upcarta
  • Sign In
  • Sign Up
  • Explore
  • Search

Intellectuals and Society

  • Book
  • Dec 10, 2009
  • #Politics
Thomas Sowell
@ThomasSowell
(Author)
www.goodreads.com
See on Goodreads
4.28/5 2.7k ratings
2 Recommenders
2 Mentions
1 Collection
The influence of intellectuals is not only greater than in previous eras but also takes a very different form from that envisioned by those like Machiavelli and others who have want... Show More

The influence of intellectuals is not only greater than in previous eras but also takes a very different form from that envisioned by those like Machiavelli and others who have wanted to directly influence rulers. It has not been by shaping the opinions or directing the actions of the holders of power that modern intellectuals have most influenced the course of events, but by shaping public opinion in ways that affect the actions of power holders in democratic societies, whether or not those power holders accept the general vision or the particular policies favored by intellectuals. Even government leaders with disdain or contempt for intellectuals have had to bend to the climate of opinion shaped by those intellectuals.

Intellectuals and Society not only examines the track record of intellectuals in the things they have advocated but also analyzes the incentives and constraints under which their views and visions have emerged. One of the most surprising aspects of this study is how often intellectuals have been proved not only wrong, but grossly and disastrously wrong in their prescriptions for the ills of society—and how little their views have changed in response to empirical evidence of the disasters entailed by those views.

(From Goodreads)

Show Less

Number of Pages: 398

ISBN: 046501948X

ISBN-13: 9780465019489

Recommend
Post
Save
Complete
Collect
Mentions
See All
Marc Andreessen @pmarca · Oct 4, 2022
  • Curated in Interesting books on culture and society
Daniel Lemire @DanielLemire · Aug 8, 2023
  • Post
  • From Twitter
A fantastic book. Sowell covers an astonishing range of topics in Intellectuals and Society and gives many compelling answers to questions I have been stuck on for years.
Collections
See All
  • Marc Andreessen
    • Collection
    Interesting books on culture and society
    40 curations
  • upcarta ©2025
  • Home
  • About
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • @upcarta