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  1. Angela Bilyeu

    I'm working through several Great Courses in literature. It's taking a long time because I read the books before the lecture. I made it through ancient Greece and Rome. Now I'm making my way through the Decline and Fall and St. Augustine's City of God. I'm getting an understanding of the roots of Western culture. I'm only on Volume 2 of 6 in Decline and Fall. So, hearing it mentioned here reassures me that it will be worth it. If anyone is interested I can list the courses I'm working through.

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  2. William Seaton

    “MIG Pilot – The Final Escape of Lieutenant Belenko” by John Barron opened my eyes to the evil realities of communism in the former Soviet Union and the benefits of living in a free society in the USA.

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  5. Angry Predator

    Might be bit of an outlier, but Orwell’s “1984” is remarkable. People always quote the novel for its depiction of an all-seeing, all-knowing police state; but for me personally that’s not the most scary nor disheartening part about it. The aspect of the book that disturbed me the most was Ingsoc’s ability to essentially manipulate reality as it so chose into whatever narrative it wanted it’s masses to believe – and they did do without any hesitation or second thought! You, as a reader, can almost “feel” yourself losing your mind and being brainwashed yourself.
    It’s definitely worth the read.

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  6. Brian Bumgardner

    Sir, you are a national treasure. I started following your channel not too long ago, (viewed a few before following you). You really opened the eyes of a long time conservative. I will be sharing your content with friends and family.

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  9. Richard Que

    Other book was " making democracy work : with italy as case" by robert putman, " trust " by francis fukuyama.
    In both case the authors stress the important of civic duty or social capital .

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  11. RED BEAR

    There are two things really bothering me nowadays when people use the word gender and when people assume they know my thoughts I'm not even going to watch this bullshit.

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  12. T Rowell

    Sowell is a trip. I was wondering if he would {{{self-promote}}} here and he did not did not disappoint! Before you get triggered, please keep in mind I am not some commie. I support market-based economies, with a preference to those in Scandinavia. I am not anti-American either. I am on Sowell's page because I like to listen to a variety of views. For instance, recently read Hayek's major economic work, one of which Sowell is a fervent acolyte. Sowell has a tendency to try to narrow his audience to his worldview. I have noticed that in his writings and videos that rigorous empirical research matters less to him than his rhetoric. To many audiences, I guess that may be more convincing. His books are more full of research where he has cherry-picked aspects of history to "prove" his points, but not supported by empirical research where variables are controlled, tested, and measured. This is the weakness of what he likes to present. I wonder if some of the books he recommends here may be the same, especially the crime and economics books.

    In this video, I liked some of the books recommended, especially the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Everyone should read The Communist Manifesto too.

    I think Sowell should have named this video "The Dismantling of America Away from My Grumpy Preferences". I have long wanted to see more of his side, because he seems convincing at times. However, he gets so preachy and one-sided that it becomes obvious he is more of a moralizer and pundit than an empiricist who tests and draws inferences from it. When you are this one-sided you are a pundit.

    I still think Sowell can be worth listening to.

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  15. v

    I did read basic economics – it explains how regardless of our intentions and attempts, there is nothing better than the free market. I.e. there is no amount of central planning, govt. intervention by either taxes or subsidies, or any other system that gets even remotely close to the spectacular results that are produces by the free market, both in terms of lifting people out of poverty, making everyone richer, and in terms of reducing prices and increasing the standard of living for as many people as possible. And yes, that includes disaster relief, charities, and any other non-profit.

    This feel-good idea of: "No one is left behind", often overlooks the price that must be paid to do so. Since it is only competition and failure that changes human behavior and understanding, of those who can do it, to achieve a better world for everyone, as ever better and cheaper products and services continuously compete for the money in our pockets. And this is why govt. will forever be worse than free market at everything it does. Since govt. can afford to stay unprofitable and inefficient, while a private business can't. Since any private business must stay on the cutting edge of innovation and business practices, as otherwise it will be outcompeted and go broke.

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  16. Cbb Cbb

    Rome didn't "fall" until after it made Christianity the state religion.
    I assume you have never heard of the Monroe doctrine or the phrase "Banana Republic" or imperialism or just plain murder and theft, or the word coup.
    Someone pointed out that the Romans empire was a giant shakedown enterprise. All the blank-ity-blank they did to Jesus and his friends, they did to everybody.
    Rome, as is typical of empires, prospered as long as it was able to expand its borders. It was, for a while, able to steal stuff from more and more people. Until it could no longer impose itself on others. Then the shrinkage started. The shrinkage continued until Rome ceased to be.
    The Romans were not good people. Ok, some were. But on the whole, their strength and prosperity was based on murder and theft.
    Mr. Sowell, I think you would have liked living in Rome. I wouldn't.

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  19. Regular Guy

    None of this makes any difference unless you are right with the Creator. Please read and study the conversion of Saul in the book of Acts in the New Testament. Jesus Christ is God incarnate. It is only through him—the Son by which we can be reconciled to God. One must accomplish this now, without hesitation. Do not put it off my friend. Hasten to Him.

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  22. Richard Parker

    Mostly experience helped changed my mind between the years 2015 and 2020

    Some books that helped along the way.

    Life at the Bottom: The World View that Makes The Underclass.
    By Theodore Darlymple.

    Economics in One Lesson
    By Henery Hazlitt

    Rich Dad, Poor Dad
    By Robert T. Kiyosaki

    "The Virtue of Selfishness" and "Anthem"
    Both by Ayn Rand

    A Kim Jong IL Production
    By Paul Fischer

    The Girl with Seven Names.
    By Lee Hyeonseo

    Red Famine
    By Anne Applebaum

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  24. FangedBeauty

    If I only have money for one book on this list, which one would you guys recommend ?
    I like history, so I'm leaning towards the History of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
    But maybe I'm missing out on a more brilliant book in that case?

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  28. james baker

    Benjamin Franklin was feted and celebrated as he travelled through France. He found a reception in progress, assumed it was for him and was embarrassed to learn it was for Edward Gibbon, author of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He laughed at himself and sent a note to Gibbon asking to meet him. Gibbon replied that it would not be appropriate for a loyal British subject to meet with a rebel. Franklin assured Gibbon he understood and offered the use of his papers when it came time for Gibbon to write an account of the decline and fall of the British empire.

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  30. Allan Lindsay

    Dr. Sowell @ about 4:15 in this, what is yet another wonderful illuminating presentation of yours, you say, "experience has probably changed more minds than books have . . ." I'm not completely easy with that for my mind wishes to contend in this manner, certain books have changed the world completely and in the process ignited and influenced experiences, even ( or thus) creating them?

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  34. Vesubio Romo

    Basic Economics is a CLASSIC. If someone would've told me there was a book about economics that was not only very interesting and readable to the layman but contained not one chart or graph I would've thought they were off their meds. Dr. Sowell made economics interesting and real. It was almost fun to learn.

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  35. Michael Lenczewski

    Communist manifesto wasn't that great, it was pretty easy to critique. It was pretty obvious it would never work at scale. It really needs a really strong family or villiage of no more than 100 people that would be an effective commune. The effective commune might grow to try to include more people, but it would break into corruption beyond the upper limit of how many people you can know.

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  36. Howard Smith

    Sadly, I went recently to the large chain bookstore in pursuit of anything from Thomas Sowell…and they had never heard of him. I could have bought a dozen books by leftists, revisionist historians, and Democrat politicians, but not one book by Sowell. I won't be back any time soon.

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