Sowell

Sowell refers primarily to Thomas Sowell (born June 30, 1930), an American economist, social theorist, and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He is known for his libertarian and conservative viewpoints, and for his prolific writing career covering a wide range of topics including economics, history, race, and social policy.

Sowell's academic background includes degrees from Harvard University (A.B., magna cum laude, 1958), Columbia University (M.A., 1959), and the University of Chicago (Ph.D., 1968). He has taught economics at several universities, including Cornell, Rutgers, Brandeis, and UCLA.

His work often emphasizes the importance of free markets, individual responsibility, and limited government. He is a critic of affirmative action, welfare state policies, and intellectual elites. Key concepts associated with his work include:

• Cultural capital: The accumulation of knowledge, skills, habits, and tastes that individuals inherit or acquire and that give them advantages in social and economic life.

• Unintended consequences: The idea that actions often have effects that are not foreseen or intended.

• Knowledge and Decisions: A major work in which Sowell argues that systemic knowledge is dispersed throughout society and that centralized decision-making is inherently inefficient.

Sowell has authored numerous books, including Basic Economics, Knowledge and Decisions, A Conflict of Visions, Black Rednecks and White Liberals, and Discrimination and Disparities. His writings have had a significant impact on conservative and libertarian thought. He is often cited and debated in discussions of economics, politics, and social issues.