Quote:
Originally Posted by Catlady
Books are necessary to civilization.
People don't die from illiteracy either. Is literacy a luxury?
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Yes. . . The mere fact that the vast majority of your ancestors (and mine) were profoundly illiterate is proof positive that literacy is a luxury. They were illiterate, yet we are here and presumably thriving. There are MANY things we would hate to do without, many things that enhance the quality of our lives, but that doesn't change the fact that they aren't needed for survival.
And there was civilization LONG before there were books. And not just brutal constructs of evil either. (and modern history, where books are availble is hardly an argument for enlightenment anyway!) I've read arguments that bread and beermaking are key preconditions for civilization since they allow the conversion of grain into easily distributed and easily stored food, but I've never heard anyone argue that there was no civilization prior to the invention of books.