Any economic scholars here have the skinny on Thomas Sowell?

[Cary]

My rightist friends gush about this guy. My Googling yields nothing negative about him (except that he's a "libertarian", which I would not consider per se negative).

I will need to read some of Sowell's work but I am so weary from rightist b.s. that I hesitate. And so I seek out some trusted advice from any learned poster here who has an opinion, before I delve into it.

Also in the amazingly likely event that one of my lurking rightist friends finds this thread, a big hello to you. Isn't it funny how rightists do that?

[truedelphi]

1. I remember him protesting the Affirmative Rights situation

Far too much for a black person to do. And while I am willing to say that in many places it has served its purpose and could be phased out, that is NOW.

He started going on about this way back in the mid 1980's.

[Renaissance Man]

2. Conservative.

He's the face of black fiscal conservatism. He's libertarian in his viewpoint concerning taxes, and he rails against the federal income tax.

You don't ever have to worry about him receiving any praise from any reasonable economists. You also won't see him on the cover of any black liberal/progressive news publication, blog, etc.

[housewolf]

3. Thomas Sewell on CSpan

Here are some hits from CSpans "Booknotes" series:
http://www.booknotes.org/Search/results.asp?ResultStart=1&ResultCount=10&QueryText=Thomas+Sowell


You can watch the video of the Booknotes presentation here, from 1990
http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=4908&SectionName=Encore%20Booknotes&PlayMedia=Yes

[nomorenomore08]

4. Ugh... I remember his columns from my local paper (Contra Costa Times), back when we still got it.

He's your standard conservative blowhard who sets up liberal strawmen ("They want unfettered socialism!" "They're obsessed with race/class/gender!"), and then "heroically" knocks them down. He's also something of the Clarence Thomas/Dinesh D'Souza type, as in members of racial minority groups who rail against the very "liberal" programs (affirmative action, etc.) that they themselves likely benefited from.

[gravity]

5. You basically have to attack libertarianism

Thomas Sowell is a sharp guy (one of the smartest on the right), so I don't think you can attack him on that front.

My main beef with him is his extreme libertarian view, which free markets will solve all the problems. Basically the only way to beat him to explain how his views have failed in real life, which isn't an easy tasks. You essentially have to find loads of real life data and studies to counter his simple theories, which isn't an easy way to win the argument.

My personal opinion of the guy is that he has some good views about the economics which are worth learning, but just takes them to far until he becomes a fundamentalists about him. It would probably be a good idea to read his work, but take it with a grain of salt, and read something from an econmists on the left to balance it out.

[SergeyDovlatov]

6. He is rabidly pro-war, anti-Obama.

He may have been libertarian earlier in his life, but he degenerated into pro-war, republican establishment defending lackey. (I guess he needs his syndicating columns published)

He writes regularly on Townhall/JWR/National Review attacking Obama, anti-war people, promoting war, and blaming peace movement for World War II.

[SergeyDovlatov]

7. libertarians are trying to disown Thomas Sowell

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/009940.html

re: More Sowell
Posted by Thomas DiLorenzo at February 10, 2006 11:11 AM

If you look at Sowell's other columns at Neocon Party Line Central ("townhall.com")he has also belittled the fact that "only" some 2200 young Americans have been needlessly killed in Iraq compared to say, the death toll of WW II. Torture. Concentration Camps. Aggressive invasions of countries that pose no danger to us. Naturally, he also reveals himself as a Lincoln worshipper in another column, and has just written an entire book about why he hates the south and southerners. Amateurish pop sociology at its worst. Sowell is a vintage neocon and just another GOP puppet. I used to use his economics writings in my classes, but I'm throwing all his books in the trash.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/014307.html

July 26, 2007
How Many Iranians Should "We" Murder, Anyway?
Posted by Thomas DiLorenzo at July 26, 2007 07:52 AM

In Thomas Sowell's latest syndicated column, which I read in the Balimore Sun today, he devotes two-thirds of the space to a recitation of some of the evils of Adolf Hitler. So far, so good. Then comes the punch line: The "Iranian leadership," he says, is "like Hitler." Those are his exact words.

Americans are morally bankrupt, he says, if we refuse to mass murder Iranians. Like Hitler, he insinuates, they intend to conquer the world militarily.

Lord, how long must we suffer from listening and reading neocon claptrap comparing every unstable politician in the world to Hitler, and then recommending that we invade his country and murder his people by the thousands? And it is ALWAYS wrapped in the mantle of "morality."

http://www.freeliberal.com/blog/archives/002209.php

"Libertarians" for the draft?
Lew Rockwell highlights the bizarre argument against the draft made by Thomas Sowell. Sowell argues that today's American youth are spoiled, selfish brats who have been brainwashed by anti-American propaganda that was force fed them in public schools so they don't deserve to be drafted! The clear implication of Sowell's argument is that if kids where raised properly then a draft would be just fine. As one of the many libertarians who was influenced by his writings I am sad to see Sowell argue that the we have a moral duty to give our lives for the warfare state.