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{{Infobox economist
| name = Thomas Sowell
| school_tradition = [[Social economics|New Social Economics]]
| color = maroon
| image =
| image_size = 150px
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1930|6|30}}
| birth_place = [[Gastonia, North Carolina|Gastonia]], [[North Carolina]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = [[United States]]
| institution = [[Hoover Institution]] (1980–present)<br/>[[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]] (1970–1972, 1974–1980)<br/>[[Urban Institute]] (1972–1974)<br/>[[Brandeis University]] (1969–1970)<br/>[[Cornell University]] (1965–1969)
| field = [[Economics]], [[Education]], [[Politics]], [[History]], [[Race relations]], [[Child development]]
| alma_mater = [[Stuyvesant High School]]<br/>[[Howard University]]<br/>[[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]]) [[1958]]<br/>[[Columbia University]] ([[Master of Arts (postgraduate)|M.A.]]) [[1959]]<br/>[[University of Chicago]] ([[Ph.D.]]) [[1969]]
| influences = [[Edmund Burke]], [[Milton Friedman]], [[F.A. Hayek]], [[Henry Hazlitt]], [[David Hume]], [[Adam Smith]], [[George Stigler]]
| opposed = [[Paul Krugman]], [[Joseph Stiglitz]], [[John Maynard Keynes]], [[John Kenneth Galbraith]]
| influenced = [[Clarence Thomas]], [[Walter E. Williams]], [[Milton Friedman]], [[Steven Pinker]],[[George Gilder]], [[Paul Johnson (writer)|Paul Johnson]], [[Arthur C. Brooks]], [[Fred Barnes (journalist)|Fred Barnes]], [[Jonah Goldberg]], [[David Mamet]], [[Rush Limbaugh]], [[Lee Doren]]
| contributions =
| awards = Military Service: United States Marine Corps, Corporal, [[Francis Boyer Award]], [[National Humanities Medal]], [[Bradley Prize]], [[getAbstract International Book Award]]
| signature = <!-- file name only -->
| repec_prefix = | repec_id =
}}
'''Thomas Sowell''' (born June 30, 1930) is an [[United States|American]] [[economist]], [[Social criticism|social theorist]], political philosopher and author. He often writes as an advocate of [[laissez-faire]] economics, and his political outlook can generally be classified as [[libertarian]]. He is currently a senior [[fellow]] of the [[Hoover Institution]] at [[Stanford University]]. In 1990, he won the [[Francis Boyer Award]], presented by the [[American Enterprise Institute]]. In 2002, Sowell was awarded the [[National Humanities Medal]] for prolific scholarship melding [[history]], [[economics]], and [[political science]]. In 2003, he was awarded the [[Bradley Foundation#Bradley Prize|Bradley Prize]] for intellectual achievement.<ref>{{cite web|author=Thomas Sowell |url=http://www.hoover.org/bios/sowell.html |title=Hoover Institution - Fellows - Thomas Sowell |publisher=Hoover.org |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref>
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==Biography==
Sowell, an African-American, was born in [[Gastonia, North Carolina]]. His father died before he was born, and Sowell's mother, a maid, already had four children. His great-aunt and her two grown daughters adopted Sowell.<ref name="courage"/> In his autobiography, ''A Personal Odyssey,'' he recalled that his encounters with whites were so limited he did not believe that yellow was a hair color.<ref>Sowell, ''A Personal Odyssey'', p. 6.</ref> When Sowell was nine, his family moved from [[Charlotte, North Carolina]] to the [[Harlem]] neighborhood of [[New York City]]. Sowell attended the selective [[Stuyvesant High School]] even though no one in his family had an education beyond sixth grade. He dropped out at age 17 because of financial difficulties and a deteriorating home environment.<ref name="courage">{{cite web|last=Graglia|first=Nino A.|title=Profile in courage|url=http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/pubaffairs/newsletter/01winter/review.html|work=Hoover Institution Newsletter|publisher=Hoover Institution|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050909080051/http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/pubaffairs/newsletter/01winter/review.html|archivedate=September 9, 2005|date=Winter 2001}}</ref> To support himself he worked at various jobs, including in a machine shop and as a delivery man for [[Western Union]],<ref>Sowell, ''A Personal Odyssey'', pp. 47, 58, 59, 62.</ref> and tried out for the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] in 1948.<ref name=nordlinger20110203>{{cite web|last=Nordlinger|first=Jay|title=Brains and Nerve|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/258804/brains-and-nerve-jay-nordlinger|publisher=National Review|accessdate=2011-02-03}}</ref> Sowell was [[Conscription|drafted]] in 1951, during the [[Korean War]], and was assigned to the [[US Marine Corps]]. Due to prior experience in [[photography]], he worked in a photography unit but also trained Marines in [[handgun]] use.<ref name="courage"/>
After discharge, Sowell took a [[Civil Service]] job in [[Washington, D.C.]] and attended night classes at [[Howard University]] despite lacking a high school diploma. High grades on [[College Board]] exams and recommendations by two of his professors helped him be accepted to [[Harvard University]], where in 1958 he graduated ''[[magna cum laude]]'' with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[economics]] despite early poor grades.<ref name="courage"/><ref name="CV">{{cite web|last=Sowell|first=Thomas|title=Curriculum vita|url=http://www.tsowell.com/cv.html|work=TSowell.com|accessdate=January 6, 2011}}</ref> He received a [[Master's degree|Master of Arts]] in economics from [[Columbia University]] in 1959 and a [[Ph.D.]] in economics from the [[University of Chicago]] in 1968.<ref name="CV"/> Sowell initially chose [[Columbia University]] because he wanted to study under [[George Stigler]] (who years later went on to win the [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences|Nobel Prize in Economics]]). After arriving at Columbia and learning that Stigler had moved to Chicago, he followed him there.<ref name=CharlieRoseSowell>{{cite web|url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=QFWuR_JxANE |title=Charlie Rose - September 15, 1995 |publisher=Youtube.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref>
Sowell has taught economics at [[Howard University]], [[Rutgers University|Rutgers]], [[Cornell University|Cornell]], [[Brandeis University]], [[Amherst College]], and [[UCLA]]. Since 1980 he has been a Senior Fellow of the [[Hoover Institution]] at [[Stanford University]], where he holds a fellowship named after [[Rose Friedman|Rose]] and [[Milton Friedman]], his mentor.<ref name="CV"/><ref name="Hoover bio">{{cite web|title=Thomas Sowell |url=http://www.hoover.org/fellows/9767|publisher=Hoover Institution|accessdate=January 6, 2011}}</ref>
Sowell has stated that he was a [[Marxist]] “during the decade of my 20s;" one of his earliest professional publications was a sympathetic examination of Marxist thought vs. Marxist-Leninist practice.<ref>Sowell, Thomas (1963). “Karl Marx and the Freedom of the Individual,” ''Ethics'' 73:2, p 120.</ref> His experience working as a federal government intern during the summer of 1960 caused him to reject Marxian economics in favor of [[free market]] economic theory. During his work, Sowell discovered a correlation between the rise of mandated minimum wages for workers in the sugar industry of [[Puerto Rico]] and the rise of [[unemployment]] in that industry. Studying the patterns led Sowell to theorize that the government employees who administered the minimum wage law cared more about their own jobs than the plight of the poor.<ref>{{cite web|last=Elizabeth |first=Mary |url=http://www.salon.com/books/int/1999/11/10/sowell/ |title=Salon interview with Sowell |publisher=Salon.com |date=1999-11-10 |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref>
==Writings==
Sowell is both a [[Print syndication|syndicated]] [[columnist]] and an [[academic]] economist.
Besides scholarly writing, Sowell has written books, articles, and [[Print syndication|syndicated]] columns for a general audience in such publications as ''[[Forbes Magazine]]'', ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', and major newspapers. He is a regular contributor to GOPUSA, a conservative web and email newsletter run by [[Endeavor Media Group, LLC]]. He primarily writes on economic subjects, generally advocating a free market approach to [[capitalism]]. Sowell, whose autobiography describes his serious study of Karl Marx, opposes [[Marxism]], providing a critique in his book ''Marxism: Philosophy and Economics''. He also argues that, contrary to popular perception, Marx never held to a [[labor theory of value]].
Sowell also writes on racial topics and is a critic of [[affirmative action]] and race based quotas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20030108.shtml |title=''Townhall.com'' |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20030109.shtml |title=''Townhall.com'' |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref> While often described as a [[Black conservatism in the United States|black conservative]], he prefers not to be labeled, and considers himself more [[libertarian]] than conservative.<ref>Sawhill R. (1999) [http://www.salon.com/books/int/1999/11/10/sowell/index.html “Black and right: Thomas Sowell talks about the arrogance of liberal elites and the loneliness of the black conservative.”] ''Salon.com''. Accessed May 6, 2007.</ref>
In another departure from economics, Sowell wrote ''The [[Einstein Syndrome]]: Bright Children Who Talk Late'', a follow-up to his ''Late-Talking Children''. This book investigates the phenomenon of late-talking children, frequently misdiagnosed with [[autism]] or [[pervasive developmental disorder]]. He includes the research of—among others—Professor Stephen Camarata, Ph.D., of [[Vanderbilt University]] and Professor [[Steven Pinker]], Ph.D., of [[Harvard University]] in this overview of a poorly understood developmental trait. It is a trait which he says affected many historical figures. He includes famous late-talkers such as physicists [[Albert Einstein]], [[Edward Teller]] and [[Richard Feynman]]; mathematician [[Julia Robinson]]; and musicians [[Arthur Rubenstein]] and [[Clara Schumann]]. The book and its contributing researchers make a case for the theory that some children develop unevenly (asynchronous development) for a period in childhood due to rapid and extraordinary development in the analytical functions of the [[brain]]. This may temporarily “rob resources” from neighboring functions such as language development. The book contradicts [[Simon Baron-Cohen]]’s speculation that Einstein may have had [[Asperger syndrome]] (see also [[people speculated to have been autistic]]).
Themes of Sowell’s writing range from social policy on race, ethnic groups, education and decision-making, to classical and [[Marxist]] economics, to the problems of children perceived as having disabilities.
In ''Intelligence and Ethnicity'', Sowell argues that IQ gaps are hardly startling or unusual between, or within, ethnic groups. He notes that the roughly 15-point gap in contemporary black–white IQ scores is similar to that between the national average and the scores of particular ethnic white groups in years past.
Sowell has also written a trilogy of books on ideologies and political positions, including ''[[A Conflict of Visions]]'' where he speaks about the origins of political strife, [[The Vision of the Anointed]], where he compares the conservative/libertarian and liberal/progressive worldviews,''The Quest for Cosmic Justice'', where, like in many of his other writings, he outlines the his thesis of the need for intellectuals, politicians and leaders to fix and perfect the world in utopian, and ultimately he posits, disastrous fashions. Separate from the trilogy, but also in discussion of the subject,he wrote [[''Intellectuals and Society'']], where he discusses what he argues to be the blind hubris and follies of intellectuals in a variety of areas, building on his earlier work.
Sowell takes strong issue with the notion of government as a helper or savior of minorities, arguing that the historical record shows quite the opposite.
Sowell also challenges the notion that black progress is due to progressive government programs or policies, in ''The Economics and Politics of Race,'' (1983), ''Ethnic America'' (1981), [[Affirmative Action Around the World|''Affirmative Action'']] (2004), and other books.
He claims that many problems identified with blacks in modern society are hardly unique in terms of American ethnic groups, nor in terms of a rural proletariat swept by disruption as it became urbanized, discussed in his book, ''Black Rednecks and White Liberals''.
In ''[[Affirmative Action Around the World]]''<ref name="hoover1">{{cite web|last=Sowell |first=Thomas |url=http://www.hoover.org/publications/hoover-digest/article/8108 |title=Affirmative Action around the World | Hoover Institution |publisher=Hoover.org |date=2004-10-30 |accessdate=2011-01-30}}</ref> Sowell holds that affirmative action covers most of the American population, particularly women, and has long since ceased to be directed towards blacks
===Columns===
Sowell has a nationally syndicated column distributed by [[Creators Syndicate]] that appears in various newspapers, as well as online on websites such as [[Townhall.com|Townhall]], [[WorldNetDaily]], [[American Family Association|OneNewsNow]] and the ''[[Jewish World Review]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell.html |title=Thomas Sowell |publisher=Jewishworldreview.com |date=2009-11-06 |accessdate=2011-05-30}}</ref>
Sowell comments on issues he considers to be problematic in modern-day society, which include [[liberal media bias]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20041012.shtml |title=Thomas Sowell, Conservative, Political News |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref> [[judicial activism]] (while staunchly defending [[originalism]]);<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tsowell.com/judicial.htm |title=Judicial Activism Reconsidered |publisher=Tsowell.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20041109.shtml |title=Thomas Sowell, Conservative, Political News |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20041110.shtml |title=Thomas Sowell, Conservative, Political News |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassf |title=Conservative Columnists and Political Commentary |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20050914.shtml |title=Thomas Sowell, Conservative, Political News |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref> [[partial birth abortion]];<ref>{{cite web|last=Sowell |first=Thomas |url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2004/06/04/partial_truth_abortion |title=Thomas Sowell : 'Partial truth' abortion |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref> the [[minimum wage]]; [[socialized medicine|socializing health care]]; [[affirmative action]]; government [[bureaucracy]]; militancy in [[U.S. foreign policy]]; the U.S. [[war on drugs]], and [[multiculturalism]]. {{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}
Sowell supports free market and [[economic growth|pro-growth]] economics. In one column he criticized as socialism for the rich certain policies which he describes as benefiting the wealthy at the expense of the poor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell010036.php3 |title=Thomas Sowell |publisher=Jewishworldreview.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref>
Sowell in a Townhall editorial, "The Bush Legacy", assessed President [[George W. Bush]], deeming him "a mixed bag", but "an honorable man".<ref>{{cite|publisher=Townhall.com|author=Thomas Sowell|title=The Bush Legacy|url=http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2009/01/16/the_bush_legacy|date=16 January 2009}}</ref>
Sowell also favors [[decriminalization]] of all drugs.<ref>Sowell, Thomas (1987); ''Compassion versus guilt, and other essays''; ISBN 0688071147.</ref>
==Criticism==
The Nobel Prize winning economist [[Amartya Sen]] reached conclusions inconsistent with Sowell's research of [[price gouging]].<ref>Amartya Sen ''Poverty and Famines. An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation'' (Oxford) 1981</ref> In addition, some studies claim that [[welfare state|welfare]] systems can [[Welfare's effect on poverty|reduce poverty]],<ref>Kenworthy, L. (1999). [http://www.u.arizona.edu/~lkenwor/sf1999%28poverty%29.pdf Do social-welfare policies reduce poverty? A cross-national assessment]. ''Social Forces, 77''(3), 1119-1139.</ref><ref>Bradley, D., Huber, E., Moller, S., Nielson, F. & Stephens, J. D. (2003). Determinants of relative poverty in advanced capitalist democracies. ''American Sociological Review, 68''(3), 22-51.</ref> contrary to Sowell's claims indicating that welfare exacerbates poverty.
Reviewing Sowell's 1984 book ''Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?'', [[University of Chicago]] sociologist [[William Julius Wilson]] said that Sowell did not explore "reasonable alternative explanations and hypotheses" in his critiques of affirmative action. For instance, regarding Sowell's theory that women are underrepresented in fields like law and engineering because of the heavy responsibilities of marriage such as childrearing and other household work: "A plausible alternative to Mr. Sowell's hypothesis on women's pay differentials and occupational segregation is that women are virtually excluded from many desirable positions and therefore crowd into obtainable occupations."<ref name="Wilson 1984">{{cite news|last=Wilson|first=William Julius|title=Hurting the Disadvantaged|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/24/books/hurting-the-disadvantaged.html?pagewanted=all|accessdate=January 5, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 24, 1984}}</ref>
==Career highlights==
*Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, [[Stanford University]], September 1980–present
*Professor of Economics, [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]], July 1974–June 1980
*Visiting Professor of Economics, [[Amherst College]], September–December 1977
*Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, April–August 1977
*Fellow, [[Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences]], July 1976–March 1977
*Project Director, The [[Urban Institute]], August 1972–July 1974
*Associate Professor of Economics, [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]], September 1970–June 1972
*Associate Professor of Economics, [[Brandeis University]], September 1969–June 1970
*Assistant Professor of Economics, [[Cornell University]], September 1965–June 1969
*Economic Analyst, [[American Telephone & Telegraph]] Co., June 1964–August 1965
*Lecturer in Economics, [[Howard University]], September 1963–June 1964
*Instructor in Economics, Douglass College, [[Rutgers University]], September 1962–June 1963
*Labor Economist, [[United States Department of Labor|U.S. Department of Labor]], June 1961–August 1962
==Books by Sowell==
*2011. {{cite book |title=Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy |publisher=Perseus Books Group |location=Cambridge, Mass |edition=4th edition |isbn=978-046502252 |oclc= }}
*2010. {{cite book |title=Dismantling America |publisher=Basic Books |location= |pages=352 |isbn=978-0465022519 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2010. {{cite book |title=Intellectuals and Society |publisher=Basic Books |location= |edition= |pages=416 |isbn=978-0465019489 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2009. {{cite book |title=[[The Housing Boom and Bust]] |publisher=Basic Books |location= |edition= |pages=184 |isbn=978-0465018802 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2008. {{cite book |title=Applied Economics: Thinking Beyond Stage One |publisher=Basic Books |location= |edition=2nd |pages=400 |isbn=978-0465003457 |oclc=260206351}}
*2007. {{cite book |title=Economic Facts and Fallacies |publisher=Basic Books |location= |edition= |pages=262 |isbn=978-0465003495 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2007. {{cite book |title=Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy |publisher=Perseus Books Group |location=Cambridge, Mass |edition=3rd edition
|isbn=978-0465002603 |oclc=76897806 }}
*2007. {{cite book |title=A Man of Letters |publisher=Encounter Books |location=San Francisco |pages=320 |isbn= 978-1594031960 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2006. {{cite book |title=Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays |publisher=Hoover Institution Press |location=Stanford, CA |pages=460 |isbn=978-0817947521 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2006. {{cite book |title=On Classical Economics |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven, Conn |year=2006 |pages=320 |isbn=978-0300126068 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2005. {{cite book |title=[[Black Rednecks and White Liberals|Black Rednecks and White Liberals: And Other Cultural And Ethnic Issues]] |publisher=[[Encounter Books]] |location=San Francisco |pages=360 |isbn=978-1594030864 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2004. {{cite book |title=[[Affirmative Action Around the World|Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study]] |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven, Conn |pages=256 |isbn=978-0300107753 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2004. ''Basic Economics: A Citizen’s Guide to the Economy'', revised and expanded ed. Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-08145-2 (1st ed. 2000)
*2003. ''[[Applied Economics: Thinking Beyond Stage One]]'', ISBN 0-465-08143-6
*2002. ''The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children Who Talk Late'', ISBN 0-465-08141-X
*2002. ''Controversial Essays'', ISBN 0-8179-2992-4
*2002. ''A Personal Odyssey'', ISBN 0-684-86465-7
*2002. ''The Quest For Cosmic Justice'', ISBN 0-684-86463-0
*1998. ''Conquests and Cultures: An International History'', ISBN 0-465-01400-3
*1996. ''Migrations and Cultures: A World View'', ISBN 0-465-04589-8 [http://www.worldcat.org/title/migrations-and-cultures-a-world-view/oclc/41748039 OCLC 41748039]
*1996. ''[[The Vision of the Anointed]]: Self-Congratulation As a Basis for Social Policy''. Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-08995-X
*1995. ''Race and Culture: A World View''. [http://books.google.com/books?id=oMMab6JiwtAC&dq=race+economics&lr=&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 Description & chapter previews.] ISBN 0-465-06796-4
*1993. ''Inside American Education'', ISBN 0-7432-5408-2
*1987. ''[[A Conflict of Visions]]: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles''. William Morrow, ISBN 0-688-06912-6
*1987. ''Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays''. William Morrow, ISBN 0688-07114-7
*1986. ''Marxism: Philosophy and Economics''. Quill, ISBN 0-688-06426-4
*1984. ''Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?'' William Morrow, ISBN 0-688-03113-7
*1983. ''The Economics and Politics of Race''. William Morrow, ISBN 0-688-01891-2
*1981. ''Ethnic America: A History''. Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-02074-7
*1981. ''Markets and Minorities''. Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-04399-2
*1980. ''[[Knowledge and Decisions]]''. Basic Books.
*1975. ''[[Race and Economics]]''. David McKay Company Inc, ISBN 0-679-30262-X
*1972. ''[[Say's Law]], An Historical Analysis''. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-04166-0
==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[List of newspaper columnists]]
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*[http://www.tsowell.com/ Thomas Sowell’s home page]
**[http://www.tsowell.com/writings.html Complete list of writings]
*[http://www.creators.com/opinion/thomas-sowell.html Thomas Sowell Features] at [[Creators Syndicate]]
*[http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/archive.shtml Column archive at Townhall.com]
*[http://www.outloudopinion.com Free Podcasts of Sowell’s recent articles]
*[http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell1.asp Archive of Articles] by Thomas Sowell at JewishWorldReview.com
*[http://www.springerlink.com/content/y1xlq1pldq7q54mv/ Book review] of ''The Einstein Syndrome'' by Isabelle Rapin, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
*[http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/sowell.asp Snopes.com on Various articles attributed to Thomas Sowell]
===Articles and interviews===
*[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL1F2F9DB68693C0F4 'Uncommon Knowledge' Interviews (2008-2011)]
*[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLE44347DE77AC5892 CSPAN -'Booknotes' interview (May 24, 1990)]
*[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL6E8BC416A48FE3B6 Fox News - 'In the Right Direction' interview (2005)]
*[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL168A79027918B38C CSPAN - 'Q&A' interview (April 17, 2005)]
*"A Dangerous Obsession" — [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18638 Part I] [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18639 II], [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18640 III], [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18641 IV], and [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18642 V]
*"Too “Complex”?" — [http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/05/13/too_complex Part I], [http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/05/14/too_complex_part_ii II], & [http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/05/15/too_complex_part_iii III]
*"Alice in Health Care" — [http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2010/03/02/alice_in_health_care/page/full/ Part I], [http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2010/03/03/alice_in_health_care_part_ii/page/full/ II], [http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2010/03/04/alice_in_health_care_part_iii/page/full/ III], [http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2010/03/05/alice_in_medical_care_part_iv/page/full/ IV]
*"The 'Costs' of Medical Care" — [http://www.webcitation.org/5oEzXGgVy Part I], [http://www.webcitation.org/5oEzuCVoC II], [http://www.webcitation.org/5oF01mTwo III], [http://www.webcitation.org/5oF0A6Q4F IV]
*[http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4798 Socialism for the rich] by Thomas Sowell (October 6, 2006)
*[http://www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/sowell.php “10 Questions With Thomas Sowell”], John Hawkins, ''Right Wing News''. Sowell on flat-tax vs. progressive tax, rent-control, balanced budget amendments, protectionist tariffs, poverty and welfare, profit-restriction, illegal immigration, a weak dollar vs. a strong dollar, affirmative action, and reparations.
*[http://www.uncommonknowledge.org/900/902.html 'Uncommon Knowledge' discussion of affirmative action]
*[http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BillSteigerwald/2008/02/01/economic_fallacies_--_interview_with_thomas_sowell Economic Fallacies -- Interview with Thomas Sowell] by [[Bill Steigerwald]]
*[http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell1.asp Thomas Sowell- Columns on Jewish World Review website]
*[http://www.CapMag.com/article.asp?ID=1958 “Race and IQ”] Detailed discussion of Race and IQ including techniques that have masked the improvement of black IQ scores.
*[http://www.leaderu.com/choosingcollege/sowell-choosing/toc.html “Choosing a College”] — discusses benefits and costs including college quality, size, specialty, intellectual rigor, social, political and sexual environment of today’s campuses. Recommends hard-nosed parental analysis (including campus visits) that ignores PR fluff and focuses on the bottom line
*[http://www.hoover.org/publications/digest/3010426.html “Affirmative Action around the World”] - critical analysis of Affirmative Action and its failures worldwide.
*[http://www.salon.com/books/int/1999/11/10/sowell/ Salon interview with Sowell]
*[http://radio.nationalreview.com/betweenthecovers/post/?q=ZGQwZDA3YzgzOTNjODE4ZWY0ZDI3ZjYxN2ExNWY5YjI= Audio interview with National Review Online]
*[http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2008/02/sowell_on_econo.html Sowell on Economic Facts and Fallacies: Audio interview]
*[http://www.creators.com/opinion/thomas-sowell-spanish.html Sowell en español]
{{Chiconomists}}
{{Persondata<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
| NAME =Sowell, Thomas
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH =1930-06-30
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Gastonia, North Carolina|Gastonia]], [[North Carolina]]
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sowell, Thomas}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:African American academics]]
[[Category:African American social scientists]]
[[Category:American columnists]]
[[Category:American economics writers]]
[[Category:American economists]]
[[Category:American libertarians]]
[[Category:American political pundits]]
[[Category:American political writers]]
[[Category:Brandeis University faculty]]
[[Category:Columbia University alumni]]
[[Category:Conservatism in the United States]]
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[[Category:National Humanities Medal recipients]]
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[[Category:Human Events people]]
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{{Infobox economist
| name = Thomas Sowell
| school_tradition = [[Social economics|New Social Economics]]
| color = maroon
| image =
| image_size = 150px
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1930|6|30}}
| birth_place = [[Gastonia, North Carolina|Gastonia]], [[North Carolina]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = [[United States]]
| institution = [[Hoover Institution]] (1980–present)<br/>[[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]] (1970–1972, 1974–1980)<br/>[[Urban Institute]] (1972–1974)<br/>[[Brandeis University]] (1969–1970)<br/>[[Cornell University]] (1965–1969)
| field = [[Economics]], [[Education]], [[Politics]], [[History]], [[Race relations]], [[Child development]]
| alma_mater = [[Stuyvesant High School]]<br/>[[Howard University]]<br/>[[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]]) [[1958]]<br/>[[Columbia University]] ([[Master of Arts (postgraduate)|M.A.]]) [[1959]]<br/>[[University of Chicago]] ([[Ph.D.]]) [[1969]]
| influences = [[Edmund Burke]], [[Milton Friedman]], [[F.A. Hayek]], [[Henry Hazlitt]], [[David Hume]], [[Adam Smith]], [[George Stigler]]
| opposed = [[Paul Krugman]], [[Joseph Stiglitz]], [[John Maynard Keynes]], [[John Kenneth Galbraith]]
| influenced = [[Clarence Thomas]], [[Walter E. Williams]], [[Milton Friedman]], [[Steven Pinker]],[[George Gilder]], [[Paul Johnson (writer)|Paul Johnson]], [[Arthur C. Brooks]], [[Fred Barnes (journalist)|Fred Barnes]], [[Jonah Goldberg]], [[David Mamet]], [[Rush Limbaugh]], [[Lee Doren]]
| contributions =
| awards = Military Service: United States Marine Corps, Corporal, [[Francis Boyer Award]], [[National Humanities Medal]], [[Bradley Prize]], [[getAbstract International Book Award]]
| signature = <!-- file name only -->
| repec_prefix = | repec_id =
}}
'''Thomas Sowell''' (born June 30, 1930) is an [[United States|American]] [[economist]], [[Social criticism|social theorist]], political philosopher and author. He often writes as an advocate of [[laissez-faire]] economics, and his political outlook can generally be classified as [[libertarian]]. He is currently a senior [[fellow]] of the [[Hoover Institution]] at [[Stanford University]]. In 1990, he won the [[Francis Boyer Award]], presented by the [[American Enterprise Institute]]. In 2002, Sowell was awarded the [[National Humanities Medal]] for prolific scholarship melding [[history]], [[economics]], and [[political science]]. In 2003, he was awarded the [[Bradley Foundation#Bradley Prize|Bradley Prize]] for intellectual achievement.<ref>{{cite web|author=Thomas Sowell |url=http://www.hoover.org/bios/sowell.html |title=Hoover Institution - Fellows - Thomas Sowell |publisher=Hoover.org |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref>
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==Biography==
Sowell, an African-American, was born in [[Gastonia, North Carolina]]. His father died before he was born, and Sowell's mother, a maid, already had four children. His great-aunt and her two grown daughters adopted Sowell.<ref name="courage"/> In his autobiography, ''A Personal Odyssey,'' he recalled that his encounters with whites were so limited he did not believe that yellow was a hair color.<ref>Sowell, ''A Personal Odyssey'', p. 6.</ref> When Sowell was nine, his family moved from [[Charlotte, North Carolina]] to the [[Harlem]] neighborhood of [[New York City]]. Sowell attended the selective [[Stuyvesant High School]] even though no one in his family had an education beyond sixth grade. He dropped out at age 17 because of financial difficulties and a deteriorating home environment.<ref name="courage">{{cite web|last=Graglia|first=Nino A.|title=Profile in courage|url=http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/pubaffairs/newsletter/01winter/review.html|work=Hoover Institution Newsletter|publisher=Hoover Institution|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050909080051/http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/pubaffairs/newsletter/01winter/review.html|archivedate=September 9, 2005|date=Winter 2001}}</ref> To support himself he worked at various jobs, including in a machine shop and as a delivery man for [[Western Union]],<ref>Sowell, ''A Personal Odyssey'', pp. 47, 58, 59, 62.</ref> and tried out for the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] in 1948.<ref name=nordlinger20110203>{{cite web|last=Nordlinger|first=Jay|title=Brains and Nerve|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/258804/brains-and-nerve-jay-nordlinger|publisher=National Review|accessdate=2011-02-03}}</ref> Sowell was [[Conscription|drafted]] in 1951, during the [[Korean War]], and was assigned to the [[US Marine Corps]]. Due to prior experience in [[photography]], he worked in a photography unit but also trained Marines in [[handgun]] use.<ref name="courage"/>
After discharge, Sowell took a [[Civil Service]] job in [[Washington, D.C.]] and attended night classes at [[Howard University]] despite lacking a high school diploma. High grades on [[College Board]] exams and recommendations by two of his professors helped him be accepted to [[Harvard University]], where in 1958 he graduated ''[[magna cum laude]]'' with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[economics]] despite early poor grades.<ref name="courage"/><ref name="CV">{{cite web|last=Sowell|first=Thomas|title=Curriculum vita|url=http://www.tsowell.com/cv.html|work=TSowell.com|accessdate=January 6, 2011}}</ref> He received a [[Master's degree|Master of Arts]] in economics from [[Columbia University]] in 1959 and a [[Ph.D.]] in economics from the [[University of Chicago]] in 1968.<ref name="CV"/> Sowell initially chose [[Columbia University]] because he wanted to study under [[George Stigler]] (who years later went on to win the [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences|Nobel Prize in Economics]]). After arriving at Columbia and learning that Stigler had moved to Chicago, he followed him there.<ref name=CharlieRoseSowell>{{cite web|url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=QFWuR_JxANE |title=Charlie Rose - September 15, 1995 |publisher=Youtube.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref>
Sowell has taught economics at [[Howard University]], [[Rutgers University|Rutgers]], [[Cornell University|Cornell]], [[Brandeis University]], [[Amherst College]], and [[UCLA]]. Since 1980 he has been a Senior Fellow of the [[Hoover Institution]] at [[Stanford University]], where he holds a fellowship named after [[Rose Friedman|Rose]] and [[Milton Friedman]], his mentor.<ref name="CV"/><ref name="Hoover bio">{{cite web|title=Thomas Sowell |url=http://www.hoover.org/fellows/9767|publisher=Hoover Institution|accessdate=January 6, 2011}}</ref>
Sowell has stated that he was a [[Marxist]] “during the decade of my 20s;" one of his earliest professional publications was a sympathetic examination of Marxist thought vs. Marxist-Leninist practice.<ref>Sowell, Thomas (1963). “Karl Marx and the Freedom of the Individual,” ''Ethics'' 73:2, p 120.</ref> His experience working as a federal government intern during the summer of 1960 caused him to reject Marxian economics in favor of [[free market]] economic theory. During his work, Sowell discovered a correlation between the rise of mandated minimum wages for workers in the sugar industry of [[Puerto Rico]] and the rise of [[unemployment]] in that industry. Studying the patterns led Sowell to theorize that the government employees who administered the minimum wage law cared more about their own jobs than the plight of the poor.<ref>{{cite web|last=Elizabeth |first=Mary |url=http://www.salon.com/books/int/1999/11/10/sowell/ |title=Salon interview with Sowell |publisher=Salon.com |date=1999-11-10 |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref>
==Writings==
Sowell is both a [[Print syndication|syndicated]] [[columnist]] and an [[academic]] economist.
Besides scholarly writing, Sowell has written books, articles, and [[Print syndication|syndicated]] columns for a general audience in such publications as ''[[Forbes Magazine]]'', ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', and major newspapers. He is a regular contributor to GOPUSA, a conservative web and email newsletter run by [[Endeavor Media Group, LLC]]. He primarily writes on economic subjects, generally advocating a free market approach to [[capitalism]]. Sowell, whose autobiography describes his serious study of Karl Marx, opposes [[Marxism]], providing a critique in his book ''Marxism: Philosophy and Economics''. He also argues that, contrary to popular perception, Marx never held to a [[labor theory of value]].
Sowell also writes on racial topics and is a critic of [[affirmative action]] and race based quotas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20030108.shtml |title=''Townhall.com'' |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20030109.shtml |title=''Townhall.com'' |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref> While often described as a [[Black conservatism in the United States|black conservative]], he prefers not to be labeled, and considers himself more [[libertarian]] than conservative.<ref>Sawhill R. (1999) [http://www.salon.com/books/int/1999/11/10/sowell/index.html “Black and right: Thomas Sowell talks about the arrogance of liberal elites and the loneliness of the black conservative.”] ''Salon.com''. Accessed May 6, 2007.</ref>
In another departure from economics, Sowell wrote ''The [[Einstein Syndrome]]: Bright Children Who Talk Late'', a follow-up to his ''Late-Talking Children''. This book investigates the phenomenon of late-talking children, frequently misdiagnosed with [[autism]] or [[pervasive developmental disorder]]. He includes the research of—among others—Professor Stephen Camarata, Ph.D., of [[Vanderbilt University]] and Professor [[Steven Pinker]], Ph.D., of [[Harvard University]] in this overview of a poorly understood developmental trait. It is a trait which he says affected many historical figures. He includes famous late-talkers such as physicists [[Albert Einstein]], [[Edward Teller]] and [[Richard Feynman]]; mathematician [[Julia Robinson]]; and musicians [[Arthur Rubenstein]] and [[Clara Schumann]]. The book and its contributing researchers make a case for the theory that some children develop unevenly (asynchronous development) for a period in childhood due to rapid and extraordinary development in the analytical functions of the [[brain]]. This may temporarily “rob resources” from neighboring functions such as language development. The book contradicts [[Simon Baron-Cohen]]’s speculation that Einstein may have had [[Asperger syndrome]] (see also [[people speculated to have been autistic]]).
Themes of Sowell’s writing range from social policy on race, ethnic groups, education and decision-making, to classical and [[Marxist]] economics, to the problems of children perceived as having disabilities.
In ''Intelligence and Ethnicity'', Sowell argues that IQ gaps are hardly startling or unusual between, or within, ethnic groups. He notes that the roughly 15-point gap in contemporary black–white IQ scores is similar to that between the national average and the scores of particular ethnic white groups in years past.
Sowell has also written a trilogy of books on ideologies and political positions, including ''[[A Conflict of Visions]]'' where he speaks about the origins of political strife, [[The Vision of the Anointed]], where he compares the conservative/libertarian and liberal/progressive worldviews,''The Quest for Cosmic Justice'', where, like in many of his other writings, he outlines the his thesis of the need for intellectuals, politicians and leaders to fix and perfect the world in utopian, and ultimately he posits, disastrous fashions. Separate from the trilogy, but also in discussion of the subject,he wrote [[''Intellectuals and Society'']], where he discusses what he argues to be the blind hubris and follies of intellectuals in a variety of areas, building on his earlier work.
Sowell takes strong issue with the notion of government as a helper or savior of minorities, arguing that the historical record shows quite the opposite.
Sowell also challenges the notion that black progress is due to progressive government programs or policies, in ''The Economics and Politics of Race,'' (1983), ''Ethnic America'' (1981), [[Affirmative Action Around the World|''Affirmative Action'']] (2004), and other books.
He claims that many problems identified with blacks in modern society are hardly unique in terms of American ethnic groups, nor in terms of a rural proletariat swept by disruption as it became urbanized, discussed in his book, ''Black Rednecks and White Liberals''.
In ''[[Affirmative Action Around the World]]''<ref name="hoover1">{{cite web|last=Sowell |first=Thomas |url=http://www.hoover.org/publications/hoover-digest/article/8108 |title=Affirmative Action around the World | Hoover Institution |publisher=Hoover.org |date=2004-10-30 |accessdate=2011-01-30}}</ref> Sowell holds that affirmative action covers most of the American population, particularly women, and has long since ceased to be directed towards blacks
===Columns===
Sowell has a nationally syndicated column distributed by [[Creators Syndicate]] that appears in various newspapers, as well as online on websites such as [[Townhall.com|Townhall]], [[WorldNetDaily]], [[American Family Association|OneNewsNow]] and the ''[[Jewish World Review]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell.html |title=Thomas Sowell |publisher=Jewishworldreview.com |date=2009-11-06 |accessdate=2011-05-30}}</ref>
Sowell comments on issues he considers to be problematic in modern-day society, which include [[liberal media bias]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20041012.shtml |title=Thomas Sowell, Conservative, Political News |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref> [[judicial activism]] (while staunchly defending [[originalism]]);<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tsowell.com/judicial.htm |title=Judicial Activism Reconsidered |publisher=Tsowell.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20041109.shtml |title=Thomas Sowell, Conservative, Political News |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20041110.shtml |title=Thomas Sowell, Conservative, Political News |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassf |title=Conservative Columnists and Political Commentary |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20050914.shtml |title=Thomas Sowell, Conservative, Political News |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref> [[partial birth abortion]];<ref>{{cite web|last=Sowell |first=Thomas |url=http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2004/06/04/partial_truth_abortion |title=Thomas Sowell : 'Partial truth' abortion |publisher=Townhall.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref> the [[minimum wage]]; [[socialized medicine|socializing health care]]; [[affirmative action]]; government [[bureaucracy]]; militancy in [[U.S. foreign policy]]; the U.S. [[war on drugs]], and [[multiculturalism]]. {{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}
Sowell supports free market and [[economic growth|pro-growth]] economics. In one column he criticized as socialism for the rich certain policies which he describes as benefiting the wealthy at the expense of the poor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell010036.php3 |title=Thomas Sowell |publisher=Jewishworldreview.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-12}}</ref>
Sowell in a Townhall editorial, "The Bush Legacy", assessed President [[George W. Bush]], deeming him "a mixed bag", but "an honorable man".<ref>{{cite|publisher=Townhall.com|author=Thomas Sowell|title=The Bush Legacy|url=http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2009/01/16/the_bush_legacy|date=16 January 2009}}</ref>
Sowell also favors [[decriminalization]] of all drugs.<ref>Sowell, Thomas (1987); ''Compassion versus guilt, and other essays''; ISBN 0688071147.</ref>
==Criticism==
The liberal watchdog group, [[Media Matters for America|Media Matters]] has criticized many of Sowell's remarks<ref>[http://mediamatters.org/search/index?qstring=Sowell&from=&to=&tags=thomas_sowell&tags=&tags=&tags= Media Matters category for Thomas Sowell]</ref> such as a comparison Sowell made between President [[Barack Obama]] and [[Adolf Hitler]] in an editorial for ''[[Investor's Business Daily]]''<ref>[http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/537967/201006211813/Is-US-Now-On-Slippery-Slope-To-Tyranny-.aspx Is U.S. Now On Slippery Slope To Tyranny?] ''Investor Business Daily''.</ref> after the creation of a relief fund "as a result of negotiations between BP and the White House".<ref>[http://mediamatters.org/blog/201006220002 Sowell falsely claims Obama essentially "confiscated" $20 billion from BP and compares Obama to Hitler"]</ref> However, Republicans such as [[Sarah Palin]]<ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/39030.html "Sarah Palin praises column linking Obama, Hitler"], [[Politico]]</ref> and Representative [[Louie Gohmert]]<ref>"[http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_06/024419.php Gohmert Endorses Sowell's Hitler Comparison]", The Washington Monthly</ref> have endorsed Sowell's comparison. Sowell was also criticized for an editorial in which he stated that the Democratic Party played the [[Race card]], instigating ethnic divisions and separatism, and argued that a similar situation occurred between the [[Rwandan Genocide|Tutsis and the Hutus]] in Rwanda.<ref>[http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2010/04/06/race_and_politics Race and Politics], Townhall.com</ref><ref>[http://mediamatters.org/blog/201004070005 Media Matters</ref>
===Economic criticism===
The Nobel Prize winning economist [[Amartya Sen]] reached conclusions inconsistent with Sowell's research of [[price gouging]].<ref>Amartya Sen ''Poverty and Famines. An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation'' (Oxford) 1981</ref> In addition, some studies claim that [[welfare state|welfare]] systems can [[Welfare's effect on poverty|reduce poverty]],<ref>Kenworthy, L. (1999). [http://www.u.arizona.edu/~lkenwor/sf1999%28poverty%29.pdf Do social-welfare policies reduce poverty? A cross-national assessment]. ''Social Forces, 77''(3), 1119-1139.</ref><ref>Bradley, D., Huber, E., Moller, S., Nielson, F. & Stephens, J. D. (2003). Determinants of relative poverty in advanced capitalist democracies. ''American Sociological Review, 68''(3), 22-51.</ref> contrary to Sowell's claims indicating that welfare exacerbates poverty.
Reviewing Sowell's 1984 book ''Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?'', [[University of Chicago]] sociologist [[William Julius Wilson]] said that Sowell did not explore "reasonable alternative explanations and hypotheses" in his critiques of affirmative action. For instance, regarding Sowell's theory that women are underrepresented in fields like law and engineering because of the heavy responsibilities of marriage such as childrearing and other household work: "A plausible alternative to Mr. Sowell's hypothesis on women's pay differentials and occupational segregation is that women are virtually excluded from many desirable positions and therefore crowd into obtainable occupations."<ref name="Wilson 1984">{{cite news|last=Wilson|first=William Julius|title=Hurting the Disadvantaged|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/24/books/hurting-the-disadvantaged.html?pagewanted=all|accessdate=January 5, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 24, 1984}}</ref>
==Career highlights==
*Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, [[Stanford University]], September 1980–present
*Professor of Economics, [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]], July 1974–June 1980
*Visiting Professor of Economics, [[Amherst College]], September–December 1977
*Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, April–August 1977
*Fellow, [[Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences]], July 1976–March 1977
*Project Director, The [[Urban Institute]], August 1972–July 1974
*Associate Professor of Economics, [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]], September 1970–June 1972
*Associate Professor of Economics, [[Brandeis University]], September 1969–June 1970
*Assistant Professor of Economics, [[Cornell University]], September 1965–June 1969
*Economic Analyst, [[American Telephone & Telegraph]] Co., June 1964–August 1965
*Lecturer in Economics, [[Howard University]], September 1963–June 1964
*Instructor in Economics, Douglass College, [[Rutgers University]], September 1962–June 1963
*Labor Economist, [[United States Department of Labor|U.S. Department of Labor]], June 1961–August 1962
==Books by Sowell==
*2011. {{cite book |title=Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy |publisher=Perseus Books Group |location=Cambridge, Mass |edition=4th edition |isbn=978-046502252 |oclc= }}
*2010. {{cite book |title=Dismantling America |publisher=Basic Books |location= |pages=352 |isbn=978-0465022519 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2010. {{cite book |title=Intellectuals and Society |publisher=Basic Books |location= |edition= |pages=416 |isbn=978-0465019489 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2009. {{cite book |title=[[The Housing Boom and Bust]] |publisher=Basic Books |location= |edition= |pages=184 |isbn=978-0465018802 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2008. {{cite book |title=Applied Economics: Thinking Beyond Stage One |publisher=Basic Books |location= |edition=2nd |pages=400 |isbn=978-0465003457 |oclc=260206351}}
*2007. {{cite book |title=Economic Facts and Fallacies |publisher=Basic Books |location= |edition= |pages=262 |isbn=978-0465003495 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2007. {{cite book |title=Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy |publisher=Perseus Books Group |location=Cambridge, Mass |edition=3rd edition
|isbn=978-0465002603 |oclc=76897806 }}
*2007. {{cite book |title=A Man of Letters |publisher=Encounter Books |location=San Francisco |pages=320 |isbn= 978-1594031960 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2006. {{cite book |title=Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays |publisher=Hoover Institution Press |location=Stanford, CA |pages=460 |isbn=978-0817947521 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2006. {{cite book |title=On Classical Economics |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven, Conn |year=2006 |pages=320 |isbn=978-0300126068 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2005. {{cite book |title=[[Black Rednecks and White Liberals|Black Rednecks and White Liberals: And Other Cultural And Ethnic Issues]] |publisher=[[Encounter Books]] |location=San Francisco |pages=360 |isbn=978-1594030864 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2004. {{cite book |title=[[Affirmative Action Around the World|Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study]] |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven, Conn |pages=256 |isbn=978-0300107753 |oclc= |doi=}}
*2004. ''Basic Economics: A Citizen’s Guide to the Economy'', revised and expanded ed. Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-08145-2 (1st ed. 2000)
*2003. ''[[Applied Economics: Thinking Beyond Stage One]]'', ISBN 0-465-08143-6
*2002. ''The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children Who Talk Late'', ISBN 0-465-08141-X
*2002. ''Controversial Essays'', ISBN 0-8179-2992-4
*2002. ''A Personal Odyssey'', ISBN 0-684-86465-7
*2002. ''The Quest For Cosmic Justice'', ISBN 0-684-86463-0
*1998. ''Conquests and Cultures: An International History'', ISBN 0-465-01400-3
*1996. ''Migrations and Cultures: A World View'', ISBN 0-465-04589-8 [http://www.worldcat.org/title/migrations-and-cultures-a-world-view/oclc/41748039 OCLC 41748039]
*1996. ''[[The Vision of the Anointed]]: Self-Congratulation As a Basis for Social Policy''. Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-08995-X
*1995. ''Race and Culture: A World View''. [http://books.google.com/books?id=oMMab6JiwtAC&dq=race+economics&lr=&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 Description & chapter previews.] ISBN 0-465-06796-4
*1993. ''Inside American Education'', ISBN 0-7432-5408-2
*1987. ''[[A Conflict of Visions]]: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles''. William Morrow, ISBN 0-688-06912-6
*1987. ''Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays''. William Morrow, ISBN 0688-07114-7
*1986. ''Marxism: Philosophy and Economics''. Quill, ISBN 0-688-06426-4
*1984. ''Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?'' William Morrow, ISBN 0-688-03113-7
*1983. ''The Economics and Politics of Race''. William Morrow, ISBN 0-688-01891-2
*1981. ''Ethnic America: A History''. Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-02074-7
*1981. ''Markets and Minorities''. Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-04399-2
*1980. ''[[Knowledge and Decisions]]''. Basic Books.
*1975. ''[[Race and Economics]]''. David McKay Company Inc, ISBN 0-679-30262-X
*1972. ''[[Say's Law]], An Historical Analysis''. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-04166-0
==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[List of newspaper columnists]]
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*[http://www.tsowell.com/ Thomas Sowell’s home page]
**[http://www.tsowell.com/writings.html Complete list of writings]
*[http://www.creators.com/opinion/thomas-sowell.html Thomas Sowell Features] at [[Creators Syndicate]]
*[http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/archive.shtml Column archive at Townhall.com]
*[http://www.outloudopinion.com Free Podcasts of Sowell’s recent articles]
*[http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell1.asp Archive of Articles] by Thomas Sowell at JewishWorldReview.com
*[http://www.springerlink.com/content/y1xlq1pldq7q54mv/ Book review] of ''The Einstein Syndrome'' by Isabelle Rapin, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
*[http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/sowell.asp Snopes.com on Various articles attributed to Thomas Sowell]
===Articles and interviews===
*[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL1F2F9DB68693C0F4 'Uncommon Knowledge' Interviews (2008-2011)]
*[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLE44347DE77AC5892 CSPAN -'Booknotes' interview (May 24, 1990)]
*[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL6E8BC416A48FE3B6 Fox News - 'In the Right Direction' interview (2005)]
*[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL168A79027918B38C CSPAN - 'Q&A' interview (April 17, 2005)]
*"A Dangerous Obsession" — [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18638 Part I] [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18639 II], [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18640 III], [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18641 IV], and [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18642 V]
*"Too “Complex”?" — [http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/05/13/too_complex Part I], [http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/05/14/too_complex_part_ii II], & [http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/05/15/too_complex_part_iii III]
*"Alice in Health Care" — [http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2010/03/02/alice_in_health_care/page/full/ Part I], [http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2010/03/03/alice_in_health_care_part_ii/page/full/ II], [http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2010/03/04/alice_in_health_care_part_iii/page/full/ III], [http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2010/03/05/alice_in_medical_care_part_iv/page/full/ IV]
*"The 'Costs' of Medical Care" — [http://www.webcitation.org/5oEzXGgVy Part I], [http://www.webcitation.org/5oEzuCVoC II], [http://www.webcitation.org/5oF01mTwo III], [http://www.webcitation.org/5oF0A6Q4F IV]
*[http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4798 Socialism for the rich] by Thomas Sowell (October 6, 2006)
*[http://www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/sowell.php “10 Questions With Thomas Sowell”], John Hawkins, ''Right Wing News''. Sowell on flat-tax vs. progressive tax, rent-control, balanced budget amendments, protectionist tariffs, poverty and welfare, profit-restriction, illegal immigration, a weak dollar vs. a strong dollar, affirmative action, and reparations.
*[http://www.uncommonknowledge.org/900/902.html 'Uncommon Knowledge' discussion of affirmative action]
*[http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BillSteigerwald/2008/02/01/economic_fallacies_--_interview_with_thomas_sowell Economic Fallacies -- Interview with Thomas Sowell] by [[Bill Steigerwald]]
*[http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell1.asp Thomas Sowell- Columns on Jewish World Review website]
*[http://www.CapMag.com/article.asp?ID=1958 “Race and IQ”] Detailed discussion of Race and IQ including techniques that have masked the improvement of black IQ scores.
*[http://www.leaderu.com/choosingcollege/sowell-choosing/toc.html “Choosing a College”] — discusses benefits and costs including college quality, size, specialty, intellectual rigor, social, political and sexual environment of today’s campuses. Recommends hard-nosed parental analysis (including campus visits) that ignores PR fluff and focuses on the bottom line
*[http://www.hoover.org/publications/digest/3010426.html “Affirmative Action around the World”] - critical analysis of Affirmative Action and its failures worldwide.
*[http://www.salon.com/books/int/1999/11/10/sowell/ Salon interview with Sowell]
*[http://radio.nationalreview.com/betweenthecovers/post/?q=ZGQwZDA3YzgzOTNjODE4ZWY0ZDI3ZjYxN2ExNWY5YjI= Audio interview with National Review Online]
*[http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2008/02/sowell_on_econo.html Sowell on Economic Facts and Fallacies: Audio interview]
*[http://www.creators.com/opinion/thomas-sowell-spanish.html Sowell en español]
{{Chiconomists}}
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