Maggie's Farm

James Q. Wilson had been frequently referred to that way. He knew about everything.

My first reading of him was in his The Moral Sense, back when it had just come out. The book made a lot of sense to me (if you haven't read it, those Amazon comments on it are helpful).

Here's a Wilson quote from the end of the book:

Mankind’s moral sense is not a strong beacon light, radiating outward to illuminate in sharp outline all that it touches. It is, rather, a small candle flame, casting vague and multiple shadows, flickering and sputtering in the strong winds of power and passion, greed and ideology. But brought close to the heart and cupped in one’s hands, it dispels the darkness and warms the soul.

Here's Roger on Wilson.

Also, Heather: Man of Reason - James Q. Wilson’s thinking about crime and policing saved lives and transformed cities for the better.

And also, Barone: James Q Wilson: A happy American life