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Thomas Sowell on 'Intellectuals and Society'

11 Dec 2009

Speakers: Thomas Sowell, Peter M Robinson

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Thomas Sowell introduces his book Intellectuals and Society and expounds on what he calls 'the fatal misstep of intellectuals' – the assumption that superior ability within a particular realm can be generalised as superior wisdom or morality overall.

He offers examples of these missteps in areas as divergent as economics, the environment, and national defence. Finally, he warns us to resist the influence of intellectuals and points out that the demand for public intellectuals is largely manufactured by the public intellectuals themselves.

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