FROM POVERTY TO ACCLAIM: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF ECONOMIST DR. THOMAS SOWELL – A RAINBOW OF ROLE MODELS {WEDNESDAY SERIES}
I celebrate ACHIEVEMENT EVERY DAY! When I discover role models, I do not see skin color, age, religion, sex, attractiveness (ok, I like beautiful ladies), or other nonessentials. I love learning from inspirational people that inspire me to drop MY EXCUSES and DO IT! Role models who stretch my ambitions and make me reach for the impossible.
There is dignity in achievement and success—in becoming a great factor in civilization.” Carter G. Woodson.
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FROM POVERTY TO ACCLAIM: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF ECONOMIST DR THOMAS SOWELL! – A RAINBOW OF ROLE MODELS {WEDNESDAY SERIES}
STYRON’S INTRODUCTION – DR. THOMAS SOWELL’S INSPIRING LIFE
Dr. Sowell is a true American intellectual whose insights are well-regarded and challenged. Although his name might not yet reverberate through the mainstream as a Nobel laureate, the undeniable merit of his work cannot be overlooked.
His words inspire me and so many: “Sowell thought the key to black achievement was not special treatment or government intervention, but access to rigorous and high-quality education and a careful fostering of the values of hard work and individualism.”
Born on June 30, 1930, in Gastonia, North Carolina, Sowell’s early life was marked by poverty and the grim realities of a racist and dangerous America. Orphaned at a young age, he found safety under the care of his great-aunt – a woman of modest means but boundless love and determination. From her, he saw principles of perseverance, self-discipline, and encouragement to pursue his education. Her influence shaped Sowell’s life.
While an intelligent child, Sowell dropped out of high school during the tenth grade, navigating through various occupations until he earned his high school diploma through an evening program. After a stint in the U.S. Marines, where he honed his photography skills, Sowell embarked on a higher education odyssey. His path led him from Howard University in Washington, D.C., to the hallowed halls of Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude. Subsequently, he secured his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University and the University of Chicago.
In 1958, Sowell began teaching at prestigious universities, including Rutgers, Howard, Cornell, Brandeis, and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). A multifaceted individual, he left indelible imprints within government and the private sector, contributing his expertise to institutions such as the U.S. Department of Labor, the Urban Institute, and the Hoover Institution.
A momentous crossroad presented itself when Ronald Reagan assumed the presidency in 1980 and extended a compelling offer to Sowell to join the administration. However, driven by a commitment to his academic pursuits, Sowell declined the offer, recognizing its potential to divert his focus from academia. By this point, Sowell had solidified his position as an intellectual vanguard, leading a burgeoning cohort of African American neoconservatives in government and academia.
Sowell’s trajectory serves as a beacon for aspiring minds, underscoring the transformative power of determination, even in the face of adversity. As we delve deeper into the annals of financial literacy, the story of Dr. Sowell stands as a testament to the potential for individuals to surmount challenges and carve their paths to greatness.
Jason Riley Examines ‘Maverick’ Who Is Thomas Sowell
Sarah H. Weaver / @SarahHopeWeaver /
In an interview in 2018, the economist Thomas Sowell had a concise answer when podcaster and commentator Dave Rubin asked what awakened him to the failures of Marxism, an ideology he had espoused in his youth.
“Facts!” Sowell replied.
In his decades long career, Sowell’s commitment to the facts at the expense of popular approval and, sometimes, career advancement has captured audiences young and old, black and white, rich and poor.
But Sowell isn’t much concerned with his fame, even if it is an encouraging indicator of how well his ideas have been received.
What Sowell really wants is for his ideas to be remembered.
“I’m not sure I want to be particularly remembered. I would like the ideas that I’ve put out there to be remembered,” he said in another interview.
Now, still writing bestsellers at 90 years old—his latest book, “Charter Schools and Their Enemies,” was published last June—Sowell seems to be getting his wish.
In commentator and author Jason L. Riley’s new book “Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell” (Basic Books), his intellectual history and significance get an exhaustive assessment. The book is “primarily an intellectual biography,” Riley writes, “meaning that my focus is on the author’s scholarly output, not his life story.”
And this book by Riley, a member of The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, delivers on its promise. Despite what the title may intimate, this is not a traditional biography, but a contextualization of Sowell’s ideas within the contemporary circumstances to which he responded—circumstances that seem shockingly like those we face today—and the intellectual tradition he inherited and enriched.
Riley’s “Maverick,” out May 25, serves well as an intellectual biography. For the careful student of Sowell, the book can be a predictable, albeit enjoyable, read. For the individual less familiar with the economist’s writings, the book serves as a useful method to pique interest in the political and economic thought of arguably our greatest living intellectual.
Sowell’s ideas are meant for the layman’s consumption, indicative of his discontent with the high-minded hypotheses of the intellectual elite. His contempt for the “intellectual fads that so often animate academics and the media” is tied up with his famous allegiance to the facts.
Always the maverick, Sowell was never one to keep his views well hidden. During his time at Cornell University, the intellectual establishment made it quite clear there wasn’t room in its gilded halls for a man like Sowell.
Sowell left Cornell, Riley writes, because he “had no more patience for the lies, the deceit, and the inclination among his peers to do the expedient thing instead of the right thing.” Sowell was “far more interested in learning the facts” than cultivating popular approval.
Sowell’s few friends in the academy thought he would be better off focusing on less controversial topics such as economics and intellectual history, “while avoiding racial topics.” Undoubtedly, Sowell would have excelled making a career out of discussing only these two topics, Riley writes, but he “didn’t feel he had that luxury.”
As a black man raised in the era of Jim Crow, Sowell had his own experiences with racism, experiences that led to his frustration with black intellectuals who were, in his view, “too concerned with white approval.”
Sowell thought the key to black achievement was not special treatment or government intervention, but access to rigorous and high-quality education and a careful fostering of the values of hard work and individualism. In fact, lowering standards to help blacks is not only discriminatory but detrimental to black achievement, Sowell believed. He quipped: “I’m old-fashioned enough to be against [affirmative action] simply because it is wrong.”
“Well into the twenty-first century,” Riley writes, highlighting Sowell’s continuing relevance, “black leaders still often seemed far more interested in seeking slavery reparations and toppling Confederate statuary than in offering poor black families an escape from failing public schools.”
Sowell’s moral and factual objections to affirmative action policies were vindicated by his own experience in academia. While recruiting black students for a summer program at Cornell, he found that there were plenty of amply qualified black students for the program, if only the elite academics of Cornell cared to look.
Riley writes:
Cornell, like other schools, had argued that it had no choice but to lower standards and focus on ‘high risk’ prospects to diversify the campus because there weren’t enough black students who otherwise would qualify for admission. But Sowell’s recruitment efforts for his summer program had clearly undermined such claims.
Here, Riley makes another clear connection between Sowell’s “facts on the ground” experience and his academic analysis of these issues.
To be a conservative who is black is to expose oneself to undue amounts of absurd criticism, and Sowell’s experience was no exception.
Riley writes that Sowell and the late economist Walter Williams, a protegee and friend of Sowell’s, used to joke that “they never flew together, because if the plane went down there would be no black conservatives left.”
But Sowell had “felt the pain and humiliation of racism firsthand throughout his life,” and “needed no lectures from anyone on the evils of Jim Crow,” Riley writes.
For instance, many claimed that Sowell’s book “Ethnic America: A History” argued that discrimination against blacks did not exist. But Sowell actually was arguing that “discrimination alone was an insufficient explanation of social inequality.”
Sowell, a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution since 1980, certainly was not a pawn of white economists, even the ones he admired and learned from.
Milton Friedman, a friend and mentor, said that Sowell “has a mind of his own, insists on making it up for himself, and on getting the evidence necessary to form a valid judgment.” In fact, Sowell saw his views on racial matters as entirely in line with that of black civil rights leaders of the past.
“If anything,” Riley writes, “Sowell’s analyses are in the tradition of his fellow black forebearers, not his white contemporaries.” Black leaders of the past such as Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, he writes, “shared Sowell’s deep skepticism of government benevolence and the lowering of standards to facilitate black advancement.”
Sowell was part of a tradition of black intellectuals who eschew elites on either side of the aisle and look at the facts for themselves. Today, this tradition continues with black intellectuals such as Glenn Loury and Shelby Steele, not to mention the author of “Maverick”—Jason Riley.
“I’m sure that at least 95% of the people in this country have never heard of me, and that’s the way it should be,” Riley quotes Sowell as saying.
Sowell, of course, is being much too modest. But the fact remains that too few people have interacted seriously with Sowell’s vast and astonishingly relevant academic output.
Riley’s book, the first biography of Sowell, goes a long way toward rectifying that. Still, nothing’s quite as good as the writings of Thomas Sowell himself—and I am sure that Jason Riley would agree.
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CONCLUSION – Education as the Ultimate Equalizer: Dr. Thomas Sowell’s Enduring Legacy
Thomas Sowell’s influence and respect can be attributed to several key factors.
- Intellectual Rigor and Scholarship: Thomas Sowell’s rigorous research approach, meticulous examination of data, and ability to analyze complex issues with clarity have earned him respect across the political spectrum. He is an inspiration for those who prioritize evidence-based policymaking and intellectual integrity.
- Sowell argues that individuals, regardless of their race, have the power to shape their own destinies through hard work, education, and making responsible choices.
- Critique of Government Programs: Sowell’s critiques of government programs and their unintended consequences struck a chord. He argues that well-intentioned policies, such as affirmative action or welfare programs, often have unintended adverse effects, such as perpetuating dependency or stifling economic growth. His analysis challenges the notion that government intervention is always the best solution for addressing racial disparities, offering alternative perspectives that resonate with those who advocate for limited government involvement.
- Opposition to Identity Politics: Thomas Sowell argues that viewing individuals primarily through the lens of their race or other group identities hinders progress and perpetuates division. Sowell encourages individuals to focus on their merits, abilities, and character rather than being defined solely by their race. This rejection of identity politics aligns with the belief among many that personal achievements and character should be valued above racial or group affiliation.
- Success as a Role Model: Thomas Sowell’s journey from poverty to becoming a respected intellectual and author is an inspiring example for many. His story exemplifies the principles of hard work, determination, and self-improvement that many uphold regardless of race. Sowell’s success proves that individuals can overcome obstacles and achieve their goals through personal effort rather than relying solely on external factors or government assistance.
SOME OF THOMAS SOWELL’S NOTABLE BOOKS:
- “Basic Economics: A Citizen’s Guide to the Economy” – This book provides a comprehensive introduction to basic economic concepts, explaining how economies work and exploring topics like markets, prices, taxes, and government policies.
- “Race and Culture: A World View” – In this book, Sowell examines the role of culture and geography in shaping economic and social outcomes among different racial and ethnic groups.
- “Black Rednecks and White Liberals” – Sowell explores the historical and cultural factors behind various social and economic issues, challenging conventional wisdom and offering alternative perspectives.
- “Knowledge and Decisions” – This work delves into the complexities of decision-making and knowledge dissemination in economic systems, exploring how information and incentives influence choices.
- “The Housing Boom and Bust” – Sowell analyzes the factors that contributed to the housing market boom and subsequent bust, shedding light on the role of government policies and market dynamics.
- “Intellectuals and Society” – This book examines the influence of intellectuals on society, politics, and culture and how their ideas can shape public discourse and policy decisions.
- “Economic Facts and Fallacies” – Sowell addresses common misconceptions and fallacies about economic issues, providing evidence-based insights to counter popular myths.
- “A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles” – In this book, Sowell explores the fundamental ideological differences that underlie political debates and clashes.
- “The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy” – Sowell critiques the tendency of certain elites to believe in their own superior wisdom and moral authority when advocating for social policies.
- “Dismantling America: And Other Controversial Essays” – This collection of essays addresses a wide range of topics, including economics, politics, education, and social issues, from a conservative perspective.
These are just a few of Thomas Sowell’s books, and he has authored many more on various subjects. His works are known for their thought-provoking insights and rigorous analysis of economic and social issues.
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Wounded Warrior Project: An American charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services, and events for wounded veterans of the military https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org
Folds of Honor: Providing life-changing scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled military. And now, our mission expands to the families of America’s first responders. On our watch, those who protect our freedoms and our families will know they are not forgotten. https://foldsofhonor.org
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Tunnel To Towers: Since 9/11, we have been helping America’s heroes by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially-adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. We are also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America to Never Forget September 11, 2001. https://dogood.t2t.org/give/320847/#!/donation/checkout
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ABOUT ME
I am a proud nerd (as my beautiful wife and daughter have told me) investment and finance blogger with an N.C. State, Chemical Engineering, University Rutgers, MBA and Harvard University, Advanced Management education.
I left a corporate career because I desired to make a difference as a speaker and writer. I was blessed to be coached and mentored by strong women and men in my family and professional life. It is my time to serve and give back.
DISCLAIMER
I started my first business at ~13 years of age (a small but brilliantly created plant nursery). I am a successful investor in stocks, options, and real estate and am happy to share my finance and investment lessons. I am NOT a licensed financial advisor. Please do not construe my suggestions on this blog as recommendations for your situation. As an investor, you must establish your risk/loss tolerance. Investment in any asset involves risk, including complete loss.
Please seek your licensed CPA or fiduciary financial advisors for individual financial advice.
I write this weekly blog to make an impact by reaching an audience and demonstrating the need for financial literacy. I will help you get there.
