A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles

Thomas Sowell
4.32
4,546 ratings 516 reviews
Controversies in politics arise from many sources, but the conflicts that endure for generations or centuries show a remarkably consistent pattern. In this classic work, Thomas Sowell analyzes this pattern. He describes the two competing visions that shape our debates about the nature of reason, justice, equality, and power: the "constrained" vision, which sees human nature as unchanging and selfish, and the "unconstrained" vision, in which human nature is malleable and perfectible. A Conflict of Visions offers a convincing case that ethical and policy disputes circle around the disparity between both outlooks.
Genres: PoliticsPhilosophyNonfictionEconomicsHistoryPolitical ScienceSociologyPsychologyAudiobookSociety
304 Pages

Community Reviews:

5 star
2450 (54%)
4 star
1354 (30%)
3 star
539 (12%)
2 star
135 (3%)
1 star
68 (2%)

Readers also enjoyed

Other books by Thomas Sowell

Lists with this book

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Between the World and Me
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Books White People Need to Read
1306 books1546 voters
A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles
The Culture of Critique: An Evolutionary Analysis of Jewish Involvement in Twentieth-Century Intellectual and Political Movements
The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life
The Neoreactionary Bookshelf
64 books16 voters
U.S. Constitution (Saddlewire)
The Declaration of Independence / The Constitution of the United States
Atlas Shrugged
Best Conservative Books
520 books319 voters
1984
Animal Farm
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Best Books To Frame Thinking
1265 books1359 voters