Thomas Sowell is an economist who has written extensively. This is the second book of his that I have read. This book was relatively short but it took me longer than I thought it would to finish it.
Sowell writes “The difference between seeing economic disparities as due to differences in the production of wealth and seeing those disparities as due to the transfer of wealth from some people to other people is fundamental. History shows that either cause of economic disparities can prevail at particular times and places.”
Sowell covers many topics that address economics. When discussing poverty he writes “Isolation is a recurring factor in poverty and backwardness around the world.”
This book discusses geography and culture and the role those play in economic development. Corruption, government inefficiency, and minimum wage laws are additional topics. Sowell writes “More than simple mistakes are involved in promoting a culture of dependency among those whom government statisticians have chosen to define as living in poverty. A dependent voting constituency is very valuable to politicians”
Sowell also spend time discussing equality. He notes “Whatever the merits of any particular definition of equality of outcomes what must be faced are the consequences of perpetually promoting a fervent crusade perpetually frustrated by its own internal contradictions but whose frustration is instead blamed on some human enemies of a sacred cause.”
There is a lot of information in this book. It presents several theories about economics and can be used for thought provoking discussion. However I had a hard time getting through it and was ready for it to be over by the time I got to the end.
Overall I rate it 3 out of 5 stars.
William Wilberforce has been called an agitator for his commitment to ending the slave trade. One of his well known speeches on the subject was given on May 12, 1789.
Cardinal Richelieu has been hailed as a great statesman and as a subversive authoritarian. Depending on who you talk to he was a man needed to strengthen the monarchy in France, or he was a tyrant seeking personal power. Next week I will have a book review that may shed more light on Cardinal Richelieu.
When Lenin was working on his major writing projects he would often pace across the room formulating the ideas that he would write down by saying them out loud. Once he had the idea for what he wanted to write he would often repeat the idea to Nadezhda Krupskaya, who would provide feedback. Once this process was complete he would then write the ideas down.
Here is an AI rendering of what that might have looked like when he was drafting What is to be Done.
This month this community will focus on political subversion. What is subversion? When is it justified? What is the interplay between subversion and agitation? These are some of the topics to be discussed this month.
“You get used to the despot’s shortcomings, when they are not great vices, and the change of an autocratic ruler leads to involuntary fear.”
Sergei Trubetskoi
