DanArmak comments on The Value of Nature and Old Books - Less Wrong

7 Post author: David_J_Balan 25 October 2009 06:14PM

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Comment author: Douglas_Knight 25 October 2009 10:32:26PM 2 points [-]

As far as reasons people read them go, philosophy/religion/biography books are all fiction. I cannot think of any old and truly non-fiction books people that read.

How about Adam Smith and Darwin? In some senses, they have been been surpassed, but many feel they are still the best big-picture accounts. Or are they "new"?

Comment author: DanArmak 25 October 2009 10:43:10PM 3 points [-]

How about the textbooks on intro to calculus that passed on from my father to me? They're not going to be badly outdated until we invent some really new ways of teaching people.