Intellectuals and Society

I finished the latest book from Thomas Sowell, Intellectuals and Society. It is well worth the time to read his thesis on how Intellectuals have affected society. I like his definition of an Intellectual, a person who produces ideas for the sake of receiving approval from his peers. So an Intellectual graces us with their thoughts from on high, anointed thoughts per Sowell, and never has to reckon or answer to how those thoughts and perceptions affect the lives of others. Over time I have seen this, you have Rachel Carson and the DDT nonsense that has cost of millions of lives from malaria, you have Paul Ehrlich and the Population Bomb. As I read and listen to some of the Intellectuals, ie Gore Vidal, Noam Chomsky, Paul Krugman, etc. I know they must be Intellectual because they are devoid of common sense because being Intellectuals they cannot have anything common.

I give Intellectuals and Society 3 1/2 stars. An excellent read, to be combined with Architects of Ruin by Peter Schweizer, The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes and Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg.