In article <6upk8s$p27$1 at news.fas.harvard.edu>, pgowder at law.harvard.edu
(Paul Gowder) wrote:
>in <b.evill-2909980744170001 at tynslip1.apana.org.au>,
b.evill at spamblocker.tyndale.apana.org.au (Brett Evill) did something
allowing me to incorporate a very witty verb in this line and produced:
>>In article <6uom0v$dv7$1 at news.fas.harvard.edu>, pgowder at law.harvard.edu>>(Paul Gowder) wrote:
>>>>>in <b.evill-2809981244530001 at tynslip4.apana.org.au>,
>>b.evill at spamblocker.tyndale.apana.org.au (Brett Evill) did something
>>allowing me to incorporate a very witty verb in this line and produced:
>>>>>>As influential as 'In Praise of the New Knighthood'? As influential as the
>>>>'Confessions' of Augustine of Hippo? As the Bible? The Koran? Newton's
>>>>'Principia'?, Harvey's 'On the Ciculation of the Blood'? Galileo's "The
>>>>Revolution of the Celestial Orbs"? 'The Origin of Species'? Marx's
>>>>"Capital"? Smith's "The Wealth of Nations"? These have profoundly
>>>>influenced people even beyond the confines of the languages they were
>>>>originally written in.
>>>>>>>>>You forgot The Prince. (my favorite book)
>>>>I also left out 'The Golden Bough', 'The Interpretation of Dreams',
>>Einstein's papers on Relativity, Mao's Little Red Book, Keynes' 'General
>>Theory of Money, Interest, and Unemployment', Cranmer's 'Book of Common
>>Prayer', and dozens of others. I got tired.
>>>>No need for sarcasm. Prince had a much wider influence than any of
>those books mentioned in the second paragraph, and arguably more than
>several in the first (Wealth of Nations, On the Circulation of Blood,
>etc.)
I wasn't being sarcastic.
The Golden Bough taught scholars to think to civilised people and
primitives as examples of the same thing. 'The Interpretation of Dreams'
determined the attitudes to justice and child-rearing of an entire
century, introduced the concept of sub-conscious motivation, and put four
generations into therapy. Einstein's 1901 and 1905 papers on relativity
brought in a new way of understanding the entire universe, and marked a
watershed in science as profound as the rediscovery of empiricist in the
Renaissance. Keynes 'General Theory' set the path for government policy in
half the world ever since publication: it has marked the life of everyone
who is affected by world trade ever since its publication, and inaugurated
an unprecedented epoch of public debt in peacetime. Mao's 'Little Red
Book' had a huge effect on the billion population of China for half a
century and still counting. 'On the Circulation of the Blood' set the
standard for modern scientific research and publication. 'The Wealth of
Nations' was of decisive importance in public policy and the philosophy of
government for a hundred and fifty years (and counting, IMHO), and was
itself a significant factor in the American Revolution and the industrial
revolution.
I bought a copy of 'Atlas Shrugged' today at lunchtime and have started on
it. I haven't got far yet, but it isn't promising to come close to any one
of those books in profundity.
--
Brett Evill
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