Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries

Human Events Online ^ | May 31, 2005 | Human Events

[hineybona]

Darwin is dangerous? You're kidding ,right ?

[Protagoras]

It surely belongs on this list. I never said it didn't.

[WOSG]

"Agree wholeheartedly. These kinds of lists and the concerted effort and energies spent making them, along with the mindset driving this sort of thing, spook me more than anything contained in the books."

So, you throw down the book review section of the paper in disgust, saying "How dare they!!!!"

What redeeming value did Mao's book have anyway?

[wallcrawlr]

I should have added....scroll the thread for the books "score". Someone posted that info for reference.

[hineybona]

"Free sociology degrees: Take one!"
HHAHAHAAH I love it ...how true that is also...

[Rembrandt_fan]

The man himself is a classically tragic figure, not the evil icon he is often portrayed to be, thanks largely to his later admirers in the Third Reich and the bad press resulting from that particular association. The existence or nonexistence of God is the foundational philosophical question. Once a man of Nietszhe's genius and intellectual courage decides upon the answer to that question, he must go wherever the path takes him--which, in his case, was a black, nihilistic abyss. His 'angelic' counterpart, I suppose, would be Thomas Aquinas, equally fearless and brilliant.

[JohnnyZ]

I agree with the prior comment that John Stuart Mill's work was likely deemed harmful for his advocacy of Utilitarianism, or his advocacy that "[T]he only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others" -- an idea popular these days with suicide advocates, gays and potheads.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

I agree with the prior comment that John Stuart Mill's work was likely deemed harmful for his advocacy of Utilitarianism, or his advocacy that "[T]he only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others" -- an idea popular these days with suicide advocates, gays and potheads.

And the problem with this is...?

[Slings and Arrows]

:^) Thanks!

Now that I think about it, though, perhaps I was unfair. After all numerous employment opportunites exist for the more talented sociology graduates.

[B4Ranch]

Chad, would you explain your reasons for saying the Communist Manifesto was harmful.

What I am not comprehending in this thread is how a book is harmful. I have read many books that I've encouraged others to read simply because they give you the insight of how others may think. That in turn gives you the knowledge of how to subvert their plans for treason, theft, murder, corruption or whatever.

[JohnnyZ]

So gun manufactures have a level of responsibility for the harm that some people who use guns cause? I completely disagree.

A gun is not good or bad. The relevant analogy might be that of a manufacturer of devices to torture children. Hey, they didn't actually torture anyone!

Ideas ARE good or bad (or a mixture of both) -- if you write a book extolling the practice of gang rape you would find yourself in trouble with the man upstairs, don't you agree?

[unbalanced but fair]

Well, Random House has a list of the 100 bestbooks of the 20th century, But since they put Ulysses by James Joyce as #1, I never bothered to read the rest of the list. LOL! Perhaps we need the most positive influence list?

[Yaelle]

I love Ping, but I suppose it could be pro-communist if you think about how getting his spank and staying with the group is far less scary than venturing out on your own. I don't get that out of the book nor do I think my little kids do, but it may have been the intention?

The most communist children's book is The Rainbow Fish. This fish has too many pretty scales so no one will play with him. A wise octopus tells him to give all his scales away to the other fish until he just has one, too. He does so and then everyone is happy.

I had to throw my hardbound copy in the trash; it was that offensive.

[tiamat]

LOL!

I tried to read "Ulysses" as well.

I think I was too sober for it.

Give me a moment, I will see if i can find "Most Positive"

[billbears]

"A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn

Actually I have seen praise of that book from faux conservatives. The question I would like to ask is if anyone has read at least some of the books listed? Granted I can't say I agree with the premise of these books, but they should be there for reading, if only to present a view that disagrees with whatever is popular at the time.

[hineybona]

Might have taken that book just a bit too seriously.

[WOSG]

Of course the Koran is off limits, but the modern underpinnings of Arab anti-western hatred could be called out.

Said's "Orientialism" was mentioned as a candidate for honorable mention ... I think that Islamic-flavored Chomskyite screed deserves it.

The Egyptian founder of the "Islamic Brotherhood", ancestor of Bin laden's and Zawahiri's Al Qaeda, was Sayyid Qutb.
Most of the leadership and the whole ideology of Al Qaeda derives from Egyptian writer Sayyid Qutb (1906–66) and his progeny, who killed Anwar Sadat and were arrested in October 1981. President Mubarak generously allowed them to be released in 1984.

Many of the released men, harassed by the Egyptian police, migrated to Afghanistan where they met a guy named Bin Laden. Rest is history... maybe Qutb's writings deserve a place too.

[Yaelle]

The Rainbow Fish? Hey, indoctrination starts early. That is not a story's moral that I wish to impart to little children (it's for preschoolers). I love the Ping book and enjoyed it as a child, and read it to my children. I was "stretching" on that one!

[aShepard]

Interesting list - but all the judges were Westerners, who as expected trashed the Commie/Nazi garbage.

It would be more interesting to have a worldwide representation of scholars make a list under the same rules.

I'm sure that there would be books we don't know of, but I wonder whether the Commie and Nazi tomes would elicit as much negativity?

[JohnnyZ]

And the problem with this is...?

Exactly. That is one of the failures of the libertarian philosophy -- the idea that harming oneself is a purely private affair. And then utilitarianism .... "the belief that the sole standard of morality is determined by its usefulness." Again, offensive to the dignity of the individual and Judeo-Christian morality -- heck, to every morality where the ends do not justify the means.