Home » Intellectuals and Society (Paperback)
Intellectuals and Society (Paperback)
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.
Thomas Sowell has taught economics at a number of colleges and universities, including Cornell, University of California Los Angeles, and Amherst. He has published both scholarly and popular articles and books on economics, and is currently a scholar in residence at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
"It's a scandal that economist Thomas Sowell has not been awarded the Nobel Prize. No one alive has turned out so many insightful, richly researched books."
—Steve Forbes, -
"America's best writer on economics, particularly when that discipline intersects with politics."
"Thomas Sowell is, in my opinion, the most interesting philosopher at work in America."
—Paul Johnson, author of Modern Times
Political Science / History & Theory
Political Science / Political Ideologies
Political Science / Political Ideologies / Libertarianism
Social Science / Discrimination & Race Relations
History / Modern / 20th Century
History / Modern / 21st Century
History / United States / 21st Century
Political Science / Political Freedom
Political Science / Political Economy
Business & Economics / Economics / Theory
Philosophy / Social