Quote:
Originally Posted by desertgrandma
What a sad world it would be to plop a child in front of a computer, no matter how 'interactive', to learn how to read. Where's the tactile experience? Where's the joy of sitting with a parent or teacher and sharing the reading experience, turning each page?
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I don't see it as "sad" at all. Just different. Just as it's different to have a child read a book, rather than reciting history orally as many traditions still do. Do you feel your life has been irrevocably diminished because your parents didn't sing your family history to you?
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertgrandma
Why do I keep thinking of that scene in "The Time Machine", where the lead character discovers an ancient library, and the books crumble in his hand?
A world without paper books? Unimaginable.
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Almost as unimaginable as a world in which irreplaceable literature can be lost as easily as leaving it out in the air.
What's most important in a book isn't the paper... it's the
knowledge. I'd gladly sacrifice paper usage and keep the knowledge.
I don't despise paper. But paper is a product from a vanishing and threatened resource, partly because there are close to 7 billion of us (and growing) making demands upon it. Like many other resources, we can't keep using paper as we always have... it won't take but a few billion more people's demands, and we'll just wipe them out. So we're going to have to get used to seeing a lot less paper about, sooner or later. Or we'll have to get used to the worlds of
Soylent Green and
Silent Running.
I already sacrifice certain experiences and activities, for the sake of the planet, and I'm personally willing to sacrifice the tactile experience of handling paper for the sake of having trees. I see it as a lot better than having tons of books around, and not a single tree in sight.