Conservative gadfly Sowell doesn't like the vision thing - at
least, not as long as the vision is that of his political opponents
on the left. Sowell (Race and Culture, 1994, etc.) sardonically
refers to his targets here as the "anointed" - a kind of
authoritarian liberal cabal whose view predominates in today's
world (despite 12 years of Reagan/Bush, despite a
Republican-controlled Congress). Exemplars of this mindset,
according to Sowell, are David I. Bazelon, chief judge of the D.C.
Circuit Court of Appeals in the 1960s, who argued for
rehabilitation of criminals rather than punishment, and New York
Times columnist Tom Wicker, who wrote of a "right to income." How
do these do-gooders maintain their predominance? With a rhetorical
repertoire that includes, for instance, what the author calls
"aha!" statistics, numbers that purport to show cause and effect
(e.g., low rates of prenatal care among black women and high black
infant mortality rates), pointing to neglect by society of various
"mascot groups" (blacks, gays, women, etc.). The anointed ignore
all evidence that their theories and policies have failed: Since
the war on poverty was started, Sowell claims, dependence on
government largesse has increased. Similarly, despite the
institution of sex education, teenage pregnancy rates have
skyrocketed (the quantity and quality of these programs, let alone
other factors, don't figure into this discussion). Sowell himself
espouses a different vision, one that assumes the tragedy of the
human condition. It's a vision of limited possibilities for social
change, with no solutions, only trade-offs; no have-nots, only
do-nots who deserve no compassion. The anointed are not
well-meaning but rather infatuated with their own virtue; not
misguided, but a threat to "the social cohesion that makes
civilized life possible." Sowell's venomous tone dominates his own,
sometimes thin evidence, making this a polarizing screed rather
than a rational argument. (Kirkus Reviews)
One of America’s pre-eminent economists offers a provocative critique of the failures of liberalism.
In The Vision of the Anointed, Thomas Sowell presents a devastating critique of the mind-set behind the failed social policies of the past thirty years. Sowell sees what has happened during that time not as a series of isolated mistakes but as a logical consequence of a tainted vision whose defects have led to crises in education, crime, and family dynamics, and to other social pathologies.
In this book, he describes how elites—the anointed—have replaced facts and rational thinking with rhetorical assertions, thereby altering the course of our social policy.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(1)
