Summary of Thomas Sowell's Barbarians inside the Gates and Other Controversial Essays

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The signs of American degeneration are all too plain, from declining educational standards to high crime rates. The real question today is: Will we turn it around, or is what we are doing likely to make things worse.

#2 The first police forces were organized in cities across the United States in the early 19th century, and mass movements to stop people from drinking also spread across the country. Crime rates began to drop in the middle of the 19th century, and they continued to fall into the early 20th century.

#3 The point of being a superpower is so that no one will attack you and require the sacrifice of more and more young Americans like those buried in this cemetery.

#4 Equality is one of the crucial far-fetched ideas of our time. People believe that statistical disparities in outcomes are proof that someone was treated unfairly. But most people cannot name two individuals who perform equally.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jul 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822545847

IRB Media

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Insights on Thomas Sowell's Barbarians inside the Gates and Other Controversial Essays

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The signs of American degeneration are all too plain, from declining educational standards to high crime rates. The real question today is: Will we turn it around, or is what we are doing likely to make things worse.

#2

The first police forces were organized in cities across the United States in the early 19th century, and mass movements to stop people from drinking also spread across the country. Crime rates began to drop in the middle of the 19th century, and they continued to fall into the early 20th century.

#3

The point of being a superpower is so that no one will attack you and require the sacrifice of more and more young Americans like those buried in this cemetery.

#4

Equality is one of the crucial far-fetched ideas of our time. People believe that statistical disparities in outcomes are proof that someone was treated unfairly. But most people cannot name two individuals who perform equally.

#5

The tendency to explain differences by either genetics or discrimination ignores very large differences that cannot be attributed to either.

#6

The free market is not fair, as it requires people to compete against one another. If one company has a monopoly on its product, there is no alternative company doing the same thing that you can turn to instead.

#7

The history of Marxism has shown that politicians cannot be trusted with a monopoly of power over other people's lives. While my desires for a better life for ordinary people have not changed, experience has taught me that the way to get there is the opposite of what I once thought.

#8

There is no point debating whether certain books should or should not have been removed from shelves. The question is why some people’s opinions are called censorship and other people’s opinions are not.

#9

It is not enough to see through fraudulent rhetoric in a particular case if you continue to listen gullibly to those who have used such rhetoric