The Genius of Thomas Sowell – Details, episodes & analysis

In today’s episode we explore the theme of "Race and IQ" and whether or not different racial groups have different levels of innate intelligence.
Sowell explored this subject in depth in his 2013 book “Intellectuals and Race."
Joining me to discuss this controversial topic is Professor Nathan Cofnas, who has written extensively on this subject.

I highly recommend you read the following to get the most out of this episode:
1) "Intellectuals and Race" by Thomas Sowell (of course you should read it!)
2) "A Guide for the Hereditarian Revolution" by Nathan Cofnas
3) "Thomas Sowell's Wishful Thinking About Race" by Nathan Cofnas.

You can find Professor Cofnas's Substack at: https://substack.com/@nathancofnas.

• This episodes' song list
1. Strange Fruit Billie Holiday 1939
2. Carefully Taught South Pacific 1949
3. Black Boys Hair 1964
4. Birmingham Sunday Joan Baez 1964
5. Mr Rogers Kiddie Pool scene 1969
6. Black and White three dog night 1972
7. Why can’t we be friends War 1975
8. War Bob Marley 1976
9. What color is God’s skin 1977
10. Redemption Song Marley 1980
11. Ebony and Ivory 1982
12. My Hometown bruce 1984
13. People are People Depeche Mode 1984
14. Black or white Michael Jackson 1991
15. Colored People DC talk 1995
16. Changes by Tupac 1998
17. Everyone’s a little bit racist 2003
18. Stop the hatred Wyclef 2021

THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon:   www.Patreon.com/SowellGenius
The money raised through Patreon supports our efforts to popularize the books and ideas of Thomas Sowell.
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2) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of searches. I really appreciate the many positive reviews, especially this one by Jonsby: "This is one of the few podcasts that I actually slow down so I can savor it!"
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Support the show

• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan
• Email me at WolanAlan@gmail.com
• Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius
• Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell
• See all my links at www.alanwolan.com

In today’s episode we explore the theme of “Honesty.” 

Sowell wrote about honesty in his latest book “Social Justice Fallacies,” and also in his 2000 classic “Basic Economics.” 
In addition, his 1993 collection of essays called “Is Reality Optional?” contains an essay about honesty which has a very unexpected spin to it.

We learn that honesty is not just a moral virtue, it’s also a form of human capital that varies greatly from culture to culture and from group to group within a particular culture.

I explore themes from those 3 Sowell books and I interview Dan Ariely, author of 
"The Honest Truth about Dishonesty: How we lie to everyone, especially ourselves," published in 2012.  

Notes to help you get the most out of this episode:

• My three favorite Dan Ariely books;
1. "Predictably Irrational" (2008)
2. "The Upside of Irrationality" (2010)
3. "The Honest Truth about Dishonesty" (2012)

• This episodes' song list:
1. "Honesty" by Billy Joel
2. PS22 Children's Choir rendition of "Honesty" 
3. "A Matter of Trust" by Billy Joel
4. "Honesty" Saxaphone Cover by  Max Sax
5. "Honor Pledge Song" by Princeton Triangle Club
6.  "Honesty" orchestral version by the Japanese Army Band
7. "One Piece at a Time" by Johnny Cash
8. "And So it Goes" by Billy Joel
9. "Piano Man" by Billy Joel
10. "She's Always a Woman" by Billy Joel
11.  "Lullabye" by Billy Joel
12. "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel
13. "Two Thousand Years" by Billy Joel
14.  "An Innocent Man" by Billy Joel
15.  "Honesty" Violin cover by Shiki

THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon:   www.Patreon.com/SowellGenius
The money raised through Patreon supports our efforts to popularize the books and ideas of Thomas Sowell.
----------------------------------------------
2) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches. I really appreciate the many positive reviews, especially this one by Jonsby: "This is one of the few podcasts that I actually slow down so I can savor it!"
----------------------------------------------
3) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads:  You can find all 300+ digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like.
To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please visit our shop

Support the show

• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan
• Email me at WolanAlan@gmail.com
• Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius
• Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell
• See all my links at www.alanwolan.com

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the Cold War and what lessons can be learned from it. In particular, we reflect upon some key teachings of Thomas Sowell with regard to how price-coordinated, Capitalist societies perform in comparison with command-style, communist and socialist economies.

Peter Robinson joins me in the second half of the show to talk about his views about Sowell and the Cold War.

Here are some links which will enhance your appreciation of the episode:
• More info about Peter Robinson HERE.
• "Wind of Change" by the German rock band Scorpions HERE (1 billion views).
• Full Kennedy speech about the Cuban Missile crisis HERE.
• 99 Luftballons video (German version) HERE
• 99 Red Balloons video (English version) HERE
(both the "99" music videos are so bad, you have to wonder if they made them that bad on purpose. They're so bad, they're good! But who cares, such a great song!)
• Ronald Reagan Berlin Wall speech HERE
• "Berlin City of Night" by Peter Schilling HERE.
• Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech HERE
• "Freiheit" by Marius Mueller Westernhagen HERE
• My essay on how I acquired the Checkpoint Charlie sign HERE.
• More useful links here: linktr.ee/alanwolan

THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:

1) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon:   www.Patreon.com/SowellGenius
The money raised through Patreon supports our efforts to popularize the books and ideas of Thomas Sowell.
----------------------------------------------
2) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches. I really appreciate the many positive reviews, especially this one by Jonsby: "This is one of the few podcasts that I actually slow down so I can savor it!"
----------------------------------------------
3) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads:  You can find all 100 digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like.

To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please visit our shop at: GeniusSowell.etsy.com 

We have two editions of the quotes available:
Edition #2: Quotes 1 - 50.
Edition #3: Quotes 51 - 100

Support the show

• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan
• Email me at WolanAlan@gmail.com
• Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius
• Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell
• See all my links at www.alanwolan.com

In today's episode I interview Professor Amy Wax from Penn Law School.
If you don't know Amy Wax, buckle up, you're in for a real treat.
Amy is truly one of a kind and you'll know what I mean after you listen to the episode.

I named this episode “Fight the Good Fight” because Amy Wax reminds me of the crucial importance of fighting for what you believe in. And not just fighting against what you don’t.

Here are some links to help you get more out of this episode:

• Here's a LINK to Amy's 2009 book "Race, Wrongs and Remedies"
• Macarthur Park Restaurant in Palo Alto
• Amy's  Philadelphia Inquirer Op Ed which caused so much controversy: LINK
• Amy Wax's syllabus for her course on "Conservative Political Thought": LINK
• The Thomas Sowell Reader mentioned in the episode: LINK
• Podcast statistics HERE

THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:

1) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon:   www.Patreon.com/SowellGenius
The money raised through Patreon supports our efforts to popularize the books and ideas of Thomas Sowell. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches. I really appreciate the many positive reviews, especially this one by Jonsby: "This is one of the few podcasts that I actually slow down so I can savor it!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads:  You can find all 100 digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like.

To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please visit our shop at: GeniusSowell.etsy.com 

We have two editions of the quotes available:
Edition #2: Quotes 1 - 50.
Edition #3: Quotes 51 - 100
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can  email Alan at: WolanAlan@gmail.com

There are only so many hours in the day and that fact that you spend some of your precious time listening to my podcast is something I will never take for granted and will always appreciate.

THANK YOU!

Support the show

• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan
• Email me at WolanAlan@gmail.com
• Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius
• Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell
• See all my links at www.alanwolan.com

In today's episode I explore the dynamics of radically changing your mind on  important subjects.

Thomas Sowell himself experienced just such a shift in his thinking and so did our guest today, Dr. Joel Brown.

You can find Dr. Brown on Twitter under the handle @JoelBrownMD

We have a surprise guest on this episode as well: her name is Priyanka Wolan.
• Priyanka is an accomplished attorney.
• She is a Homeschooling Mom of 4 girls.
• She is also a writer and you can find her Substack HERE:
PriyankaWolan.substack.com

THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:

1) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches. I really appreciate the many positive reviews, especially this one by Jonsby: "This is one of the few podcasts that I actually slow down so I can savor it!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads:  You can find all 100 digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like.

To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please visit our shop at: GeniusSowell.etsy.com 

We have two editions of the quotes available:
Edition #2: Quotes 1 - 50.
Edition #3: Quotes 51 - 100
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon, link HERE.  The money raised through Patreon supports our efforts to popularize the books and ideas of Thomas Sowell.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can  email Alan at: WolanAlan@gmail.com

There are only so many hours in the day and that fact that you spend some of your precious time listening to my podcast is something I will never take for granted and will always appreciate.

THANK YOU!

Support the show

• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan
• Email me at WolanAlan@gmail.com
• Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius
• Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell
• See all my links at www.alanwolan.com

In today’s episode, I share with you my experience of the Academic Freedom Conference which took place at Stanford University on November 4th and 5th.

Here are some resources which will enhance your enjoyment of the episode:
1) Here's a LINK to the Academic Freedom Conference website.
2) Here's a LINK to the Youtube channel for the conference.
3) Here's a LINK to the book "Positioning: the Battle for your mind."
4) You can find Greg Lukianoff and FIRE HERE.
5) You can find the University of Austin HERE.
6) Frederic Bastiat's essay the Parable of the Broken Window can be found HERE.
7) Link to Sowell's Fourth of July essay HERE.
8) The opening song was arranged and performed by the rock band Boston and you can watch them perform it live HERE.
9) The closing song was arranged and performed by Lada Gaga at the 2016 Super Bowl and you can watch it HERE.
10) $8/month refers to the cost of a Twitter bluecheck.

THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:

1) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches. I really appreciate the many positive reviews, especially this one by Jonsby: "This is one of the few podcasts that I actually slow down so I can savor it!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads:  You can find all 100 digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like.

To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please visit our shop at: GeniusSowell.etsy.com 

We have two editions of the quotes available:
Edition #2: Quotes 1 - 50.
Edition #3: Quotes 51 - 100

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon, link HERE.  The money raised through Patreon supports our efforts to popularize the books and ideas of Thomas Sowell.

----------------------------------------------

You can  email Alan at: WolanAlan@gmail.com

There are only so many hours in the day and that fact that you spend some of your precious time listening to my podcast is something I will never take for granted and will always appreciate.

THANK YOU!

Support the show

• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan
• Email me at WolanAlan@gmail.com
• Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius
• Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell
• See all my links at www.alanwolan.com

In this episode, I have a conversation with Dr. Steven Pinker, Professor of Cognitive Science at Harvard University.

We talk about what Sowell gets right and what he gets wrong. We talk about why Sowell is not better known in academia and what this tells us about Sowell, and also about academia.

Here are some useful links to things mentioned in the episode:
• Here's a LINK to the theme music played in this episode. I highly recommend the Danish National Symphony orchestra, they have loads of fantastic music on Youtube.
• Steven Pinker's Wikipedia page is HERE.
• Atlantic magazine article about how they tried to cancel Steven Pinker HERE.
• Steven Pinker's Twitter handle is @sapinker.
• HERE is a funny Steven Pinker interview about taboo language (explicit!)
• HERE is a good interview with Steven Pinker about his latest book "Rationality.".
• HERE is a link to Steven Pinker's podcast "The Life of the Mind"
• You can find Steven Pinker's personal website at StevenPinker.com
• You can find Steven Pinker's photo albums HERE.
• You can find Thomas Sowell's photo album HERE.

THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:

1) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches.

2) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads:  You can find all 100 digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like.
To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please  Paypal $4/pad to wolanalan@gmail.com or Venmo to @Alan-Wolan.  Please put your mailing address as well as your email address in the notes of the payment. International orders will cost more, please ask.
NEW:  We have two editions of the quotes available:
Edition #2: Quotes 1 - 50.
Edition #3: Quotes 51 - 100
When you order, if you don't specify, we will send you half your order Edition #2 and the other half Edition #3.

3) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon, link HERE.

You can  email Alan at: WolanAlan@gmail.com

There are only so many hours in the day and that fact that you spend some of your precious time listening to my podcast is something I will never take for granted and will always appreciate.

THANK YOU!

Support the show

• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan
• Email me at WolanAlan@gmail.com
• Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius
• Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell
• See all my links at www.alanwolan.com

When you study Thomas Sowell, you are inevitably introduced to other intellectuals Sowell cites in his books. These are the thinkers Sowell looks up to and draws inspiration from.  One such thinker is the British Psychiatrist Theodore Dalrymple.

In this episode we explore Dalrymple's book "Life At The Bottom" and what it has to teach us about the ideas which perpetuate poverty and other social pathologies in the British underclass and what lessons we can draw for a deeper understanding of the American underclasses.

We interview "Britain's Strictest Headmistress" Katharine Birbalsingh about Sowell and Dalrymple and how these two thinkers have influenced her educational philosophy.

Here are some useful links to deepen your appreciation of the episode:
• Here's a LINK to Ice T's "That's How I'm Livin'"
• Here's a LINK to Theodore Dalrymple's book "Life At The Bottom"
• Link to "We Don't Want No Education" chapter of Dalrymple's book HERE.
• Here's a LINK to the film documentary "Britain's Strictest Headmistress". This is a MUST watch!

THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:

1) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches.

2) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads:  You can find all 100 digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like.
To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please  Paypal $4/pad to wolanalan@gmail.com or Venmo to @Alan-Wolan.  Please put your mailing address as well as your email address in the notes of the payment. International orders will cost more, please ask.
NEW:  We have two editions of the quotes available:
Edition #2: Quotes 1 - 50.
Edition #3: Quotes 51 - 100
When you order, if you don't specify, we will send you half your order Edition #2 and the other half Edition #3.

3) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon, link HERE.

You can  email Alan at: WolanAlan@gmail.com

There are only so many hours in the day and that fact that you spend some of your precious time listening to my podcast is something I will never take for granted and will always appreciate.

THANK YOU!

Support the show

• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan
• Email me at WolanAlan@gmail.com
• Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius
• Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell
• See all my links at www.alanwolan.com

In today’s episode, I take a look at Thomas Sowell’s intellectual career from a slightly unusual perspective and I do that by comparing Sowell with two other public intellectuals of his generation: Alan Dershowitz and Woody Allen.

In my view, Sowell, Dershowitz and Allen have 10 major things in common, and you'll just have to listen to the podcast to find out what they are.

Here's a LINK to the spreadsheet I mention in the episode which compares all the published works of Sowell, Dershowitz and Allen.

Here's a LINK to the chapter of "Intellectuals and Society" called "Youth and Age."

Here are some useful links to deepen your appreciation of the episode:

• You can find the digital designs of the official Thomas Sowell Post It Note quotes HERE.
• Podcast Patreon HERE. Your financial support is greatly appreciated!
• Podcast statistics HERE.
• Thomas Sowell video truck ad campaign video HERE.
• Thomas Sowell sidewalk decal ad campaign HERE.

THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:

1) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches.

2) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads:  You can find all 100 digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like.
To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please  Paypal $4/pad to wolanalan@gmail.com or Venmo to @Alan-Wolan.  Please put your mailing address as well as your email address in the notes of the payment. International orders will cost more, please ask.
NEW:  We have two editions of the quotes available:
Edition #2: Quotes 1 - 50.
Edition #3: Quotes 51 - 100
When you order, if you don't specify, we will send you half your order Edition #2 and the other half Edition #3.

3) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon, link HERE.

You can  email Alan at: WolanAlan@gmail.com

There are only so many hours in the day and that fact that you spend some of your precious time listening to my podcast is something I will never take for granted and will always appreciate.

THANK YOU!

Support the show

• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan
• Email me at WolanAlan@gmail.com
• Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius
• Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell
• See all my links at www.alanwolan.com

In this episode we  discuss Sowell's 1997 book "The Quest for Cosmic Justice."

In particular, we discuss how pursuing a vision of universal equality leads paradoxically to an increase in inequality and to the fostering of envy and resentment in society.

Here are some useful links to deepen your appreciation of the episode:

• "The Quest for Cosmic Justice" by Thomas Sowell HERE.
• Post It Note quotes HERE.
• Podcast Patreon HERE.
• Podcast statistics HERE.
• Thomas Sowell video truck ad campaign video HERE.
• Thomas Sowell sidewalk decal ad campaign HERE.
• Selected excerpts from "The Quest for Cosmic Justice" HERE.

THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:

1) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches.

2) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads:  You can find all 100 digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like. 
To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please  Paypal $4/pad to wolanalan@gmail.com or Venmo to @Alan-Wolan.  Please put your mailing address as well as your email address in the notes of the payment. International orders will cost more, please ask.
NEW:  We have two editions of the quotes available:
Edition #2: Quotes 1 - 50.
Edition #3: Quotes 51 - 100
When you order, if you don't specify, we will send you half your order Edition #2 and the other half Edition #3.

3) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon, link HERE.

You can  email Alan at: WolanAlan@gmail.com

There are only so many hours in the day and that fact that you spend some of your precious time listening to my podcast is something I will never take for granted and will always appreciate.

THANK YOU!

Support the show

• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan
• Email me at WolanAlan@gmail.com
• Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius
• Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell
• See all my links at www.alanwolan.com