that I consider brilliant。 The book was a wonderful， insightful， terrific read。 I don't wish to get into many details as they may spoil what I write here。 Regardless， the book was a review of world （but mostly American） events over the past few centuries with a preponderance of the writing dealing with the 20th century。 Topics cover academe， politics， politics and social issues with a strong emphasis on how "verbal virtuosity" modifies， cont Thomas Sowell is one person， academic， speaker， author that I consider brilliant。 The book was a wonderful， insightful， terrific read。 I don't wish to get into many details as they may spoil what I write here。 Regardless， the book was a review of world （but mostly American） events over the past few centuries with a preponderance of the writing dealing with the 20th century。 Topics cover academe， politics， politics and social issues with a strong emphasis on how "verbal virtuosity" modifies， controls and overrides public thought。I loved the book。 。。。more

Sabeen ，

Thomas Sowell is hammering Intellectuals for many things but two stand profound to me， one is that intellectuals remove judgment from the idea （everything is grey zone） ignoring goodness and evil side of the idea。Secondly， intellectuals don’t apologize and bear the consequence of proposed bad ideas。 So for e。g。 when policy maker’s imposes the idea on massive population through govt。 regulations and enforcement and when find overwhelming evidences proving policy failure （restricting people’s free Thomas Sowell is hammering Intellectuals for many things but two stand profound to me， one is that intellectuals remove judgment from the idea （everything is grey zone） ignoring goodness and evil side of the idea。Secondly， intellectuals don’t apologize and bear the consequence of proposed bad ideas。 So for e。g。 when policy maker’s imposes the idea on massive population through govt。 regulations and enforcement and when find overwhelming evidences proving policy failure （restricting people’s freedom & choking economy） they never concede to accept thatthe idea was wrong， they never bear the consequences，they never pay the price，But still regarded highly by society。 I never came across a book like this， it’s very well researched， can’t be read quickly， details how public intellectuals in all professional sphere lack accountability。 It's poor who suffer the most。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Intellectuals and Society

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Intellectuals and Society&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Intellectuals and Society&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0