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Thomas Sowell (born is Thomas Sowell. He has given me more than any other living American philosopher..." EDUCATION Sowell was born in as a photographer and pistol instructor. After his service, he earned an A.B. in Economics from Harvard College , an A.M. in Economics from Columbia University , and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University Of Chicago , known for its Chicago School of economics. He chose University of Chicago, he has said, because he wanted to study under George Stigler , who would later in 1982 win the Nobel Prize in Economics. At University of Chicago Thomas Sowell also took a course taught by Milton Friedman , who went on to win the Nobel Prize in economics. Sowell has taught at prominent American universities including Cornell University and UCLA , and since 1980 has been a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University , where he holds the fellowship named after Rose and Milton Friedman . {Link without Title} WRITINGS Sowell is both a popular Columnist and an Academic economist. Besides scholarly writing, Sowell has written books, articles and syndicated columns for a general audience, in such publications as . Sowell also writes on racial topics and is a critic of Affirmative Action , {Link without Title} , {Link without Title} . COLUMNS He has a regular politics column that appears on the conservative Townhall.com website. He also regularly writes a column for Capitalism Magazine . A selection of the liberal positions of which Sowell is a staunch critic:
He has defended Racial Profiling regarding Terrorist suspects today. He is a supporter of Free Market and Pro-growth economics. Books
BRIEF NOTES ON SOME OF SOWELL'S THOUGHTS 1) Empirical evidence and objective analysis of costs, benefits and trade-offs is sorely lacking in claims surrounding race, culture and society: In his writings Sowell has repeatedly emphasized the need for Empirical Evidence and Objective assessments of Data , as opposed to the sweeping generalizations, wishful thinking, and distorted or false evidence provided by numerous writers in the field of social policy and economics. In no field are these distortions greater than when the topic of race is discussed. 2) What counts in assessing a social or economic policy is not the stated intentions of promoters, but the actual end results produced on the ground: In his book "Marxism: Philosophy and Economics" Sowell shows that this was the outlook of Marx , and applies this "bottom line" approach to other social policies ranging from IQ Tests to affirmative action. In numerous cases he demonstrates that the stated aims of promoters had little relation to the actual results produced. In regard to affirmative action, for example, claims by proponents that it was a temporary measure, that it helped those categories of Minorities less fortunate, that it would promote social harmony, et cetera, have all proven false when the empirical evidence is actually analyzed. Too often, Sowell points out, Social Policy is made on the basis of sweeping assumptions, arbitrarily-selected Statistical Data , and Ideological Dogma , where evidence is neither asked for nor offered. 3) Numerous factors determine income and education levels among American ethnic groups, and between genders, not the all purpose explanations of racism, or sexism: In books such as Markets and Minorities, Ethnic America, Race and Culture and many others, Sowell demonstrates the importance of such factors as geography, degree of urbanization, cultural structures, field of work, and other factors much more relevant than charges of “racism”. As with so much social policy, those who make such charges seldom present credible empirical evidence and often none is asked for. As for the “pay gap” between men and women, for example, Sowell’s “Civil Rights” book shows that most of said gap is based on marital status, not some sinister “glass ceiling” discrimination. Earnings for men and women of the same basic description (education, jobs, hours worked, marital status) were essentially equal, something that would not be possible under explanatory theories of “sexism”. '''4) Internationally empirical evidence shows easy charges of . On an international scale, cultural factors are very important and some of the countries heavily subjected to imperialism and colonialism are themselves among the most prosperous- Britain for example which suffered under centuries of Roman colonialism and imperialism. Sowell shows that NON-WHITE nations like China were more advanced that those of Europe for centuries until comparatively recent times, and how the West borrowed freely from such nations. Within national settings, students of Asian origin in the West frequently outperform their white counterparts, undercutting white supremacist theories of inherent genetic superiority. 5) Many modern ideological struggles can be traced to two visions: the vision of the anointed and the vision of the constrained realist: These two visions encompass a range of Ideas and Theories , but essentially the vision of the anointed relies heavily on sweeping assumptions about Human Nature , distrust of decentralized processes like the Free Market , distrust of systematic processes that constrain human action, and missing or falsified/distorted empirical evidence. The constrained vision relies heavily on a less grand view of the goodness of human nature, and prefers the systematic processes of the free market, and the systematic processes of the Rule Of Law and Constitutional Government . It distrusts sweeping theories and grand assumptions in favor of heavy reliance on solid empirical evidence and on time-tested structures and processes. THOSE INFLUENCED BY SOWELL It is worth noting that Sowell's book Race And Economics greatly influenced Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas . In 1975, when Thomas read the book, he found an intellectual foundation for his philosophy. Later on, Thomas said that the book changed his life. QUOTES What something cost is history, what it is worth now is economics. April 2006 EXTERNAL LINKS
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