Books
Black Excellence: The Case of Dunbar High School
– "Black Excellence: The Case of Dunbar High School," The Public Interest, Spring 1974, p. 8.Excerpt: Social pathology has held an enduring fascination for researchers, and nowhere more so than in the study of black Americans. Isolated “successes” or “heroes” receive… More
Race and Economics
– Race and Economics. David McKay Company Inc, Philadelphia, PA, 1975.Excerpt: Race makes a difference, in economic transactions as in other areas of life. There has been a tendency to pass over this unpleasant fact, or else to deal with it in purely moral… More
Affirmative Action Reconsidered
– "Affirmative Action Reconsidered," The Public Interest, Winter 1976, p. 47.Excerpt: Images and labels have taken the place of facts in the controversies surrounding “affirmative action.” Words like “quota,” “qualified,” and “under-utilization” are… More
Patterns of Black Excellence
– "Patterns of Black Excellence," The Public Interest, Spring 1976, p. 26.Excerpt: The history of the advancement of black Americans is almost a laboratory study of human achievement, for it extends back to slavery and was accomplished in the face of the… More
Are Quotas Good For Blacks?
– "Are Quotas Good For Blacks?," Commentary, June 1976, p. 39-43.Excerpt: Today’s grand fallacy about race and ethnicity is that the statistical “representation” of a group — in jobs, schools, etc. — shows and measures discrimination. This… More
Myths About Minorities
– "Myths About Minorities," Commentary, August 1979, p. 33-37.Excerpt: Will Rogers once said that it’s not ignorance that is so bad, but all the things we know “that ain’t so.” Much of what we “know” about racial and ethnic minorities in… More
Markets and Minorities
– Markets and Minorities. Basic Books, New York, 1981.Thomas Sowell demonstrates that many of the things we “know” about ethnicity and economic status are not so… Milton Friedman describes Markets and Minorities as a breath of fresh… More
Ethnic America: A History
– Ethnic America: A History. Basic Books, New York, 1981.This classic work by the distinguished economist traces the history of [eight] American ethnic groups — the Irish, Germans, Jews, Italians, Chinese, African-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and… More
Poor Aim In War on Bias
– "Poor Aim In War on Bias," The New York Times, August 11, 1981.Excerpt: One of the tragedies about affirmative action is that there is very little empirical evidence of any benefits to blacks or women out of affirmative action. Further there is reason… More
The Economic Lot of Minorities
– “The Economic Lot of Minorities,” interview with William F. Buckley Jr., Firing Line, SECA, 12 November 1981.The Economics and Politics of Race
– The Economics and Politics of Race. William Morrow, New York, 1983.In this landmark study, Dr. Thomas Sowell… uses an international framework to analyze group differences. Examining the experience of given groups in more than a dozen countries, he seeks… More
Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?
– Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality? William Morrow, New York, 1984.“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!” wrote Sir Walter Scott. Thomas Sowell recalls this eloquent couplet as he retraces the tortuous path of civil… More
Education: Assumptions Versus History
– Education: Assumptions Versus History. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 1986.In the papers collected in Education: Assumptions Versus History, Thomas Sowell takes a hard look at the state of education in our schools and universities… In a well-reasoned and… More
Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays
– Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays. William Morrow, New York, 1987.[Sowell] draws this collection of essays from his Scripps-Howard syndicated column and his contributions to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Sowell… More
‘Affirmative Action’: A Worldwide Disaster
– “'Affirmative Action': A Worldwide Disaster," Commentary, December 1989.Excerpt: The starting point for rethinking and reform must be a recognition that “affirmative action” has been a failure in the United States and a disaster in other countries that have… More
Is Reality Optional?: And Other Essays
– Is Reality Optional?: And Other Essays, Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 1993.Sowell challenges all the assumptions of contemporary liberalism on issues ranging from the economy to race to education in this collection of controversial essays, and captures his… More
Race and Culture: A World View
– Race and Culture: A World View, Basic Books, New York, 1995.Thomas Sowell here gives an international perspective to themes from earlier works like Ethnic America and Markets and Minorities. Arguing that major economic and social differences between… More
The Nuance Excuse
– "The Nuance Excuse," The Weekly Standard, February 3, 1997, pp, 16-18.Excerpt: One of the curious things about the bitter battle over preferences and quotas that came to a head in the California Civil Rights Initiative is how many critics of affirmative… More
The Day Cornell Died
– "The Day Cornell Died," The Weekly Standard, May 3, 1999, pp. 31-33.Excerpt: No one who was at Cornell University in the spring of 1969 is ever likely to forget the guns-on-campus crisis that shocked the academic community and the nation. Bands of militant… More
A Personal Odyssey
– A Personal Odyssey, The Free Press, New York, 2002.This is the gritty story of one man’s lifelong education in the school of hard knocks, as his journey took him from Harlem to the Marines, the Ivy League, and a career as a… More
Controversial Essays
– Controversial Essays, Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 2002.One of conservatism’s most articulate voices dissects today’s most important economic, racial, political, educational, legal, and social issues, sharing his entertaining and… More
Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study
– Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2004.In this important book, an eminent authority presents a new perspective on affirmative action, investigating its actual consequences in the United States and in other countries where it has… More
Black Rednecks and White Liberals
– Black Rednecks and White Liberals. Encounter Books, San Francisco, 2006.This explosive new book challenges many of the long-prevailing assumptions about blacks, about Jews, about Germans, about slavery, and about education. Plainly written, powerfully reasoned… More
Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays
– Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 2006.Thomas Sowell takes aim at a range of legal, social, racial, educational, and economic issues in this latest collection of his controversial, never boring, always thought-provoking essays.… More
Dismantling America: And Other Controversial Essays
– Dismantling America: And Other Controversial Essays. Basic Books, New York, 2010.These wide-ranging essays — on many individual political, economic, cultural and legal issues — have as a recurring, underlying theme the decline of the values and institutions… More
The Thomas Sowell Reader
– The Thomas Sowell Reader. Basic Books, New York, 2011.These selections from the many writings of Thomas Sowell over a period of a half century cover social, economic, cultural, legal, educational, and political issues. The sources range from… More
Intellectuals and Race
– Intellectuals and Race. Basic Books, New York, 2013. The role of intellectuals in racial strife is explored in an international context that puts the American experience in a wholly new light… Intellectuals and Race is not a book… More
Thomas Sowell – Progressives, Liberals and Race
– Video. Interview with Peter Robinson, Uncommon Knowledge, Hoover Institution, 17 May 2013.“Thomas Sowell – Progressives, Liberals and Race,” is an excerpt of: “Thomas Sowell discusses his newest book, Intellectuals and Race.”
The Reality of Multiculturalism
– Video. Interview with Peter Robinson, Uncommon Knowledge, Hoover Institution, 17 May 2013.“The Reality of Multiculturalism,” is an excerpt of: “Thomas Sowell discusses his newest book, Intellectuals and Race.”
Essays
Black Excellence: The Case of Dunbar High School
– "Black Excellence: The Case of Dunbar High School," The Public Interest, Spring 1974, p. 8.Excerpt: Social pathology has held an enduring fascination for researchers, and nowhere more so than in the study of black Americans. Isolated “successes” or “heroes” receive… More
Race and Economics
– Race and Economics. David McKay Company Inc, Philadelphia, PA, 1975.Excerpt: Race makes a difference, in economic transactions as in other areas of life. There has been a tendency to pass over this unpleasant fact, or else to deal with it in purely moral… More
Affirmative Action Reconsidered
– "Affirmative Action Reconsidered," The Public Interest, Winter 1976, p. 47.Excerpt: Images and labels have taken the place of facts in the controversies surrounding “affirmative action.” Words like “quota,” “qualified,” and “under-utilization” are… More
Patterns of Black Excellence
– "Patterns of Black Excellence," The Public Interest, Spring 1976, p. 26.Excerpt: The history of the advancement of black Americans is almost a laboratory study of human achievement, for it extends back to slavery and was accomplished in the face of the… More
Are Quotas Good For Blacks?
– "Are Quotas Good For Blacks?," Commentary, June 1976, p. 39-43.Excerpt: Today’s grand fallacy about race and ethnicity is that the statistical “representation” of a group — in jobs, schools, etc. — shows and measures discrimination. This… More
Myths About Minorities
– "Myths About Minorities," Commentary, August 1979, p. 33-37.Excerpt: Will Rogers once said that it’s not ignorance that is so bad, but all the things we know “that ain’t so.” Much of what we “know” about racial and ethnic minorities in… More
Markets and Minorities
– Markets and Minorities. Basic Books, New York, 1981.Thomas Sowell demonstrates that many of the things we “know” about ethnicity and economic status are not so… Milton Friedman describes Markets and Minorities as a breath of fresh… More
Ethnic America: A History
– Ethnic America: A History. Basic Books, New York, 1981.This classic work by the distinguished economist traces the history of [eight] American ethnic groups — the Irish, Germans, Jews, Italians, Chinese, African-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and… More
Poor Aim In War on Bias
– "Poor Aim In War on Bias," The New York Times, August 11, 1981.Excerpt: One of the tragedies about affirmative action is that there is very little empirical evidence of any benefits to blacks or women out of affirmative action. Further there is reason… More
The Economic Lot of Minorities
– “The Economic Lot of Minorities,” interview with William F. Buckley Jr., Firing Line, SECA, 12 November 1981.The Economics and Politics of Race
– The Economics and Politics of Race. William Morrow, New York, 1983.In this landmark study, Dr. Thomas Sowell… uses an international framework to analyze group differences. Examining the experience of given groups in more than a dozen countries, he seeks… More
Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?
– Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality? William Morrow, New York, 1984.“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!” wrote Sir Walter Scott. Thomas Sowell recalls this eloquent couplet as he retraces the tortuous path of civil… More
Education: Assumptions Versus History
– Education: Assumptions Versus History. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 1986.In the papers collected in Education: Assumptions Versus History, Thomas Sowell takes a hard look at the state of education in our schools and universities… In a well-reasoned and… More
Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays
– Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays. William Morrow, New York, 1987.[Sowell] draws this collection of essays from his Scripps-Howard syndicated column and his contributions to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Sowell… More
‘Affirmative Action’: A Worldwide Disaster
– “'Affirmative Action': A Worldwide Disaster," Commentary, December 1989.Excerpt: The starting point for rethinking and reform must be a recognition that “affirmative action” has been a failure in the United States and a disaster in other countries that have… More
Is Reality Optional?: And Other Essays
– Is Reality Optional?: And Other Essays, Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 1993.Sowell challenges all the assumptions of contemporary liberalism on issues ranging from the economy to race to education in this collection of controversial essays, and captures his… More
Race and Culture: A World View
– Race and Culture: A World View, Basic Books, New York, 1995.Thomas Sowell here gives an international perspective to themes from earlier works like Ethnic America and Markets and Minorities. Arguing that major economic and social differences between… More
The Nuance Excuse
– "The Nuance Excuse," The Weekly Standard, February 3, 1997, pp, 16-18.Excerpt: One of the curious things about the bitter battle over preferences and quotas that came to a head in the California Civil Rights Initiative is how many critics of affirmative… More
The Day Cornell Died
– "The Day Cornell Died," The Weekly Standard, May 3, 1999, pp. 31-33.Excerpt: No one who was at Cornell University in the spring of 1969 is ever likely to forget the guns-on-campus crisis that shocked the academic community and the nation. Bands of militant… More
A Personal Odyssey
– A Personal Odyssey, The Free Press, New York, 2002.This is the gritty story of one man’s lifelong education in the school of hard knocks, as his journey took him from Harlem to the Marines, the Ivy League, and a career as a… More
Controversial Essays
– Controversial Essays, Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 2002.One of conservatism’s most articulate voices dissects today’s most important economic, racial, political, educational, legal, and social issues, sharing his entertaining and… More
Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study
– Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2004.In this important book, an eminent authority presents a new perspective on affirmative action, investigating its actual consequences in the United States and in other countries where it has… More
Black Rednecks and White Liberals
– Black Rednecks and White Liberals. Encounter Books, San Francisco, 2006.This explosive new book challenges many of the long-prevailing assumptions about blacks, about Jews, about Germans, about slavery, and about education. Plainly written, powerfully reasoned… More
Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays
– Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 2006.Thomas Sowell takes aim at a range of legal, social, racial, educational, and economic issues in this latest collection of his controversial, never boring, always thought-provoking essays.… More
Dismantling America: And Other Controversial Essays
– Dismantling America: And Other Controversial Essays. Basic Books, New York, 2010.These wide-ranging essays — on many individual political, economic, cultural and legal issues — have as a recurring, underlying theme the decline of the values and institutions… More
The Thomas Sowell Reader
– The Thomas Sowell Reader. Basic Books, New York, 2011.These selections from the many writings of Thomas Sowell over a period of a half century cover social, economic, cultural, legal, educational, and political issues. The sources range from… More
Intellectuals and Race
– Intellectuals and Race. Basic Books, New York, 2013. The role of intellectuals in racial strife is explored in an international context that puts the American experience in a wholly new light… Intellectuals and Race is not a book… More
Thomas Sowell – Progressives, Liberals and Race
– Video. Interview with Peter Robinson, Uncommon Knowledge, Hoover Institution, 17 May 2013.“Thomas Sowell – Progressives, Liberals and Race,” is an excerpt of: “Thomas Sowell discusses his newest book, Intellectuals and Race.”
The Reality of Multiculturalism
– Video. Interview with Peter Robinson, Uncommon Knowledge, Hoover Institution, 17 May 2013.“The Reality of Multiculturalism,” is an excerpt of: “Thomas Sowell discusses his newest book, Intellectuals and Race.”
Commentary
Black Excellence: The Case of Dunbar High School
– "Black Excellence: The Case of Dunbar High School," The Public Interest, Spring 1974, p. 8.Excerpt: Social pathology has held an enduring fascination for researchers, and nowhere more so than in the study of black Americans. Isolated “successes” or “heroes” receive… More
Race and Economics
– Race and Economics. David McKay Company Inc, Philadelphia, PA, 1975.Excerpt: Race makes a difference, in economic transactions as in other areas of life. There has been a tendency to pass over this unpleasant fact, or else to deal with it in purely moral… More
Affirmative Action Reconsidered
– "Affirmative Action Reconsidered," The Public Interest, Winter 1976, p. 47.Excerpt: Images and labels have taken the place of facts in the controversies surrounding “affirmative action.” Words like “quota,” “qualified,” and “under-utilization” are… More
Patterns of Black Excellence
– "Patterns of Black Excellence," The Public Interest, Spring 1976, p. 26.Excerpt: The history of the advancement of black Americans is almost a laboratory study of human achievement, for it extends back to slavery and was accomplished in the face of the… More
Are Quotas Good For Blacks?
– "Are Quotas Good For Blacks?," Commentary, June 1976, p. 39-43.Excerpt: Today’s grand fallacy about race and ethnicity is that the statistical “representation” of a group — in jobs, schools, etc. — shows and measures discrimination. This… More
Myths About Minorities
– "Myths About Minorities," Commentary, August 1979, p. 33-37.Excerpt: Will Rogers once said that it’s not ignorance that is so bad, but all the things we know “that ain’t so.” Much of what we “know” about racial and ethnic minorities in… More
Markets and Minorities
– Markets and Minorities. Basic Books, New York, 1981.Thomas Sowell demonstrates that many of the things we “know” about ethnicity and economic status are not so… Milton Friedman describes Markets and Minorities as a breath of fresh… More
Ethnic America: A History
– Ethnic America: A History. Basic Books, New York, 1981.This classic work by the distinguished economist traces the history of [eight] American ethnic groups — the Irish, Germans, Jews, Italians, Chinese, African-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and… More
Poor Aim In War on Bias
– "Poor Aim In War on Bias," The New York Times, August 11, 1981.Excerpt: One of the tragedies about affirmative action is that there is very little empirical evidence of any benefits to blacks or women out of affirmative action. Further there is reason… More
The Economic Lot of Minorities
– “The Economic Lot of Minorities,” interview with William F. Buckley Jr., Firing Line, SECA, 12 November 1981.The Economics and Politics of Race
– The Economics and Politics of Race. William Morrow, New York, 1983.In this landmark study, Dr. Thomas Sowell… uses an international framework to analyze group differences. Examining the experience of given groups in more than a dozen countries, he seeks… More
Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?
– Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality? William Morrow, New York, 1984.“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!” wrote Sir Walter Scott. Thomas Sowell recalls this eloquent couplet as he retraces the tortuous path of civil… More
Education: Assumptions Versus History
– Education: Assumptions Versus History. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 1986.In the papers collected in Education: Assumptions Versus History, Thomas Sowell takes a hard look at the state of education in our schools and universities… In a well-reasoned and… More
Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays
– Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays. William Morrow, New York, 1987.[Sowell] draws this collection of essays from his Scripps-Howard syndicated column and his contributions to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Sowell… More
‘Affirmative Action’: A Worldwide Disaster
– “'Affirmative Action': A Worldwide Disaster," Commentary, December 1989.Excerpt: The starting point for rethinking and reform must be a recognition that “affirmative action” has been a failure in the United States and a disaster in other countries that have… More
Is Reality Optional?: And Other Essays
– Is Reality Optional?: And Other Essays, Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 1993.Sowell challenges all the assumptions of contemporary liberalism on issues ranging from the economy to race to education in this collection of controversial essays, and captures his… More
Race and Culture: A World View
– Race and Culture: A World View, Basic Books, New York, 1995.Thomas Sowell here gives an international perspective to themes from earlier works like Ethnic America and Markets and Minorities. Arguing that major economic and social differences between… More
The Nuance Excuse
– "The Nuance Excuse," The Weekly Standard, February 3, 1997, pp, 16-18.Excerpt: One of the curious things about the bitter battle over preferences and quotas that came to a head in the California Civil Rights Initiative is how many critics of affirmative… More
The Day Cornell Died
– "The Day Cornell Died," The Weekly Standard, May 3, 1999, pp. 31-33.Excerpt: No one who was at Cornell University in the spring of 1969 is ever likely to forget the guns-on-campus crisis that shocked the academic community and the nation. Bands of militant… More
A Personal Odyssey
– A Personal Odyssey, The Free Press, New York, 2002.This is the gritty story of one man’s lifelong education in the school of hard knocks, as his journey took him from Harlem to the Marines, the Ivy League, and a career as a… More
Controversial Essays
– Controversial Essays, Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 2002.One of conservatism’s most articulate voices dissects today’s most important economic, racial, political, educational, legal, and social issues, sharing his entertaining and… More
Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study
– Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2004.In this important book, an eminent authority presents a new perspective on affirmative action, investigating its actual consequences in the United States and in other countries where it has… More
Black Rednecks and White Liberals
– Black Rednecks and White Liberals. Encounter Books, San Francisco, 2006.This explosive new book challenges many of the long-prevailing assumptions about blacks, about Jews, about Germans, about slavery, and about education. Plainly written, powerfully reasoned… More
Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays
– Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 2006.Thomas Sowell takes aim at a range of legal, social, racial, educational, and economic issues in this latest collection of his controversial, never boring, always thought-provoking essays.… More
Dismantling America: And Other Controversial Essays
– Dismantling America: And Other Controversial Essays. Basic Books, New York, 2010.These wide-ranging essays — on many individual political, economic, cultural and legal issues — have as a recurring, underlying theme the decline of the values and institutions… More
The Thomas Sowell Reader
– The Thomas Sowell Reader. Basic Books, New York, 2011.These selections from the many writings of Thomas Sowell over a period of a half century cover social, economic, cultural, legal, educational, and political issues. The sources range from… More
Intellectuals and Race
– Intellectuals and Race. Basic Books, New York, 2013. The role of intellectuals in racial strife is explored in an international context that puts the American experience in a wholly new light… Intellectuals and Race is not a book… More
Thomas Sowell – Progressives, Liberals and Race
– Video. Interview with Peter Robinson, Uncommon Knowledge, Hoover Institution, 17 May 2013.“Thomas Sowell – Progressives, Liberals and Race,” is an excerpt of: “Thomas Sowell discusses his newest book, Intellectuals and Race.”
The Reality of Multiculturalism
– Video. Interview with Peter Robinson, Uncommon Knowledge, Hoover Institution, 17 May 2013.“The Reality of Multiculturalism,” is an excerpt of: “Thomas Sowell discusses his newest book, Intellectuals and Race.”
Multimedia
Black Excellence: The Case of Dunbar High School
– "Black Excellence: The Case of Dunbar High School," The Public Interest, Spring 1974, p. 8.Excerpt: Social pathology has held an enduring fascination for researchers, and nowhere more so than in the study of black Americans. Isolated “successes” or “heroes” receive… More
Race and Economics
– Race and Economics. David McKay Company Inc, Philadelphia, PA, 1975.Excerpt: Race makes a difference, in economic transactions as in other areas of life. There has been a tendency to pass over this unpleasant fact, or else to deal with it in purely moral… More
Affirmative Action Reconsidered
– "Affirmative Action Reconsidered," The Public Interest, Winter 1976, p. 47.Excerpt: Images and labels have taken the place of facts in the controversies surrounding “affirmative action.” Words like “quota,” “qualified,” and “under-utilization” are… More
Patterns of Black Excellence
– "Patterns of Black Excellence," The Public Interest, Spring 1976, p. 26.Excerpt: The history of the advancement of black Americans is almost a laboratory study of human achievement, for it extends back to slavery and was accomplished in the face of the… More
Are Quotas Good For Blacks?
– "Are Quotas Good For Blacks?," Commentary, June 1976, p. 39-43.Excerpt: Today’s grand fallacy about race and ethnicity is that the statistical “representation” of a group — in jobs, schools, etc. — shows and measures discrimination. This… More
Myths About Minorities
– "Myths About Minorities," Commentary, August 1979, p. 33-37.Excerpt: Will Rogers once said that it’s not ignorance that is so bad, but all the things we know “that ain’t so.” Much of what we “know” about racial and ethnic minorities in… More
Markets and Minorities
– Markets and Minorities. Basic Books, New York, 1981.Thomas Sowell demonstrates that many of the things we “know” about ethnicity and economic status are not so… Milton Friedman describes Markets and Minorities as a breath of fresh… More
Ethnic America: A History
– Ethnic America: A History. Basic Books, New York, 1981.This classic work by the distinguished economist traces the history of [eight] American ethnic groups — the Irish, Germans, Jews, Italians, Chinese, African-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and… More
Poor Aim In War on Bias
– "Poor Aim In War on Bias," The New York Times, August 11, 1981.Excerpt: One of the tragedies about affirmative action is that there is very little empirical evidence of any benefits to blacks or women out of affirmative action. Further there is reason… More
The Economic Lot of Minorities
– “The Economic Lot of Minorities,” interview with William F. Buckley Jr., Firing Line, SECA, 12 November 1981.The Economics and Politics of Race
– The Economics and Politics of Race. William Morrow, New York, 1983.In this landmark study, Dr. Thomas Sowell… uses an international framework to analyze group differences. Examining the experience of given groups in more than a dozen countries, he seeks… More
Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?
– Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality? William Morrow, New York, 1984.“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!” wrote Sir Walter Scott. Thomas Sowell recalls this eloquent couplet as he retraces the tortuous path of civil… More
Education: Assumptions Versus History
– Education: Assumptions Versus History. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 1986.In the papers collected in Education: Assumptions Versus History, Thomas Sowell takes a hard look at the state of education in our schools and universities… In a well-reasoned and… More
Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays
– Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays. William Morrow, New York, 1987.[Sowell] draws this collection of essays from his Scripps-Howard syndicated column and his contributions to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Sowell… More
‘Affirmative Action’: A Worldwide Disaster
– “'Affirmative Action': A Worldwide Disaster," Commentary, December 1989.Excerpt: The starting point for rethinking and reform must be a recognition that “affirmative action” has been a failure in the United States and a disaster in other countries that have… More
Is Reality Optional?: And Other Essays
– Is Reality Optional?: And Other Essays, Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 1993.Sowell challenges all the assumptions of contemporary liberalism on issues ranging from the economy to race to education in this collection of controversial essays, and captures his… More
Race and Culture: A World View
– Race and Culture: A World View, Basic Books, New York, 1995.Thomas Sowell here gives an international perspective to themes from earlier works like Ethnic America and Markets and Minorities. Arguing that major economic and social differences between… More
The Nuance Excuse
– "The Nuance Excuse," The Weekly Standard, February 3, 1997, pp, 16-18.Excerpt: One of the curious things about the bitter battle over preferences and quotas that came to a head in the California Civil Rights Initiative is how many critics of affirmative… More
The Day Cornell Died
– "The Day Cornell Died," The Weekly Standard, May 3, 1999, pp. 31-33.Excerpt: No one who was at Cornell University in the spring of 1969 is ever likely to forget the guns-on-campus crisis that shocked the academic community and the nation. Bands of militant… More
A Personal Odyssey
– A Personal Odyssey, The Free Press, New York, 2002.This is the gritty story of one man’s lifelong education in the school of hard knocks, as his journey took him from Harlem to the Marines, the Ivy League, and a career as a… More
Controversial Essays
– Controversial Essays, Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 2002.One of conservatism’s most articulate voices dissects today’s most important economic, racial, political, educational, legal, and social issues, sharing his entertaining and… More
Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study
– Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2004.In this important book, an eminent authority presents a new perspective on affirmative action, investigating its actual consequences in the United States and in other countries where it has… More
Black Rednecks and White Liberals
– Black Rednecks and White Liberals. Encounter Books, San Francisco, 2006.This explosive new book challenges many of the long-prevailing assumptions about blacks, about Jews, about Germans, about slavery, and about education. Plainly written, powerfully reasoned… More
Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays
– Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 2006.Thomas Sowell takes aim at a range of legal, social, racial, educational, and economic issues in this latest collection of his controversial, never boring, always thought-provoking essays.… More
Dismantling America: And Other Controversial Essays
– Dismantling America: And Other Controversial Essays. Basic Books, New York, 2010.These wide-ranging essays — on many individual political, economic, cultural and legal issues — have as a recurring, underlying theme the decline of the values and institutions… More
The Thomas Sowell Reader
– The Thomas Sowell Reader. Basic Books, New York, 2011.These selections from the many writings of Thomas Sowell over a period of a half century cover social, economic, cultural, legal, educational, and political issues. The sources range from… More
Intellectuals and Race
– Intellectuals and Race. Basic Books, New York, 2013. The role of intellectuals in racial strife is explored in an international context that puts the American experience in a wholly new light… Intellectuals and Race is not a book… More
Thomas Sowell – Progressives, Liberals and Race
– Video. Interview with Peter Robinson, Uncommon Knowledge, Hoover Institution, 17 May 2013.“Thomas Sowell – Progressives, Liberals and Race,” is an excerpt of: “Thomas Sowell discusses his newest book, Intellectuals and Race.”
The Reality of Multiculturalism
– Video. Interview with Peter Robinson, Uncommon Knowledge, Hoover Institution, 17 May 2013.“The Reality of Multiculturalism,” is an excerpt of: “Thomas Sowell discusses his newest book, Intellectuals and Race.”
Teaching
Black Excellence: The Case of Dunbar High School
– "Black Excellence: The Case of Dunbar High School," The Public Interest, Spring 1974, p. 8.Excerpt: Social pathology has held an enduring fascination for researchers, and nowhere more so than in the study of black Americans. Isolated “successes” or “heroes” receive… More
Race and Economics
– Race and Economics. David McKay Company Inc, Philadelphia, PA, 1975.Excerpt: Race makes a difference, in economic transactions as in other areas of life. There has been a tendency to pass over this unpleasant fact, or else to deal with it in purely moral… More
Affirmative Action Reconsidered
– "Affirmative Action Reconsidered," The Public Interest, Winter 1976, p. 47.Excerpt: Images and labels have taken the place of facts in the controversies surrounding “affirmative action.” Words like “quota,” “qualified,” and “under-utilization” are… More
Patterns of Black Excellence
– "Patterns of Black Excellence," The Public Interest, Spring 1976, p. 26.Excerpt: The history of the advancement of black Americans is almost a laboratory study of human achievement, for it extends back to slavery and was accomplished in the face of the… More
Are Quotas Good For Blacks?
– "Are Quotas Good For Blacks?," Commentary, June 1976, p. 39-43.Excerpt: Today’s grand fallacy about race and ethnicity is that the statistical “representation” of a group — in jobs, schools, etc. — shows and measures discrimination. This… More
Myths About Minorities
– "Myths About Minorities," Commentary, August 1979, p. 33-37.Excerpt: Will Rogers once said that it’s not ignorance that is so bad, but all the things we know “that ain’t so.” Much of what we “know” about racial and ethnic minorities in… More
Markets and Minorities
– Markets and Minorities. Basic Books, New York, 1981.Thomas Sowell demonstrates that many of the things we “know” about ethnicity and economic status are not so… Milton Friedman describes Markets and Minorities as a breath of fresh… More
Ethnic America: A History
– Ethnic America: A History. Basic Books, New York, 1981.This classic work by the distinguished economist traces the history of [eight] American ethnic groups — the Irish, Germans, Jews, Italians, Chinese, African-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and… More
Poor Aim In War on Bias
– "Poor Aim In War on Bias," The New York Times, August 11, 1981.Excerpt: One of the tragedies about affirmative action is that there is very little empirical evidence of any benefits to blacks or women out of affirmative action. Further there is reason… More
The Economic Lot of Minorities
– “The Economic Lot of Minorities,” interview with William F. Buckley Jr., Firing Line, SECA, 12 November 1981.The Economics and Politics of Race
– The Economics and Politics of Race. William Morrow, New York, 1983.In this landmark study, Dr. Thomas Sowell… uses an international framework to analyze group differences. Examining the experience of given groups in more than a dozen countries, he seeks… More
Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?
– Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality? William Morrow, New York, 1984.“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!” wrote Sir Walter Scott. Thomas Sowell recalls this eloquent couplet as he retraces the tortuous path of civil… More
Education: Assumptions Versus History
– Education: Assumptions Versus History. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 1986.In the papers collected in Education: Assumptions Versus History, Thomas Sowell takes a hard look at the state of education in our schools and universities… In a well-reasoned and… More
Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays
– Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays. William Morrow, New York, 1987.[Sowell] draws this collection of essays from his Scripps-Howard syndicated column and his contributions to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Sowell… More
‘Affirmative Action’: A Worldwide Disaster
– “'Affirmative Action': A Worldwide Disaster," Commentary, December 1989.Excerpt: The starting point for rethinking and reform must be a recognition that “affirmative action” has been a failure in the United States and a disaster in other countries that have… More
Is Reality Optional?: And Other Essays
– Is Reality Optional?: And Other Essays, Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 1993.Sowell challenges all the assumptions of contemporary liberalism on issues ranging from the economy to race to education in this collection of controversial essays, and captures his… More
Race and Culture: A World View
– Race and Culture: A World View, Basic Books, New York, 1995.Thomas Sowell here gives an international perspective to themes from earlier works like Ethnic America and Markets and Minorities. Arguing that major economic and social differences between… More
The Nuance Excuse
– "The Nuance Excuse," The Weekly Standard, February 3, 1997, pp, 16-18.Excerpt: One of the curious things about the bitter battle over preferences and quotas that came to a head in the California Civil Rights Initiative is how many critics of affirmative… More
The Day Cornell Died
– "The Day Cornell Died," The Weekly Standard, May 3, 1999, pp. 31-33.Excerpt: No one who was at Cornell University in the spring of 1969 is ever likely to forget the guns-on-campus crisis that shocked the academic community and the nation. Bands of militant… More
A Personal Odyssey
– A Personal Odyssey, The Free Press, New York, 2002.This is the gritty story of one man’s lifelong education in the school of hard knocks, as his journey took him from Harlem to the Marines, the Ivy League, and a career as a… More
Controversial Essays
– Controversial Essays, Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 2002.One of conservatism’s most articulate voices dissects today’s most important economic, racial, political, educational, legal, and social issues, sharing his entertaining and… More
Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study
– Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2004.In this important book, an eminent authority presents a new perspective on affirmative action, investigating its actual consequences in the United States and in other countries where it has… More
Black Rednecks and White Liberals
– Black Rednecks and White Liberals. Encounter Books, San Francisco, 2006.This explosive new book challenges many of the long-prevailing assumptions about blacks, about Jews, about Germans, about slavery, and about education. Plainly written, powerfully reasoned… More
Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays
– Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, CA, 2006.Thomas Sowell takes aim at a range of legal, social, racial, educational, and economic issues in this latest collection of his controversial, never boring, always thought-provoking essays.… More
Dismantling America: And Other Controversial Essays
– Dismantling America: And Other Controversial Essays. Basic Books, New York, 2010.These wide-ranging essays — on many individual political, economic, cultural and legal issues — have as a recurring, underlying theme the decline of the values and institutions… More
The Thomas Sowell Reader
– The Thomas Sowell Reader. Basic Books, New York, 2011.These selections from the many writings of Thomas Sowell over a period of a half century cover social, economic, cultural, legal, educational, and political issues. The sources range from… More
Intellectuals and Race
– Intellectuals and Race. Basic Books, New York, 2013. The role of intellectuals in racial strife is explored in an international context that puts the American experience in a wholly new light… Intellectuals and Race is not a book… More
Thomas Sowell – Progressives, Liberals and Race
– Video. Interview with Peter Robinson, Uncommon Knowledge, Hoover Institution, 17 May 2013.“Thomas Sowell – Progressives, Liberals and Race,” is an excerpt of: “Thomas Sowell discusses his newest book, Intellectuals and Race.”
The Reality of Multiculturalism
– Video. Interview with Peter Robinson, Uncommon Knowledge, Hoover Institution, 17 May 2013.“The Reality of Multiculturalism,” is an excerpt of: “Thomas Sowell discusses his newest book, Intellectuals and Race.”