It's Somebody Else's Fault

Without some sense of the tragedy of the human condition, it is all too easy to consider anything that goes wrong as being somebody’s fault.

It is common for intellectuals to act as if their special kind of knowledge of generalities can and should substitute for, and override, the mundane specific knowledge of others.  This emphasis on the special knowledge of intellectuals often leads to the dismissing of mundane, first-hand knowledge as "prejudices" or "stereotypes," in favor of abstract beliefs common among the intelligentsia, who may have little or no first-hand knowledge as individuals, organizations, or concrete circumstances involved.  Moreover, such attitudes are not only disseminated far beyond the ranks of the intelligentsia, they have become the basis of policies, laws, and judicial decisions.


Thomas Sowell, Intellectuals and Society, P.22