Comments on: Books change the world http://www.laurathomson.com/2011/03/books-change-the-world/ Laura Thomson's random thoughts and rants about tech and FOSS Thu, 17 May 2012 23:14:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: alan http://www.laurathomson.com/2011/03/books-change-the-world/#comment-1584 alan Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:02:00 +0000 http://www.laurathomson.com/?p=132#comment-1584 It's true Laura, books are world-changers, and changing the little world of one person like the people --including me-- who have benefited from one of your books, is worth it. If it's in a good cause at least (like yours). Though some of them are from the devil himself (Communist Manifesto). The book that tops them all and puts the lie to the ignorant tweet, is the first one in your own list, the Bible, more specifically, the King James Bible. http://kingjames400.com/ It has changed not only the world of its believers, it shaped English literature and the language itself, gave the language stability for its ubiquitous use, and told the story that drove the motivation of many massive efforts that have made the world a much better place than it was. It’s true Laura, books are world-changers, and changing the little world of one person like the people –including me– who have benefited from one of your books, is worth it. If it’s in a good cause at least (like yours). Though some of them are from the devil himself (Communist Manifesto).

The book that tops them all and puts the lie to the ignorant tweet, is the first one in your own list, the Bible, more specifically, the King James Bible.

http://kingjames400.com/

It has changed not only the world of its believers, it shaped English literature and the language itself, gave the language stability for its ubiquitous use, and told the story that drove the motivation of many massive efforts that have made the world a much better place than it was.

]]> By: Mathias http://www.laurathomson.com/2011/03/books-change-the-world/#comment-1208 Mathias Tue, 24 May 2011 03:02:25 +0000 http://www.laurathomson.com/?p=132#comment-1208 For the sake of completeness: Darwin's "On the Origin of Species". It has changed our thinking so profoundly in so many domains, that it led someone to state that "All philosophies from before 1859 are wrong". 150 years after it's publication, the book is still being debated by those who can't accept this new world view. For the sake of completeness: Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species”. It has changed our thinking so profoundly in so many domains, that it led someone to state that “All philosophies from before 1859 are wrong”. 150 years after it’s publication, the book is still being debated by those who can’t accept this new world view.

]]> By: Tim O'Reilly http://www.laurathomson.com/2011/03/books-change-the-world/#comment-1096 Tim O'Reilly Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:17:24 +0000 http://www.laurathomson.com/?p=132#comment-1096 FWIW, what the person (from Pivotal Labs) meant to express was that they felt they could make more change by working with teams to apply agile methodology than they could by writing yet another book about it. As Larry Wall likes to say "There's more than one way to do it." But in general, I do agree with your rant. Some books have changed the world more than any number of armies. FWIW, what the person (from Pivotal Labs) meant to express was that they felt they could make more change by working with teams to apply agile methodology than they could by writing yet another book about it. As Larry Wall likes to say “There’s more than one way to do it.”

But in general, I do agree with your rant. Some books have changed the world more than any number of armies.

]]> By: Tony Mechelynck http://www.laurathomson.com/2011/03/books-change-the-world/#comment-1095 Tony Mechelynck Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:30:04 +0000 http://www.laurathomson.com/?p=132#comment-1095 Me too, that kind of statement would push my rant button. I still think that one of the worst disasters which ever happened to mankind was the destruction of the Alexandria library. It has been told that, asked what to do with all those books, the caliph said: <i>If what they say is in the Qur'ân, burn them, for they are useless; if it isn't, burn them, for they are dangerous.</i> (I don't know if that statement is true, but even if it is it reflects of course only on one war chief, not on the civilization to which he belonged.) The prohibition of any censorship prior to publication has been written into my country's constitution by its founding fathers in 1830, and I'm proud of it. (Prohibition of publications found to be libellous, calomnious, or otherwise illegal can happen, but only after due process of law.) As Voltaire said: <i>What you are saying goes totally against everything I believe, but I'll fight to the death for your right to say it.</i> Me too, that kind of statement would push my rant button. I still think that one of the worst disasters which ever happened to mankind was the destruction of the Alexandria library. It has been told that, asked what to do with all those books, the caliph said: If what they say is in the Qur’ân, burn them, for they are useless; if it isn’t, burn them, for they are dangerous. (I don’t know if that statement is true, but even if it is it reflects of course only on one war chief, not on the civilization to which he belonged.)

The prohibition of any censorship prior to publication has been written into my country’s constitution by its founding fathers in 1830, and I’m proud of it. (Prohibition of publications found to be libellous, calomnious, or otherwise illegal can happen, but only after due process of law.) As Voltaire said: What you are saying goes totally against everything I believe, but I’ll fight to the death for your right to say it.

]]> By: njn http://www.laurathomson.com/2011/03/books-change-the-world/#comment-1094 njn Mon, 28 Mar 2011 23:29:37 +0000 http://www.laurathomson.com/?p=132#comment-1094 “No-one ever changed the world by writing books” is a really stupid thing to say! “No-one ever changed the world by writing books” is a really stupid thing to say!

]]> By: db48x http://www.laurathomson.com/2011/03/books-change-the-world/#comment-1093 db48x Mon, 28 Mar 2011 22:59:25 +0000 http://www.laurathomson.com/?p=132#comment-1093 I agree Laura, books do change the world. I'm thinking of Novum Organum by Francis Bacon, myself. This is the one where he sets out his invention, the scientific method. All books contain at least an echo of that power, and thus can clearly change the world. I agree Laura, books do change the world. I’m thinking of Novum Organum by Francis Bacon, myself. This is the one where he sets out his invention, the scientific method. All books contain at least an echo of that power, and thus can clearly change the world.

]]> By: Bemil http://www.laurathomson.com/2011/03/books-change-the-world/#comment-1092 Bemil Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:33:07 +0000 http://www.laurathomson.com/?p=132#comment-1092 No one ever changed the world by writing comments to a blog post. ;) No one ever changed the world by writing comments to a blog post. ;)

]]> By: Cww http://www.laurathomson.com/2011/03/books-change-the-world/#comment-1091 Cww Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:46:33 +0000 http://www.laurathomson.com/?p=132#comment-1091 Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations basically defined capitalism. Thomas Paine's Rights of Man created democracy. I'd like to see any startup match that. Even if you only take novels and set aside all of religion, philosophy, science, technology and economics, Uncle Tom's Cabin and the greater body of anti-slavery literature ignited the Civil War and led to the end of slavery. All of Shakespeare which still defines wit and entertainment to this day. Lady Chatterley's Lover was so explicit, it was censored and then helped take down censorship. The Jungle led to food safety laws and workplace improvement regulations. And that's only stuff written originally in English and ignoring everything that redefined literature. That tweet couldn't be more misguided. Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations basically defined capitalism. Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man created democracy. I’d like to see any startup match that.

Even if you only take novels and set aside all of religion, philosophy, science, technology and economics, Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the greater body of anti-slavery literature ignited the Civil War and led to the end of slavery. All of Shakespeare which still defines wit and entertainment to this day. Lady Chatterley’s Lover was so explicit, it was censored and then helped take down censorship. The Jungle led to food safety laws and workplace improvement regulations.

And that’s only stuff written originally in English and ignoring everything that redefined literature.

That tweet couldn’t be more misguided.

]]> By: mawrya http://www.laurathomson.com/2011/03/books-change-the-world/#comment-1090 mawrya Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:11:29 +0000 http://www.laurathomson.com/?p=132#comment-1090 No one ever changed the world by writing tweets. ;) No one ever changed the world by writing tweets. ;)

]]> By: Ian Bicking http://www.laurathomson.com/2011/03/books-change-the-world/#comment-1089 Ian Bicking Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:57:18 +0000 http://www.laurathomson.com/?p=132#comment-1089 One assumes the author of the tweet didn't mean that the world would be unchanged in the presence of a book -- Butterfly Effect alone means something probably changed, and you could accomplish that without even having any readers. But I would assume that tweet author meant something more along the lines of directed change. In a game of cards all you have to do is take one card from the top of the deck and put it on the bottom of the deck and you'll have completely changed the game -- but the change is directionless. Your ability to do this doesn't mean you are a good card player, or that you are particularly empowered in the field of card playing. Again an extreme example; but I would look inside the probably vague ideas of this tweet and suspect a similar judgement was being made. The books change *something* but when this person says "change the world" they mean large-scale directed change. Putting aside such works as the Communist Manifesto -- an obvious counterargument, but also not the kind of material neither you write nor O'Reilly publishes -- the question remains, is this work part of directed change? I'm willing to put aside the scale argument as a lack of humility, not valuing incremental change, and probably requiring a explicit and well-distributed narrative in order to value change. But is there a direction to this change? And, to stop short of a conclusion, I think there is, but I also think it is important to make that ambition explicit, to articulate what that direction is, or at least what it is intended to be. Because I think the question is valid; there's a difference between making things *different* and making them *better*, and we should all be shooting for the latter. One assumes the author of the tweet didn’t mean that the world would be unchanged in the presence of a book — Butterfly Effect alone means something probably changed, and you could accomplish that without even having any readers. But I would assume that tweet author meant something more along the lines of directed change. In a game of cards all you have to do is take one card from the top of the deck and put it on the bottom of the deck and you’ll have completely changed the game — but the change is directionless. Your ability to do this doesn’t mean you are a good card player, or that you are particularly empowered in the field of card playing. Again an extreme example; but I would look inside the probably vague ideas of this tweet and suspect a similar judgement was being made. The books change *something* but when this person says “change the world” they mean large-scale directed change.

Putting aside such works as the Communist Manifesto — an obvious counterargument, but also not the kind of material neither you write nor O’Reilly publishes — the question remains, is this work part of directed change? I’m willing to put aside the scale argument as a lack of humility, not valuing incremental change, and probably requiring a explicit and well-distributed narrative in order to value change. But is there a direction to this change?

And, to stop short of a conclusion, I think there is, but I also think it is important to make that ambition explicit, to articulate what that direction is, or at least what it is intended to be. Because I think the question is valid; there’s a difference between making things *different* and making them *better*, and we should all be shooting for the latter.

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