Books The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy  by Thomas Sowell (Author)

"The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy" by Thomas Sowell critiques the worldview of a group of intellectuals and policymakers he calls "the anointed." These individuals possess a strong belief in their moral and intellectual superiority and see themselves as having the right and duty to engineer society according to their vision. Sowell argues that they believe in top-down solutions, often dismissing opposing views as morally deficient.

The book contrasts this "vision of the anointed" with what Sowell calls the "tragic vision," which recognizes the complexity and limitations of social problems, emphasizing caution and incremental change while accepting inevitable trade-offs.