About the Author

Thomas Sowell has taught economics at a number of colleges and universities, including Cornell, University of California Los Angeles, and Amherst. He has published both scholarly and popular articles and books on economics, and is currently a scholar in residence at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

Reviews

"A Conflict of Visions is recommended herewith to anybody sufficiently interested in the American condition to try to get beneath the surface of partisanship, trendy issues, and pop ideology to the philosophical foundations of the Republic."--Boston Globe

"A broadly sweeping philosophical analysis."--Kirkus

"A classic of a very special kind...Reading it is like looking up at the night sky and discovering a new constellation."--Christian Science Monitor

"A fine book...Sowell's illuminating guide to the political conflicts of our age teaches the valuable lesson that political choices always involve costs."--Commentary

"A provocative analysis of the conflicting visions of human nature that have shaped the moral, legal, and economic life of recent times."--Publishers Weekly

"Extraordinary on several counts...Sowell makes his case fairly, lucidly, and persuasively."--New York Times Book Review

"Mr. Sowell's book has been influential among conservatives for its compelling explanation of the divide between people who want to reshape us--often via large intrusions on liberty--and those who believe that the purpose of government is to protect institutions (like markets and families) that channel our inherent selfishness into productive behavior."--Wall Street Journal

"Thomas Sowell is one of the few conservative thinkers in America today who is interesting as a theorist....A worthwhile book."--Washington Post

"An excellent condensation of two centuries of social thought."--Booklist

Sowell, an economist and author (The Economics and Politics of Race, etc.), presents a provocative analysis of the conflicting visions of human nature that have shaped the moral, legal and economic life of recent times. For the past 200 years, he writes, two visions ofor ``gut feelings'' abouthow the world works, have dominated: the constrained vision, which views man as unchanged, limited and dependent on evolved social processes (market economies, constitutional law, etc.); and the unconstrained vision, which argues for man's potential and perfectability, and the possibility of rational planning for social solutions. Examining the views of thinkers who reflect these constrained (Adam Smith) and unconstrained (William Godwin) visions, Sowell shows how these powerful and subjective visions give rise to carefully constructed social theories. His discussion of how these conflicting attitudes ultimately produce clashes over equality, social justice and other issues is instructive. (January 15)

[A Conflict of Visions] is recommended herewith to anybody sufficiently interested in the American condition to try to get beneath the surface of partisanship, trendy issues and pop ideology to the philosophical foundations of the Republic.--Boston Globe
[A] fine book ... Sowell's illuminating guide to the political conflicts of our age teaches the valuable lesson that political choices always involve costs.--Commentary
A classic of a very special kind...Reading [it] is like looking up at the night sky and discovering a new constellation.--Christian Science Monitor
A provocative analysis of the conflicting visions of human nature that have shaped the moral, legal and economic life of recent times.--Publishers Weekly
An excellent condensation of two centuries of social thought.--Booklist
Extraordinary on several counts...[Sowell] makes his case fairly, lucidly and persuasively.--The New York Times Book Review