The Unconstrained Vision of Progressivism and Wokism

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In the constrained vision, whatever artifices or digies restrain or ameliorate inherent human evils will themselves have cost some in the form of other social ills created by these civilizing institutions. In this unconstrained vision, there are no intractable reasons for social evils, and therefore no reason why they cannot be solved with sufficient moral ocommitment. The idea that a group, an oppressed group, should sit around waiting for others to get their act together first is isisis nonsensical. And it's also why he puts this emphasis on free market capitalism. Because among the various types of government, what free market capitalism does is at least put a price on discriminating against people

Shermer speaks with Jason Riley about Maverick — the first-ever biography of Thomas Sowell, one of the great social theorists of our age. In a career spanning more than a half century, Sowell has written over thirty books, covering topics from economic history and social inequality to political theory, race, and culture. His bold and unsentimental assaults on liberal orthodoxy have endeared him to many readers but have also enraged fellow intellectuals, the civil-rights establishment, and much of the mainstream media. The result has been a lack of acknowledgment of his scholarship among critics who prioritize political correctness.

Shermer and Riley discuss: Riley’s documentary on Sowell; Sowell’s philosophy that “there are no solutions, only trade-offs”; mismatch theory and affirmative action; race and IQ; why Riley thinks liberals make it harder for blacks to succeed; political correctness; BLM, antiracism, reparations; charity and welfare; income inequality and UBI, and much more…