Thomas Sowell on Intellectuals and Society

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  • čas přidán 14. 05. 2024
  • The author of more than a dozen books, Dr. Sowell is now a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. In his newest work, Intellectuals and Society, he will discuss why so many disasters of our time have been committed by experts or intellectuals. You may remember FDRs Brain Trust which according to later studies is a prolonged the depression by several years. The wiz kids at the pentagon under McNamara who managed to mess up the Vietnam War, you can run through an impressive list of things, of disasters brought about by people with very high IQs

Komentáře • 906

  • @veredude
    @veredude Před 13 lety +2749

    When I listen to Dr. Sowell, I'm reminded that America's divide is NOT racial, as much as it is cultural.

  • @buybuydandavis
    @buybuydandavis Před 8 lety +2708

    "It is far easier to concentrate power than it is to concentrate knowledge."
    Wow. That's a good quote.

    • @iant419
      @iant419 Před 3 lety +5

      He's an absolute factory of amazing quotes.

  • @besto8212
    @besto8212 Před 6 lety +2769

    There’s nothing older than the idea that “this is new” -Thomas Sowell

  • @kcmaldonado3948
    @kcmaldonado3948 Před 3 lety +556

    Sadly, so many black Americans have no idea who this man is.

  • @angelalovarco2680
    @angelalovarco2680 Před 3 lety +436

    "Many of the great disasters of our time have been committed by 'experts'..." - understatement of the fucking century!

  • @swixican
    @swixican Před 13 lety +584

    Somebody give the guy interviewing Sowell some credit!!!

  • @fredorman2429
    @fredorman2429 Před 3 lety +742

    Dr Sowell inspires me but the fact that he is aging and we can’t keep him with us also saddens me.

  • @FOR_THE_Pascal.
    @FOR_THE_Pascal. Před 3 lety +2565

    He's so wise that he doesn't spend any time trying to convince you, he just lays the facts on the table.

  • @jumbojet8
    @jumbojet8 Před 8 lety +2722

    Thomas Sowell is an American treasure.

  • @jakejakey5328
    @jakejakey5328 Před 6 lety +2577

    thomas sowell is honestly one of the best americans of our generation

  • @jlilly1961
    @jlilly1961 Před 9 lety +757

    Dr. Sowell is my hero.

  • @theunrealjackson
    @theunrealjackson Před 11 lety +1000

    "Gun control is like OSHA for burglars.." Well said Mr. Sowell!

  • @danielgallardo7249
    @danielgallardo7249 Před 3 lety +414

    Can we take a moment to compliment the interviewer? Not only is he well spoken and well read of Sowell's work, but he asks terrific questions with quotations from Sowell's body of work. And he allows Sowell the necessary amount of time to elaborate his answer.

  • @agh8607
    @agh8607 Před 4 lety +324

    "He is happy with the data that he got, why would he go further?"
    That statement sums up so much that is going wrong in this country. Please go further, please seek information from all sides, be a thinker. It's a gift we all innately share but to few choose to utilize. 🇺🇲

  • @mediasawdust2458
    @mediasawdust2458 Před 6 lety +361

    "There's nothing older than the idea that this is new." Fantastic quote.

  • @gregogrady8027
    @gregogrady8027 Před 11 lety +1499

    This is an amazing interview. The host never interrupts, belittles, or yells at his guest even when he disagrees indeed it is hard to even tell when he disagrees. What a wonderful way to conduct an interview I wish news media outlets would take note.

  • @shifra6
    @shifra6 Před 4 lety +163

    "Are we becoming a nation of intellectuals? I hadn't thought of that. It's a chilling thought".

  • @robbyrobrob1
    @robbyrobrob1 Před 9 lety +797

    Sowell: Depth of knowledge expressed with minimum words.
    Also, expert yet unfailingly polite debater.
    Well done Professor .

  • @mrblank-zh1xy
    @mrblank-zh1xy Před 4 lety +395

    I just feel like he's the smartest person I've ever listened to.

    • @ee.es00
      @ee.es00 Před 4 lety +28

      He's great but don't go too far.

  • @TheRaveMusicArchive
    @TheRaveMusicArchive Před 3 lety +1597

    This is an absolute joy to watch in 2020. Oh how the world needs more Thomas Sowells.

  • @SequentialTreasures
    @SequentialTreasures Před 11 lety +1006

    "When you spend a decade writing a 900 page book, something is bugging you!"
    Absolutely brilliant... as well as very funny, too. :)

  • @MayaAMorella
    @MayaAMorella Před 4 lety +71

    This should be in all Primary Schools in the Western World

  • @KManwarren
    @KManwarren Před 3 lety +170

    Thomas Sowell reminds me that I am not an idiot when it comes to my life...the intellectuals outside of their field are.

  • @mattturner7531
    @mattturner7531 Před 3 lety +180

    Sowell is a true scholar, but one who forms opinions on facts, evidence, and in his case a bit of personal experience. This is what I always pictured a college professor to be!

  • @Min-xm8tp
    @Min-xm8tp Před 3 lety +58

    I watch Thomas Sowell Regularly to remind me I'm not in the Invasion of the Body Snatchers

  • @anthonydicianni3509
    @anthonydicianni3509 Před 3 lety +27

    One of the reasons I think Reagan was such a good president was because he knew his limitations. So instead of acting like he knew economic policies, he sat down with 5 economists and wanted them to come up with an economic plan. That shows a great leader, something that is missing with politicians today who think they know best.

  • @dreadarmy
    @dreadarmy Před 4 lety +370

    Watching this again almost 10 years after it was posted.... and it seems like it could have been posted yesterday. So topical and on point for today's political climate.

  • @mjayc321
    @mjayc321 Před 7 lety +263

    The clearest, most pragmatic, and cogent thinker on the issues of race, economics, and politics of the last half-century.

  • @comesahorseman
    @comesahorseman Před 6 lety +54

    Never underestimate the appeal of feeling superior to someone else. And, never underestimate the hubris this can generate.

  • @timothyf7621
    @timothyf7621 Před 2 lety +26

    Every time I read/listen/watch Dr. Thomas Sowell... I get smarter! And so does he!!!

  • @karakelian
    @karakelian Před 3 lety +118

    Sowell is a national treasure. His books should be included in every high school and college curriculums as required reading. Our country would be MUCH better off.

  • @MichaelHarrisIreland
    @MichaelHarrisIreland Před 9 lety +327

    First time hearing Thomas Sowell and it's enlightening.

    • @BrownSwiss5
      @BrownSwiss5 Před 9 lety +31

      ***** Not just him, but his right-hand man Milton Friedman.

    • @BladeOfLight16
      @BladeOfLight16 Před 7 lety +36

      Welcome to one of the most refreshing experiences in politics.

  • @Mystyx-Sama
    @Mystyx-Sama Před 3 lety +208

    This man's knowledge is positively nutritious.

  • @shamrock32
    @shamrock32 Před 3 lety +27

    All Thomas Sowell videos and interviews need to be downloaded and saved in archives.

  • @amostake
    @amostake Před 12 lety +68

    This is why I like Thomas Sowell. He's real. He takes sometimes difficult topics, and speaks them at a level anyone can understand. Haven't you heard someone who was really smart, but you couldn't understand anything he says? Not Sowell. You can read his stuff, listen to his interview, and grasp everything he has to say. I am going to get this book.

  • @nasticanasta
    @nasticanasta Před 3 lety +58

    God, please don’t take Mr. Sowell anytime soon, we need him and this idealism more than ever!

  • @joemachunda
    @joemachunda Před 2 lety +13

    Intellect and book smart cannot always be compared to wisdom

  • @kvps27
    @kvps27 Před 3 lety +100

    jesus..I just discovered this guy. i am in love with him. why is he not a goddamn legend?

  • @pfcampos7041
    @pfcampos7041 Před 3 lety +28

    It's amazing how this video is 12yrs old and is still relevant!

  • @fredvonhayek4762
    @fredvonhayek4762 Před 9 lety +198

    I love it..."restrictions on guns is like OSHA for burglars"

  • @thinman8621
    @thinman8621 Před 3 lety +26

    January, 2021. We need more Thomas Sowells.

  • @gregggoodnight9889
    @gregggoodnight9889 Před 3 lety +51

    Sowell is a genius and a national treasure. Most intellectually honest person in the world.

  • @laotzu3258
    @laotzu3258 Před 4 lety +28

    Putting power in intellectual hands has turned intellectuals into crooks.

  • @vinestreet4031
    @vinestreet4031 Před 2 lety +27

    Dr. Sowell is an intellectual grounded in reality. He has a Mark Twain and Yogi Berra quality to him that’s not moved by BS.

  • @GeoffreyJohns
    @GeoffreyJohns Před 3 lety +25

    Uncommon knowledge has become one of my favorite channels

  • @C2yourself
    @C2yourself Před 3 lety +35

    This ought to be mandatory viewing in all high school US history and civics classes!

  • @ericgarland3133
    @ericgarland3133 Před 8 lety +251

    So much knowledge in such a humble man. He is saying that so called intellectuals are not superior to the rest of us.He is making a very good case for common sense. All that and I watch this and think he is definitely intellectually superior to myself.

    • @johnstockwellmajorsmedleyb1214
      @johnstockwellmajorsmedleyb1214 Před 7 lety +15

      Your statement
      "I feel he is definately more intellectually superior to myself."
      Is not uncommon and is fully morally wrong to compare ones self to another in any way let alone to speak of superiority is not fair to yourself also not fair to Mr. Sowell. I believe thats what he is saying right before 3min. I get it, thats what you believe but We are all intellectually totally different.

    • @equinos111
      @equinos111 Před 7 lety

      No he is not

    • @Stiekskuh
      @Stiekskuh Před 7 lety +7

      Eric Garland Thomas Sowell is talking about himself, since he's one of these - so called - "intellectuals"!

    • @davidrebatto6713
      @davidrebatto6713 Před 5 lety +5

      Yep, it's a good example of the liar paradox.

  • @ninjaturtlefan2003
    @ninjaturtlefan2003 Před 3 lety +35

    Let's all remember this came out ten years ago...and every word is still relevant. Dowell is brilliant and our culture is only going more downhill.

  • @cliftontorrence839
    @cliftontorrence839 Před rokem +8

    That anecdote about the aircraft landing gear is priceless. One personal mantra throughout my adult life has been, "What do we 'know' that is actually worth knowing?'" For 50yrs of working life I was a cabinetmaker surrounded by dangerous tools and equipment that could remove my hands or kill me in an instant. It took a long time to learn how to behave and succeed in that kind of environment. Point being: production separates wheat from chaff. Sowell is right about ideas.

  • @Chris-ro7mn
    @Chris-ro7mn Před 2 lety +22

    The fact that Sowell is barely on TV tells you all you need to know about the agenda of tv networks. Muddy the waters.

  • @therose1277
    @therose1277 Před 2 lety +41

    "There's nothing older than the idea that, 'This is new'." - Thomas Sowell
    A clever restatement of "There's nothing new under the sun,"...said in a way that people will see as a new way of looking at things. :)

  • @ridethenimbus
    @ridethenimbus Před rokem +5

    Mr Sowell is a Phenomenon of Wisdom...

  • @Rockstago
    @Rockstago Před 4 lety +24

    Dr. Sowell is TRUELY an American treasure!

  • @lmc9862
    @lmc9862 Před 3 lety +86

    The fact that this man can come up with an illustration and explain something complicated as simple as he does, is incredible. That's not just mastery, that's love: selfless love.

  • @derikandreoli5177
    @derikandreoli5177 Před 3 lety +66

    Watching this in 2021.... after being red pilled about a year ago.

  • @amythompson7700
    @amythompson7700 Před 3 lety +30

    I wish I could give this interview with Thomas a hundred thumbs up!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

  • @jacirasantanna7221
    @jacirasantanna7221 Před 5 lety +88

    Dr. Sowell an American personality , a treasure for all the Western World.

  • @dassemultor6940
    @dassemultor6940 Před 2 lety +35

    Now this, this is an actual interview. You can tell that the interviewer loves his work very much.

  • @rcrkbr
    @rcrkbr Před 11 lety +61

    From Brazil: it's one of the best books that i read in my entire life!! Sowell is perfect in his ideas, because he don't fight against facts. The utopians, and leftists in general, do it.

  • @non_ez8854
    @non_ez8854 Před 3 lety +36

    I just found out about this guy and im bingewatching now 🥳

  • @dnganga
    @dnganga Před 13 lety +82

    How I wish I had known of this man much earlier in my life-he is great!

  • @ryinewman7265
    @ryinewman7265 Před 3 lety +32

    Just So much Common Sense coming from this man. Love him

  • @phyllisjohnson8456
    @phyllisjohnson8456 Před 2 lety +8

    Looove this black man, he’s a jewel.

  • @LoliPantsu8
    @LoliPantsu8 Před 8 lety +119

    Sowell is brilliant. He reminds me of Hayek.

    • @ShiftEnigma
      @ShiftEnigma Před 7 lety +42

      He is the only person alive to be taught by hayek, freidman and stigler .

  • @LmtdShady
    @LmtdShady Před 2 lety +6

    I would like to note that the host is also very intelligent and keeps a conversation very well.

  • @michaelthompson1110
    @michaelthompson1110 Před 4 lety +157

    Great chemistry between these two. Some of the best interviews I have ever heard. Petersen is excellent and Mr. Sowell is a genius. Well done fellas. We appreciate you both!

  • @josephmro
    @josephmro Před 3 lety +38

    Huge credit to peter as well for a really provocative and respectful interview of this brilliant and courageous man mr sowell

  • @Dommo1992
    @Dommo1992 Před 13 lety +35

    "there is nothing older than the idea that this is new"
    great quote

  • @rob-robi
    @rob-robi Před 3 lety +35

    Thomas speaking generally is just loaded with great quotes.

  • @arnieus866
    @arnieus866 Před rokem +14

    We do NOT all have the same potential. I would say we all deserve the right to develop the potential we do have. I have studied chess and every Bobby Fischer game. What I really learned is that I don't have the potential to be a chess grand master like Fischer. I understand concepts but can't visualize consequences of moves like him. I can never play basketball like Michael Jordan. I can never sing like Caruso. I can't play jazz like Charlie Parker. I can't understand most of what Einstein talked about. I have attempted all the above. Thankfully I discovered my potential in graphic communication and web programming.

  • @photomukund
    @photomukund Před 3 lety +30

    There is a certain joy in listening to two knowledgeable people talk and at least understand a bit as a listener.

  • @aryrosh4344
    @aryrosh4344 Před 3 lety +11

    As a French I can say he talk like a bourgeois . Not average American doesn't talk like him...beautiful to listen him talking.

  • @filbird
    @filbird Před 2 lety +13

    I’m always astonished by the ease and speed with which Dr. Sowell responds to complicated questions.

  • @mesolithicman164
    @mesolithicman164 Před rokem +6

    I want Thomas Sowell to live forever, can we please arrange that?

  • @rdenHotEd
    @rdenHotEd Před 7 lety +13

    "You can become president of the United States with no contact with economic reality." Truer words have never been spoken.

  • @dlive1391
    @dlive1391 Před 4 lety +67

    Too many people just don’t get it. This good Sir gets it! I have the utmost respect for this man

  • @freedomandliberty93
    @freedomandliberty93 Před 11 lety +15

    His compassion between the engineer and the intellectual has immense validity.

  • @motto775
    @motto775 Před 14 lety +37

    this guy is one of the best kept secrets around. god bless you thomas sowell!

  • @devilsadvocate5817
    @devilsadvocate5817 Před 10 lety +103

    I would give my left eyebrow just to have dinner with Dr. Sowell.

  • @jimibarrett8362
    @jimibarrett8362 Před 2 lety +12

    It would have been so cool to have him as my history teacher

  • @dolobandz7431
    @dolobandz7431 Před 2 lety +8

    That man Dr.Sowell with those cazal frames 🔥

  • @snapcracklepop3228
    @snapcracklepop3228 Před 3 lety +28

    God Blessed this man. Dr. Sowell, Thank you for everything you have taught me over the many years. I have listened closely. Good health to you Sir.

  • @lacedemonians
    @lacedemonians Před 11 lety +47

    Wow, Sowell is absolutely brilliant.

  • @joshstanton267
    @joshstanton267 Před 2 lety +11

    If I was living in the US I'd be trying to get into his lecture hall. I wanna hear more. Man's clearly a wealth of knowledge.

  • @anamneses28
    @anamneses28 Před 5 lety +128

    What a fantastic interview. I could've listened for hours. Absolutely intriguing!

  • @jdcalderone5140
    @jdcalderone5140 Před 8 lety +78

    Sowell is an incredible man! Such great beliefs and a great story.

  • @TornadoOfSouls777
    @TornadoOfSouls777 Před 4 lety +10

    Who doesn't love Dr. Sowell?

  • @scottl6384
    @scottl6384 Před 3 lety +34

    Income is not distributed. BRILLIANT! You have to earn it.

  • @jtengel08
    @jtengel08 Před 2 lety +22

    Give power to the "experts". This couldn't be more relevant than during COVID-19.

  • @panzermarche
    @panzermarche Před 11 lety +65

    Love Dr Sowell's laugh,it drives the intellectuals crazy.

  • @andrewcalvarese
    @andrewcalvarese Před 12 lety +42

    This man is brilliant.

  • @EngineeringRevue
    @EngineeringRevue Před 13 lety +41

    Thomas Sowell is beyond amazing.

  • @budthecyborg4575
    @budthecyborg4575 Před rokem +3

    Timeless interview, there will never be a day when the words spoken here are not applicable to society.

  • @angusmcangus7914
    @angusmcangus7914 Před 3 lety +17

    This man is golden. He is up there with Sir Roger Scruton (RIP). A discussion between them would have been brain-food of the highest order.

  • @deucedecker4903
    @deucedecker4903 Před 2 lety +10

    WOW 16:50 ! Sowell's observation mentioned at that moment lays bare one of the reasons for the confounding behavior of humans as members of a society. This is one reason why people like Sowell are so treasured ane who's works must be read and thought about.

  • @flashwashington2735
    @flashwashington2735 Před rokem +4

    Thank you for this. It is joy to witness the man's good humor and alacrity of mind.

  • @johnedwards785
    @johnedwards785 Před 2 lety +13

    Dr. Thomas Sowell a wealth of Wisdom; and yet that's an understatement.

  • @rjjstephan
    @rjjstephan Před 10 lety +54

    A W E S O M E.....my idol, Dr. Sowell is a philospher's philsopher!

  • @rmcfad1
    @rmcfad1 Před 12 lety +14

    "There are no solutions, only trade-offs" Thomas Sowell.

  • @DenonGregory
    @DenonGregory Před 3 lety +56

    This man is amazing! His state of mind is so healthy.. Perfectly explained everything and I agreed with every bit. It's nice to find someone or some people similar to yourself when you're surrounded by people who think nothing like this nowadays.