Intellectuals and Race
Intellectuals and Race is a radical book in the original sense of one that goes to the root of the problem. The role of intellectuals in racial strife is explored in an international context that puts the American experience in a wholly new light.
The views of individual intellectuals have spanned the spectrum, but the views of intellectuals as a whole have tended to cluster. Indeed, these views have clustered at one end of the spectrum in the early twentieth century and then clustered at the opposite end of the spectrum in the late twentieth century. Moreover, these radically different views of race in these two eras were held by intellectuals whose views on other issues were very similar in both eras.
Intellectuals and Race is not, however, a book about history, even though it has much historical evidence, as well as demographic, geographic, economic and statistical evidence -- all of it directed toward testing the underlying assumptions about race that have prevailed at times among intellectuals in general, and especially intellectuals at the highest levels. Nor is this simply a theoretical exercise. The impact of intellectuals' ideas and crusades on the larger society, both past and present, is the ultimate concern. These ideas and crusades have ranged widely from racial theories of intelligence to eugenics to "social justice" and multiculturalism.
In addition to in-depth examinations of these and other issues, Intellectuals and Race explores the incentives, the visions and the rationales that drive intellectuals at the highest levels to conclusions that have often turned out to be counterproductive and even disastrous, not only for particular racial or ethnic groups, but for societies as a whole.
Reviews (153)
Just the Facts, Ma'am
"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 ...
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.
Science, Honesty, and Eloquence ... Past and Present
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.
must read
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.
Wow.
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.
Understanding what I have observed
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.
More greatest hits
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
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.
A towering achievement
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.
Important Work
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.
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