tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post6525043070816909508..comments2023-11-03T01:24:37.142-07:00Comments on Militant Ginger: '10 Books That Screwed Up the World: And 5 Others That Didn't Help' by Benjamin Wiker, Ph.DUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-7334612179551055002008-12-19T03:45:00.000-08:002008-12-19T03:45:00.000-08:00Your point that "despite the fact that Darwin hims...Your point that "despite the fact that Darwin himself argued in that very book against the idea of using Darwinian methods in civilized human society" is surprising but worthwhile.<BR/><BR/>When I read my mother's copy of <B>Silent Spring</B>, which Wiker omitted but which some sympathetic observers no doubt think should have been included, I found that Rachel Carson actually <I>did not support a ban on DDT</I> as so many of her critics say.<BR/><BR/>However, this misuse of arguments to justify something an argument's <I>actual source does not</I> is something I have heard no doubt occurs with critics of every book. The Right believe claims the Bible supports slavery or violence are exactly analogous to what I am saying to claims <B>Silent Spring</B> supported a DDT ban that has led to hundred of millions of malaria deaths.jpbenneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02664829103165280260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-57935915696445554712008-11-19T06:11:00.000-08:002008-11-19T06:11:00.000-08:00I very much agree with OSO!I very much agree with OSO!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-63258745625139394772008-11-18T16:44:00.000-08:002008-11-18T16:44:00.000-08:00It is so important to have "dodgy" books freely av...It is so important to have "dodgy" books freely available for people to read. For every anti-semite who reads <I>Mein Kampf</I> there are dozens of others who read it to understand the mind of one of the world's most horrible people.<BR/><BR/>In short, we can learn lots from reading things we disagree with.<BR/><BR/>And that's why Christians should read Darwin, or the Koran.Neil Cameron (One Salient Oversight)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03143948543305522865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-9521718671526067932008-11-18T15:40:00.000-08:002008-11-18T15:40:00.000-08:00In general, as a bibliophile, I find people who tr...In general, as a bibliophile, I find people who try to ban or otherwise say, "No decent person should read this." to be generally prudish, nasty, and short- um, sighted.<BR/><BR/>I wouldn't call Mein Kampf a book that screwed up the world. The reason for this is simple- Hitler was very banal. His charm, such as it was, was in his speeches and forceful manner.<BR/><BR/>I doubt, with his extensive use of propaganda that a mere book written by him had that much of an effect.<BR/><BR/>It was his charisma that sold the book, not the other way around, as I understand it. Post war, only ardent Nazis and neo-Nazis read it. They are hardly to blame for screwing up the world, however much trouble they've caused.The Chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15970398885870679916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-572307779650895902008-11-18T13:22:00.000-08:002008-11-18T13:22:00.000-08:00Didn't this come out some time ago? I seem to rem...Didn't this come out some time ago? I seem to remember seeing this list before. I didn't pay much attention to it because it seems to rest on the premise that things were fine before these books came along. As a Christian he should have the understanding that this world has been screwed up since the fall. Works such as these are not the root of the problems in our society today.<BR/><BR/>I have not read all of these works but, I have read books by Hitler, Neitzsche, and Descartes in their entirety. I found Hitler's book to be quite illuminating in terms of history... as well as the parallels between his and Nietzsche's ideology. Personally, I consider books of this sort to be important to the understanding of where these people were coming from.<BR/><BR/>As to why this world is screwed up... I think we all need to look in the mirror.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com