Stopping illegal immigration would mean that wages would have to rise to a level where Americans would want the jobs currently taken by illegal aliens.
Thomas SowellRead
Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the tendency to prioritize appealing ideas over practical, proven solutions in societal changes.
Thomas Sowell's quote reflects on the tendency of society, particularly in the Western world, to favor ideas that are conceptually attractive over those that have demonstrably worked in the past. It suggests that this shift can lead to detrimental outcomes as society moves away from time-tested practices in favor of trends and appealing concepts, potentially undermining stability and effectiveness.
Themes
Social HistoryChangePracticalityIdeasWestern World
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about social policies, one might use this quote to emphasize the potential pitfalls of abandoning effective strategies for untested ideas.
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Why is history important? Without history, many people have no idea how many of today's half-baked ideas have been tried, again and again - and have repeatedly led to disaster. Most of these ideas are not new. They are just being recycled with re-treaded rhetoric.
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