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In Discrimination and Disparities , Thomas Sowell argues that good intentions don't always lead to good results. And that to understand the facts, it's necessary to examine them in context. In this work, he enumerates the multiple, and sometimes contradictory, definitions of "discrimination," analyzing its cost not only to victims but to society as a whole (including those who discriminate), and pointing out the statistical pitfalls that lead to a flawed understanding of the causes of inequalities in income, education, housing, and crime, among others.
Many theories have been proposed to try to explain the reasons for the differences—social, economic, and other—between individuals, groups, and nations. Some argue that the less fortunate are victims of genetics. Others believe that the less fortunate are victims of the more fortunate. But what if, in reality, there is an ignorant—or intellectually dishonest—attempt to interpret statistical data to serve political and academic agendas? What if there is a risk that actions taken to combat discrimination end up exacerbating the problem?
Discrimination as an explanation for economic and social disparities may have emotional appeal for many people. But at least we can try to treat it, and other alternative theories, as a testable hypothesis. The historical consequences of regarding beliefs as sacred dogmas beyond the reach of evidence or logic should be enough to convince us not to go down that path, regardless of how exciting or emotionally satisfying political dogmas and the resulting crusades may be, or how convenient they are in sparing us the tedious and uncomfortable work of thinking about our beliefs or testing them against the facts.
Through brilliant empirical analysis, Discrimination and Disparities debunks myths, exposes the fallacies behind many counterproductive policies that attempt to generate social equality, and challenges those who believe that a single factor—such as discrimination, exploitation, or genetics—can explain the disparities found in the world.
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