Episode · EconTalk · 2020-07-20
Russ Roberts & Glenn Loury: books mentioned on EconTalk (Jul 2020)
Glenn Loury on Race, Inequality, and America
Economist and author Glenn Loury of Brown University talks about race in America with EconTalk host Russ Roberts.
Glenn Loury recommended Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom, and discussed An American dilemma by Gunnar Myrdal.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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An American dilemma
An American Dilemma is a monumental two-volume sociological and economic study by Swedish scholar Gunnar Myrdal that examines the deeply entrenched status of Black Americans and the systemic challenges of racial inequality.
Discussed“i think that if you look at the status of african americans over you know the last hundred years i remember reading when i was in college gunner meredith's book an american dilemma which was a close socioeconomic political assessment of the status of quote the negro uh in i don't know 1940.”
Where to get it
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Closing of the American Mind
Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom is a prominent and enduring critique of higher education, moral relativism, and cultural shifts within American universities.
Recommended“well i'll tip my hand by telling you that i was i went back and picked up alan bloom's book the closing of the american mind and i couldn't put it i couldn't put it down uh because i felt that i mean people can look this up i felt that this is mid 1980s when he's writing yeah uh”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“well back in the day it was 2007 i was invited to give the tanner lectures on human values at stanford a couple of lectures and i devoted it to this question of race and incarceration small book called race incarceration and american values came out of that”