Thomas Sowell is not a name we often hear. He is about to turn 96, a brilliant economist, social thinker, writer, and black conservative. His words are – in every book – provocative, persuasive, powerful, and deserve a closer look at our society shudders.
Sowell grew up in Harlem, one of the poorest areas of New York City. He is the American Dream, became a US Marine, fought in Korea, returned to become an honor student at Harvard, with a master’s from Columbia in economics, a PhD from Chicago, taught at Cornell and Stanford. His mind is – even now – ever in motion.
Close to Milton Friedman, Clarence Thomas, and Ronald Reagan, he is a voice of reason, even today, centered on logic, facts, and reality in a time of fantasy, fiction, and falsehood.
If you can believe it, he wrote 45 books, gems, his brain and heart in sync with economic and political history, a grounded reminder that these things count, must always count.
On education, he reminds readers that it is not squishy; it is a thing. Its absence is also real. There is as much danger in the absence of education as virtue in real learning. We should strive for it.
To the point, he wrote: “The next time some academics tell you how important diversity is, ask how many Republicans there are in their sociology department.” Again: “The problem isn’t that Johnny can’t read. The problem isn’t even that Johnny can’t think. The problem is that Johnny doesn’t know what thinking is; he confuses it with feeling.” There it is, in a nutshell.
If that does not describe the state of modern education, pushed by ideologically driven “education unions,” nothing does. He worries about the future of a society without education.
“The implications of having so many people so incapable of confronting opposing arguments with anything besides ad hominem responses reach far.” If the young cannot think, then what?
On the drift of society toward senselessness, the default to “racism” as a political response to fraud or failure – and he is uniquely positioned: “If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten you labeled a radical 60 years ago, a liberal 30 years ago and a racist today.”
If someone stands up to dishonesty and fraud, opposes buying votes, Sowell is clear about what will happen. They will be called “racist.” “Racism is not dead, but it is on life support – kept alive by politicians, race hustlers and people who get a sense of superiority by denouncing others as ‘racists’ … ANYONE who studies the history of ideas should notice how much more often people on the political left, more so than others, denigrate and demonize those who disagree with them – instead of answering their arguments.” No one better than Sowell to make the point.
Sowell’s candor is refreshing, and it resonates. On economics, in particular socialism and communism, he is ruthlessly clear, as Milton Friedman was before him: “What exactly is your ‘fair share’ of what ‘someone else’ has worked for?” he asks, adding: “One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain.”
Bottom line: “The more people who are dependent on government handouts, the more votes the left can depend on for an ever-expanding welfare state.” True, from Maine to Minnesota!
At times, he uses humor with logic. “What do you call it when someone steals someone else’s money secretly? Theft. What do you call it when someone takes someone else’s money openly by force? Robbery. What do you call it when a politician takes someone else’s money in taxes and gives it to someone who is more likely to vote for him? Social Justice.”
Tying up loose ends: “You cannot subsidize irresponsibility and expect people to become more responsible.” Sowell’s mind still prods. “There are 3 questions that would destroy most of the arguments of the Left. The first is – compared to what? The second is – at what cost? And the third is – what hard evidence do you have?” Bingo.
Perhaps the best conclusion to this celebration of Sowell’s wit, principle, and determination to make us think is this: “The Constitution cannot protect us unless we protect the Constitution.”
So, there you have it. Our education system, economic and political system depend on real thought, the defense of our Constitution. Our Founders understood, thought, and fought. Now we must.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, Maine attorney, ten-year naval intelligence officer (USNR), and 25-year businessman. He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (North Country Press, 2018), and “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024). He is National Spokesman for AMAC. Today, he is running to be Maine’s next Governor. BobbyforMaine.com
