A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles

Sowell explains the underlying motivations of the two dominant worldviews, and does so in an evenhanded manner. He makes his case by painting two disparate pictures of human nature, the Constrained and the Unconstrained. He presents these two competing worldviews with the aid of readily understandable examples draw from history, such as Adam Smith and J. J. Rousseau. He then goes on to explain the effect these two competing visions of reality have on the individuals conceptions of such topics as Justice, Power, Knowledge, Law, Honesty, and Equality.

Although this argument, like any other product of man, is far from perfect, it offers a fascinating structure within which to consider ideological issues. Although it is not a panacea that will explain away all confusion, it does offer intriguing explanations for the often polar differences between liberals and conservatives, and why they so often seem to be talking past each other.

I highly recommend this book to the beginner and the expert alike. The beginner is likely to find himself stunned, while the expert will be familiar enough with Dr. Sowell to recognize his expertise and admire his skillful writing.

It is a good reference book if you wish to study the various viewpoints on political matters. But it lacks the logical examination of the reasons behind many of those views. Also it is redundant in many areas and could have been much shorter. I found myself becoming bored and had to scan rather than read many portions