Wherein the author feels like Brad DeLong

by Kieran Healy on January 30, 2006

Any society that can make _both_ John Tyler Bonner’s “The Ideas of Biology”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0486424197/kieranhealysw-20/ and “The Evolution of Complexity”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0691084947/kieranhealysw-20/ available to me for two dollars each on sale has to have something going for it. On the other hand, Kevin Trudeau’s “Natural Cures ‘They’ don’t want you to now about”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0975599518/kieranhealysw-20/ still cost eighteen bucks, and rather more copies of it were available.

{ 5 comments }

1

coturnix 01.30.06 at 9:35 am

Bonner rocks. Trudeau should be stoned.

2

Lee Gray 01.30.06 at 12:25 pm

I’ve read a few blogs and find them interesting and the open discussion you suggest they are intended to be.

Despite being a newspaper editor (and publisher) for over 30 years, I find newspapers lacking in today’s society. I’ll spare you a long-winded tirade regards why.

I have come to believe what I learned in graduate school semanticts class: “There is no reality, only each person’s selective perception.”

I see that on a deep level. Since we all preceive events, words, actions, reactions, history, etc. differently — we all create our own reality. Thus there can never be a true objective substantial truth other than the Univeral One. And that is that everyone is entitled to or conditioned to believe what he or she believes.

Of course, that’s not the final word either.

It can be debated.

Journalists are becoming more irrelevant all the time. They’ve bought into the corporate/governmental/big money point of view on almost all things.

Independent thinking and publications are rare.

Best wishes to all of you in whatever your efforts are.

3

nick s 01.30.06 at 10:09 pm

I particularly appreciate the free-marketeers (um, ‘classical liberals’) at the Liberty Fund who heavily subsidise the cost of many important texts, and provide free online versions of same.

4

Brandon Berg 01.31.06 at 4:27 am

Trudeau should be stoned.

Actually, I think that’s one of the natural cures They don’t want you to know about.

5

Danny Yee 02.01.06 at 1:45 am

Unfortunately I don’t have to pay for crappy books – some of the unsolicited review copies I get go straight into the paper recycling, because I think it would be unethical to dump them on an op-shop.

But yesterday I picked up a copy of _Italian Colonialism in Eritrea, 1882-1941_ on sale for Aus$5, so I’m feeling happy.

Comments on this entry are closed.