具体描述
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 Dr. Sowell's letters, books, newspaper columns, and articles in both scholarly journals and popular magazines. The topics range from late-talking children to "tax cuts for the rich," baseball, race, war, the role of judges, medical care, and the rhetoric of politicians. These topics are dealt with by sometimes drawing on history, sometimes drawing on economics, and sometimes drawing on a sense of humor.
作者简介
Thomas Sowell has taught economics at Cornell, UCLA, Amherst, and other academic institutions, and his Basic Economics has been translated into six languages. He is currently a scholar in residence at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He has published in both academic journals and such popular media as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Investors Business Daily, and Fortune, and he writes a syndicated column that appears in newspapers across the country.
目录信息
Title Page
Preface
EDITORIAL NOTE
SOCIAL ISSUES
GRASSHOPPER AND ANT
EVER WONDER WHY?
A “DUTY TO DIE”?
THE MONEY OF FOOLS
BOOMERS AND BOOMERANGS
IS THE FAMILY BECOMING EXTINCT?
LIFE AT THE BOTTOM
TWISTED HISTORY
ANIMAL RITES
HUMAN LIVESTOCK
THE EINSTEIN SYNDROME
THE WRIGHT STUFF
REVISIONISTS AGAINST AMERICA
AUTISM “CURES” ?
INSTRUCTING THE INSTRUCTORS
APRIL FOOLS’ PARTY
GROWING OLD
FOREIGN DOMESTICS
CRUEL “COMPASSION”
WARS OVER VALUES
LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD
MEANINGLESS “EQUALITY”
LITTLE THINGS
MASCOTS OF THE ANOINTED
THE ANTI-AMERICAN AMERICANS
“DEADBALL” VERSUS “LIVELYBALL” ?
ECONOMICS
ONE-STAGE THINKING
UNION MYTHS
“AFFORDABILITY”
SAVING LIVES
PICTURING THE “TRUSTFUND”
THE ECONOMICS OF CRIME
THE ECONOMICS OF DISCRIMINATION
VARIATIONS IN COSTS
COMPETITIVE AND NON-COMPETITIVE MARKETS
“INCOMEDISTRIBUTION”
Empirical Evidence
Moral Considerations
MINIMUM WAGE LAWS
Unemployment
Differential Impact
THE ROLE OF ECONOMICS
Scientific Analysis
Events and Ideas
POLITICAL ISSUES
IVAN AND BORIS—AND US
RONALDREAGAN - (1911–2004)
THE “COMPASSION” RACKET
SPOILED BRAT POLITICS
THE LEFT’S VOCABULARY
UNFUNDED MANDATES
REFLECTIONS ON TERM LIMITS
THE SURVIVAL OF THE LEFT
POLITICS IN ONE LESSON
THE PATTERN OF THE ANOINTED
PATTERNS OF FAILURE
“ ONLIBERTY ” RECONSIDERED
MARX THE MAN
YOUTH
EARLY CAREER
COLLABORATION WITH ENGELS
EXILES
THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL
TWILIGHT YEARS
ASSESSMENTS
LEGAL ISSUES
PENNY-WISE ON CRIME
JUSTICE FOR LITTLE ANGELO
LOVE THOSE KILLERS!
LAW ON TRIAL
ABORTED KNOWLEDGE
GUN CONTROL MYTHS
GUN CONTROL MYTHS: PART II
POWER TO THE PARASITES
MEDICAL LAWSUITS
PASSING IN REVIEW
ARE COPS RACIST?
THE MEANING OF LAW
FREEDOM VERSUS DEMOCRACY
JUDICIAL ACTIVISM AND JUDICIAL RESTRAINT
Judicial Activism
Judicial Restraint and “Original Intent”
RACE AND ETHNICITY
OLDER BUDWEISER
“DIVERSITY” IN INDIA
THE SLAVERY CARD
“MINORITIES”
RACE, ROMANCE AND REALITY
DOG-IN-THE-MANGER POLITICS
“FRIENDS ” OF BLACKS
GIVING BUSINESS THE BUSINESS
STEREOTYPES VERSUS THE MARKET
RECYCLED “RACISM ”
GEOGRAPHY VERSUS EQUALITY
ASSUMPTIONS BEHIND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
THE MULTICULTURALISM CULT
LIFE IS CULTURALLY BIASED
BOOKERT. WASHINGTON AFTER ONE HUNDRED YEARS
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AROUND THE WORLD
LIMITED AND TRANSIENT PREFERENCES
PREFERRED AND NON-PREFERRED GROUPS
TRENDS
SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS
THE INFLUENCE OF GEOGRAPHY
GEOGRAPHY, ECONOMICS AND CULTURE
THE GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA
THE GEOGRAPHY OF EASTERN AND WESTERN EUROPE
THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE
EDUCATIONAL ISSUES
TRAGI-COMIC “EDUCATORS”
SCIENTISTS NEED NOT APPLY
HIGHER EDUCATION AND LOW COMEDY
SUCCESS CONCEALING FAILURE
“PUBLICSERVICE” — OR DISSERVICE?
“FORCED TO VOLUNTEER”
GOODBYE TO SARA AND BENJAMIN?
CHOOSING A COLLEGE
THE IDIOCY OF “RELEVANCE”
JULIAN STANLEY AND BRIGHT CHILDREN
ANTI-”ELITISM ” IN EDUCATION
THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD
WASTING MINDS
DO FACTS MATTER?
DEEP TROUBLE FROM SHALLOW PEOPLE
“ GOOD ” TEACHERS
BEHIND “PUBLISH OR PERISH”
GLIMPSES OF ACADEME
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
CAROLINA IN THE MORNING
MEMORIES
RANDOM THOUGHTS
SOURCES
NOTES
INDEX
Copyright Page
· · · · · · (收起)
读后感
用户评价
不得不说，初次接触Sowell的《Thomas Sowell Reader》，确实让我有些“招架不住”。他所构建的知识体系如此庞大，涵盖的领域又如此之广，就像走进一个信息量爆棚的图书馆，需要时间去消化和吸收。书中充斥着大量的案例分析和数据支撑，每一次论述都显得滴水不漏，让人很难找到反驳的切入点。 我发现，读Sowell的书，就像是在进行一场“思维体操”。他不断地挑战读者既有的观念，迫使你去审视那些你认为天经地义的假设。这种过程虽然有时会让人感到不适，但最终带来的却是认知的升华。他教会我如何用更客观、更理性的眼光去看待世界，如何避免被情绪化的言论所左右。这种能力，在这个信息爆炸的时代，尤为珍贵。
读这本书最大的感受，就是作者像一位经验丰富的建筑师，用稳固的基石搭建起宏伟的理论殿堂。他不是空谈理论，而是将抽象的概念与具体的历史事件、社会现象紧密结合，让原本晦涩的道理变得鲜活起来。比如，当他谈论政府干预的 unintended consequences 时，你会立刻联想到历史上那些旨在改善民生却适得其反的政策，那些鲜活的例子让他的论证具有了强大的说服力。 我特别欣赏Sowell那种“务实”的精神，他从不回避现实的复杂性，而是直面矛盾，试图找到最接近真相的解释。他不像某些学者那样，喜欢用华丽辞藻堆砌，而是用最简洁、最直接的语言，直击问题的核心。这种风格，对于我这样一个对“言之有物”极度看重的读者来说，无疑是一种莫大的享受。每次读完一篇文章，都会感觉自己的认知边界被拓展了，对世界的理解也更加深刻和 nuanced。
这本《Thomas Sowell Reader》带给我的，是一种“沉浸式的智识体验”。作者的叙事风格非常直接，他很少拐弯抹角，而是直接将自己的观点和论证呈现在读者面前。我喜欢他那种“直抒胸臆”的写作方式，虽然有时会让一些读者觉得“不够委婉”，但对我来说，这恰恰是一种效率。 阅读这本书的过程，就像是在和一位博学而睿智的长者进行一场深入的对话。他分享着自己对世界的洞察，引导我一同探索那些复杂而重要的议题。我发现，他提出的许多观点，都极具启发性，能够瞬间点亮我脑海中的某个角落。更重要的是，他让我学会了如何独立思考，如何不盲从，如何构建自己的判断体系。这本书，无疑是我知识探索旅程中一座重要的里程碑。
第一次翻开这本《Thomas Sowell Reader》，就被它沉甸甸的分量和密密麻麻的文字所震撼。我并非经济学或社会学领域的专业人士，更多的是作为一个对现实世界充满好奇的普通读者，希望从智者的视角理解一些复杂的问题。Sowell的文字，初看之下，确实不那么“平易近人”，他引用大量的历史事实、经济数据和哲学思辨，构建起他一以贯之的逻辑体系。这要求读者需要付出相当的耐心和精力去梳理，甚至需要反复阅读某些段落才能真正领会其精髓。 然而，正是这种“不易”，赋予了这本书独特的价值。它不是那种可以一边喝咖啡一边随意翻阅的轻松读物，它更像是一位严谨的导师，不断地挑战你的固有认知，迫使你去思考“为什么”。书中涉及的议题广泛，从种族、教育到政府干预，每一篇都像一个精心打磨的论证，层层递进，引人入胜。我尤其喜欢他分析问题时那种冷静、客观的态度，即使面对极具争议的话题，也能剥离情绪化的干扰，回归事实本身。这对于我这样一个容易被媒体论调左右的人来说，无疑是一种精神上的“洗礼”。
这本书给我带来了一种前所未有的“智识上的冲击”。Sowell的论述方式非常独特，他似乎总能看到别人忽略的视角，或者用一种我从未想过的方式来解读熟悉的现象。我常常在阅读时，会不自觉地停下来，回顾自己过去的一些想法，然后发现，原来自己一直以来都被某些看似“理所当然”的观念所束缚。 他对于“原因”和“结果”的分析，简直是“庖丁解牛”，精准而深刻。他不会满足于表面的解释，而是不断追问更深层次的原因，直到触及事物的本质。这种探究精神，让我对学习和思考有了新的认识。我开始意识到，真正的理解，不仅仅是知道“是什么”，更重要的是知道“为什么会是这样”。这本书，无疑为我打开了通往更深层理解的大门。
我读完了我自豪！
这就是真心不喜欢了，因为就是他的博客文集。。。。如果我本来是他的粉丝，那么可能还会耐着性子看看这种杂集，很可惜他的housing boom and bust没有抓住我
这就是真心不喜欢了，因为就是他的博客文集。。。。如果我本来是他的粉丝，那么可能还会耐着性子看看这种杂集，很可惜他的housing boom and bust没有抓住我
我读完了我自豪！
我读完了我自豪！
