TGS Live: Can We Survive the Wisdom of the Market?

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Aug 10, 2025

A compelling discussion unfolds around Kamala Harris's new book and the troubled publishing industry. The conversation shifts to Thomas Sowell's insights on the market's role in writing and aesthetics. Tensions rise as they tackle a controversial community project in Arkansas that raises eyebrows. Climate change debates follow, spotlighting the clash between scientific urgency and skepticism. Trust in science versus personal belief is scrutinized, revealing deep societal divisions, while the challenge of balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility looms large.

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INSIGHT

Funding Goes To Labs, Not Ideology

Glenn Loury says most university money funds engineering, medical and chemistry labs rather than political departments.
This creates a mismatch between taxpayer expectations and campus ideological culture.

INSIGHT

Deference Versus Tradition

Glenn Loury argues deference to expertise is warranted for mastery and craft.
He also acknowledges Thomas Sowell's emphasis on common sense and tradition as a counterpoint.

INSIGHT

Climate Science Versus Policy Narrative

Glenn Loury distinguishes between technical climate science and the humanistic narratives built from it.
He warns policy choices require weighing competing equities beyond raw data.

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In this conversation, my editor Mark Sussman and I discuss Kamala Harris’s forthcoming book, 107 Days, and the dire state of publishing. I’ve been reading a lot of Thomas Sowell in preparation for a major address I have to deliver about his work in the Fall, and I suggest that Sowell might say that the declining profitability of writing and publishing might well be a good thing, insofar as it signals the market’s responsiveness to consumer demand and desire. This leads to a debate about the distinction (and perhaps the conflict) between aesthetic and economic value. Then it’s on to a broader discussion of Sowell. Next we move onto the story of a group of people establishing a Christian, LGBTQ-free, whites-only community in Arkansas. We close out with viewer questions about Brown University’s deal with the Trump administration, which somehow leads to a debate about climate science and the epistemological limitations of modernity. And finally, an evergreen topic: black patriotism.

In the course of this conversation, Mark and I reference Michel Houellebecq’s 2015 novel, Submission. That’s because we plan to discuss the book on our next livestream, which we’ll announce in the coming days. So if you want to participate in the discussion or simply follow along, read the book. We’ll be taking calls, and I’m very curious what you all have to think of this brilliant, provocative, and (be warned) sexually explicit book.

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