Thomas Sowell ( 10 of 95 )
"What freedom does a starving man have?" The answer is that starvation is a tragic human condition- perhaps more tragic read more
"What freedom does a starving man have?" The answer is that starvation is a tragic human condition- perhaps more tragic than loss of freedom. That does not prevent these from being two different things.
Morality, like other inputs into the social process, follows the law of diminishing returns- meaning ultimately, negative returns. People can read more
Morality, like other inputs into the social process, follows the law of diminishing returns- meaning ultimately, negative returns. People can be too moral.
The celebration of unbounded individualism means, beyond some point, the acceptance of force- either private (crime, riot, vigilanteism) or public read more
The celebration of unbounded individualism means, beyond some point, the acceptance of force- either private (crime, riot, vigilanteism) or public (authoritarianism).
To include freedom in the very definition of democracy is to define a process not by its actual characteristics as read more
To include freedom in the very definition of democracy is to define a process not by its actual characteristics as a process but by its hoped for results. This is not only intellectually invalid, it is, in practical terms, blinding oneself in advance to some of the unwanted consequences of the process.
The anointed don't like to talk about painful trade-offs. They like to talk about happy "solutions" that get rid of read more
The anointed don't like to talk about painful trade-offs. They like to talk about happy "solutions" that get rid of the whole problem- at least in their imagination.
If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism.
If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism.
Organizational progress parallels that in science and technology, permitting ultimate simplicity through intermediate complexity.
Organizational progress parallels that in science and technology, permitting ultimate simplicity through intermediate complexity.
No matter how disastrously some policy has turned out, anyone who criticizes it can expect to hear: "But what would read more
No matter how disastrously some policy has turned out, anyone who criticizes it can expect to hear: "But what would you replace it with?" When you put out a fire, what do you replace it with?
To those who feel that their values are the values, the less controlled systems necessarily present a spectacle of "chaos," read more
To those who feel that their values are the values, the less controlled systems necessarily present a spectacle of "chaos," simply because such systems respond to a diversity of values. The more successfully such systems respond to diversity, the more "chaos" there will be, by definition, according to the standards of any specific set of values- other than diversity or freedom as values. Looked at another way, the more self-righteous observers there are, the more chaos (and "waste") will be seen.
The welfare state is not really about the welfare of the masses. It is about the egos of the elites.
The welfare state is not really about the welfare of the masses. It is about the egos of the elites.
