The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy

I wish I would have read Thomas Sowell's work sooner. I've seen & heard him on podcasts and occasional news programs but to read this book allows for savoring his excellent use of the English language & his vast knowledge of the working of the minds of us complex creatures. It reads a bit like a science textbook but without the boredom, or fear of failing a class. I admit to reading many paragraphs repeatedly. Economics & politics are not subjects with which I have much familiarity but I think I will become more knowledgeable, since I plan to work my way through his collection. Thank you, Thomas Sowell, for such refreshing, sensible, grown-up writing!

WOW - this book has been put on my "to read again shelf" - If this is any indication there are only 5 other books there and I read about 100 books a year. Terms such as superlative and magnum opus easily come to mind. First of all this book is cerebral - the writing is clear and plain but requires thought on almost every page. Therefore, most of those who need it most will not be able to wade through it because to do so would force you to think. Thomas Sowell has dived deep into the muddy waters of the thought patterns of the left (vision of the anointed) and the right (tragic vision). He wants to understand the true motives of the left not just the results of their actions. I will not insult you any further with my word since they will only subtract from this awe-inspiring book. Instead enjoy a few words from the tome itself. "The focus here will be on one particular vision - the vision prevailing among the intellectual and political elite of our time. What is important about that vision are not only its particular assumptions and their corollaries, but also the fact that it is a prevailing vision - which means that its assumptions are so much taken for granted by so many people, including so-called "thinking people," that neither those assumptions nor their corollaries are generally confronted with demands for empirical evidence. Indeed, empirical evidence itself may be viewed as suspect, insofar as it is inconsistent with that vision." "(T)he vision of the anointed is not simply a vision of the world and its functioning in a causal sense, but is also a vision of themselves and the moral role in the world. It is a vision of differential rectitude. It is not a vision of the tragedy of the human condition: Problems exist because others are not as wise or as virtuous of the anointed." "Factual evidence and logical arguments are often not merely lacking but ignored in many discussions by those with the vision of the anointed. Much that is said by the anointed in the outward form of an argument turns out not to arguments at all. Often the logical structure of an argument is replaced by preemptive rhetoric or, where an argument is made, its validity remains unchecked against any evidence, even when such evidence is abundant. Evidence is often particularly abundant when it comes to statements about history, yet the anointed have repeatedly been as demonstrably wrong about the past as about the present or the future - and as supremely confident." "Those with the vision of the anointed are particularly prone to think of their own philosophy as new, and therefore as adapted to contemporary society, but their framework of assumptions goes back at least two centuries - as does the framework of those with the tragic vision." "But one of the crucial differences between those with the tragic vision and those with the vision of the anointed is in what they respectively assume that we know how to do. Those with the vision of the anointed are seldom deterred by any question as to whether anyone has the knowledge required to do what they attempting." "The hallmark of the vision of the anointed is that what the anointed consider lacking for the kind of social progress they envision is will and power, not knowledge. But to those with the tragic vision, what is dangerous are will and power without knowledge - and for many expansive purposes, knowledge is inherently insufficient. In their hast to be wiser and nobler than others, the anointed have misconceived two basic issues. They seem to assume (1) that they have more knowledge than the average member of the benighted and (2) that this is the relevant comparison. The real comparison, however, is not between the knowledge possessed by the average member of the educated elite versus the average member of the general public, but rather the TOTAL direct knowledge brought to bear through social processes (the competition of the marketplace, social sorting, etc.), involving millions of people, versus the secondhand knowledge of generalities possessed by a smaller elite group. Moreover, the existing generation's traditions and values distill the experiences of other millions in times past. Yet the anointed seem to conceive the issue as one of the syllogistic reasoning of the past versus the syllogistic reasoning of the present, preferring to believe that improvements in knowledge and reason permit the former to be dismissed." "What is seldom part of the vision of the anointed is a concept of ordinary people as autonomous decision makers free to reject any vision and to seek their own well-being through whatever social processes they choose. Thus, when those with the prevailing vision speak of the family - if only to defuse their adversaries' emphasis on family values - they tend to conceive of the family as a RECIPENT institution for government largess or guidance, rather than as DECISION-MAKING institution determining for itself how children shall be raised and with what values." "The anointed do no simply HAPPEN to have a disdain for the public, Such disdain is an integral part of their vision, for the central feature of that vision is preemption of the decisions of others." "Perhaps the most fundamental difference between those with the tragic vision and those with vision of the anointed is that the former see policy-making in terms of trade-offs and the latter in terms of `solutions'." "The point here is not simply that some people were mistaken in their beliefs and hopes for this particular program, but that they barricaded themselves against all beliefs to the contrary and morally condemned those who express such beliefs. It is this pattern which has been all too characteristic of the anointed, on this and other issues, over a very long span of time." I hope this woefully small smattering of quotes has helped enlighten you about this great book.

This book thoroughly exposes the (generally leftwing) pseudo-intellectualism that has dominated so many institutions and power centers in the world, particularly in the west, with special focus on the United States. The book accomplishes this in a fairly concise manner of 9 easy to read, well written and well reasoned chapters supported by a moderate-or-higher amount of examples and historical cases demonstrating various points. Ultimately the book demonstrates in stunning clarity that American society has more and more come to be dominated by what are like modern day sophists. This class of people, whom Sowell names "the anointed" in sarcastic reference to their own inflated egos and views of themselves, is one which is expertly skilled in rhetoric and highly articulate. A fundamental flaw in society/human nature is that large swaths of the public are unable to see through the charade that is the verbal cunning of the anointed because they equate verbal skills/articulate speech with high intelligence and virtue. Or they cannot tell the difference between those who are smart and those who appear or sound smart, those who are virtuous and those who appear or sound virtuous, those who want and pursue what's best for society and those who claim to do so, and so on. And so the anointed are able to achieve huge success in their ambitions through clever manipulation and exploitation of the large swath of society which is gullible and easily manipulated, especially emotionally. Yet virtually whenever the anointed exercise power, they leave a trail of destruction in their wake. But they never examine themselves, their presuppositions, the ultimate effects of their policies, etc. They always find other things to blame, they redouble their commitments, they redefine terms and abuse language, they rewrite history, they slander and demonize their opponents, they silence opposition and debate, they hide or dismiss contrary evidence, and so on. This book is a walk through all of that, how the anointed tend to think, how they tend to operate, how their various misguided crusades and misadventures come to be, their strategy and tactics for achieving their goals and dealing with their opponents, the gargantuan gaps in their thinking and in their overall processes which serves to insulate them from evidence and from reality itself really, and the disastrous results that they have tended to achieve (and ignore).

This is my first Thomas Sowell book and it’s excellent. The book essentially analyses the tactics and lack of accountability from failed policies implemented by liberal/leftists. The use of language to squash opposing views and to achieve their goals, as well as their insufferable sanctimony in doing it. Vision of the anointed uses data to bolster Sowell’s points, and presents many examples of politicians throughout American politics who have used the aforementioned tactics to get what they want and pointed the finger elsewhere when it goes awry. The biggest shock? The book was written nearly thirty years ago and is just as relevant today, more so even, than it was in 1995. Subversion of language and a lack of interest for hard facts are the order of the day for the anointed as Sowell puts it, and these precepts are used religiously today. If you want a book with lucid, clear cut prose, look no further. This is excellent, well written stuff by a very shrewd commentator.

Never heard of Thomas Sowell before but recently watched a youtube video by him and was more than impressed with his perspectives being a Black American conservative leaning author, I think the media has largely ignored his work because he makes too much sense. As an economist with training from the highest level of education in the US his words are refreshing brilliant and somewhat revolutionary. Everything he talks about is grounded in fact and thoroughly backed up with citation and historical sources. No fooling around and not being political black and white either. A real intellectual heavyweight that you may not know exists. If you don't like the ugly side of Democrats or the ugly side of republicans give this a shot. It will change your perspective only because it makes sense

I've read this book after reading Sowells other book "Conflict of Visions". It didn't disappoint. This book tends to expand on much of Conflict of Visions by providing many concrete examples as well as expanded theory. If I were to recommend this book to someone who hadn't read any Sowell before, I would read Conflict of Visions first, then this book, then another of his works "Intellectuals and Society". I've read numerous other books from the author, but, these three consolidate much of his work from the others in both a theoretical and practical sense. If you ever read this Mr Sowell... Thank you...

A very clearly and reasoned examination. While written before the internet revolution, it clearly is salient to today's world and social drivers. A must read for the open-minded who are trying to make sense of the world.

Em"The Vision Of The Anointed; Self-Congratulation As A Basis For Social Policy", Thomas Sowell expõe, com maestria, o fenômeno da superioridade moral de pessoas com determinadas posições ideológicas. Para tanto, apresenta duas categorias muito importantes: a) os ungidos, pessoas que se percebem como moralmente superiores em razão de suas posições ideológicas atreladas à esquerda do espectro político. São membros da elite política e intelectual, cujo pensamento entranhou-se na mídia e na academia, de maneira que a maioria das pessoas sequer consideram que há outras formas de pensar; b) os sem luz, aqueles que discordam dos ungidos. Sowell destaca uma característica importante dos ungidos: suas ações não se baseiam na realidade concreta e sim nas suas intenções (ou melhor, na aparência de suas intenções). Como as ações dos ungidos carecem de evidências empíricas, eles utilizam duas táticas para obstruir o debate público: a) demonizar o oponente. ((...)aquilo que discorda com a visão predominante não é visto apenas como erro, mas como pecado." p.3); b) desenvolver um vocabulário próprio para esconder sua fragilidade argumentativa. Por essa razão, vemos o recorrente uso das mesmas palavras: crise, decolonizar, afrocentrado, eurocêntrico, supremacista, ocidental etc. O autor chama esse fenômeno de “inflação verbal”: "as ordinárias vicissitudes da vida transformam-se em traumas. Qualquer situação que eles desejam mudanças transforma-se em crise." (p.215) "Apesar da advertência de Hamlet contra o auto-enaltecimento, a visão dos ungidos não é simplesmente uma visão do mundo e do seu funcionamento num sentido casual. É também uma visão de si mesmos e do seu papel moral nesse mundo. É uma visão de uma retidão diferenciada. Não é uma visão da tragédia da condição humana: os problemas existem porque os outros não são tão sábios ou tão virtuosos quanto eles, os ungidos. " ( p.5) Livro recomendadíssimo!