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The Genius of Thomas Sowell
Lessons of the Cold War with Peter Robinson
Mar 12, 2023
02:15:54
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Quick takeaways
- The podcast delves into the lessons learned from the Cold War, highlighting the importance of understanding the history of the Berlin Wall as a powerful symbol in human history.
- Thomas Sowell's cautionary example about the redistribution of wealth leading to redistributing poverty is discussed, emphasizing the contrasting performance of price-coordinated capitalist societies and centrally planned socialism/communism.
- Personal experiences during the Cold War, including the fear of nuclear conflict and witnessing the impact of speeches and songs like 99 Red Balloons and Berlin City of Night, shape the perspective on the prevailing mood of tension and uncertainty.
- The importance of economic freedom and the partial victory it represented after the Cold War is highlighted, with a discussion on China's hybrid experiment combining capitalism and a lack of individual liberty in the new Cold War.
Deep dives
The Significance of the Song Wind of Change and the Berlin Wall
The podcast episode explores the deep impact of the song Wind of Change by Scorpions, which became a worldwide sensation after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The song tapped into the hopes and dreams of people around the world that the Cold War was ending. It expressed the belief that the Iron Curtain was being dismantled, bringing about lasting changes for millions. The Berlin Wall is highlighted as a powerful symbol in human history, and the importance of understanding its history is emphasized.
The Lessons of the Cold War and Economic Systems
The podcast delves into the lessons learned from the Cold War and the broader history of the 20th century. Thomas Sowell's quote about the redistribution of wealth leading to redistributing poverty is discussed as a cautionary example. The underlying contrast between capitalism, a price-coordinated society with widely distributed consequential knowledge, and socialism/communism, which centrally plans decisions, is explored. Sowell's books Knowledge and Decisions, Basic Economics, and Intellectuals and Society are recommended reads to better understand these economic systems and their performance.
Personal Experiences of the Cold War and the Fall of the Berlin Wall
The podcast host shares personal experiences during the Cold War, including the fear of nuclear conflict and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The impact of President Kennedy's speeches and songs like 99 Red Balloons and Berlin City of Night on the prevailing mood of tension and uncertainty is discussed. The host's visits to Eastern Europe and witnessing life under communism firsthand shaped their perspective on the Cold War. The excitement and anticipation they felt after the Berlin Wall opened and their decision to open a t-shirt shop at Checkpoint Charlie are also shared.
The Acquisition of the Iconic Sign and Reflections on Freedom
The host recounts acquiring a famous sign from the American sector of Berlin, which stated 'You are leaving the American sector' and 'Carrying weapons off-duty forbidden'. The significance of this iconic sign and its association with the Berlin Wall is highlighted. The podcast also touches on the importance of freedom in the context of the Cold War, discussing Ronald Reagan's powerful speech at the Brandenburg Gate and the song Freiheit by Marius Müller-Westernhagen. The episode emphasizes the need to reflect on and appreciate the value of freedom in our lives.
The Power of Economic Freedom
The podcast highlights the importance of economic freedom and how it was a partial victory after the Cold War. The command economies of Russia and Eastern Europe failed to provide for their people, leading to their embrace of capitalism and free markets. However, the love for individual freedom is not as widespread as expected, as many are willing to sacrifice personal freedom for safety and security. China's hybrid experiment is discussed, where they combine capitalism with a lack of individual liberty. The new Cold War with China is seen as more subtle and stealthy compared to the previous one.
The Genius of Thomas Sowell
The episode features a conversation with Peter Robinson, who highlights Thomas Sowell's intelligence and his remarkable attribute of being a free man. Sowell is known for his wisdom and the ability to dig deep to achieve real wisdom and intellectual freedom. His views are not based on mind games, but on life experience and hard work in reading and writing. Robinson discusses Sowell's journey from being on the left to becoming a conservative, which demonstrates his willingness to change his mind based on life experiences and constant reading.
Lessons from the Berlin Wall
Robinson shares personal experiences of visiting the Berlin Wall and witnessing the stark contrast between East and West Berlin. He discusses the importance of Reagan's speech in Berlin, which called for tearing down the wall, and the impact it had on people's hope and imagination. The significance of the wall and its symbolism in dividing life and walking death is emphasized. Robinson also reflects on the dangers of getting used to certain societal conditions, using the examples of Cuba and academia as cautionary tales.
Battles with Experts and the Power of Courageous Words
The episode explores the role of experts and their tendency to get things wrong or cause disasters. Robinson highlights Thomas Sowell's skepticism towards experts and their inclination for vanity and having power over others. He shares insights from his experiences with Ronald Reagan and Milton Friedman, who both approached issues with honesty and a focus on real-life impact. Robinson also discusses the need for courageous words and actions to reshape the future, citing examples such as Reagan's famous speech and Trump's efforts to bring change to trade practices.
In this episode, we take a deep dive into the Cold War and what lessons can be learned from it. In particular, we reflect upon some key teachings of Thomas Sowell with regard to how price-coordinated, Capitalist societies perform in comparison with command-style, communist and socialist economies.
Peter Robinson joins me in the second half of the show to talk about his views about Sowell and the Cold War.
Here are some links which will enhance your appreciation of the episode:
• More info about Peter Robinson HERE.
• "Wind of Change" by the German rock band Scorpions HERE (1 billion views).
• Full Kennedy speech about the Cuban Missile crisis HERE.
• 99 Luftballons video (German version) HERE
• 99 Red Balloons video (English version) HERE
(both the "99" music videos are so bad, you have to wonder if they made them that bad on purpose. They're so bad, they're good! But who cares, such a great song!)
• Ronald Reagan Berlin Wall speech HERE
• "Berlin City of Night" by Peter Schilling HERE.
• Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech HERE
• "Freiheit" by Marius Mueller Westernhagen HERE
• My essay on how I acquired the Checkpoint Charlie sign HERE.
• More useful links here: linktr.ee/alanwolan
THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:
1) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon: www.Patreon.com/SowellGenius
The money raised through Patreon supports our efforts to popularize the books and ideas of Thomas Sowell.
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2) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches. I really appreciate the many positive reviews, especially this one by Jonsby: "This is one of the few podcasts that I actually slow down so I can savor it!"
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3) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads: You can find all 100 digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like.
To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please visit our shop at: GeniusSowell.etsy.com
We have two editions of the quotes available:
Edition #2: Quotes 1 - 50.
Edition #3: Quotes 51 - 100
• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan
• Email me at WolanAlan@gmail.com
• Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius
• Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell
• See all my links at www.alanwolan.com
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