Intellectuals and Race

"Intellectuals and Race" does for the race industry what "Intellectuals and Society" did for the academic-industrial complex as a whole. Sowell's thesis is that intellectuals- those who traffick purely in ideas- are wholly exempt from the consequence of being wrong. As such, they are free to make the same mistakes over and over again- each instance more proudly and obliviously than the last. Sowell's book is part historical analysis, part critical analysis. He points to two curious facts. First, intellectuals have always been on the same page with respect to race. Second, the page that intellectuals were on changed completely after the horrors of the Holocaust. Early in the twentieth century, most Progressives held that race was an immutable characteristic which guaranteed a certain degree of intelligence, or lack thereof. Thus, blacks were intrinsically less intelligent than whites: there was no way to change this fact. Many took this a step further, drawing out the logical implication that the lower races ought to be bred out of the population so as to maintain the health of human civilization as a whole. In the latter portion of the twentieth century, however, intellectuals changed their tune. Instead of saying that differences in intelligence were immutable and due to genetics, intellectuals claimed that there were no behavioral or intellectual differences between different groups of people, and that any differences in outcome must necessarily result from another people-group imposing their will on a minority people group. While these two views might seem contradictory, both share a key characteristic: the faults of a minority culture are entirely out of their control. This is the foundation for what Sowell calls "the race industry", a lucrative business founded on lobbying, lawsuits, and affirmative action. But far from helping minorities, it actually damages them. For example, affirmative action mismatches highly intelligent blacks with the schools suited for them- even though they would do well at a school in the 85th percentile, they are placed in a school of the 95th percentile and thereby fail: this is manufactured failure due to affirmative action. Claims that black crime and the collapse of the black family are due to the "legacy of slavery" are belied by the reality that black crime increased during and after the 1960s, and had been declining before that point. Clearly, Sowell points out, whites were not less racist before the 1960s than after. Altogether, Sowell argues that the race industry has done blacks and other minorities tremendous harm by declaring taboo the very paths to self-improvement that so many other cultures throughout history have taken: the Scots once shared similar crime rates as American blacks, but within a century had become a cultural powerhouse. For that reason, Sowell's book is required reading for those actually interested in the underlying causes of modern racial problems in the United States and elsewhere.

Very interesting book. If you can step away from you ideological beliefs and read with an open mind, this book will really make you think. Too often people look at complex situations with a predetermined narative as to the cause. This offers, to me, a more compelling and in depth look at people and culture.

Wow. I've been reading on topics of this nature for almost 15 years, yet mostly political. I am so glad to have found Sowell. While I previously have reached many conclusions in this book by my own research, he has affirmed a great deal. Beyond that, and in the majority, he, in this text, has opened my eyes to the depth of research available, and reasoned so strongly why many do NOT want to accept it's prevalence. It's a shame, and I yearn for our kids to have access to works of this nature. Impeccably presented, and he so skillfully transitions from intellectual to lay conversation on most major points, to capture readers on various levels. I will be reading all of his works, and wish I had started as an adolescent.

While the prevailing narrative of liberals in the united states is beating the drum of social injustice and cheering the upheaval of inner center society, this book stands as a level and agnostic counter. History which the left is trying to destroy holds many truths that could unwind some of the racial divide and Thomas Sowell has done a grand job of demonstrating the historical counterpoints to multiculturalism but also has implicitly demonstrated some possible solutions. Integration of cultures into a joint society seems to be one such point, as demonstrated in northern cities prior to large migration from the south... This book should be what people are pointed to in order to learn about the truth behind our current racial climate, as well as to see how incredibly naive the intelligentsia has been across time. I only wish Sowell was offered more opportunity to share his information with the world.

I love how Thomas Sowell gives you so much information to support what he presents, that your head feels like it’s about to explode. He rewards you greatly for trudging through all those statistical information with such valuable information and how that plays out in society. I would suggest just reading the last couple of chapters of his book, but I think the rich foundation of all the information he gives leading up to the end is so worth pushing through. Another fabulous book that points out how ridiculous so many of the intellectuals of our age are getting a free pass to make ridiculous statements that have no support whatsoever. If only we could get the large masses to take a little time to look into these empty statements being made, we might actually be able to make a difference in improving peoples lives.

For a long time I have observed the behavior of groups and wondered why they act and react differently. I knew for example from speaking with a black colleague that growing up in the ghetto that doing well in school was frowned upon. He told me it was viewed as -acting white. He was fortunate to get a pass, because he was a star athlete and was able to go on to college. I also now understand why although I often read in the newspaper paper about unequal outcomes being unfair (even though I know that it is not possible and equal opportunity should be the goal ), the dominant intelligentsia is driving this narrative.

Sowell's later work can be looked at in two ways: 1. He has written so many good things over the years that he can recycle and expand on themes to create new books; 2. He has just run out of gas as a writer (he is 83 years old as of the publication of this book and this review). This book contains bits from his earlier works: 1.

Sowell has been a courageous student of race, racial attitudes, and racial demagoguery for a generation. He is one of the few economists who is willing to dig through the data dispassionately, even if it means coming to conclusions that don't fit the popular cultural narrative. Born in the Jim Crow south and raised in Harlem, Thomas Sowell has a little bit of experience with being black in America. But Sowell's brilliance as an economist and writer isn't about race. The conservatives who exalt him have never made it an issue. In fact, when you read Thomas Sowell write about race, he rarely uses personal anecdotes, which is rather remarkable considering what he have experienced in his life. Thomas Sowell is one of the great minds of the last half-century.

Sowell is astonishing. Never before have I seen an author take such a fundamentally important and divisive issue and simply resolve it. Backed by massive meticulous research, Sowell examines the causes behind the racial disparities in so many areas, from school drop-out rates to standardized testing scores, to financial and other metrics of success later in life. He examines the data that underlies the assumption of the Progressive movement a century ago that led them to conclude that the root cause was genetic, and demonstrates the falsity of those conclusions. (Fortunately, these theories were abandoned prior to the widespread implementation of Eugenics policies to weed out this supposedly inferior genetic material from the gene pool.) He also examines the data underlying the current Intellectual belief that the cause is mistreatment of minority races by the entrenched powerful leaders of society, and finds this theory equally flawed. He demonstrates that the differential in outcomes is attributable in part to affirmative action and other programs which are intended to eliminate the differential and in part to differences in cultural norms within the environments in which the various groups are inculcated with their values systems, independent of race. Sowell documents his research extensively -- roughly half of the book is footnotes. I did not read all of these footnotes, but they make a compelling case for the conclusions he reaches. If you have any interest in understanding the issues underlying this key issue which divides our society, you owe it to yourself and to the society to inform yourself by reading this book. I would be fascinated to see a response by someone who supports and believes in the efficacy of the current host of social programs designed to reduce the racial differential in outcomes, a response that counters Sowell's data and argument point by point. I do not believe that I ever will see such a response, simply because I doubt that it is possible to construct such a response. Further, I suspect that anyone who understood Sowell's case well enough to go about constructing such a response would no longer believe in the efficacy of these social programs.

I purchased this out of curiosity, being a longtime Sowell reader. It more than met my expectations. Sowell, as a clear conservative and black man, has caught exactly the motivations of a lot of the actors in what he calls the "race industry" and explains how it happened and why it is a sriously negative thing for America's emerging black middle class. I especially focus on Sowell's straight from the shoulder analysis and anecdotal descriptions from his own experience about how "intellectuals" love to "lead their audiences to where angels fear to tread" and then, finding the destination disagreeable, abandon them wherever they may be at any moment. We should all remember that many of the personalities who pontificate from the "leftmedia" outlets often have little more than name recognition, and not always in the areas of expertise they pretend to represent.

"Intellectuals and Race" does for the race industry what "Intellectuals and Society" did for the academic-industrial complex as a whole. Sowell's thesis is that intellectuals- those who traffick purely in ideas- are wholly exempt from the consequence of being wrong. As such, they are free to make the same mistakes over and over again- each instance more proudly and obliviously than the last. Sowell's book is part historical analysis, part critical analysis. He points to two curious facts. First, intellectuals have always been on the same page with respect to race. Second, the page that intellectuals were on changed completely after the horrors of the Holocaust. Early in the twentieth century, most Progressives held that race was an immutable characteristic which guaranteed a certain degree of intelligence, or lack thereof. Thus, blacks were intrinsically less intelligent than whites: there was no way to change this fact. Many took this a step further, drawing out the logical implication that the lower races ought to be bred out of the population so as to maintain the health of human civilization as a whole. In the latter portion of the twentieth century, however, intellectuals changed their tune. Instead of saying that differences in intelligence were immutable and due to genetics, intellectuals claimed that there were no behavioral or intellectual differences between different groups of people, and that any differences in outcome must necessarily result from another people-group imposing their will on a minority people group. While these two views might seem contradictory, both share a key characteristic: the faults of a minority culture are entirely out of their control. This is the foundation for what Sowell calls "the race industry", a lucrative business founded on lobbying, lawsuits, and affirmative action. But far from helping minorities, it actually damages them. For example, affirmative action mismatches highly intelligent blacks with the schools suited for them- even though they would do well at a school in the 85th percentile, they are placed in a school of the 95th percentile and thereby fail: this is manufactured failure due to affirmative action. Claims that black crime and the collapse of the black family are due to the "legacy of slavery" are belied by the reality that black crime increased during and after the 1960s, and had been declining before that point. Clearly, Sowell points out, whites were not less racist before the 1960s than after. Altogether, Sowell argues that the race industry has done blacks and other minorities tremendous harm by declaring taboo the very paths to self-improvement that so many other cultures throughout history have taken: the Scots once shared similar crime rates as American blacks, but within a century had become a cultural powerhouse. For that reason, Sowell's book is required reading for those actually interested in the underlying causes of modern racial problems in the United States and elsewhere.

Very interesting book. If you can step away from you ideological beliefs and read with an open mind, this book will really make you think. Too often people look at complex situations with a predetermined narative as to the cause. This offers, to me, a more compelling and in depth look at people and culture.

Wow. I've been reading on topics of this nature for almost 15 years, yet mostly political. I am so glad to have found Sowell. While I previously have reached many conclusions in this book by my own research, he has affirmed a great deal. Beyond that, and in the majority, he, in this text, has opened my eyes to the depth of research available, and reasoned so strongly why many do NOT want to accept it's prevalence. It's a shame, and I yearn for our kids to have access to works of this nature. Impeccably presented, and he so skillfully transitions from intellectual to lay conversation on most major points, to capture readers on various levels. I will be reading all of his works, and wish I had started as an adolescent.

While the prevailing narrative of liberals in the united states is beating the drum of social injustice and cheering the upheaval of inner center society, this book stands as a level and agnostic counter. History which the left is trying to destroy holds many truths that could unwind some of the racial divide and Thomas Sowell has done a grand job of demonstrating the historical counterpoints to multiculturalism but also has implicitly demonstrated some possible solutions. Integration of cultures into a joint society seems to be one such point, as demonstrated in northern cities prior to large migration from the south... This book should be what people are pointed to in order to learn about the truth behind our current racial climate, as well as to see how incredibly naive the intelligentsia has been across time. I only wish Sowell was offered more opportunity to share his information with the world.

I love how Thomas Sowell gives you so much information to support what he presents, that your head feels like it’s about to explode. He rewards you greatly for trudging through all those statistical information with such valuable information and how that plays out in society. I would suggest just reading the last couple of chapters of his book, but I think the rich foundation of all the information he gives leading up to the end is so worth pushing through. Another fabulous book that points out how ridiculous so many of the intellectuals of our age are getting a free pass to make ridiculous statements that have no support whatsoever. If only we could get the large masses to take a little time to look into these empty statements being made, we might actually be able to make a difference in improving peoples lives.

For a long time I have observed the behavior of groups and wondered why they act and react differently. I knew for example from speaking with a black colleague that growing up in the ghetto that doing well in school was frowned upon. He told me it was viewed as -acting white. He was fortunate to get a pass, because he was a star athlete and was able to go on to college. I also now understand why although I often read in the newspaper paper about unequal outcomes being unfair (even though I know that it is not possible and equal opportunity should be the goal ), the dominant intelligentsia is driving this narrative.

Sowell's later work can be looked at in two ways: 1. He has written so many good things over the years that he can recycle and expand on themes to create new books; 2. He has just run out of gas as a writer (he is 83 years old as of the publication of this book and this review). This book contains bits from his earlier works: 1.

Sowell has been a courageous student of race, racial attitudes, and racial demagoguery for a generation. He is one of the few economists who is willing to dig through the data dispassionately, even if it means coming to conclusions that don't fit the popular cultural narrative. Born in the Jim Crow south and raised in Harlem, Thomas Sowell has a little bit of experience with being black in America. But Sowell's brilliance as an economist and writer isn't about race. The conservatives who exalt him have never made it an issue. In fact, when you read Thomas Sowell write about race, he rarely uses personal anecdotes, which is rather remarkable considering what he have experienced in his life. Thomas Sowell is one of the great minds of the last half-century.

Sowell is astonishing. Never before have I seen an author take such a fundamentally important and divisive issue and simply resolve it. Backed by massive meticulous research, Sowell examines the causes behind the racial disparities in so many areas, from school drop-out rates to standardized testing scores, to financial and other metrics of success later in life. He examines the data that underlies the assumption of the Progressive movement a century ago that led them to conclude that the root cause was genetic, and demonstrates the falsity of those conclusions. (Fortunately, these theories were abandoned prior to the widespread implementation of Eugenics policies to weed out this supposedly inferior genetic material from the gene pool.) He also examines the data underlying the current Intellectual belief that the cause is mistreatment of minority races by the entrenched powerful leaders of society, and finds this theory equally flawed. He demonstrates that the differential in outcomes is attributable in part to affirmative action and other programs which are intended to eliminate the differential and in part to differences in cultural norms within the environments in which the various groups are inculcated with their values systems, independent of race. Sowell documents his research extensively -- roughly half of the book is footnotes. I did not read all of these footnotes, but they make a compelling case for the conclusions he reaches. If you have any interest in understanding the issues underlying this key issue which divides our society, you owe it to yourself and to the society to inform yourself by reading this book. I would be fascinated to see a response by someone who supports and believes in the efficacy of the current host of social programs designed to reduce the racial differential in outcomes, a response that counters Sowell's data and argument point by point. I do not believe that I ever will see such a response, simply because I doubt that it is possible to construct such a response. Further, I suspect that anyone who understood Sowell's case well enough to go about constructing such a response would no longer believe in the efficacy of these social programs.

I purchased this out of curiosity, being a longtime Sowell reader. It more than met my expectations. Sowell, as a clear conservative and black man, has caught exactly the motivations of a lot of the actors in what he calls the "race industry" and explains how it happened and why it is a sriously negative thing for America's emerging black middle class. I especially focus on Sowell's straight from the shoulder analysis and anecdotal descriptions from his own experience about how "intellectuals" love to "lead their audiences to where angels fear to tread" and then, finding the destination disagreeable, abandon them wherever they may be at any moment. We should all remember that many of the personalities who pontificate from the "leftmedia" outlets often have little more than name recognition, and not always in the areas of expertise they pretend to represent.

With this short, concise book, Thomas Sowell skillfully and diplomatically upends the politically correct notions about race that have been nurtured and promoted by the media, government, various pundits and professors, and the professionally aggrieved. Moreover, he thoroughly backs up his assertions with multiple references. Those who won't like this book, and I suspect that there will be many, have to be purposefully ignorant of the truth yet, offended though they may be, attention to objective evidence is needed to restore some balance to a cultural debate that has gone on for far, far too long. This book contributes greatly to that balance.

Thomas Sowell.. Objective and clear; why the left can’t stand him So many pesky figures and facts.

Sowell does deep research to show that the problems of culture are real, and some habits of mind and community produce better results than others. This should be a no-brainier, but in our increasingly polarized society, it seems to have become taboo.

Thomas Sowell is a very compelling author that should be assigned more to offer a contrast of opinions in universities. Unfortunately sometimes the book delves into tangential arguments weakening overall his main thesis by misdirecting the reader.

Probably the last reasonable man alive. A guy, who's not moved by fashionable attitude trends, but sticks to facts. Even if they're not "nice". His way of writing makes one feel so stupid at times - not because his style were complicated, nor the thoughts - because we see through his reasoning how we have let us been led astray, been lazy thinkers or too susceptible to zeitgeist. One of his many, many good books.

Thomas Sowell always well researches his books and his arguments care clear and concise. He gives and backs up a completely logical reason to why some people are under privileged in society and provides many brief comparisons on why it has nothing to do with race (both past and present). We have to get past this BS about race and realize the truth is that culture and environment affect the adults that we become. Sowell takes what are common sense arguments and proves on an academic level why they are sound. Plus destroying the liberal/progressive agenda is always fun :D

An excellent read. Had I known that a good portion of this book was inside "Intellectuals and Society" then I wouldn't have bought them both at the same time. Great book nonetheless....

A lot of meticulous economics involved that I could not understand, but overall, this was a great read.

Whether it is in studying the history and causes of disparities between racial and ethnic groups (across the world and over the course of hundreds of years), or in tracing the variously productive and counterproductive responses of intellectuals to these disparities, or in demolishing the demonstrably wrong assumptions held by American intellectuals on the subject of race (both the pre 1945 racist intellectuals and the current crop of anti racist intellectuals), every sentence of this book makes the reader better informed. I intend to obtain the larger work from which this was taken, Sowell's "Intellectuals and Society" and see what more there is to learn.

I have read a great deal of Thomas Sowell's work; he has a rare ability to write very clearly and succinctly about every topic that he treats. On economics, for example, he is perhaps the most readable author I know. This book is very different because, as a black man, Sowell has experienced racism in various forms and seems able to ignore it sufficiently to write dispassionately about it. He is, in fact, one of the few people who can do so. This is one of the few books that should be required reading - by everyone.

A lot of this book can be found in other books of Sowell's, which does not diminish its value. He shows much of today's race industry to be nonsensical and politically motivated, especially by the desire to increase the power of the state.

Bad input, bad output, or so the saying goes. In this easy-to-read essay, Thomas Sowell exposes the dominant idea systems of the esteemed teachers in our colleges and universities, and lays bare their major fallacies. Essential reading for everyone who wants to examine the ideas in his or her own head regarding society and the world around us. In an era where the social contract of our forebears is being challenged and turned on its head, Sowell provides an essential head check for all of us.

The conventional wisdom is that minority underachievement in this country is due to racism. Thomas Sowell, a very wise Black man, discredits that belief, suggesting instead that underachievement has several other more likely causes. Because of Africa's large deserts and shallow ports, her population has had little commercial engagement, exposure to which educates to the modern world.. In the presence of commercial life, that same population learns and achieves quite well. Indeed, African-Americans aren't the only group benefitting from commerce. Southern Italian immigrants anf those from Eastern Europe had lower IQ scores when entering this country than now, apparently due to America's commerce, demonstrating that IQ scores are highly dependent on experience, and are improvable.. .

Dr. Sowell's insights may be very challenging and painful to those who fancy themselves the "moral" or "self-certain" elites. His diagnostic scalpel lances the preconceptions of the intelligentsia that have festered in pseudo-scientific form: in the first half of the 20th century blaming the minority and, in the second half blaming the majority. After reading this book, all I could think of is the drunk who fell off his horse and, then determined not to repeat his mistake, overreacts and falls off the other side of the horse. Such are the so-called experts on race in the USA. A conscientious reading of Dr. Sowell, and the painful duty of clear thinking to which he calls us, are the only basis for riding the horse without falling off at all.

No one speaks to our time like Thomas Sowell. The truth about race is not politically correct, but it is not the shallow bigotry of either the right or the left. Taking a whole world perspective, the political left is exposed as a deeply racist enterprise. The true freedom with regard to civil rights involves individual empowerment. From one of the purest economic worldviews, Sowell calls 'em as he sees 'em. Required reading for every intellectually honest American.

I am enjoying Sowell's book on Intellectuals and Race very much - it stretches my mind as he regularly upsets commonly held beliefs with facts that won't budge. The same data in other locales can't mean what we have been told it means. Sowell shows how holding back certain information skews the tracking numbers, giving official info that is not accurate, which has the effect of changing our perceptions very inaccurately, I have learned.

This is another deep effort to clarify "race"...and to correct the impulsive "differences" between groups as intrinsic to "race." I was greatly comforted that his book confirms my own "The Races and Solution" in Social Justice Review July/August 1998, pp 111-115. There is no projected bigoty as he analyzes study after study to clarify the bewildering variablilities which make dogmatic statements unjustifiable. His description of slavery outside the US was informative and defusing of Black Americans' fashionable victimhood. His concept of "cosmic justice" is brilliant even though it really is "social justice" accurately explained. Emphatically, the "Race Industry" is targeted with negative results as outcomes rather than increased self-responsibility, independence and freedom. The book is a kick in the seats to stop the moaning, groaning, whimpering, whining, cry baby routine and get on with Truth, Oneness, Good and Beauty. Unfortunately, from this observer's belief, Sowell, as everyone else, has not analyzed the impact of intrauterine stimuli transferred from the mothers' pregnancy experiences...which to my mind will finally explain group differences in the most pristine way. Excellent book. Compliments well, "The Victim's Revolution" by Bruce Bawer.

Although that was not his intent, Thomas Sowell presents a very good case for the proposition that, since the "intellectuals" of today are just as ignorant and lacking in real knowledge or common sense as their medieval forebears (who argued about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin), they should be locked up in an ivory tower somewhere, where they can debate and indulge in their mental masturbation to their hearts' content, but without affecting (or infecting) the rest of society. Having known a fair number of "intellectuals" in my life, I have a deep and abiding contempt for the breed. The average plumber or cab-driver has a better grasp of anything-- including "social" issues-- than 100 "intellectuals" put together. Thomas Sowell is a TRUE intellectual-- that is, one who examines the facts and draws conclusions from them-- rather than a 'fake intellectual" who ignores the facts and expects reality to conform to whatever air-head preconceptions he already has.

This book will totally change your perspective on current discussions relating to the issue of race.

I have never come across any other book with so many clear-sighted statements and insights of direct relevance to the political debale about race and social justice. Mr. Sowell is an outstanding thinker and thought leader who continues to make major contributions to the ongoing debate. As a result of reading this book, I order four of his other books

Wow. Sowell again utilizes empirical evidence to disprove the myths about race that intellectuals oh so often use.

This books show how government works in its effort to "help" people when in fact is seldom works. Sowell was interviewed about this book and it can be seen on youtube. The author shows how groups of people are better at certain things than others while no group is the best at everything. He shows is how America is shaped by the opinions of "experts" who studied the "softer" subjects and how seldom if ever do those opinions prove to be correct. He shows how history has proven them wrong in the U.S. and other countries. For example: Sowell points out how black unemployment was lower than white unemployment in 1930 until the U.S. gave them "help" that year. While unemployment among Asians has always been lower than whites and blacks. Yet, nobody blames Asians for white and black unemployment. Nobody blames blames Asians for discrimination against other groups of people. Sowell largely uses examples from history to show the points he makes. This book is an eye-opener for those who have not studied history all that well. I would recommend it for those who desire to truly help people in the best way possible.

"Intellectuals and Race" is a wonderful read. But if you are concerned about what's been happening in this country over the last 50 years, it will make you angry. I've always admired Dr. Sowell and I've read many of his books. Person's interested in a deeper exposition of the the themes in this book should also read Dr. Sowell's "Intellectuals and Society" and also a book by Jean-Francois Revel titled the "Last Exit to Utopia: the Survival of Socialism in the Post-Soviet Era" which shows the fruit of the leftist economic religion (not to be mistaken with any spiritual religion) that has taken hold of this country.

This is one of the books that every American needs to read, not to mention intellectuals around the planet. Thomas Sowell really hits this one out of the park, by choosing to discuss what our leftie leaders never want to discuss. For example: should university admissions reflect the general population data? That is, in a country which is (say) 10% Japanese, 5% Jewish, 75% "white," and 10% "black," should the freshman class reflect these percentages? Sowell has the temerity to point out that this has never been true, anywhere or anyhow. This "disparity" arises because of race differences, or group differences. That is to say, Italians are not the same as Englishmen. Frenchmen are not the same as Germans. These differences arise from the different cultures, which in turn depend on myriad causes, from the geographical to the historical. You also need to throw in the fact that "hill people" always lag behind the "plains people," simply because they are more isolated. A prime example of laggard people might be those of New Guinea, or the Australian aborigines. Historical circumstances? The subject peoples of the Roman Empire were murdered and enslaved, but they took away one prize impossible to put a price on: Roman letters, and the whole idea of literacy. This book is for you, if you enjoy a conversation with a first-class mind.

Love Thomas Sowell

Important book; an "Easy Read" - facts and perspectives that everyone should know. (Probably you know Thomas Sowell is African-American, raised in Harlem. He's especially credible.)

This was amazingly interesting in terms of the statistical analysis and historical discussion. Historically, it not only discusses how different conditions can be shown to have affected various races, it also discusses the different assertions intellectuals have made over time without empirical evidence, as well as their proposed "solutions" and their results or lack thereof.

Good analysis yielding surprising insights for this reader.

Another book by Thomas Sowell that was easy to read, well researched and as always full of common sense supported by facts.

A frightening read about how Blacks are being subdued and subjugated, by the same people who claim to be helping them.

Thomas Sowell is one of my intellectual heroes. This continues in the tradition of his other work, which has few equals when it comes to thinking very hard and dispassionately about difficult and delicate issues. Highly recommended.

There is no subject that Thomas Sowell cannot shed a bright light on, and calmly and rationally, as well, and race is one of them. In this newest title of Sowell's, he bursts one balloon after another, chiefly the early Progressive premise that blacks especially were not genetically able to advance without help from the government, and the second, later Progressive balloon that it is discrimination that holds blacks back and so they need government to advance them in the name of "social justice." I highly recommend this title for anyone tired of listening to the likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, who Sowell writes have a vested interest in continuing race problems and wouldn't have anything constructive to say if they didn't exist.

This is a great little book to read when the topic of the day is race in politics... Race is always a topic, but its intensity seems to be cyclical and this book is a good reminder of why so many of the "anointed", as Sowell has named them, keep the topic/controversy of race alive and well in politics. If you've read

Professor Thomas SOWELL, Ph.D. (AFRICAN-AMERICAN) is willing and able to write TRUTHFULLY about the INFLATED ROLE of many INTELLECTUALS, WORLD-WIDE !!!

Why are there not more people aware of this giant. Especially african americans. We all need to wake up. This is not a perfect society, or a perfect country. However an entire segment of the population is in perpetual indebted servitude, being kept there by an entire governmental and NGO industry which is self serving, and institutionalized. We all need to wake up.

It is hard to match Sowell for complete unblinking clarity and he delivers again here. Plenty of numbers to back him up are included.

One of the smartest and dignified (if not THE smartest after recent Krauthammer's and Will's dubious remarks) thinkers of our times dares to take on "the third rail". The question of race, its role in politics, culture, and ultimately the destiny of our country and the whole mankind is a taboo in the PC world. Prof. Sowell delivers unequivocal verdict: "African-American" community is in a complete downfall and they should thank for it the leftist "intelligencia". He presents massive amount of historical data to prove his point and to analyze nefarious motives of the perpetrators. Great book for anyone who understands or, trying to understand the dangers of marxism/statism/tyranny.

Sowell gives a scathing condemnation of intelligentsia's tendency to err, censor, and avoid science when it comes to popular ideas. Well-researched and well-written, Sowell decimates both the early tendency to explain racial differences by pointing to white superiority, and also the later tendency to explain those same racial differences by pointing to racism (which he seems to view as a type of white inferiority). Instead, Sowell believes that group differences stem from another source: other types of group differences. For example, each race has a different culture and even a different average population age. These racial differences, and many others, of course lead to racial differences in wealth, crime rates, and IQ scores. Given the fact that there is a near-infinite variety of group-based differences, including vastly disparate cultures, it would be shocking if racial disparities did NOT exist in almost any measure. Unlike what a previous reviewer said, Sowell does address intellectual differences among mulattos or people of mixed race. Northerners score higher on IQ tests than Southerners, in general. Sowell concludes it is no surprise that "black hicks" (who have moved to the North more recently) do poorly on IQ tests in comparison with "white Northerners." Similarly, people of mixed race often have ancestors who lived in the North for a longer period of time and so they have higher, more "Northern" IQ scores. Sowell also debunks the theory that, because race disparities in IQ have remained fairly consistent over time, that means race disparities in IQ are innate. IQ tests are graded so differently now than they were fifty years ago that blacks today are currently scoring higher than whites were fifty years ago. Either all of our innate hardware is changing quickly (unlikely), or the intellectual skills measured by IQ tests are much more a function of culture than we previously thought. Sowell critiques the intelligentsia urge to impose top-down "solutions" on others. He believes that trying to remedy cosmic injustices by implementing social policies often backfires, and particularly focuses on the ways that affirmative action, race-based leniency in lending, and welfare have harmed the very populations that they are intended to help. For anyone interested in the related way that social policy intended to reduce verbal discrimination has similarly harmed the populations that its trying to help, I strongly recommend Free Speech for Me (But Not for Thee), Unlearning Liberty, and A Slap In The Face. Oddly, once you enact hate speech codes, its often minority members and unorthodox thinkers who authorities believe have "course" language. Funny how that works...

This book opened my eyes. So often we are given statistics that show a certain ethnicity is being mistreated. For example, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston did a study that showed a disparity between mortgage approval rates for ethnic minorities and whites. The conclusion was that minority applicants were being discriminated against due to their race. Banks were encouraged (some would say forced) to offer loans to these people which led to lowering their standard lending practices. Enter sub-prime loans and the rest, as they say, is history. However, after reading this book you come to learn that statistically minorities were simply not as qualified as others and were turned down because they were not qualified. It had nothing to do with the color of their skin. On top of that, whites were turned down at a higher rate than Asians, a statistic that was never quoted in anything else I've read on the subject. It was fascinating to learn and recognize how often we as a society are pushed to believe conclusions about statistics that are either flat out wrong or twisted to support a particular outcome. Took me a while to work my way through this information because I felt like practically every sentence was important. I highly recommend this book!

I spent time reading the bibliography at the back. That’s how fascinating this book is.

Just a new and refreshing look on the issues of race. It's an eye and mind opener supported with concrete facts. Let's just say it will leave you thinking.

Good book

I am enjoying this book. In fact I like it so much I purchased one for a friend. I'm not finished with it yet but it has given me a new perspective on Intellectuals and race.

The perspective of the author is right on and backed by a well documented facts. A complete shake up of what the main stream media is trying to sell. It should be mandatory reading for every school child, teacher and politician.

Any writing by Thomas Sowell is bound to be excellent. As a professional economist myself, I regard Thomas Sowell as the very best economist at clearly explaining economic principles to non-economists.

Thomas Sowell is one of the great economic and political minds of our time. He always gets to the true heart of the matter removing all the political BS. It is unfortunate for the country that he is not more widely read, especially by the left. His ability to explain issues and what drives them is unparalleled.

Thomas Sowell kills it again! What an amazing intellect! Dares to smash the prevailing false liberal media narrative about race and racism. HIGHLY recommend!

Exactly as described.

Thomas Sowell uses facts and history from around the world to dissect and destroy the views of intellectuals on race. This book is a methodical demolition of current politically correct thinking that has in fact exacerbated the very problems that they were trying to solve.

Great book!

This is truth that we all need to hear! Dr. Sowell does a wonderful job of reconciling numerous issues on many sides of the race debate to paint a comprehensive picture of what really holds some ethnic groups back and compels others forward. Anyone perplexed by the muddled dialog on race presented by the mainstream media, and its lack of solutions for real-world problems, should read this book! Dr. Sowell is one of the few honest and brave intellectuals willing to say it like it is.

Thomas Sowell makes complicated subjects clear. His grasp of situations is unmatched. If you want to get a good grasp on the topic of race this is the book to read. Jack C. McVey

Once again Dr. Sowell takes a complex issue and makes it understandable. He dismantles much of the pseudoscience of the day and of the past century that has found a home at many universities and coffee shops. It is what we have come to expect from one of the great thinkers of our day.

A though-provoking book.

Thomas Sowell shows how much of the public dialog, especially that of intellectuals, with respect to race and supposed racism is based on the differences in cultural and environmental backgrounds not on a person's or group's race. He gives numerous specific examples of how the facts have been distorted by intellectuals.

In this book Thomas Sowell shows how the "intellectuals" try to establish the "truth" about race through their theories. However, when these theories are shown to be false or extremely harmful (such as the intellectuals' writings regarding the eugenics movement which were used by Hilter to justify his "master race" policies) they never have to answer for this since they have the support of their colleagues and/or tenure in their positions. We are seeing this today in the West when harmful government policies in regards to racial "equality" are based on intellectuals' theories yet never challenged despite all the damage they do. This book is in line with other writings of Sowell but has updated information and statistics. You definitely want to buy and read this.

Excellent reading and fully researched book pertaining a lot about the personalities of the different cultures. Take your time and reread where necessary to obtain the message written by the author..

I have read many of Tom Sowell's books and I wish everyone has. He turns current issues and the prevailing view on their head with simple facts and figures. Tom Sowell makes you think and should be mandatory reading in our high school system.

.Sowell, who is much maligned in "liberal" quarters for his"conservative" opinions has placed the question of racial inferiority in a historical, geograpical and cultural context that is pursuasive and prescriptive.

His perspective was well documented and interesting. The ideas he puts forward requires the reader to think deeper then the popular politics and understand the real purpose of the progressive movement.

Thomas Sowell is one of the foremost truth-tellers in American academia, and in this work he is characteristically clear-eyed, fact adducing, and fearless. Dr. Sowell's life work is cutting through bunk, and he does so again in these essays.

Examples from throughout history and all over the world are used to prove Sowell's signature no-nonsense logic. The well researched history of the influence of intellectuals, the tendency of human nature, and the facts that numbers prove, will open your eyes to the reality of your own society.

Great book the facts are hard to deny, but I'm sure the people in ivory towers will find a way to discredit this factual and interesting book.

Dr. Sowell has provided an excellent presentation of what we fellow Americans need to hear. It is spot on and I think would make a great read for most if not all high school and college students. Read and see what you may not realize what is going on.

The author provides solid reasoning for his assertions about the absurd positions that liberal intellectuals hold today. This is a must read for anyone wanting to better understand race in the US today.

Another of Sowell's insightful books. This time exposing the hypocrisy and destruction of the intellectual need to 'help others' to their detriment. He shows how intellectual thought has changed over the years as it regards race and how it was never, and still isn't positive in it's effect on race relations and has only exacerbated them.

I recommend this book for advocates of facts over emotion when it comes to Intellectuals and their misunderstandings/misrepresentations about race.

I have not completed this book but what I have read, it is a must read for all of us who thought that affirmative action was the wrong way to go. Sowell hit the nail on the head. He is a very intellagent and informed writer. Enjoying his writings. A must read for anyone concerned about our future and the future of our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Dr. Sowell has an understanding of our culture and the problems which we have developed as a desire of man through government to "improve" and to meet the needs of all segments of our society without regard to such things as absolute truth, or the principle of "right" vs "wrong".

Thomas Sowell has done it again...another brilliant book covering race and the intellectual elite. Terrific insight from a man who has experienced the ugly side of racism and yet could see through the debilitating effects of the intellectuals' "solutions" to level the playing field.

Thomas Sowell covers intellectuals' writings/studies regarding race so carefully and with such clarity. Very readable. More page-turning appeal than any fiction.

If there are smarter people than Thomas Sowell, I have yet to find them. His writing is crisp, factual, and accessible. I hope his work will be required reading on college syllabus nationwide.

Sowell has clarified the various studies regarding race and culture that I used in Education courses . This book is the second book I have purchased by this author , refreshingly accurate.

Mr. Sowell again exposes the "intellectual" community for its intellectual dishonesty and arrogance. No wonder he is not one of their minority choices of reference. As a prequel or a sequel his "Black Rednecks & White Liberals" is a great companion to this insightful narrative.

This book gives answers to questions we all ask. As with some other topics, we are not allowed freedom of disagreement with the politically correct positions.

Dr. Sowell is remarkable in sorting out complex history & myths. Splendid book. What a great shame our leaders have no grasp of this.

Anything by Thomas Sowell is brilliant. If we had to have a black president, should have been him, not the current anti-American eunuch.

Very eye opening. All African Americans, and not only them, should read this book to understand basic principles or cultural differences.

Sowell hits Another one out of the park. He deconstructs banality and explains it away efficiently. Always a good read!

Mr. Sowell never fails to give unvarnished truth with research, facts and evidence to support his conclusions. Buy this and read it!

Excellent and well-researched. In-depth analysis and well-reasoned.

Never am disappointed with Thomas Sowell. He takes difficult and controversial subjects and explains his position so a layman can understand. He always backs up his pov through history and poignant examples

Intellectuals and Race has so much significant information, I nearly ran out of highlighter! Sowell challenges many of the past and current sociological orthodoxies that have dictated Liberal policy choices for decades. He demonstrates how accepting the tenets of multiculturalism, for example,has effectively relegated poor black people to ghetto life. This is a MUST READ for anyone interested in the various influences on behavioral choice- genes, environment, culture... he covers it all and shows with facts and data how we've been sorely misled by a host of politically driven intellectuals. GREAT WORK, Dr. Sowell!

Excellent read...very well documented with numerous citations & references. No hyperbolic rants - "just the facts" that make a strong case for Sowell's thesis.

Thomas Sowell, one of the American masters of economics, history, society at large, race....etc. Reading Dr Sowell is like getting a full education.

Great insight

I reviewed it earlier. This is a repurchase for a good friend of mine. I will give away several more before it's over.

Short and sweet. Takes race out of the gene pool and puts it where it belongs. Well written, makes good each point.

It points out the hypocritical positions the the left has had over the years. Anyone interested in the race issue in America should read this book.

fresh and incisive, brillant and innovative thinker, everyone in high school and college should be familiar with this original and thorough thinker

Best insight on race.

Great book, great read. I learned so much and I am grateful Dr. Sowell wrote it. I can't wait to read his next book.

I liked this book although it presents bad arguments and reaches wrong conclusions. There are any number of anti-racists writing books today. But three of them are real scholars as well as best selling authors: * Steven Jay Gould * Jared Diamond * Thomas Sowell Gould is dead now but he still has many books in print. Diamond is very popular and honored. He not only has won a Pulitzer Prize but his books have been the basis of TV shows. Thomas Sowell is the darling of conservatives and is black. I have read the last three big best sellers by Diamond. I can't remember how many books by Sowell and Gould I've read but quite a few. I read these guys because they are all excellent writers and their books tend to be packed with facts. Gould was a paleontologist specializing in snails. He was a self proclaimed Marxist. He wrote a popular science column for years. His main topics were evolution - a field in which he made major contributions - and race issues - a field in which he lied and deceived. Unlike the other two, Gould can not be trusted. Diamond is an academic geographer, a cultural anthropologist and a bird watcher. He is a good honest academic scholar and a reliable witness although most of his major conclusions are IMHO wrong. Sowell is a semi-retired and politically active economist. He is attacked because he is a black conservative but in general is well respected and his work is trustworthy albeit wrong on racial issues. I bring these other writers up because Sowell seems to adopt some of the stratagems and methods of Gould and Diamond. Why did I read so many of Gould's books? Because he is a very entertaining writer. His principal stylistic ploy is to write extended historical anecdotes. He often recounts how some Victorian had such and such to say about Darwin. Only after he has hooked the reader with his colorful history lesson does he relate it to the actual subject at hand and give you his take on the issue. Sowell applies a similar method when he describes the careers of eminent but nowadays obscure intellectuals. For example he tells us about the race opinions of Osborn (of the Osborn-Cope Dinosaur Wars). He tells us the politics of a number of nineteenth and early twentieth century writers and scientists. It seems that a century ago everyone had ideas on race and were as yet unguarded in their expression. They were almost all what we would call today racists. Sowell's intention seems to be to discredit intellectuals, but he succeeds more in discrediting modern racial attitudes. Gould used to describe some early scientist's ideas and include their personal adherence to some now obsolete ideas in order to discredit the person in question. For example he might tell how a prominent 19th century anti-Darwinist was also a believer in spiritualism. Sowell does something like this but less personally. Sowell gives many examples of people like H. L. Mencken saying blacks are inferior in very candid language. He documents that a century ago at the height of the Progressive and the Eugenics movement every intellectual believed blacks to be inferior. Sowell seems to think this is an indictment against intellectuals but it's just as easy to interpret these quotations as indictment of blacks. Every intellectual was a racist back then. Sowell interprets this fact as proof that intellectuals can be wrong and we should not be too eager to trust them. He comes down hard on sociologists but seems to be rather kinder to economists. I share Sowell's contempt for sociology, but maybe the universal racism then means that the best minds had long ago figured out the correct take on race issues and that the new liberalism that swept in in the sixties just suppressed ancient truths. Another example is his treatment of anti-Semitism and anti-Irish attitudes of long ago. He presents anecdotes as to how intellectuals of the past fought against the immigration of Jews because they were so stupid and the Irish because they were so ill behaved. That was certainly true, but the remarkable fact for most modern readers is that Jews are certainly not stupid today nor are the Irish all out of control drunks and violent criminals as they once were. If the Jews were ever really stupid - a doubtful notion - they certainly have made progress. The Irish were undoubtedly disagreeable and undesirable but are also not so now. The real race question today is why are blacks so stupid and criminal. Why if every other group has improved, have blacks not also done so? Diamond's method is to explain away modern day national and racial disparities as being merely the result of random geographical and ecological conditions. Sowell does much the same thing for much the same reason. Jared Diamond is famous for his assertion that white Westerners are no better inherently than the darker equatorial people. They were just lucky to get guns, survive germs and use steel first. Much of that head start he attributes to the simple geographical fact that Asia is a wide continent and Africa and the Americas are more tall narrow continents. There is something to this idea but it is never presented in a quantitative fashion. So it is impossible to say how relevant it is. I first read this idea in one of Sowell's books but Diamond now is identified with the argument. The idea is that innovations like domesticated animals and plants spread easily across the same latitude but only with difficulty from north to south. So plants that first were cultivated in Mesopotamia spread rapidly to the east and the west. But not so quickly up and down the Americas or Africa. Innovations from the Fertile Crescent were soon in China and Europe but it took much longer for them to spread to the Cape of Good Hope. Both Sowell and Diamond argue that Africa doesn't have many good harbors of navigable rivers. Sowell mentions the Tsetse Fly. All this is true of course but was it decisive or merely contributory? As an economist and an economic historian Sowell knows the history of the Industrial Revolution. England had iron, coal, and harbors. So it soon got steam power and railroads too. These factors gave it its head start - no question. But other nations have subsequently caught up. The relevant revolution for the race question would be at least the Neolithic revolution and probably earlier. Iraq was the site where the Neolithic Revolution began. They had a tremendous head start at one point but have not kept it. Early initial advantages of geography and water transport are also likely to fade with time. The same is true for domesticated animals. Horses were introduced to the rest of the world from the Ukraine or Southern Russia. They had a big impact like the Hyksos invasion of Egypt but that advantage faded when the Egyptians also learned how to make chariots and breed horses. Almost all technological innovations only impart advantages in the short run so it's hard to believe in many explanations that rely on long standing differences. Africa is relatively isolated from the Middle East by the Sahara desert as Sowell writes - but so is Japan. If Japan is only half as far from the cradle of civilization as South Africa all things considered, we would still expect less of a civilizational difference. Japan had a complex stone architecture a thousand years ago. No African group ever managed to build so much as a square cut rock wall before Western contact. The difference in cultural level is just too large for the kind of weak geographical effects that Sowell and Diamond offer up as an explanation. Races are known to have split off from the African root stock more than 100,000 years ago. This is plenty long enough for environmental differences to be reflected in genetic differences. It is true that if you cast your grain on good land you will get more grain than if you cast it on poor soil. But if the soil is too dry after awhile you will get grain adapted to dry conditions. Similarly those peoples who happened by chance to land in a favorable region eventually evolved to maximize their advantage. After a few thousand years the qualities of the environment become reflected in the genes of the inhabitants. So time is a factor. If Africa is inimical to human development that can explain why Africans lag other races who happened to have been luckier. But over a longer period bad conditions must lead to bad or inferior people. The poor conditions and geography argument can excuse or explain African primitiveness in the short run but from a longer perspective they prove just the opposite. Poor conditions leads to poor people. Human development history isn't really all that mysterious anymore. Sowell seems to deliberately trying to obfuscate many of the issues. For example he cites early Muslims who commented that the further north one went the lighter the skin and the more primitive the people. Sowell makes it sound as if the most advanced peoples were randomly found over time and space. But that's not true. Australian Aborigines have never had a high civilization. At one time Italy was more advanced than Sweden or Germany. Today that's reversed. True, but not a mystery. The explanation is simple. Northern races are more intelligent but civilization began in the south - specifically the Middle East. The Neolithic Revolution advances proceeded across Europe at about a mile a year. It went through Greece. Then Rome and then France, Holland, Germany, Britain, and Scandinavia. When Greece was at its height Rome was a village. When Rome was at it's height France was primitive and Germany more so. But Rome rose higher than Greece just as France rose higher than Rome once they had assimilated the new cultural innovations. Japan before Perry was a backward nation but caught up very quickly. Japan has a very intelligent population and a very advanced industrial infrastructure. They have surpassed Britain but they hadn't in 1840. Once all these technology trends have finished and everyone has absorbed modern technology, we still have differences but now those differences are now mostly racial.

Is there or has there ever been a better on such issues than Tom Sowell?

a point of view seldom heard from a african american scholar .... his analysis should be taken seriously all human beings have talents and intelligence .. they all vary according to his thoughtful study not just a feel good knee jerk approach to race and ethnicity .. a solid other side to an awfully complex issue the truth shall set you free but its is sometimes hard to find when emotion and preconceived notions take hold ...... God Bless and help us all

Gave me a different perspective on the perceptions of race in the US.

For anyone truly interested in improved race relations and improved results for disadvantaged minorities, this is a must read. I think it's most important if you are a minority who feels you have been held back by discrimination. This book can truly change your life and your future family's life.

He is a genius.

I Like The Way He Used The Word Dichotimized

Best work on understanding why intellectuals get it so wrong and how they are causing harm to minorities.

Thomas Sowell is one of the best. Loved this book and learned a tremendous amount.

I have read most of Thomas Sowell's books ( well over a dozen , so far) and he destroys most folks assumptions and false narratives of issues related to race relations, slavery, economics , free markets, human motivations and more. He does this not with arcane statistics but mostly with the most basic common sense logics that is difficult to dispute, although his books are a gold mine of astounding facts and statistics. People that are impressed with the likes of Howard Zinn's " The People's History ... " should read Sowell to find out what a fool they are being made of to swallow such MSNBC-like tripe. Sowell is a genius with extraordinary credibility especially because of his irrefutable logic and his humble background as a black American from the South and Harlem. Jim Benefiel

This is something of a replay of his "Race and Culture" book.. which was excellent. This is equally a very good book, but is clearly a anti-left intellectual replay of many conservative arguments. Certainly an academically solid work. One may or may not subscribe to all his views, but they are all relevant in this subject discussion area.

Want to know what the DemonKrates think, well here you go.

Let me start with a quick word of warning: "Most, but not all, of these chapters first appeared in a special section on race that was added to the revised edition of a much larger and more sweeping study,

Over time, intellectuals have advanced theories about discrepancies between racial, ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. The explanations included elaborate theories of biological and mental deficiencies, as well as more modern views that all differences in group performance are the result of discrimination. Sowell dispels both sets of notions. Sowell convincingly argues that cultural and subcultural norm determine group behavior. Those groups who tend to value and pursue learning, for example, typically do better in modern capitalist societies. Sometimes ethnic groups engage in widespread behaviors that are dysfunctional, but other groups seemed well-prepared to do well. Discrimination does not explain the discrepancies any more than theories of racial inferiority. Sowell provides impressive evidence to substantiate his case. Some readers, no doubt, will say that Sowell, as a conservative, is too anxious to blame the victims of discrimination. I disagree and believe that Sowell sincerely wants to understand racial discrepancies in earnings, education, incarceration and other areas. He succeeds in asking some important questions. And that is the major problem with his book. He provides enough evidence to stimulate reasonable doubt about the theory that discrimination explains everything. Then he more or less stops. The cultural and subcultural norms that Sowell believes provide the foundations for group behaviors were, in themselves, responses to past discriminatory conditions. It is one thing to say that a sort of cultural inertia has produced human inequalities that are manifest in ethnicity or race, but, as always, difficult to formulate any means of halting that inertia.

Thomas Sowell is awesome. He has a great mind. He thinks things through and expresses them so clearly. He is a prolific author. My goal is to read all of this books before I die! TM

Thomas Sowell (born 1930) is an economist, columnist, and author who has long been associated with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He wrote in the Introduction to this 2013 book, “Most, but no all, of these chapters first appeared in a special section on race that was added to the revised edition of a much larger and more sweeping study, “Intellectuals and Society.’ Here I have belatedly taken the advice of my research assistant Na Liu, and published these chapters in a separate book for those who wish to focus on racial issues, rather than take on the larger and more time-consuming task of traveling on a more sweeping journey across the landscape of intellectuals’ influences on issue ranging from economics to law to war and peace. New chapters have been added… in hopes of discerning their implications for the future… this effort to foresee what lies ahead should tell us enough about what has already happened to make it obvious how large are the stakes and how difficult the choices facing this generation and those that will follow. If this book succeeds in simply demonstrating through its facts and analysis how inadequate, and even dangerous, the currently fashionable assumption and catch phrase about race are, it will have achieved its purpose.” In the first chapter, he explains, “[Intellectuals] can influence the way millions of other people see race, as the tendencies, preconceptions and conclusions of the intelligentsia spread through the media and educational institutions from the schools to the universities. For better or worse, intellectuals have played a large role in racial issues … In the United States, they have played opposite roles on racial issues in the early twentieth century as contrasted with the late twentieth century.” (Pg. 2) He suggests, “There is no subject that is more in need of dispassionate analysis, careful factual research and a fearless and honest discussion than is race. Ideally, we might look to intellectuals for such things. But it is also true that the mental skills and verbal dexterity of intellectuals can be used to evade evidence and promote whatever beliefs or agenda are in vogue among their peers… The question arises again whether we are going to accept statistical data as evidence of racial discrimination when it fits the preconceptions of the intelligentsia and reject it when it goes counter to those preconceptions.” (Pg. 3-5) He notes, “The industrial revolution could hardly have begun in the Balkans or Hawaii… and neither could the people in those places have developed the same industrial skills and habits and ways of life at the same time as people in other places where the industrial revolution did in fact begin. There is not need to replace genetic determination with geographic determinism… the point here is that geography alone is enough to prevent equality of developed capabilities, even if all races have identical potentialities and there is no discrimination.” (Pg. 15) He observes, “With race, as with war, twentieth century intellectuals were concentrated on one end of the spectrum in the early years and then on the opposite end of the spectrum in later years… Intellectuals on opposite ends of the spectrum in different eras have been similar in another way: Both have tended to ignore the long-standing warning from statisticians that correlation is not causation.” (Pg. 22) He asserts, “The ego stakes of intellectuals discussing racial issues have led not only to formulating these issues in ways that promote moral melodramas, starring themselves on the side of the angels, but also promoting the depiction of those designated as victims as being people who are especially worthy---the noble oppressed.” (Pg. 53) He points out, “Despite a tendency to think of heredity and environment as if they were mutually exclusive and jointly exhaustive, there are many other ways in which environment can change heredity, so that races that may have initially had the same genetic potential for intelligence can end up with different genetic potentials, as a result of their different environments. Widely available subsidies for individuals who are less successful economically---who… may average lower IQs than very successful individuals---can lead to a increase in the number of babies born to teenage dropouts, for example, while higher raters of taxation of individuals with higher levels of education and higher earnings can lead to the latter having fewer children… then the average intelligence of that race could be reduced---not only in that generation, but in subsequent generations as well.” (Pg. 58) He notes, “If one chooses to call tests that require the mastery of abstractions culturally biased, because some cultures put more emphasis on abstractions than others do, that raises fundamental questions about what the tests are for. In a world where the ability to master abstractions is essential in mathematics, science, and other endeavors, the measurement of that ability is not an arbitrary bias. A culture-free test might be appropriate in a culture-free society---but there are no such societies.” (Pg. 69) He suggests, “At the heart of the prevailing liberal vision of race today is the notion of ‘racism’---a concept with multiple, elusive and sometimes mutually contradictory meanings. Sometimes the term refers simply to any adverse opinion about any racially different group, whether a minority in a given society or a group that may be a majority in some other society. This immediately transforms any adverse judgment of any aspect of a different racial group into an indictment of whoever expressed that adverse judgment, without any need to assess the evidence or analysis behind it. In short, this approach joins the long list of arguments without arguments.” (Pg. 93-94) He says, “The key word among advocates of multiculturalism became ‘diversity.’ Sweeping claims for the benefits of demographic and cultural diversity of innumerable institutions and circumstances have prevailed without a speck of evidence being asked for or given. It is one of the purest examples of arguments without arguments, and of the force of sheer repetition, insistence and intimidation.” (Pg. 104) He argues, “today’s higher rate of incarceration is blamed on drug laws, tighter sentencing rules, and a general failure of society. In short, society is to blame, except apparently for those members of society who actually commit the crimes. But, whatever the reasons for the higher crime rate now than then, or between blacks and whites, it is indeed a tragic injustice---from a COSMIC perspective---to be born into circumstances that make it more likely that one will commit crimes and be imprisoned, with negative consequences for the rest of one’s life. If some personified Fate had decreed this, then that would be the perpetrator of the injustice. But if this is just part of the way the world has evolved, then it is a cosmic injustice---if something as impersonal as the cosmos can be considered capable of being unjust.” (Pg. 116-117) He concludes, ‘Many of what are called social problems are differences between the theories of intellectuals and the realities of the world---differences which many intellectuals interpret to mean that it is the real world that is wrong and needs changing. Apparently their theories, and the visions behind them, cannot be wrong. None of this means that economic or other inequalities must be supinely accepted… But these rises [by some ethnic groups] have almost invariably been achieved in mundane and often arduous ways advocated by the intelligentsia, but have often been in ways directly opposite to the more dramatic and emotionally satisfying ways envisioned by the intelligentsia.” (Pg. 139) This book will be of great interest to conservatives studying racial/ethnic issues.

In Intellectuals and Race, Dr. Sowell covers two broad themes. First, within racial or ethnic groups, whether in a given society or in a wide variety of societies in different countries around the world, there exists large and numerous disparities in income, education, income, crime rates, IQs, et cetera. Sowell examines the data and shows a multiplicity of factors that act and interact and result in differences. Those factors include different geographic settings, intergroup differences in occupational skills, differences in median age, and historical happenstances such as decisive military battles. But disparities and their causes is not his focus. Sowell explains the phenomena as a rebuttal against the shifting arguments that intellectuals have used dating from the mid-nineteenth century until today; their arguments and the role that race plays, constitute his second theme. Sowell contends that the prevailing over-arching vision among intellectuals throughout the centuries influenced members of society to perceive race as the predominant factor in statistical discrepancies within various ethnic groups. Changing racial beliefs among the intelligentsia resulted in changing racial beliefs in society at large. Whatever preference the intellectuals had for society at a given time regarding race, that vision was prevailing view that should not be questioned. All opposing views were ignored or censored. The Progressive Era was perhaps the high-water mark of “scientific” theories of racial differences. The shift in European immigration patterns from Northern and Western Europe to Eastern and Southern Europe, and the mass migrations of American blacks from the South to Northern cities, raised questions about their racial quality. Sowell has no qualms about naming intellectuals, no matter how much they may be revered. Many played prominent roles and were part of the Eugenics movement. He lists leaders on the left such as John Maynard Keynes, H.G. Wells, and Bernard Shaw, and on the right, such as Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill; others include Richard T. Ely and H.L. Mencken. Sowell ends by tracing how the Progressives became Liberals and the vision (Multiculturalism) that they subscribe to today. The focus of intellectuals shifted from heredity (genetic determinism) or racial inferiority as the predominant factor of discrepancies to racism, defined as a racial problem inside the minds of white people. In other words, differences didn’t arise from any peculiarities of blacks or any other race, but rather from contradictory attitudes in the minds of white people. This vision essentially makes blacks and other races victims of conflicting attitudes of white people. Multiculturalism essentially ignores destructive behavior found within the subculture of less fortunate groups that results in disparities. Multiculturalists decry educators who seek to teach the less fortunate the basic skills that others in society at large have used in their advancement. Trying to get minority groups to learn English and to acculturate to other norms has been viewed negatively by multiculturalists as a form of cultural imperialism. In sum, Dr. Sowell does an excellent job exposing the fallacies of the intelligentsia and bringing sanity into the discussion about race and differences in socioeconomic outcomes.

"There is no subject that is more in need of dispassionate analysis, careful factual research and a fearless and honest discussion than is race." -- p 3 It is a book that is long overdue. Thomas Sowell is an American economist, social theorist, political philosopher and the author of more than three-dozen books. Sowell is an African-American who takes great umbrage at the views being espoused by the "chattering class" of American intellectuals who continue to advance the notion that society-at-large is to blame for the social and economic disparities that exist in our nation. According to the intelligentsia, deep-seated racism continues to be present in the minds of most white Americans. In his superb new book "Intellectuals and Race" Dr. Sowell thoroughly and systematically dismantles the liberal argument about race. In this meticulously researched offering Sowell takes a look at societies around the world to back up his assertions. Time and again he demonstrates that more often than not it is internal factors within a race or group of people that account for many of these disparities. He compares the problems plaguing the white lower class in Britain with those of African-Americans here in America. You may be quite surprised to discover that the problems facing both groups are virtually identical and have continued to escalate over the past fifty years. The solutions offered by progressives and liberals have clearly not worked. Thomas Sowell believes he has key to solving many of these persistent problems. In "Intellectuals and Race" Thomas Sowell gets us all up to speed with the history of intellectual thought about race over the past 100 years. There are some fascinating twists and turns along the way. In the early part of the century progressive intellectuals clearly sided with people like Margaret Sanger and author Madison Grant who favored the sterilization of males in what were considered to be "undesirable" populations including Negroes, southern whites, and immigrants from southern Europe. You will discover that the Progressive view of the world began to shift significantly in the 1930s. The intelligentsia had at long last come to the conclusion that there were really no substantive differences in mental ability between the races. But during World War II the Progressives, who now had re-branded themselves as "liberals", began to attribute socioeconomic disparities between races to racism. Liberals steadfastly refused to assign any of the blame to the internal cultural environment of the minorities themselves. Rather, the genesis of the entire problem was said to be in the minds of evil white people. By cleverly positioning themselves in this way the intellectuals could claim the moral high ground by being against the so-called "oppressors" and on the side of the downtrodden. Some 70 years later this continues to be the case and Thomas Sowell points out why this set of circumstances has caused incalculable harm to the African-American community and to other minorities as well. You may recall that the initial thrust of the civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King was simply to extend the same rights to all citizens regardless of race. But according to Sowell, the tumultuous events of the late 1960's encouraged radical elements within the black community to call for a dramatic new approach. Thus, the era of multiculturalism was born. It fit perfectly into the Progressive narrative. Less fortunate groups were not to be blamed for disparities in income, education, crime rates or family disintegration, lest observers be guilty of "blaming the victim" instead of indicting society. Sowell discusses the ramifications of this controversial philosophy and also devotes a section of the final chapter to what he calls "The Race Industry" and briefly touches on affirmative action as well. As you might expect he finds just about all of this stuff to be extremely counterproductive. The sad fact of the matter is that liberal politicians, professors and opinion-makers have been successfully playing this game for more than half a century now led by all of the usual suspects. Unfortunately, it is going to be extremely difficult to repair the damage that has already been done. We need to begin to change hearts and minds about race in this nation. Constantly making excuses for bad behavior and removing all incentive to improve one's lot in life have had devastating consequences for so many in this nation most especially for young minorities. Bill Cosby has attempted to lead the way on these issues on a couple of occasions and has been roundly criticized for his efforts by some leaders of the African-American community and others. Nevertheless, I truly believe that Thomas Sowell is onto something quite profound here and he presents his case in a very logical, thoughtful and forthright manner. I found "Intellectuals and Race" to be an particularly well written book and at a mere 140 pages it can be read in just a couple of sittings. Trust me when I tell you that there is an abundance of common sense in this volume. Very highly recommended!

The three main reasons given for racial and ethnic differences are heredity, culture, and environment. Sowell believes that culture is the overriding factor and this seems to be probably true. Certain groups such the Chinese, Japanese, Germans, and Jews always do well wherever they live and certain groups such as blacks do not do as well whether they live in America, Africa, or anywhere else. Sowell ascribes this negative tendency in the United States to a counterproductive black underclass culture of crime, welfare, and hostility to education. What Sowell misses is that this is basically a continuation of pre-industrial African culture. When the slave trade started Africa was a tribal society stuck in the early agricultural era which meant a high rate of violence, a lot of leisure time, and little incentive to learn anything new. After emancipation blacks began to develop skills for a modern economy and by around 1960 had lower crime rates, lower unemployment rates, and greater family stability than today. What changed was the modern welfare state which started in the 1960s and enabled the black underclass to revert back towards the conditions of African tribal society. Another cultural aspect is that European culture is obsessed with guilt and its modern descendants in the United States have found a new version of original sin, this time in being white, thereby continuing Christian doctrine under another name. The concept of original sin developed in Christianity meant the innate tendency of promoting one's self-interest at the expense of society by behaviors such as lying, stealing, and killing. Christianity offered redemption for these behaviors by allowing penance for practicing them. But now our modern multicultural culture has created the original sin of being white for which there is no redemption. A black baby today is born with a set of pre-packaged grievances and a lifetime of preferential treatment while a white baby must face a lifetime of legal racial discrimination called affirmative action because of its original sin of being white. Sowell focuses on one of the main forces behind this race industry which consists of mostly academic intellectuals from the most prestigious universities. These people live in a system where they get big salaries while never having to put in grinding work days for fifty or more weeks a year like the rest of society. They have cleverly deflected any criticism of this lifestyle by designing a system which shifts society's focus to perpetuating a black underclass and blaming present-day white society which conveniently fits into the white predilection for guilt. One reason most academic intellectuals despise Christianity is that they are in competition with it in the guilt-mongering business. Moreover they have designed a much more effective system where there is basically no hope of redemption so the system can theoretically continue indefinitely. But this has created the paradoxical situation where blacks must claim more and more victimization to get more and more preferential treatment and there may be some limit to how long this can work. This whole system continues as the United States declines in power economically, militarily, and politically. Part of this is due to the disparate impact rule which states that if any minority does not pass some occupational or other test, then the test must be changed so that they can pass it. This is something the mostly unicultural nation of China does not have to face and is one reason why it is starting to surpass the United States in various areas.

This book was my first introduction to Dr. Sowell's writings and theories, and will not be my last. I found this book to be difficult to finish, as it is redundant both in ideology and terminology (certain phrases are used over and over again), as well as purposefully inflammatory. However, the ideas within are too important to not continue personal exploration. Sowell's central theory is that the true cause of inequality among different races are due to cultural differences among groups of people, not societal predispositions and/or structures that favor one race over another. This theory is valid, deserves discussion and has failed to be given serious consideration by intellectuals (or academics) over the past century. Despite the merit of his argument, Sowell's presentation of these ideas lacking. While some of the evidence supporting Sowell's central theory is discussed (eg historical examinations of cultural differences between southern and northern blacks after the civil war, differences between eastern and western white Europeans, both used to explain differences in educational or economic success), this book failed to look at these relationships with enough depth or in sufficient quantity to justify Sowell's conclusions. For instance, he uses the ubiquity of slavery and the fact that many different races have been subject to slavery over time, to find fault with the intellectuals assumption that slavery is the root of inequality among blacks in modern America. The fact that there were enslaved peoples of all races is important, yes, but Sowell fails to highlight the distinctions between slavery in early America (which largely enslaved blacks and was paralleled by the overwhelming social view that blacks were of less value), and slavery that occurred during other times on other continents (which was driven mostly by imperial conquests or as a means of debt repayment). Furthermore, underlying this book is a feeling of contempt for progressive thought, a feeling that overpowers Sowell's academic message. His use of the term "intellectual" at times far overreaches its stated definition to encompass the entirety of progressive thought. Sowell misses the opportunity to present a compelling argument, an argument that deserves integration into our academic discussions on race. Instead, this book feels more like a platform to denigrate the "liberal lefties", and as such, will be taken less seriously among those who see merit in both sides of the argument. Bottom line: There are tremendously important ideas in this book that are useful to our understanding of race in society. The delivery of these ideas is imperfect and at times grating, with certain conclusions not standing more rigorous investigation. Nonetheless, this book is still worth a read for serious thinkers on any place of the political spectrum.

It is so refreshing to read any intellectual talk about race in a rational and empirical way, but when it is a black intellectual it is so much more effective. Thomas Sowell is obviously a brilliant man and his shredding of race politics by liberal elites is amazing. If everyone would read and take seriously this book I believe we would live in an entirely different world. This short book is amazing and you will not regret reading it. Very highly recommended.

By “intellectuals”, Sowell means people whose work begins and ends by creating or disseminating ideas that are not supported by factual evidence. They judge their ideas by whether they “sound good to other intellectuals or resonate with the public”. Intellectuals therefore differ from scientists, whose work often also begins and ends by creating or disseminating ideas, but these have to be supported by factual evidences on which their peers will base their judgment. His main thesis is that, although African-Americans have clearly been subject to intense “racial discrimination” in the past and are still now subjected to both positive and, to a far lesser extent, negative discrimination, “racial discrimination” is NOT the main cause of the current differences in performance between blacks and other ethnic groups – contrary to what most intellectuals claim “without a spec of evidence”. He furthermore shows that these differences are largely due to other causes, the main one being cultural differences, especially the current culture of victimhood, resentment and grievance that intellectual’s ideologies of “racial discrimination” have promoted inside black communities. Sowell provides many factual evidences supporting his thesis, such as many cases worldwide where subgroups have underperformed in the clear absence of “racial discrimination”, or where subgroups clearly subjected to “racial discrimination” have outperformed the ruling group. He shows how African-Americans’ performance has overall deteriorated since the advent of the civil right movements and the outlawing of “racial discrimination” against them, and how affirmative action has globally been detrimental to African-Americans achievements. Throughout his book, his arguments are well supported by numerous references to reputable sources, although many of them are rather old. My only two criticisms are: (a) At a few places, some facts are not sufficiently developed to fully support his arguments. (b) In chapter 5 “Race and Intelligence”, he develops at length some convincing arguments against the heredity hypothesis, but fails to even mention any of the arguments supporting it. However, he courageously takes the defense of the book “The Bell Curve” against “the firestorm among the intelligentsia” that it ignited for suggesting a genetic origin to some of the interracial IQ differences. Therefore I rate four stars this otherwise invaluable book.

The author has the courage to point out there is an elephant in the room, and also showed us the evidence why the existence of the elephant is true. Or he is simply the child who speaks out that the emperor has no clothes.

I decided to listen to this due to the uproar surrounding the Martin case. You won't hear the talking heads on the big networks talking about the well-researched information contained in this book. Dr. Sowell's analysis of race issues and the polarizing effect "intellectuals" have on people in America compared to similar situations in other parts of the world throughout history really put things in perspective for me. The mainstream media as well as liberal arts departments at universities are feeding the masses a narrative about race and discrimination that just can't be substantiated. This book clearly demonstrates this fact.

Thomas Sowell's book is very well-written and easy to understand, even without much background knowledge on the topic. This book is very well researched. Although I am a liberal, I have to admit that Sowell makes a good argument for the role that culture plays in the adverse outcomes of African Americans.

Very informative

Read the book to understand how liberal racists manipulate or just ignore data that doesn't agree with their skewed position.

Received the book in reasonable time. The book is well taken care of and I have enjoyed it very much.

Anyone who has ever studied race relations, black history or any other sociological theories knows that this book is highly lacking in its research or intellectual content. In his claimed research he cherry picks data and ascribes it without any further depth of what the data entails. His sole argument is that the plight of blacks is based upon black failures, poor character, and inferior intelligence. (Unironically, the author touts that he is a mentor to Justice Clarence Thomas and only listens to Rush Limbaugh). In fact, this author denies that racism even exists, in the book he uses Asians as the scapegoat, suggesting that if blacks are being discriminated against then Asians would be too. Conveniently forgetting that in the past Asians also were discriminated against but as they developed stronger intra-racial alliances and gained economic power, they became the model minority. (there are numerous books on the subject). He refuses to acknowledge data which states that blacks who are provided the exact same educational opportunities from childhood do considerably better than their white counterparts. He also refuses to acknowledge the significant amount of data which shows that blacks who attained higher education than white counterparts are denied jobs or that companies which received the exact same resume but with different names (one black sounding/one white sounding) overwhelmingly chose the white applicant. Numerous other studies also provide this data, but he doesn't use this because it doesn't fit his agenda. If that is not an illogical enough argument, he denies that there is a reason for the vast amount of inequality that blacks endure on a regular basis and assigns all inequality to internal issues in the black community. Of course every community has its issues, and clearly there are issues that one must take responsibility for but to even deny that there has ever been racism is beyond the desire to pander to a white conservative audience, its just illogical. Although the author himself is black, the content of this book is overwhelmingly anti-black and anti-liberal. Anyone who wants to understand the subject of race and intellectualism should consider more reliable, ethical, and more properly researched sources information (I have read nearly a hundred but there are thousands more I have not read) that tell the entire story (both the good and the bad) without the hostile anti-black bias provided here.

A fair read but the book needs to tackle more current activity among intellectuals as to race. Right wing intellectuals like JP Rushton, John Derbyshire, Richard Lynn, Linda Gottfredson, etc need to be addressed more, as well as those on the left. Referencing the Progressives circa the 1920s is good background, but what's going on now in the field these days? Sowell also does not do much on the Bell Curve side of the house, although Charles Murray qualifies as one of those intellectuals Sowell defines. He refers to his review of Hernstein and Murray's Bell Curve in one sentence but does not take up the points he raised there, where in fact, while praising certain aspects of the work of Hernstein and Murray, criticizes several points, including what seems to be a naive use of statistical correlations. QUOTE: ------------------------------------------------------------------- "Perhaps the most troubling aspect of The Bell Curve from an intellectual standpoint is its authors' uncritical approach to statistical correlations. One of the first things taught in introductory statistics is that correlation is not causation. It is also one fo the first things forgotten and one of the most widely ignored facts in public policy research. The statistical term "multicollinearity," dealing with spurious correlation, appears only once in this massive book. Multicollinearity refers to the fact that many variables are highly correlated with one another, so that it is very easy to believe that a certain result comes from variable A, when in fact it is due to variable Z, with which A happens to be correlated. In real life, innumerable factors go together." --Sowell, Thomas. "Ethnicity and IQ" pp70-79 IN: The Bell Curve Wars: Race, Intelligence, and the Future of America. 1996. ed Steven Fraser ------------------------------- Sowell also shows how the Flynn Effect undermines certain aspects of Hernstein and Murray's claims. Thus, Sowell is no apologist for right-wingers. In fact he criticizes key parts of The Bell Curve and much of his other work continually undermines the claims of right wing intellectuals on race. Assorted "biodiversity" intellectuals these days for example, still claim that "cold climate challenges" led to "cognitive advances" thus reflected in more advanced European (or Asian these days) "evolution." But such is nonsense. The alleged "harsh European climate" is anything but- to the contrary -Sowell in his several works shows the alleged "harsh and unforgiving" environment of Europe meme is bogus. In fact Europe lays in a congenial ecozone between warmer Africa and the ice sheets of the Artic, with a climate moderated by the Gulf Stream. Far from great environmental difficulty, Europe possessed great environmental ADVANTAGES, themselves noted by Sowell, including fertile soils, rich deposits of wood, stone, metals, and other resources, and most importantly a geographic layout facilitating the movement of technology, people and ideas from outside Europe, that enabled Europe to borrow, copy and adapt these technologies and ideas to advance. This crucial network of movement includes the network of rivers spanning cross peninsula routes, including the Rhine and the Danube. Also of critical importance that allowed Europe to borrow, copy and adapt technologies and ideas developed outside is Europe's favorable coastline, almost 23,000 miles, more than enough to gird the earth, with numerous natural harbors. Added to this would be the broad highway belt of the Mediterranean. Nor is this anything recent. Lewin 1988 (In the Age of Mankind. Smithsonian. pp. 196-199) shows that far back in the European past, massive parts of Western Europe such as France enjoyed rich environmental conditions with numerous wild species to hunt- quote: "the Upper Paleolithic people of Western Europe probably enjoyed a greater degree of social-complexity than is projected by the simplistic hunter-gatherer model. They had a rich diversity of resources, and a high degree of stability and predictability of these resources year to year." And not only animals but the wild ancestors of key food crops were in places such as chickpeas and wheat-like variants of spelt, etc. Even the far north, places like Sweden's Iron Gates zone had rich lake and river fishing resources- amply supporting population. In short, Europe has been among the favored places on earth in terms of being positioned to benefit from the free movement of ideas, technologies, methods and people- whether it be things like key plant and animal domesticates that transformed human life, writing, certain geared & powered machinery, metallurgy, etc, or even cultural products these days identified as "European" - like the massively influential Christian religion. None of these key technologies, tecnhiques or concepts undergirding human civilization originated in Europe. Indeed key ancient populations studied in Europe show tropical adaptations- a reflection of their ancestry from Africa via various pathways (Holiday 1997,2000, 2012; Stringer 2012 (Lone Survivors) et al). Conservative mainstream scientists even show pale European skin color is a recent adaptation (Jablonski 2000) and alleged Paleolithic "cognitive revolutions" in Europe were not only carried out by those showing tropical adaptations, but follow developments ALREADY well underway INSIDE Africa (Mellars 2006, McBreaty and Brooks 2000, Stringer 2012) Assorted "biodiversity" or "HBD" intellectuals also paint a picture of oppressed Europeans laboring under "harsh" climates, with high levels of "unpredictability" that led to "greater cognitive capacity" -when in fact this is not the case at all. There was plenty of "predictability" in the European zone environment. The hard data also contradicts claims that tropical peoples lolled about in alleged environments of "ease" that were "predictable". Furthermore as Sowell 1981, 1993, 1994 shows, the colder climate had the advantages of greater massive snow-melt that translated into fruitful irrigation at lower altitudes, and temperatures that killed off insect pests and vectors. The peoples of the (bogusly "predictable") tropical zone enjoyed no such advantages. Assorted right wing race mongering intellectuals in some cases also posit "evolutionary" scenarios for current social phenomena. Hence a black thug jacking yo car in 2013, is due to "evolution" that "selected" for more disorderly folk circa 60,000 BC- "somewhere in Africa" -give or take a few millennia. Roll ominous background music... Oh the case is put in more elaborate and sophisticated terms but that's the bottom line. Sowell's work debunks such notions. He shows for example that numerous allegedly more "virtuous" European peoples have been among the most violent and corrupt on earth. If evolution "selected" for black thugs circa 2013, did it also "select" for the violent Irish whos early 20th/late 19th cen neighborhoods on certain counts makes today's black ghettoes look like the YMCA? Or is the "selection" meme only applied one way when convenient black scapegoats can be fingered? All the ghetto riots of the 1960s Sowell points out did not even equal the number of people killed in SINGLE Irish riots. Then there are those high out of wedlock rates, high rates of substance abuse, high levels of child abuse and neglect etc etc.. Did "evolution" supposedly "select" for those as well among white people? How about those high IQ Germans and Russians? Did "evolution" "select" for people that "naturally" mass murder tens of millions, or are they conveniently (and hypocritically) exempt, while only black folk have all these supposed "evolutionary" negatives? When various right-wing notions are but to the empirical test, they fall laughably short. In short, Sowell's work debunks the claims of numerous right-wing intellectuals about race. The book however does not take up this fertile field. Nor does it tackle one of the biggest issues today re race and intellectuals- does race IN A BIOLOGICAL SENSE, exist at all? Numerous scientists using hard data present a compelling case that it does not, and they point out the trivial fraction race plays in human diversity, the higher variation within so called "racial groups," or continental groups, and how mere geographic clustering of patterns does not signify BIOLOGICAL "race," and how so-called "race" categories do not follow the rigorous procedures used to identify other subspecies (See Templeton 2002, Armelagos 2000 etc etc). Ironically, some conservative scientists show that Europeans may not be a primary "race" at all but hybrids, one-third African, two-thirds Asian (Cavalli-Sforza, 1997) - a finding which in itself deconstructs long cherished "racial" categories. Others also note how some studies establish "race" categories in advance of the analysis, then sort data into those predefined categories, rather than letting the data speak for themselves- in short- pre-rigging results of the analyses (Armelagos 2001). Then there are such curiosities as "African" versus "Non African" categories, when the "non-African" classification itself includes AFRICAN populations (Kittles and Keita 1997). They also show that the almost mystical faith in "selection"- with this and that trait being supposedly "selected for" in human populations is in fact highly misleading and how random genetic drift is in many case a much more powerful force than "selection" (Oubre 2007). In short, serious scientists, using hard data, debunk the racial notions of right wing intellectuals. It is not merely a matter of "political correctness" as is often alleged. These issues however are not in the book, whose title "Intellectuals and Race" evokes the expectation of a decent review of the current field.. In fairness Sowell says he is taking up only the themes as tied in with his earlier book Intellectuals and Society, but this unfortunately leads to a great part of the book dealing with long ago Progressives and such others 60-70 years ago, rather than what's happening now. A shame really for much of Sowell's work can be drectly applied to current controversies on race, IQ etc.. challenging both left-wing or right-wing claims. Sowell however only lightly touches the edges then moves on. This is a fair read, but left out a lot. I would not recommend paying full price for this book. It recycles a lot of previous stuff. Pick it up at your local library instead.

I used to count Sowell among those with whom we (the vast majority of scholars working in the fields he critiques in this book) had to engage as he has in the past raised serious and important questions about the assumptions of scholarship around race, etc. This book fails, miserably, to meet that standard- as I gather much of his more recent work does. His audience is clearly not those whose objective is to think seriously about issues of race/racial justice/racial inequality, but rather those who fancy themselves somehow intellectually resentful or academically reactionary. The underlying assumptions here, though, are not terribly distant from the kind of tired "cultural pathology" tropes that have been in currency for the last 40 years- some of which he at least refers to directly. I'l identify just a few criticisms, though there are nearly too many to name, but such a seriously regarded scholar deserves some specific criticisms. For a book whose subject is race, there is a terribly imprecise treatment of the construct, and he often conflates, confuses or otherwise misrepresents the differences between race, ethnicity, and culture. These differences are important in general, but especially important to the kind of culturalist argument he is advancing. His effort to suggest (with a few carefully placed caveats) that eugenics and biological racism - both of which still have some purchase in the far corners of the paleoconservative movements today- are essentially a phenomenon of the progressive Left is hugely irresponsible and dishonest. It's absolutely true that many progressive-era thinkers bought into and propagated pseudo-scientific racism, but the suggestion that it is necessarily the product of "social engineering," or that these ideas were somehow a product of progressive ideology or politics, or that they were not FAR MORE constitutive of the conservative movements of the day is terrible dishonest. This whole line of argument, irresponsible and ahistorical as it is, has been propagated by Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" among many other paces- with reminders that "The Klan were Democrats," etc. Of course this is, like what Sowell has done here, an intentional conflation of party with ideology, etc. Conservative movements have always been characterized by an affinity for- or at least acceptance of "natural hierarchies" and scientific/naturalistic racism is one species of this perspective. Note that unlike Sowell, I am NOT implying the conservatism leads to eugenics, not in the least. His effort to make his culturalist argument about race more robust by referring to majority/minority relations in other societies is irresponsible as well because universalizing a cultural argument undermines the cultural context. Ethnic Han Chinese in Malaysia are not the same as WASPs in the US for a whole variety of reasons, for example. The sloppiest rhetorical move in the book was to suggest that somehow "The American Dilemma" was a watershed moment for nearly all progressives that caused a wholesale migration from eugenicism to the modern racial liberalism that Sowell so decries. Not only does he not explain a mechanism by which this process might have happened, but provides no evidence of individuals or organizations that made this transition. This is the fingerprint of a fundamentally unserious writer- to find a narrative device (for which there is no evidence) that ties up the whole "progressives are responsible for all racism" deceit in an ugly bow. There is, however, considerable evidence in the academic literature that those who once made eugenicist/biological arguments for racial inequality now make the kinds of culturalist arguments that Sowell is advancing. (See Larry Bobo's recent work, for example). Because it is no longer considered polite, for example, to suggest that people of color are more likely to be poor because of their inferior brains, THE SAME people today are much more likely to couch their resentment and dismissal in reflections on "Black Culture." While Sowell half-heartedly concedes that structural factors maybe be the cause of and/or intertwined with cultural practices of, for example "Southern African Americans," he seems to gloss over the fact that changing structural relationships might be possible or desirable. This is a rather significant error. Perhaps the most shocking claim in the entire book, carefully couched in condemnation of the institution of slavery, was his subtle suggestion that those descended from slaves in the US were lucky for such an advantage relative to the current peoples of West Africa. This is a long and well-worn suggestion that has great currency in the Neo-Confederate and White Supremacist communities today, but is frankly well beneath the kind of discourse that Sowell suggests he is promoting. There is some recent work as well about the experiences with discrimination of recent African Immigrants that also undercuts the culturalist explanation- it turns out that being perceived as "Black" regardless of your own culture and values (and other opportunity structures" can limit one's life chances in ways that matter. (See Quincy Stewart's work on this) Unlike the caricature of the sentimentalist guilt-ridden disconnected radicals determined to be "on the side of the Angels," most folks who take this work seriously- that is understanding racial inequality- hold themselves and their work to a much, much higher standard than the quality of this book. There is, even within the academy from which Sowell is so estranged, a shift toward understanding culture better as it relates to racial inequality. There's a serious effort to really understand the complexity of the yawning gaps of racial inequality in our country. Problems that, in many ways, are getting worse and not better. But that was never the point of this book. This is a polemic designed not only to grant absolution to those who have supported and do support systems, policies and practices that create and exacerbate racial inequality, but it's also a dressed-up smear job directed at those who oppose them. This is a book written for resentful white people designed to provide a fancy justification for opposition to racial justice. Sowell is clearly a gifted intellectual whose influence is especially significant in certain quarters of our society. But this particular effort represents a new low in pandering and dishonesty. Those of you who love this intellectual so much should demand more of him. And he of himself.

The scholarship and reasoning of Thomas Sowell are so refreshing. Is the politically correct misinformation the news salesmen use the product of our public school? Or just old fashioned laziness?

Though he takes a serious attempt to tackle an important issue, his analysis is sorely lacking. The work resounds in logical fallacies. I'll only cite two here: 1. He says that intellectual theories that link racism to the abhorent situation of most blacks is belied by the fact that Asians perform well on standardized tests and elsewhere. So if I hate black people, and even use the N word all the time to disparage my black employees, I still am not racist in Sowell's view if I don't also Asians. That makes no sense. I can hate black people without hating other groups. 2. The second critique is related to the first. Sowell looks at the treatment of blacks who receive poor loan conditions or are denied loans and says that race can't be a factor because Asians get loans on favorable terms. Again, I can hate blacks without hating Asians. In fact, I'm surprised Sowell doesn't understand that, because of the long history of race relations in this country, there is an animus reserved for African Americans that is not equally applied to other races. Sowell completely fails to address this fundamental problem: a black man with the exact same credit score and history as a white man is half as likely to receive a loan on the same favorable terms as that white man. (Sowell says this can't be racism because 1. Asians; and 2. black-owned banks also discriminate. Neither of these arguments merit a response). Unfortunately, what could have been a serious book by a relatively serious scholar (I'll ignore the fact he once compared Obama to Hitler) became a misguided attempt to understand a complex phenomenon that--apparently--was too complex for the author.

Thomas Sowell's "Intellectuals and Race" is interesting but I must disagree with the main premise. As Prof. Sowell correctly states, most intellectuals of the early 20th century considered racial inequalities to be genetically based while "thinkers" of the late 20th century tended to blame white racism for blacks' problems. Sowell sets himself above the fray by proclaiming both groups wrong because, as he has it, the facts are far more complicated than what we are being told. I am not convinced. According to Dr. Sowell, geography, climate, accidents of history, the presence of draft animals, etc. are factors that must be considered as contributing to racial differences. He sees these factors as playing larger rolls than genes or racism. Sowell's arguments regarding racism, as perceived by liberals and multiculturalists, are impeccable. His disagreements with the early 20th century intellectuals are severely lacking, though. Prof. Sowell tries to deemphasize the role of intelligence in accounting for black difficulties by pointing to other groups. He mentions that the Jews, Italians and Irish didn't score well on IQ tests when they first immigrated to America. But he fails to mention that American blacks have always scored a full standard deviation below whites on IQ tests over the last century and there are no signs of that changing to this day. He also fails to mention that African blacks, who are more racially pure, have always scored a full two standard deviations below whites. His arguments regarding the ceiling of black IQ scores is misleading. In each case where he shows exceptionally high scoring blacks, he uses children as his example. The problem is that blacks tend to mature earlier than whites (and apes mature earlier than humans). The only fair way to make comparisons of this nature is by studying fully mature adults. Dr. Sowell takes great satisfaction in pointing out that the children from black soldiers and German women after WWII had IQ scores about as high as those of white GIs with German women. This is a foolish argument. The test which the military administers to prospective recruits and draftees is, in effect, an IQ test. For obvious reasons, a far higher proportion of blacks are rejected than whites. The resulting pool of soldiers is far more homogeneous than what is found in the general population. Prof. Sowell is fond of repeating that correlation does not prove causation while arguing against a genetic influence for black failure. Well, it certainly doesn't disprove it either. He is quick to quote Charles Murray's cowardly agnostic stance to buttress his case but fails to mention subsequent work by Arthur Jensen, Phil Rushton and Richard Lynn which offer convincing proof for a genetic influence. Also left unmentioned are the famous adoption studies of black children raised by white parents and the studies of identical twins reared apart. Does Dr. Sowell know the difference between a dependent and an independent variable? I'll go this far in agreeing with Prof. Sowell that weather had an influence on IQ: Those populations that survived two ice ages, through the ordinary process of natural selection, were left with superior intellect. That is, Europeans and East Asians have superior IQs because only the fittest or smartest could figure out how to sustain themselves through the harsh environments they were subjected to.

By “intellectuals”, Sowell means people whose work begins and ends by creating or disseminating ideas that are not supported by factual evidence. They judge their ideas by whether they “sound good to other intellectuals or resonate with the public”. Intellectuals therefore differ from scientists, whose work often also begins and ends by creating or disseminating ideas, but these have to be supported by factual evidences on which their peers will base their judgment. His main thesis is that, although African-Americans have clearly been subject to intense “racial discrimination” in the past and are still now subjected to both positive and, to a far lesser extent, negative discrimination, “racial discrimination” is NOT the main cause of the current differences in performance between blacks and other ethnic groups – contrary to what most intellectuals claim “without a spec of evidence”. He furthermore shows that these differences are largely due to other causes, the main one being cultural differences, especially the current culture of victimhood, resentment and grievance that intellectual’s ideologies of “racial discrimination” have promoted inside black communities. Sowell provides many factual evidences supporting his thesis, such as many cases worldwide where subgroups have underperformed in the clear absence of “racial discrimination”, or where subgroups clearly subjected to “racial discrimination” have outperformed the ruling group. He shows how African-Americans’ performance has overall deteriorated since the advent of the civil right movements and the outlawing of “racial discrimination” against them, and how affirmative action has globally been detrimental to African-Americans achievements. Throughout his book, his arguments are well supported by numerous references to reputable sources, although many of them are rather old. My only two (minor) criticisms are: (a) At a few places, some facts are not sufficiently developed to fully support his arguments. (b) In chapter 5 “Race and Intelligence”, he develops at length some convincing arguments against the heredity hypothesis, but fails to even mention any of the arguments supporting it. However, he courageously takes the defence of the book “The Bell Curve” against “the firestorm among the intelligentsia” that it ignited for suggesting a genetic origin to some of the interracial IQ differences.

Empirically dispels many of the presuppositions concerning race, through providing historical accounts and experiences of race and constructing a powerful argument that will be very insightful for the objective reader, who is willing to lay their emotions aside to focus on the evidence. As is typical with Thomas Sowell, he provides a thorough, objective and relatively easy to read piece of research which I believe will be interesting for every demographic of readers, given the ethnographic breadth and depth of the book. I would certainly recommend reading this as well as opposing arguments to come to your own conclusion, that is what true critical thinking is about.

This is an excellent book that explores issues of race from recent historical times to the present day. The problems that contemporary Western societies have with race can be traced to discredited and devisive political and intellectual arguments put forward by Progressive politics of the late 19th century and to further dogmatic theories of discrimination pursued by so-called Intellectuals in the second half of the 20th century. Sowell's work is very well researched and eminently readable. All aspiring politicians should read this.

So far it's a very good read but if you've come to believe everything you see & read in the media prepare to be surprised.

Nothing to dislike . A tough broad topic nothing omitted nor glossed over . Could have been written by a Martian , a very clever Martian - that happens to living as an African American philosopher

Thomas Sowell the greatest living philosopher. If there are any of his books that you do not own, don't let this be one of them. Get the hardback because it is one that will be handed down to your grand children's grand children.

Loved this slant on race within the economy. We can't blame 'race' (which doesn't exist anyway) for everything! This book give really interesting ideas to consider. A must for any 'race' sociology student.