Basic Economics
Basic Economics by Thomas Sowellby Thomas Sowell
Shares rank 10 of 19 economics books by recommenders
Recommended as a clear, accessible introduction to economic concepts such as scarcity, worth reading at least once as an adult. One critic calls its approach ideological.
Recommended as a clear, accessible introduction to economic concepts such as scarcity, worth reading at least once as an adult. One critic calls its approach ideological.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Clear introduction to scarcity
“An explanation of scarcity is available in Basic Economics and should be required reading”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “OpenAI resets spending expectations, from $1.4T to $600B” Worth reading as an adult
“I suggest everyone read Sowell's Basic Economics at least once as an adult.”
Comment from 10 Aug 2026 in “Mars Bar from 1991 found – and it's 20g bigger than today's”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Seen as ideologically driven
“A.K.A creationism for economics.”
Comment from 30 Aug 2026 in “Algorithmic rent-pricing litigation expands under new state and local laws”
Other economics books people recommend
The four most recommended other economics books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital in the Twenty-First Centuryby Thomas Piketty | 12 | 6 | 67% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Why Nations Failby Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson | 9 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | — |
| Progress and Povertyby Henry George | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Free to Chooseby Milton Friedman | 5 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Basic Economicsby Thomas SowellThis page | 3 | 1 | 75% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“A.K.A creationism for economics.”
“I suggest everyone read Sowell's Basic Economics at least once as an adult.”
“An explanation of scarcity is available in Basic Economics and should be required reading”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.