Intellectuals and Race is a radical book in the original sense - one that goes to the root of the problem. The role of intellectuals in racial strife is explored in an international context that puts the American experience in a wholly new light.

Intellectuals have played a major role in racial issues throughout the centuries. Though their individual views may differ, as a whole their views tend to group, and just over the course of the twentieth century, they have shifted from one end of the spectrum to the other. Surprisingly, these radically different views of race were held by intellectuals whose views on other issues were often very similar.

Intellectuals and Race is not, however, a book about history, even though it has much historical evidence, as well as demographic, geographic, and economic evidence - all of it directed toward testing the underlying assumptions about race that have prevailed at times among intellectuals in general, and especially at their highest levels.

Nor is this simply a theoretical exercise. Sowell’s ultimate concern is the impact of intellectual movements on the larger society, both past and present. These ideas and crusades have ranged widely from racial theories of intelligence to eugenics to “social justice” and multiculturalism.

In addition to in-depth examinations of these and other issues, Intellectuals and Race explores the incentives, the visions, and the rationales that drive intellectuals at the highest levels to conclusions that have often turned out to be counterproductive and even disastrous, not only for particular racial or ethnic groups but for societies as a whole.

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Listening Length	5 hours and 43 minutes
Author	Thomas Sowell
Narrator	Robertson Dean
Audible.com Release Date	May 22, 2013
Publisher	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B00CXWVD9A
Best Sellers Rank	#35,216 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #182 in Racism & Discrimination Studies #197 in Political Science History & Theory #275 in Minority Demographic Studies

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Thomas C. HamiltonTop Contributor: Philosophy

Just the Facts, Ma'am

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2017

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"Intellectuals and Race" does for the race industry what "Intellectuals and Society" did for the academic-industrial complex as a whole. Sowell's thesis is that intellectuals- those who traffick purely in ideas- are wholly exempt from the consequence of being wrong. As such, they are free to make the same mistakes over and over again- each instance more proudly and obliviously than the last. Sowell's book is part historical analysis, part critical analysis. He points to two curious facts. First, intellectuals have always been on the same page with respect to race. Second, the page that intellectuals were on changed completely after the horrors of the Holocaust. Early in the twentieth century, most Progressives held that race was an immutable characteristic which guaranteed a certain degree of intelligence, or lack thereof. Thus, blacks were intrinsically less intelligent than whites: there was no way to change this fact. Many took this a step further, drawing out the logical implication that the lower races ought to be bred out of the population so as to maintain the health of human civilization as a whole.

In the latter portion of the twentieth century, however, intellectuals changed their tune. Instead of saying that differences in intelligence were immutable and due to genetics, intellectuals claimed that there were no behavioral or intellectual differences between different groups of people, and that any differences in outcome must necessarily result from another people-group imposing their will on a minority people group. While these two views might seem contradictory, both share a key characteristic: the faults of a minority culture are entirely out of their control. This is the foundation for what Sowell calls "the race industry", a lucrative business founded on lobbying, lawsuits, and affirmative action. But far from helping minorities, it actually damages them. For example, affirmative action mismatches highly intelligent blacks with the schools suited for them- even though they would do well at a school in the 85th percentile, they are placed in a school of the 95th percentile and thereby fail: this is manufactured failure due to affirmative action. Claims that black crime and the collapse of the black family are due to the "legacy of slavery" are belied by the reality that black crime increased during and after the 1960s, and had been declining before that point. Clearly, Sowell points out, whites were not less racist before the 1960s than after.

Altogether, Sowell argues that the race industry has done blacks and other minorities tremendous harm by declaring taboo the very paths to self-improvement that so many other cultures throughout history have taken: the Scots once shared similar crime rates as American blacks, but within a century had become a cultural powerhouse. For that reason, Sowell's book is required reading for those actually interested in the underlying causes of modern racial problems in the United States and elsewhere.

69 people found this helpful

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Guy P.

Very interesting book. If you can step away from ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2017

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Very interesting book. If you can step away from you ideological beliefs and read with an open mind, this book will really make you think. Too often people look at complex situations with a predetermined narative as to the cause. This offers, to me, a more compelling and in depth look at people and culture.

26 people found this helpful

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Carl Grover

Science, Honesty, and Eloquence ... Past and Present

Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2017

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Wow. I've been reading on topics of this nature for almost 15 years, yet mostly political. I am so glad to have found Sowell. While I previously have reached many conclusions in this book by my own research, he has affirmed a great deal. Beyond that, and in the majority, he, in this text, has opened my eyes to the depth of research available, and reasoned so strongly why many do NOT want to accept it's prevalence. It's a shame, and I yearn for our kids to have access to works of this nature. Impeccably presented, and he so skillfully transitions from intellectual to lay conversation on most major points, to capture readers on various levels. I will be reading all of his works, and wish I had started as an adolescent.

23 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

must read

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2020

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While the prevailing narrative of liberals in the united states is beating the drum of social injustice and cheering the upheaval of inner center society, this book stands as a level and agnostic counter. History which the left is trying to destroy holds many truths that could unwind some of the racial divide and Thomas Sowell has done a grand job of demonstrating the historical counterpoints to multiculturalism but also has implicitly demonstrated some possible solutions. Integration of cultures into a joint society seems to be one such point, as demonstrated in northern cities prior to large migration from the south... This book should be what people are pointed to in order to learn about the truth behind our current racial climate, as well as to see how incredibly naive the intelligentsia has been across time. I only wish Sowell was offered more opportunity to share his information with the world.

5 people found this helpful

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Opinionator

Understanding what I have observed

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2017

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For a long time I have observed the behavior of groups and wondered why they act and react differently. I knew for example from speaking with a black colleague that growing up in the ghetto that doing well in school was frowned upon. He told me it was viewed as -acting white. He was fortunate to get a pass, because he was a star athlete and was able to go on to college. I also now understand why although I often read in the newspaper paper about unequal outcomes being unfair (even though I know that it is not possible and equal opportunity should be the goal ), the dominant intelligentsia is driving this narrative.

12 people found this helpful

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Leib Gershon Mitchell

More greatest hits

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2013

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Sowell's later work can be looked at in two ways:

1. He has written so many good things over the years that he can recycle and expand on themes to create new books;
2. He has just run out of gas as a writer (he is 83 years old as of the publication of this book and this review).

This book contains bits from his earlier works:

1. Race And Culture: A World View
2. Intellectuals and Society -- Even at the beginning of this book, Sowell admits that he has expanded on some points from "Intellectuals and Society" to make a book about racial aspects.
3. Migrations And Cultures: A World View
4. Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study (Yale Nota Bene)
5. Knowledge And Decisions . (Some of his discussion of intellectuals was first--and best--developed in this book. There are shadows of it in his discussion of intellectuals.)

It's about 1 or 2 afternoons worth of reading and not so heavy that it will not leave you able to study other things after reading it.

Verdict: I can't say that I regret buying the book, but I don't think it was worth the purchase price of $12.99-- especially not for someone who has read as many of Sowell's books as I have. It does re-synopsize some of the things that may have gotten foggy over the years.

24 people found this helpful

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James Sell

A brilliant, well argued “mythbusting”

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2015

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By “intellectuals”, Sowell means people whose work begins and ends by creating or disseminating ideas that are not supported by factual evidence. They judge their ideas by whether they “sound good to other intellectuals or resonate with the public”. Intellectuals therefore differ from scientists, whose work often also begins and ends by creating or disseminating ideas, but these have to be supported by factual evidences on which their peers will base their judgment.

His main thesis is that, although African-Americans have clearly been subject to intense “racial discrimination” in the past and are still now subjected to both positive and, to a far lesser extent, negative discrimination, “racial discrimination” is NOT the main cause of the current differences in performance between blacks and other ethnic groups – contrary to what most intellectuals claim “without a spec of evidence”.

He furthermore shows that these differences are largely due to other causes, the main one being cultural differences, especially the current culture of victimhood, resentment and grievance that intellectual’s ideologies of “racial discrimination” have promoted inside black communities.

Sowell provides many factual evidences supporting his thesis, such as many cases worldwide where subgroups have underperformed in the clear absence of “racial discrimination”, or where subgroups clearly subjected to “racial discrimination” have outperformed the ruling group.

He shows how African-Americans’ performance has overall deteriorated since the advent of the civil right movements and the outlawing of “racial discrimination” against them, and how affirmative action has globally been detrimental to African-Americans achievements.

Throughout his book, his arguments are well supported by numerous references to reputable sources, although many of them are rather old. My only two (minor) criticisms are:
(a) At a few places, some facts are not sufficiently developed to fully support his arguments.
(b) In chapter 5 “Race and Intelligence”, he develops at length some convincing arguments against the heredity hypothesis, but fails to even mention any of the arguments supporting it. However, he courageously takes the defence of the book “The Bell Curve” against “the firestorm among the intelligentsia” that it ignited for suggesting a genetic origin to some of the interracial IQ differences.

20 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Empirically dispels many of the presuppositions concerning race

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2019

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Empirically dispels many of the presuppositions concerning race, through providing historical accounts and experiences of race and constructing a powerful argument that will be very insightful for the objective reader, who is willing to lay their emotions aside to focus on the evidence.

As is typical with Thomas Sowell, he provides a thorough, objective and relatively easy to read piece of research which I believe will be interesting for every demographic of readers, given the ethnographic breadth and depth of the book.

I would certainly recommend reading this as well as opposing arguments to come to your own conclusion, that is what true critical thinking is about.

3 people found this helpful

D. A. R. Williams

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2018

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This is an excellent book that explores issues of race from recent historical times to the present day. The problems that contemporary Western societies have with race can be traced to discredited and devisive political and intellectual arguments put forward by Progressive politics of the late 19th century and to further dogmatic theories of discrimination pursued by so-called Intellectuals in the second half of the 20th century.
Sowell's work is very well researched and eminently readable. All aspiring politicians should read this.

2 people found this helpful

Peter M. Howell

incisive and so well written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2019

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Nothing to dislike . A tough broad topic nothing omitted nor glossed over .
Could have been written by a Martian , a very clever Martian - that happens to living as an African American philosopher

One person found this helpful

Jeff Tillett

Buy it and never ever lend it.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2021

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Thomas Sowell the greatest living philosopher. If there are any of his books that you do not own, don't let this be one of them. Get the hardback because it is one that will be handed down to your grand children's grand children.

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