Is this video (Thomas Sowell on Intellectuals and Society ) and the ideas, concepts and arguments in it worth discussing on LW in a separate discussion thread? By which I mean am I underestimating the mind-killing triggered by some of the political criticisms made by Thomas Sowell in it? Obviously he’s politically biased in his own direction, but the fundamental idea that public intellectuals are basically rent seekers seems alarmingly plausible.
Also Thomas Sowell is obviously an intellectual, his criticism should reduce our trust in his criticism. ;)
The Sowell I’ve read has been fascinating and useful, but I agree with much of his politics and his insights seem mostly confined to politics (and economics). I’m not sure if it’s worth discussing videos as much as books- they introduce a handful of ideas, but without the extensive justifications and clarifications that exist in the book. That suggests to me that bias will play a larger role in interpretation than it would when considering the full argument.
Is this video (Thomas Sowell on Intellectuals and Society ) and the ideas, concepts and arguments in it worth discussing on LW in a separate discussion thread? By which I mean am I underestimating the mind-killing triggered by some of the political criticisms made by Thomas Sowell in it? Obviously he’s politically biased in his own direction, but the fundamental idea that public intellectuals are basically rent seekers seems alarmingly plausible.
Also Thomas Sowell is obviously an intellectual, his criticism should reduce our trust in his criticism. ;)
The Sowell I’ve read has been fascinating and useful, but I agree with much of his politics and his insights seem mostly confined to politics (and economics). I’m not sure if it’s worth discussing videos as much as books- they introduce a handful of ideas, but without the extensive justifications and clarifications that exist in the book. That suggests to me that bias will play a larger role in interpretation than it would when considering the full argument.
Maybe a thread about the book he mentions in the video. I’ll need to actually read it then. :)