We talked with Clifton Duncan about the development of his one man show on Thomas Sowell. Thomas Sowell (born 1930) is an American economist, historian, and social critic whose life traces a remarkable journey from hardship to intellectual prominence. Raised in poverty in segregated North Carolina and Harlem, Sowell left high school early, served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War, and only later returned to education—eventually earning degrees from Harvard, Columbia, and a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago under Milton Friedman. Initially influenced by Marxism, Sowell’s experiences in government and rigorous economic study led him to abandon ideological thinking in favour of empirical analysis and a deep skepticism of centralized power. Over decades at institutions such as UCLA, Cornell, and the Hoover Institution, he produced an extraordinary body of work examining economics, race, culture, education, and political ideology. Books such as Basic Economics, A Conflict of Visions, and Intellectuals and Society argue that good intentions are no substitute for understanding incentives, trade-offs, and human limitations. Living through the Great Depression, segregation, civil rights era, and modern political polarization, Sowell’s work is defined by a long historical view and a refusal to flatter fashionable opinion. His legacy is that of an uncompromising thinker who insists that reality—not ideology—must be the final judge of ideas. Clifton Duncan is a classically-trained actor, singer, writer, podcaster, and FAIR in the Arts fellow. Having earned his MFA from New York University’s renowned Graduate Acting Program, his critically-acclaimed body of work spans Broadway, off-Broadway, regional theatre, and TV. His outspoken views on art, entertainment, culture and society have garnered a substantial online following, and landed him on popular podcasts such as Triggernometry, TimcastIRL, and the The Dr. Drew Podcast. He’s also the creator of “The Clifton Duncan Podcast” and writes a newsletter called “The State of the Arts.” Clifton advocates for freedom of expression for professional artists, and believes that a thriving arts culture is crucial to a healthy society. Please check out Clifton's work elsewhere - http://becomingsowell.substack.com/ https://substack.com/@cliftonduncan / cliftonduncanentertainment https://x.com/cliftonaduncan?lang=en
