Exploring Discrimination and Disparities with Thomas Sowell

Lee: This book helped me understand the reasons for entrenched poverty much better. It should be read by any person who is interested in forming policies for solving poverty problems.

Canada on Sep 23, 2023

Uta C. Groeschel: Thomas Sowell writes beautifully and keeps finding memorable expressions. The “invincible fallacy” that unequal outcomes between groups or individuals are unnatural and must therefore be produces by nefarious systems and evil people is his Leitmotiv in this book. Read it if you want to reason with those who believe in the invincible fallacy, read it it you believe in equal outcomes - if only to understand the arguments of the other side. I dare anybody not to be persuaded by Sowell’s approach!

Germany on Jul 23, 2022

Amazon Customer: Magnífico como argumenta contra la imposición de lo políticamente correcto

Spain on Apr 23, 2022

LenZen: An excellent discussion of the misuse of statistics in current political discourse. This book is essential reading for anyone exposed to current political rhetoric which, of course, is everyone. As an added bonus the book is short. This means anyone who reads it will quickly be able to recognize how ubiquitous misleading statements are. Indeed, misleading statements seem to be the rule rather than the exception these days. After reading this book you will likely think "I knew the situation was bad but it is even worse than I imagined!" Indeed, one even gets to the point of looking at a statement by the media or a politician and thinking "what is the worst case scenario that would make the statement technically true when the reality is close to the opposite of the impression trying to be conveyed."

Sowell is excellent at providing examples to show common problems in the presentation of statistics. For instance, crime statistics are often presented as "black people make up 13% of the population but are many times more than 13% of those stopped/arrested/incarcerated. The shows racism at work.". Sowell compares this to concluding that since NBA referees call fouls on black...

United States on Dec 29, 2021

MR: Wonderful book written with extreme clarity. A must read for any one who is interested in this topic.

India on Nov 12, 2021

julio maria de oliveira: Fantástico. Muito relevante.

Brazil on Jul 05, 2020

Richard Kirk: “Just the facts, ma’am.” That was Joe Friday’s interrogation refrain on Dragnet. The same comment could serve as the sub-title of Thomas Sowell’s recent book, Discrimination and Disparities. Few works focused on politically explosive topics maintain such a consistent focus on empirical evidence while avoiding rhetorical jabs at opponents. On the other hand, empirical evidence cuts deep, especially when critics can’t protest the author’s “nasty” style. As radio talker Larry Elder observes, “Facts are to liberals what kryptonite is to Superman.”
Sowell’s title, if employed by a member of the leftist intelligentsia, would doubtless imply a causal link between statistical disparities and some form of discrimination--usually racial. Sowell, by contrast, marshals an abundance of evidence to show that this automatic assumption isn’t justified. Focusing simply on statistical probabilities, Sowell notes that if five prerequisites are needed for success in a particular field, and if the chances are two out of three that any person will have each characteristic, the chance of possessing all five characteristics is still only one in eight--a calculation that helps...

United States on May 08, 2018