tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905515.post3680855704427593452..comments2024-03-14T11:09:32.759-05:00Comments on Falkenblog: Sowell's Intellectuals and SocietyEric Falkensteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07243687157322033496noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905515.post-83162059359351952322010-02-27T16:05:05.322-06:002010-02-27T16:05:05.322-06:00Sounds like some people here are writing about Sow...Sounds like some people here are writing about Sowell without having read his books. I haven't read THIS one, but from 30 some odd others I recognize his theme.<br /><br />I think he has in mind guys like the current POTUS, who just a few days ago betrayed his ignorance of the difference between liability and collision car insurance. After telling everyone that profits eat up overhead, last year. And who can't pronounce 'corpsman' correctly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905515.post-11534045775306049452010-02-27T09:18:17.133-06:002010-02-27T09:18:17.133-06:00Great review Eric ... I agree with Sowell's th...Great review Eric ... I agree with Sowell's thesis ... as a PhD from a top 10 institution I too often see us PhDs select models that have attrctive properties for our purpose versus the problem at hand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905515.post-15482671870599146582010-02-24T17:00:48.214-06:002010-02-24T17:00:48.214-06:00Eric,
Good post... having worked many years in R&...Eric,<br /><br />Good post... having worked many years in R&D [mainly on the "D" side] I saw first hand how becoming an "intellectual", i.e. getting a PhD, ruined many [NOT all!] people for productive work.<br /><br />Regards,<br />MichaelMichael Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16897177627300304126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905515.post-14269094500094267832010-02-24T13:21:53.239-06:002010-02-24T13:21:53.239-06:00If Sowell were arguing that black people are "...If Sowell were arguing that black people are "generally" stupid, you may have a point about "most" and "all."<br /><br />But Sowell is making a stronger sort of "argument," one about the limits of intellectualism, and at the end of the day we discover that intellectuals who disagree with him are overreaching while those who agree with him are modest and humble plainfolk.<br /><br />I don't see how to distinguish this from dressed-up tribalism. I suppose you could come up with some elaborate theoretical justification for your somewhat counterintuitive beliefs (Sowell writes books because somehow not everyone agrees with his plain and simple common sense, right?), but ya know, I'm just a simple man with simple values and I'm not sure I follow all that fancy book-learnin stuff Mr. PhD.<br /><br />You know, I was thinking, there will be always be economists who are brave enough to say that most people are motivated by the pursuit of profit, and not by silly ideals like pursuit of truth and justice. Are these economists right? Who knows -- if they are right, then in all likelihood they're just trying to line their own pockets, so why should we trust them?<br /><br />Oh yeah, that's right -- only "most" people are motivated by profit, not all. These economists just happen to be the only disinterested truth-seekers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905515.post-71922401370071292782010-02-24T09:39:30.046-06:002010-02-24T09:39:30.046-06:00he's making a generalization, which means, ...he's making a generalization, which means, 'most' not 'all', usually not always. To speak only about cases where all A are B, is to be really boring.Eric Falkensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07243687157322033496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905515.post-68328116905971609552010-02-24T09:24:43.791-06:002010-02-24T09:24:43.791-06:00mebbee konyay west can dooo the feem slong, coz ee...mebbee konyay west can dooo the feem slong, coz eee az alllreedie<br />an theyre shud bee a bbit were the brian of robocop getz smazhed , cox i luvved that in the movie were tha brian is smashzedJanalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18028811589812410893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905515.post-30793661014186469992010-02-24T09:13:20.778-06:002010-02-24T09:13:20.778-06:00Smart intellectual argues that smart intellectuals...Smart intellectual argues that smart intellectuals are useless and counterproductive (not him, of course, he has simply achieved the only insight that intellectuals can achieve). Another smart intellectual agrees.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com