Milton Friedman vs Thomas Sowell
Milton Friedman
United States- Economist at the University of Chicago
- Senior research fellow at the Hoover Institution
American economist and leader of the Chicago school who championed monetarism, free markets, floating exchange rates and policies such as school vouchers and a negative income tax.
Full profile of Milton Friedman
Thomas Sowell
United States- Economist and social theorist
- Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow emeritus, Hoover Institution
Free-market economist and social theorist at the Hoover Institution, known for critiques of minimum wages, affirmative action and the welfare state.
Full profile of Thomas SowellIn short
How they compare
Milton Friedman (1912-2006) and Thomas Sowell (Born 1930) are an 83% match on the 10 axes where both have a clear record.
They differ most on morality (Milton Friedman: progressive (mild); Thomas Sowell: traditional (moderate)), culture (Milton Friedman: multicultural (mild); Thomas Sowell: national identity (moderate)) and security (Milton Friedman: liberty (moderate); Thomas Sowell: liberty (mild)). They are closest on ownership, structure and markets.
On the economy their positions are close; on state and liberty Thomas Sowell sits further toward authority; on society Thomas Sowell sits further toward tradition; on the world stage Thomas Sowell sits further toward nation.
Generated from the two sourced profiles on this site. Each axis placement and its reasoning is on the full profile pages.
★ By family of axes
- Economy3 axes
- Milton Friedmanmarkets (strong)Thomas Sowellmarkets (strong)
- State and liberty3 axes
- Milton Friedmanliberty (moderate)Thomas Sowellliberty (mild)
- Society2 axes
- Milton Friedmanprogress (mild)Thomas Sowelltradition (moderate)
- World2 axes
- Milton Friedmanglobal (moderate)Thomas Sowellglobal (mild)
- Milton Friedman: petals and stars
- Thomas Sowell: dashed outline
★ Where they differ most
- Morality65 points apart
Milton Friedman: Progressive (mild). Thomas Sowell: Traditional (moderate).
- Culture55 points apart
Milton Friedman: Multicultural (mild). Thomas Sowell: National identity (moderate).
- Security40 points apart
Milton Friedman: Liberty (moderate). Thomas Sowell: Liberty (mild).
- Foreign policy40 points apart
Milton Friedman: Balanced. Thomas Sowell: Strength (moderate).
★ Where they are closest
- Structure · 0 apart
- Ownership · 0 apart
- Markets · 5 apart
Axis by axis
Thomas Sowell
Economy
Equality / Markets- OwnershipStrong: Private15%85%PublicPrivate
- MarketsStrong: Free13%87%PlannedFree
- WelfareModerate: Self-reliant25%75%SharedSelf-reliant
State and liberty
Liberty / Authority- AuthorityModerate: Democratic68%32%DemocraticStrong leader
- SecurityModerate: Liberty78%22%LibertyOrder
- StructureMild: Local65%35%LocalCentral
Society
Progress / Tradition- MoralityMild: Progressive65%35%ProgressiveTraditional
- ReligionNo clear recordSecularReligious
- TechnologyNo clear recordEmbraceCaution
- CultureMild: Multicultural60%40%MulticulturalNational identity
World
Global / Nation- TradeStrong: Global95%5%GlobalProtected
- Foreign policyBalanced50%50%CooperationStrength
Not compared: Religion (no clear record for Thomas Sowell), Technology (no clear record for Thomas Sowell). These axes are greyed out above and left out of the match.
★ 12 Axes Political Test ★
Who are you closer to?
Answer plain statements on 12 axes and see your match with Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell and every other historical figure, axis by axis.
FAQ
Milton Friedman vs Thomas Sowell
What is the difference between Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell?
They differ most on morality (Milton Friedman: progressive (mild); Thomas Sowell: traditional (moderate)), culture (Milton Friedman: multicultural (mild); Thomas Sowell: national identity (moderate)) and security (Milton Friedman: liberty (moderate); Thomas Sowell: liberty (mild)). On the economy their positions are close; on state and liberty Thomas Sowell sits further toward authority; on society Thomas Sowell sits further toward tradition; on the world stage Thomas Sowell sits further toward nation.
What do Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell have in common?
They are closest on ownership, structure and markets. Overall their profiles are an 83% match on the 10 axes where both have a clear record.
Who leans more toward free markets, Milton Friedman or Thomas Sowell?
Neither by much: on the economic axes they share, their positions are within a few points (Milton Friedman: markets (strong); Thomas Sowell: markets (strong)).
Am I closer to Milton Friedman or Thomas Sowell?
Take the 12 Axes Political Test. Your result shows your match with both of them, and with every other historical figure and ideology on the site, axis by axis.
