The Quest for Cosmic Justice

Not Woke September 2, 2019 | Victor C. Bolles I just finished reading Thomas Sowell’s book, The Quest for Cosmic Justice. Although it was written in 1999, it presciently addresses many of the issues we face today including identity politics, social justice and entitlements, income inequality, personal truth being more important than reality (sometimes called wokeness or being woke) and the rejection of the American Founding Principles. Dr. Sowell is a true genius and the personification of the American Dream. The son of a housemaid whose father died shortly after he was born, he was raised by his great-aunt in North Carolina. He had little contact with white people as a child but that changed when he moved to New York City when he was nine. In New York he qualified for the prestigious Stuyvesant High School for the academically gifted (one of the schools that NYC mayor and presidential candidate Bill de Blasio is trying to eliminate, because their students “don’t look like New York City”). He had to drop out of school for financial reasons before graduating and worked odd jobs (and even tried out for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team) before being drafted into the Marine Corps during the Korean War. After his discharge from the Marines, Dr. Sowell initially attended historically black Howard University before a combination of letters of recommendation from his professors and high marks on his College Board exams got him into Harvard, from which he graduated magna cum Laude. He got his PhD. at the University of Chicago under the tutelage of his mentor Milton Friedman. He is now a professor at Stanford University and a fellow of the Hoover Institution. Dr. Sowell writes about big issues in this book; cosmic justice, the nature of equality, the tyranny of visions and the impact of these forces on America. If justice is a good thing, then cosmic justice must be a great thing. But Freidrich Hayek noted that, “nature can be neither just nor unjust.” One family emerges from the wreckage of their mobile home after a tornado and says, “our prayers were answered,” while their neighbors, who prayed equally hard, perished. Both families were equally deserving but suffered different outcomes. Nature isn’t just, nature just is. Believers in cosmic justice don’t like such unfair outcomes. They cite John Rawls who stated that “undeserved inequality calls for redress.” We see these claims for redress in the demands for reparations for slavery, universal basic income and the Equal Rights Amendment. Dr. Sowell defines cosmic justice as the desire to rectify social inequities that people who, through no fault of their own, lack things which other people receive as windfall gains, through no virtue of their own. We have all seen Senator Elizabeth Warren convulse in anger at these inequities on the campaign trail and promise to redress them with the wealth of the one-percenters. However, Dr. Sowell points out that the cost of cosmic justice can be very high. And it is not always a cost that can be covered by taxing the heck out of high net worth individuals or large corporations. A good example is the previously cited Bill de Blasio who wants to eliminate testing because the outcome of the testing results in too many white and Asian students and too few blacks and Hispanics in top schools. But the cost of this cosmic justice solution is that all the kids in the New York City School District are condemned to mediocrity. But it is not just the smart kids that pay the cost of this redress of academic wrongs. It is society that suffers from not inspiring the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. Equality, much like justice, might be a laudable cosmic goal, but in practical terms it is impossible to achieve. There are so many factors that make up each person that it is inevitable that most people will be deficient in some factors and abundant in others. These factors, such as hair color, looks, physical fitness and weight in addition race, gender and sexual orientation, make it impracticable to have complete equality. Plus, you have to define what type of equality you are seeking. Would the search for equality in good looks justify a government entitlement for cosmetic surgery? Progressives ignore the philosophical impracticality of complete equality and set up arbitrary standards by which to judge equality. We have the previously cited “look like America” standard. We also have the income inequality standard whereby certain identity groups earn less that others, a situation that calls for redress. But keep in mind that that out of the 10 highest paid athletes in the US, 8 come from one identity group (black) and 9 come from one sport (basketball, see; Social Justice Basketball). So, sometimes identity or cultural differences generate different outcomes. Dr. Sowell points out that wealth is skewed not only by ethnic identity but also by age. Older people who have spent a lifetime saving and working their way up the corporate ladder have more income and wealth than younger people just starting out their professional career. And because the average age of the white population is older than that of blacks and Hispanics, whites would have more income and wealth, not because of the legacy of slavery or the fruit of prejudice, but because of age. Dr. Sowell asserts that humans create visions (what Yuval Harari calls stories in his book, Homo Deus) of how the world works. This is essential because no human can comprehend all the events and understand all the data that are incorporated into life on earth. Early humans concocted visions (stories) to explain all the events that they could not understand such as; what are the sun and the moon and how do they move across the sky? We now call these visions superstitions or, perhaps, religions and ideologies. Dr. Sowell, however, further explains that when these visions defy the facts, they become dogma. In modern times we have created numerous visions or dogmas that attempt to explain how a modern society functions. Politicians use these visions to attract followers and rely on the visions to explain why things occur even when there is no evidence to support such contentions. Autocrats use visions to strengthen their grip on power and punish or kill heretics and blasphemers who doubt their vision. The populists substitute these visions in place of facts or truth and even go as far as denying facts or truth when they do not fit within the scope of their vision. This is why progressives are telling their adherents that they need to define their own truths. For example, Freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stated, “I think that there’s a lot of people more concerned about being precisely, factually, and semantically correct than about being morally right.” The facts are made to fit the vision – the opposite of the scientific method that was created during the Enlightenment. Of course, visions have also led to accusations of “fake news.” Finally, Dr. Sowell brings all these trends together to address the “Quiet Repeal of the American Revolution” by comparing the differences between the American Revolution and the French Revolution, noting that the principal difference was in the Rule of Law. The goal of the American Revolution was the liberty of each citizen of the country – a liberty that required limits on the powers of government. The French Revolution wanted to right the wrongs of society and sought to do so by empowering “representatives on mission” with unlimited authority to accomplish their goals. The Founders of America wanted liberty for the American people and limited the powers of government because an increase in constitutional rights can only occur as a result of a reduction in government power while an increase in social justice (also known as positive rights or entitlements) requires an increase in government power (which, ipso facto, means a reduction in constitutional rights). The United States was not created to seek cosmic justice or complete equality. It was created to limit the power of government in order to guarantee the liberty of the people to seek their own goals. And it was the limitation of government that allowed the United States to prosper and grow. Because liberty unleashed the human capital of millions of Americans to strive to achieve their own goals (their own unique American Dream). It was the power of that human capital that drove America’s success. The seekers of Cosmic Justice believe that other values are more important than liberty. Such seekers believe that people’s work must be dedicated to the betterment of society, not for their own ends. And the government, which defines what the betterment of society entails, will use force in order to get people to submit to the government’s will. And all that human capital will become cramped and constrained and society will wither. Dr. Sowell described the forces working against our liberty twenty years ago. In the interim, those forces have only grown stronger and the defenders of freedom keep silent. Read this book to learn more about what is going on around you. And then speak out. For liberty!

This is an incredibly appropriate book for now despite having been published 24 years ago, Dr Sowell explains the differences in traditional Justice and social Justice clearly so that everyone can understand that they are not compatible and that social Justice is impossible for humans with our limited knowledge of all subjects necessary to make the decisions necessary to produce it. He also carefully explains how dangerous disarmament was prior to WWII as the cost was lives lost and nearly most democracies. He links the moral high road that progressives take to make themselves look good to the poor logic and fantasies they believe despite evidence. He suggests many ways the evidence could be looked ar to disprove their Utopian fantasies and suggests evidence to disprove their ideas. He also introduces opposing ideas and explains with evidence more realistic choices. This is a book every American should read. Every “woke” person should look critically at his thinking in relation to that of progressives. This is written by one of the great American thinkers and his ideas need to be spread to many now.

Sowell, like a master craftsman, lays a solid foundation for those issues facing America today. His perspective isn’t just rooted in personal opinion. Rather, it’s grounded on historical fact. Painstakingly, he points to the dangers of placing too much trust in those who use hyperbole and story to swindle our most basic freedoms. For seventy to eighty years, America has switched from the sure foundation laid by the founding fathers of the American Republic. Sowell shows how that was done. Further, he shows how the ideology adopted by many today is incompatible with the founding principles set forth by the founders in the American Constitution. For those pursuing ideology, constitution be damned. Sowell expresses his concerns over this socialist trend, especially in light of the glaring failures of socialism among such a wide swath of people, tribes, nations, and types of governments. Further, the identity socialism invented by the left would have been indiscernible and likely opposed by the inventors of socialism like Stalin. Again, I cannot state how important this book is to Americans today. It’s truths herald the path forward away from the selfish ambitions that drive mankind to the safety and security of a government of the people, by the people, for the people as expressed in the founding documents of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

Thomas Sowell’s The Quest for Cosmic Justice is a brilliant and sobering analysis of modern social thought. With his trademark clarity and logic, Sowell exposes the dangers of redefining “justice” in ways that ignore human nature, history, and reality. This book is both intellectually sharp and morally grounded, challenging readers to think deeply about fairness, responsibility, and freedom. Though written years ago, it feels even more relevant today. Sowell is a rare voice of reason in a time of emotional rhetoric. A must-read for anyone who values truth over sentiment and clear thinking over cultural trends.

I'm not giving this 4 stars because I agree with the author (occasionally I do but more often not), but because Sowell does a fine job expressing his views (other than the occasional rant), which in turn provides me with a fascinating window into a different mindset, one way of understanding a perspective that is often vastly different than my own. Since one-on-one conversations are so difficult these days between liberal and conservative, democrat and republican, I sincerely appreciate the opportunity presented by reading a book by someone whose views are often opposite to mine. When reading on both sides of views, I'm struck by the similarities of ego ... both extremes seem to think the other is not only wrong but confused, or worse, blind or ignorant or amoral or deluded or arrogant. It would be amusing if it weren't so dangerous to the stability of our country.

There are people who just want to correct everything they perceive as injustice, and that has value. But sometimes in the quest for social equity and fairness, other groups get stepped on. This isn't supposed to be a zero sum game. Sewell goes into this to quite a deep level and in his normal, well-thought out manner. A great read for anyone seeking to learn the roots of justice, whether it be cosmic or legal.

Why does the US have a Department of Education that exercises so much control over our local schools if the tenth article in the Bill of Rights of the US constitution says rights not enumerated and specific to the federal government in the Constitution are reserved for the sates? There are no provisions in our constitution for the federal government to control education in the US. So, how did the federal government attain this control? It bought control through grants and subsidies. Aren’t these good things? Sure, if selling local control is a good thing, a federal grant is a good thing. But what is freedom worth? Who knows better how to run your local schools, your local school board or some Washington bureaucrats? Which is better, a compassionate judge that will interpret a law in accordance with his/her personal understanding of right, wrong, or compassion, or one that will interpret the law according to how the legislature that wrote the bill and the governor or president that signed it into law intended it? Are judges supposed to make the laws or interpret the laws? When you go to court are you hoping the decision given is based on what the law says, or how the judge feels? Dr. Sowell has written a great book, full of interesting, thought provoking ideas. He says US Constitutional law is not complicated; what is complicated is how some lawyers, judges and bureaucrats connive to get around the Constitution and impose their own will on the populace.

Dr. Sowell’s work is incredibly informative and highly recommended. Each chapter provides a comprehensive treatment on the competing views of justice, equality, and visions. Although Dr. Sowell’s book was published in 1999, one would think he was writing today as our nation continues to discuss justice, equality, and visions. Definitely a must read today to grasp these topics today.

Sowell‘s ability to separate pretense from reality is unique and the real world examples he uses in this - as always - beautifully written book, make learning and deepening one’s understanding quite a pleasure. His logic is infallible and I can‘t see anyone being able to debate his positions successfully.

Thomas Sowell is brilliant. He makes his points in an understandable, reasonable manner and it's obvious he has a lot of knowledge as well as common sense. I recommend anything he has written, or any yt videos.

An exposition and explanation of what we can and can't do in the face of the universe's random nature. Good.

Considering this book was first published in 1999 it just shows how far ahead of his time Thomas Sowell is, laying out clearly with at least 15 years before anyone else all the contradictions and problems posed by what we call today 'Social Justice' or as he called it back then 'Cosmic Justice'. From affirmative action to reparations and then on the role of activist members of the judiciary in furthering the myths of 'diversity'n 'redistribution' etc., Sowell demonstrates with hard facts that Cosmic Justice is not only impossible to achieve but also comes with costs (financial and social) that are never taken into the consideration by posturing wannabe intellectuals and that discrimination/ bias *cannot* be inferred by statistical inequalities. Definitely recommend reading this book.

Mais do pensamento objetivo e claro de Thomas Sowell, um brilhante estatístico e debatedor, que prima pela objetividade e clareza além, é claro, de priorizar fatos e não sentimentos. Excelente livro.