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In this episode, Alan discusses his all time favorite Thomas Sowell book, "Intellectuals and Society", published in 2010.
Alan outlines 10 key ideas from the book:
#1: Intellectuals influence and shape public opinion, even when most people don’t read or even hear their ideas first hand.
#2: Intellect is not wisdom.
#3: Intellectuals are fools.
#4: Intellectuals win, not when their ideas work in the real world, but when other intellectuals approve of their ideas.
#5: Intellectuals have a vastly inflated sense of their own general wisdom.
#6: Intellectuals employ their superior communication skills to convince others and to evade the testing of their favorite notions.
#7: There are two basic visions of the world and human nature which are in competition with each other: what Sowell calls the “tragic vision” vs. the “vision of the anointed”.
#8: Intellectuals and Common Sense.
#9: Intellectuals are often attracted to violence.
#10: Intellectuals overvalue the type of knowledge they are good at, and undervalue more mundane and widely distributed types of knowledge, even though the later types of knowledge may be of more consequential importance in the real world.
We take a deep dive into idea #10 and explore how the American jury system is an interesting test case for where wisdom in society truly resides.
The show takes a field trip to a popular hipster cafe in Los Angeles called Intelligentsia Coffee, where Alan interviews random patrons about their views on the jury system.
In order to deepen our appreciation for the wisdom and logic of our jury system, world famous attorney Alan Dershowitz joins the show for a discussion of the pros and cons of our system of relying on so-called "regular people" for deciding important court cases.
POST IT NOTES STILL AVAILABLE!
Alan reminds listeners that he is offering a limited edition Post It Note pad with 50 different Sowell quotes free of charge to anyone who emails their name and mailing address to WolanAlan@gmail.com. You can view the quotes HERE and feel free to print out and use these designs as you wish.
LIVE BOOK CLUB
Alan is hosting a live Zoom "bookclub" on January 5, 2022 at 7:30PM PST to discuss Sowell's "A Conflict of Visions." If you would like to participate in this free event, email us at WolanAlan@gmail.com and we'll try to find a spot for you in the meeting.
Alan's favorite quotes from "Intellectuals and Society" can be found HERE.
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