Attitude to books

devarajkandadai · 2005-05-31, 06:22

My attitude to books is radically different from that of my friend Mally.Mally is a lover of books and has, over the years, collected a sizeable library.I feel there are very few books worth posessing;most of them deserve to be read only once(for which borrowing from a library will sufice).

My brief list of books worth possessing:

Non-fiction:

1) "A Search in Secret India " by Paul Brunton

2)"Red Star Over China"

Maths:

"Rings,Fields and Groups" by RBJT Allenby ( I have read it several times)

"Fermat's Last Theorem" by Simon Singh (presented to me by Mally).

A.K. Devaraj

mfgoode · 2005-06-01, 10:24

"Can you hear the drums Fernando?"
What! yet another flaming war starting by you?
Mally

99.94 · 2005-06-01, 11:27

Before we break out the petrol and matches, can I ask devarajkandadai something? If there are few books worth possessing, which are the most valuable?

If you were to be cast away on a desert island with just your cat and a limited number of books (say, 6 or 8 or 10 or something like that), which would you select?

tom11784 · 2005-06-01, 12:55

well it may just be me, but it looks like his original post did that with 4 books (as apposed to 6 or 8 or 10)

mfgoode · 2005-06-01, 16:50

A moot point Dev ! A very poor attitude indeed!

Its like being a Christian and insisting and saying that I have the Bible. What’s in it matters and what’s not in it is not worth saving.

On this same logic and pretext the monumental great library at Alexandria(I have seen what remains) containing over a 100,000 clay tablets and papyri was burned and ransacked. The Sphinx met up with a similar fate.
What a retrograde step for civilisation and posterity!

Dr. Samuel Johnson when asked about knowledge had this to say to this effect:
There are two kinds of knowledge.
1) What you can retain in your brain.
2) If not then you must know where to find it.
That’s why the www. Has proved so successful - knowledge at your finger tips!
It is up to us elders to radiate light to those who follow now or later.

‘To each is given a book of rules,
A block of stone and a bag of tools,
And each must ere the Time has flown,
Build a stumbling block or a stepping stone”
Mally

cheesehead · 2005-06-01, 21:32

Mally,

It looks to me like Dev is just saying that he prefers to have only a small L1 cache (i.e., personal possession) of books while being satisfied to access all others from L2 cache (local library) when he needs one. In contrast, you prefer, apparently, to have a large L1 cache for books. IOW, it's a difference in your respective storage allocation preferences, not a matter of Dev's having any disregard for books or knowledge.

How about both of you acknowledging whether my analogy is appropriate and, if so, stating that there's no real cause for aggravation?

Richard "cheesehead" Woods (on vacation)

Wacky · 2005-06-02, 00:03

Cheesehead,

I hate to say it, but I think that you are "spot on" on this one.

Everything is relative to the personal value that one places on availability and control.

If I were concerned about the source of my next meal, I would probably conclude that a knife is more valuable than ANY book.

OTOH, if I were assured that there was a quality library available on a frequent basis, I might choose, for my immediate needs, to pack only a "trash novel" that I intended to read and discard/recycle soon.

This is certainly not to say that I place greater value on the items that I have in my own possession. As long as I am satisfied that I cannot improve the "cached value" of an item by caching it myself, I have nothing to gain by attempting to do so.

mfgoode · 2005-06-05, 16:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheesehead

Mally,

It looks to me like Dev is just saying that he prefers to have only a small L1 cache (i.e., personal possession) of books while being satisfied to access all others from L2 cache (local library) when he needs one. In contrast, you prefer, apparently, to have a large L1 cache for books. IOW, it's a difference in your respective storage allocation preferences, not a matter of Dev's having any disregard for books or knowledge.

How about both of you acknowledging whether my analogy is appropriate and, if so, stating that there's no real cause for aggravation?

Richard "cheesehead" Woods (on vacation)

I retract fully the stand that I took.

Thanks to cheesehead and Wacky for the advice and views.
"Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called sons of God" Matt.5:9
Mally

2005-05-31, 06:22	#1
devarajkandadai May 2004 2²×79 Posts	Attitude to books My attitude to books is radically different from that of my friend Mally.Mally is a lover of books and has, over the years, collected a sizeable library.I feel there are very few books worth posessing;most of them deserve to be read only once(for which borrowing from a library will sufice). My brief list of books worth possessing: Non-fiction: 1) "A Search in Secret India " by Paul Brunton 2)"Red Star Over China" Maths: "Rings,Fields and Groups" by RBJT Allenby ( I have read it several times) "Fermat's Last Theorem" by Simon Singh (presented to me by Mally). A.K. Devaraj

2005-06-01, 10:24	#2
mfgoode Bronze Medalist Jan 2004 Mumbai,India 2²·3³·19 Posts	Attitude to books "Can you hear the drums Fernando?" What! yet another flaming war starting by you? Mally

2005-06-01, 16:50	#5
mfgoode Bronze Medalist Jan 2004 Mumbai,India 100000000100₂ Posts	Attitude to books A moot point Dev ! A very poor attitude indeed! Its like being a Christian and insisting and saying that I have the Bible. What’s in it matters and what’s not in it is not worth saving. On this same logic and pretext the monumental great library at Alexandria(I have seen what remains) containing over a 100,000 clay tablets and papyri was burned and ransacked. The Sphinx met up with a similar fate. What a retrograde step for civilisation and posterity! Dr. Samuel Johnson when asked about knowledge had this to say to this effect: There are two kinds of knowledge. 1) What you can retain in your brain. 2) If not then you must know where to find it. That’s why the www. Has proved so successful - knowledge at your finger tips! It is up to us elders to radiate light to those who follow now or later. ‘To each is given a book of rules, A block of stone and a bag of tools, And each must ere the Time has flown, Build a stumbling block or a stepping stone” Mally

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2005-06-01, 11:27	#3
99.94 Dec 2004 The Land of Lost Content 3·7·13 Posts	Before we break out the petrol and matches, can I ask devarajkandadai something? If there are few books worth possessing, which are the most valuable? If you were to be cast away on a desert island with just your cat and a limited number of books (say, 6 or 8 or 10 or something like that), which would you select?

2005-06-01, 12:55	#4
tom11784 Aug 2003 Upstate NY, USA 2·163 Posts	well it may just be me, but it looks like his original post did that with 4 books (as apposed to 6 or 8 or 10)

2005-06-01, 21:32	#6
cheesehead "Richard B. Woods" Aug 2002 Wisconsin USA 17014₈ Posts	Mally, It looks to me like Dev is just saying that he prefers to have only a small L1 cache (i.e., personal possession) of books while being satisfied to access all others from L2 cache (local library) when he needs one. In contrast, you prefer, apparently, to have a large L1 cache for books. IOW, it's a difference in your respective storage allocation preferences, not a matter of Dev's having any disregard for books or knowledge. How about both of you acknowledging whether my analogy is appropriate and, if so, stating that there's no real cause for aggravation? Richard "cheesehead" Woods (on vacation)

2005-06-02, 00:03	#7
Wacky Jun 2003 The Texas Hill Country 3²×11² Posts	Cheesehead, I hate to say it, but I think that you are "spot on" on this one. Everything is relative to the personal value that one places on availability and control. If I were concerned about the source of my next meal, I would probably conclude that a knife is more valuable than ANY book. OTOH, if I were assured that there was a quality library available on a frequent basis, I might choose, for my immediate needs, to pack only a "trash novel" that I intended to read and discard/recycle soon. This is certainly not to say that I place greater value on the items that I have in my own possession. As long as I am satisfied that I cannot improve the "cached value" of an item by caching it myself, I have nothing to gain by attempting to do so.