• The Quest for Cosmic Justice

  • By: Thomas Sowell
  • Narrated by: Robertson Dean
  • Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (2,155 ratings)

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The Quest for Cosmic Justice

By: Thomas Sowell
Narrated by: Robertson Dean
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Publisher's summary

This book is about the great moral issues underlying many of the headline-making political controversies of our times. It is not a comforting book but a book about disturbing and dangerous trends. The Quest for Cosmic Justice shows how confused conceptions of justice end up promoting injustice, how confused conceptions of equality end up promoting inequality, and how the tyranny of social visions prevents many people from confronting the actual consequences of their own beliefs and policies. Those consequences include the steady and dangerous erosion of fundamental principles of freedom - amounting to a quiet repeal of the American revolution. The Quest for Cosmic Justice is the summation of a lifetime of study and thought about where we as a society are headed - and why we need to change course before we do irretrievable damage.

©2001 Thomas Sowell (P)2017 Blackstone Audio Inc.

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First released 20 years ago & now a classic!

Thomas Sowell defines (traditional) justice as applying the same rules and same standards to everybody. He defines cosmic justice as equalizing the prospects for everybody. Those two concepts are incompatible. You cannot successfully pursue the two concepts simultaneously. Regular/traditional justice simply requires treating everyone the same. Cosmic justice must be tailored to each individual in society and thus requires massive government bureaucracy and power. Sowell notes that many people refer to cosmic justice as social justice, but he notes that the term social justice does not really fit the concept. I recommend this COSMIC JUSTICE to everyone, but if you do not have time for the six hour audiobook consider listening to Dr. Sowell's fifteen minute lecture The Quest for Cosmic Justice which can be easily found on the Internet.

The narration of Cosmic Justice by Robertson Dean is superb.

Eight-eight year old Thomas Sowell has a PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago. He grew up in Harlam and attended all black secondary schools. He has written many books, most of which are available at Audible, on economics and other topics. For many years he wrote a weekly syndicated newspaper column and many of his columns have been republished in book format. Dr. Sowell is a national treasure!

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28 people found this helpful

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Essential reading. Well said.

To achieve peace, prosperity-for-every-person, and justice, we must ask ourselves "What approach to achieving these goals has worked in the past?" That is the question that Sowell answers with his deep knowledge of history -- with well-stated facts.

Many will dismiss his statements out-of-hand because it contradicts their ideology. But if we want to know what works, we must not dismiss the point-of-view that Sowell states so clearly.

Thomas Sowell is an example of diversity-in-action. For a black man to state facts that don't conform to the orthodoxy that is demanded of a black person is a beautiful example of liberated thinking. I admire him greatly and learn so much as I listen to him.

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Brilliant as Always

A solid, life long, brilliant performer #thomasSowell PhD. whose “colleague’s sloppy action galvanized” him into action and we get to reap the benefit.

@HooverInst @UChicago @Columbia @Harvard @freepress

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Sowell gets it...

As humans, it's embarrassing that we put "pundits" on the news but not someone like Thomas Sowell. Dude gets it. Read as many of his books as you can...regardless of political affiliation. Dude just gets it, and is a very clear and amazing writer to boot.

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Enjoyed from beginning to end and will read again!

Historically I've struggled to find the time to research and pull together the history and data I knew was out there needed to defend conservative philosophy. This book, recommended by Ben Shapiro does just that. Well done. I intend to reread this several times because there so much in it when you consider all the supporting evidence that's between the lines. Highly recommended reading...or listening.

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What a fantastic book.

So much wisdom and truth. I thought it was written a couple years ago. It was so contemporary. Thomas Sowell has a fine mind that is put to good use, and for our benefit .
Thank you Mr Sowell!

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Powerful, and Thorough

Powerful and Thorough look at social justice and the policies that stem from it, as well as their intentions and dangers.

A great book.

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Deeply unimpressed. Anti-intellectual!

To test my beliefs in economics (which changed around 2013, after reading about the 2008 financial crisis), I finished this audiobook a couple weeks ago. I was thoroughly unimpressed.

In his pompous flowery language, Sowell criticizes his liberal colleague’s “sloppy thinking.” He then peppers his entire book with assertions about the “hubris” of the “anointed elites” (liberals), language that’s less logical and more an appeal to emotional dislike. When he treats the emotional impact of welfare on recipients’ thinking, he suggests one, and ONLY one, emotional response: envy, of those better off. And that’s all! I know someone who is deeply grateful for the welfare her family received when she was growing up. Sowell never considers gratefulness. Nor does Sowell ever consider that welfare recipients’ frustrations and anger might come from something else: the scorn, humiliation, and obstacles they receive from people like him.

He loves to accuse others of ignoring logic and evidence. But he does! The whole book stays at 50,000 feet, in a world of philosophy and theoretical simplicity. Welfare recipients are “takers”, controlled by politicians. He never comes down to discover that most welfare recipients arguably work harder than most of us as they work multiple jobs, ride busses, and make it to another payday. He discusses the law, and our choice to obey it. But he never mentions how the poor are especially targeted for harsh enforcement, an odd omission by someone who blames government. He pretends to come down to earth, by telling a few arcane historical factoids about ethnic groups around the world in different times. These are cherry-picked distractions from our American history, designed to create the impression of some vast arcane base of knowledge.

At one point, he dismisses the New Deal because it didn’t “save capitalism from itself.” He totally fails to realize, the purpose of the New Deal was largely to keep people from starving or tearing the country apart. Is he that thoughtless?? As an intellectual coward, he chooses to take on a convenient strawman to represent liberals: Marx and Lenin! He never even mentions John Maynard Keynes, the famous Depression-era economist and intellectual giant who studied the value of government programs and spending during financial crises.

Twenty years ago, I would have been impressed by this book. I know better now.

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Cosmic justice

Thomas Sowell is an American treasure with a deeply analytical and articulate gift for explaining what is driving the dangerous push toward Socialism. collectivism and Marxism.

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Simply Terrific.

An indispensable read, that gives one much needed perspective and facts, on all the contemporary social justice crusades.

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