This is a very important book for understanding historical socio-economics. I plan on re-reading it again someday, but the one and only negative I canThis is a very important book for understanding historical socio-economics. I plan on re-reading it again someday, but the one and only negative I can point out is that my copy has oversaturated typeset that is not crisp, almost like it was all written in bold, and that limits how much my eyes can take in a sitting. I might have to seek out a better copy in hardback; the book is worth it.
This book completes a trilogy of books, the first published in 1994, the second in 1996, and this in 1998. The original thesis was developed in the 1980's. All three are worth reading but this can also stand by itself. The book follows the various cultures of the world and describes how geography, governance, leadership, and cultural identity (including language and religion) determine how and why some societies have flourished while others have faltered (or never even fully developed). Sound familiar? It seems that Jared Diamond’s hugely acclaimed book Guns, Germs, and Steel, derives much of his central thesis from Sowell’s trilogy, and never gives any credit.
One difference is that Diamond paints broadly in terms of differentiation from the time of mankind’s emergence from Africa, whereas Sowell is focused in more detail on what happened after the fall of the Roman Empire, when much of humanity was plunged backward a thousand years, and how we crawled out of that period of barbarism. Sowell’s approach means we can rely on more accurate historical documents rather than speculate on anthropological findings. But the same ideas of trade routes, disease, transfer of ideas, and religion are straight out of Sowell and yet Diamond does not reference Sowell at all in his extensive bibliography.
One example: why do so many people across the world (and throughout history) begrudge the Jews their success? The simple answer (distilled from Sowell masterful explanation) is that people hate a middle man. You see it now in direct-to-market advertising: "Skip the middle man, buy direct!� Yet, before Amazon and global worldwide shipping, middle men were absolutely essential to keeping the wheels of trade turning. And why is trade important? Because it is easier than conquest and subjugation of foreign cultures. Simply put, the Jews made a name for themselves providing this middleman function. Bonus feature: see how this all plays in in modern Ukraine with its tension between Slavic and Germanic historical influences.
With either Diamond or Sowell I like that history is not reduced to wars, treaties, inter-marriages of the royal courts and such, but is more profoundly influenced by the realities of everyday issues such as food supply, skilled labor, or public versus private innovation and development. The advantage of reading just the last of the three books is that it also includes a fifty page concluding summary that ties all three books together. It really puts history and economic theory in a whole new light. This and Emmanuel Todd’s The Explanation of Ideology are probably the two most important books I’ve read that show how the world really works (as opposed to the artificial constructs of political or economic theory)....more
For being written so long ago (1986) I still think this is an important book that people on either side of the political divide should read. Sowell doFor being written so long ago (1986) I still think this is an important book that people on either side of the political divide should read. Sowell doesn’t just recycle Locke and Burke and Rousseau and put them in a modern context, he develops his own theory which I’d say goes further in explaining the reasoning behind the differing world views than anybody else I’ve read. I don’t think his terminology of “constrained� and “unconstrained� is ideal, and it took me some 88 pages before I was comfortable knowing what each represents. At first I thought “constrained� meant a conservative outlook which looks to reduce and constrain the impetus behind progressive ideas, and that “unconstrained� meant a liberal outlook that favors trying new ideas often at the expense of preserving what is already good and working. The main problem with the book, as it is unassisted by graphs or charts, is that neither the “constrained� nor “unconstrained� visions fit neatly into anything that we know from actual practice, certain not the bi-polar politics of Democrat vs Republican. Sowell’s own viewpoint seems a rather high-minded brand of Libertarianism and the firm belief that the free-market system auto-corrects the most pernicious impediments to societal function. But it depends on where you draw the line on “most pernicious.�
So, despite the importance of the topic, I’m giving only four stars because the book is rather sloppily written. I’ve found the later books to be better written, argued with more clarity, and avoiding all the circling back to clarify previous statements. I especially enjoyed Conquests and Cultures, for which I gave five stars. By the way, although Milton Friedman was a mentor to Sowell, I find that Sowell has a more pragmatic approach, less extreme, and draws upon a greater background of interdisciplinary knowledge. So, despite Sowell being swayed by Uncle Milt’s free-market economic ideology (I prefer a more Hamiltonian approach), the book looks at far more than just economics to understand why people have differing worldviews.
In sum, I really believe the essence of this book could be distilled to far less bulk and roundabout posturing, so for those short on patience I would recommend reading just the last nine pages where Sowell summarizes his talking points and puts his arguments most succinctly. Do make a point of reading the later books; they were real eye-openers for me....more
Wow, for being written in 1931 this still offers interesting insights and certainly resonates with much of my thinking of about the push and pull of eWow, for being written in 1931 this still offers interesting insights and certainly resonates with much of my thinking of about the push and pull of education versus culture. For those short on time I especially recommend two chapters: Free Speech and Plain Language, and The Disadvantages of Being Educated.
First off, the difference between training and education: training to do something proficiently, perhaps even expertly (like mastering a skill like carpentry) is different from the process of educating oneself to look at the interaction and interconnectedness of everything in order to gain a wisdom about what is true progress and what is simply improvised expedience toward gratifying the trending impulses of the masses. Most all secondary education is now geared toward proficiency training to be an accepted part of the American paradigm of making money and enjoying the leisured life; thinking and deep questions are not held in high regard. Jefferson’s ideal for America was the careful balance between reflective thinking and practical and pragmatic solutions, not the grab-what-you can culture of economic affluence with its concomitant disregard for whatever behaviors that don’t bring instant or near-term gratification.
Secondly, educated persons will have to accept that the people they admire and count as influential may not hold much value or recognition from the masses. Elitism has become a dirty word, but since the time of Socrates and the Athenian schools, it has always been a select few who value and pursue knowledge for its own edification. There are fortunately a few people who successfully cross this barrier and have success on both fronts. A favorite of mine, Carl Sagan, is certainly the exception of being recognized by his peers and also loved by the public.
An interesting tidbit about Thomas Jefferson: when he campaigned for his second term, he refused to go out before the public in a “display of tawdry exhibitionism� and instead relied on educated voters to read his views in published essays and decide if they agreed or disagreed. He carried all but two states. Nowadays actual political discourse is unheard of; instead, millions of dollars are spent on campaigns that amount to a circus show of shouted slogans.
Some of the sobering realizations put me in a depressive funk, and unlike some upwardly mobile countries (especially in Asia) it seems America simply doesn’t have the kind of cultural foundation that values intellectual achievement. This also corresponds to an insightful book I recently read - Kurt Andersen’s Fantasyland � which documents the entire history of America’s anti-intellectual bias from the Salem Witch Trials to the present day.
If you’ve found this relatively obscure book by Nock and enjoyed it we’re singing in the same choir!...more
I bought this for my son when he was ten and we went through it together. This is really basic information written for teenagers or younger. Sort of lI bought this for my son when he was ten and we went through it together. This is really basic information written for teenagers or younger. Sort of like a lavishly illustrated Wikipedia article. As a history buff I can see the oversimplifications everywhere, but for what it sets out to do I’d say it is a quality product. If you have youngsters at home and want an approachable overview of history that almost makes it all seem fun, well, here you go. ...more
I’m not a specialist in history, just an enthusiast, so for my purposes I found the way the book is organized very easy to use whenever I want a quickI’m not a specialist in history, just an enthusiast, so for my purposes I found the way the book is organized very easy to use whenever I want a quick refresher about who did what and what happened when. Even though this is more of a highlights approach and doesn’t give a deep dive on any particular issue, it is just enough to get the overall big picture. Important events such as The Magna Carta or War of the Roses are engaging because they don’t devolve into arcane details that the average reader might not be interested in. And the lavish illustrations and sidebars make it all a more immersive experience. Since my DNA report and living relatives chart shows my heritage is from Denmark and the Danelaw area of Britain I was particularly interested in the earlier development of the nation under Alfred the Great.
Given the ease of use as a reference and the quality of presentation I see no reason to withhold five stars. ...more
I first read this back in the 90's when it came out, and I've kept it on my shelf all these years waiting for time in retirement to read it again. It'I first read this back in the 90's when it came out, and I've kept it on my shelf all these years waiting for time in retirement to read it again. It's a handsome book, and I got excited when I looked at the table of contents, but reading four selected chapters I just didn't find the writing style engaging. I just can't give an enthusiastic rating like I might have before, and that's because in the meantime I've found other writers to convey more excitement about topics which should be exciting for people who have an interest in them. Susan Wise Bauer, or Kenneth Clark come to mind.
In sum: I love the idea behind this book, but the writing leaves me disengaged....more
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