Thomas Sowell is one of America's leading voices on matters of race and
ethnicity. In his most recent book, "Inside American Education," he
surveyed the ills of American education from the primary grades to
graduate school with "an impressive range of knowledge and acuity of
observation, " according to the "Wall Street Journal." Now in his newest
book "Race and Culture," he asks the question: "What is it that allows
certain groups to get ahead?" and the answer will undoubtedly create
debates for years to come.
The thesis of "Race and Culture" is that productive skills are the key
to understanding the economic advancement of particular racial or ethnic
groups, as well as countries and civilizations -- and that the spread of
those skills, whether through migration or conquest, explains much of
the advancement of the human race. Whether this body of skills,
aptitudes and disciplines is called "culture" or "human capital, " it
explains far more than politics, prejudice or genetics. Rather than draw
on the experience of one country or one era of history, "Race and
Culture" encompasses dozens of racial and ethnic groups, living in
scores of countries around the world, over a period of centuries. Due to
its breadth and scope, this study is able to test alternative theories
empirically on a vast canvas in space and time. Its conclusions refute
much, if not most, of what is currently believed about race and about
cultures.
