Quote:
Originally Posted by speakingtohe
I don't generally see much knowledge disappearing if a particular book is hard to find or unavailable. Especially if the book is fiction. The enjoyment of that particular book is perhaps unavailable, but the knowledge itself? The authors perspective on the knowledge may be unavailable, but the factual knowledge is almost always available in non fiction works or by works from other authors. If it is practical or useful knowledge for us the masses, than chances are it resides in many places.
I am sure there are cases of actual knowledge with world changing aspects that have disappeared in times past do to destruction or hoarding etc. but I don't know that for sure obviously. I also don't know of any important information/knowledge disappearing entirely because an ebook or paper book is no longer being published. Enlighten me.
Helen
|
I don't profess that I know any better than anyone else. One of my specific examples is a book from Belize which as a country doesn't publish many books in English. It's a story of the everyday life in Belize and would for me be valuable to my understanding of the area.
I think your point on fiction is exactly the point that disturbed me one day when a friend of mine responded "oh just some fiction" when I asked what he was reading. It's that response that it's just fiction and unimportant that makes me cringe. Good fiction is worthwhile and tells us about the human condition. I read a variety of stuff, including a lot of worthless fiction, but I hate when things are unavailable. We are at a point in our technological advancement that things shouldn't have to unavailable. As a society we treat much of our mid-century art and architecture with contempt and deem it as unimportant, preserving what is moldy and heralding what is new while leaving the rest to be bulldozed into oblivion. We lose our history. I see this in the world around us. A cultural study of a place includes its art its customs its music its literature its everything. We will lose how culture evolves by losing the books from certain eras.
I don't believe we should accept losing access anymore, but I see the accessibility of some things being reduced drastically.