We here at the Average Joe Think Tank have sources for our basic understanding of logic, economics, politics, and education.  We would feel awkward if we didn’t share our favorites with you.

Logic

See the links on the Logic: Basics page for general logic information.  If you are a college student take a Logic course – now!  This class should be mandatory for all students.

Economics

  • You can’t go wrong with Milton Friedman.
  • Thomas Sowell is one of the great thinkers in economics with several books written for the Average Joe.  Sowell’s “Economic Facts and Fallacies” is especially good for beginning your personal economic epiphany.
  • Henry Hazlitt’s “Economics in One Lesson” was originally written in 1946 but the lessons are still as relevant today as then.  This book was written shortly after the Great Depression and had great insight into the failed economic efforts of FDR’s New Deal.  This should be a must read for all Congressmen and White House occupants!
  • “Freakanomics” by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner is also an interesting read as they use economic tools to analyze social issues.

Politics

  • Jonah Goldberg’s “Liberal Fascism” is a book that debunks the popular notion that Fascism and Nazism are Conservative ideologies.  He traces the roots and practices of modern Liberalism, Progressivism, Fascism, and Nazism and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are related at birth.  The one big item that they have in common is the desire of the leaders for the State to be the most important entity in society.  Conservatism on the other hand wants the individual citizen to be the most important entity in society.
  • “The 10 Big Lies About America” by Michael Medved is another great book for debunking commonly held impressions of America’s history and actions.
  • “The Forgotten Man” by Amity Schlaes shows the enthusiasm for economic and social experimentation during the Great Depression, the problems those experiments created or exacerbated, and the efforts of the Roosevelt administration to purchase a constituency and grow the government even at the expense of economic recovery.

Society and Cultures

  • “Guns, Germs, and Steel” by Jared Diamond is a fantastic lesson about how some cultures and societies came to be dominant while others barely advanced.  Here’s a hint: it had far more to do with proximity to domesticable animals and crops than anything else.
  • “1491” by Charles Mann is an interesting book for really understanding what the New World was like prior to Columbus’s voyage of discovery.
  • “Looming Tower” by Lawrence Wright chronicles the participants and events that led up to 9/11.
  • “Islamic Imperialism” by Efraim Karsh describes the imperialist ambitions of Islam from its inception, through its medieval expansion, on up the present.

Thinkers

  • Dennis Prager is a well rounded thinker with great radio broadcasts, articles, essays, and books covering a very wide range of topics.
  • Thomas Sowell follows up his informational books on economics with articles and essays on politics and culture.
  • Michelle Malkin is fiery and logical as she exposes liberal idiocy and corruption.
  • Charles Krauthammer provides great insights into politics and social issues by using logic to cut through the fuzzy gauze of liberal practices.
  • Jonah Goldberg does more than tie liberals in knots in his book “Liberal Fascism”, he also ties them and assorted muddled Republicans in knots through his articles with his combination of wit and intellect.
  • Walter E. Williams is another economist who applies his analytical  skills to both economics and society for the benefit of the Average Joe.

Web Sites