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

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

[hinterlander]

HUMAN EVENTS asked a panel of 15 conservative scholars and public policy leaders to help us compile a list of the Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries. Each panelist nominated a number of titles and then voted on a ballot including all books nominated. A title received a score of 10 points for being listed No. 1 by one of our panelists, 9 points for being listed No. 2, etc. Appropriately, The Communist Manifesto, by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, earned the highest aggregate score and the No. 1 listing.

[ConservativeMan55]

LOL!!!

Right off the bat!

I love it!!!!

[wizardoz]

"Don't Mention the War"? I smell a Fawlty Towers fan!!

[Skooz]

[ConservativeMan55]

Wow!

Is that really a childrens book?

[Lloyd227]

Interesting to see John Maynard Keynes made the list at number 10. Especially so as our entire economic model is built directly on his approach.

[cvq3842]

VERY interesting list, and discussion.

bookmarked.

[bigfootbob]

Good list, I'd move up Michel Foucault's Madness and Civilization and the vile book by Rachel Carson, Silent Spring and of course the Koran needs honorable or is it un-honorable mention.

[Packer Pete]

Mein Kampf was a warning, but nobody paid it any heed. The book wasn't harmful, but failure to stop the author after it was published WAS.

[RKV]

Good question - see also

Honorable Mention

Origin of the Species
by Charles Darwin
Score: 17

Introduction to Psychoanalysis
by Sigmund Freud
Score: 9

Descent of Man
by Charles Darwin
Score: 2

[Wiz]

Kant Immanuel's work should also be listed, at least within the top 20s. It has resulted in creating the base of liberalism in Europe, and ideas of the useless United Nation.

[I got the rope]

bttt

[Libertarian444]

"A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn. Marxist drivel that is unfortunately force-fed to freshmen on lots of college campuses'.

[blueblazes]

"The Jungle" was mainly true. It basically documented the meat processing practices of the time, which were highly unsanitary. I think more people should read "The Jungle" to see just how bad things can get when business is allowed to do whatever it wants. We can go too far in the opposite, non-regulatory direction as well. Some regulation is necessary to protect the public from simply being poisoned.

I haven't checked out the full list of books but I would add Dr. Spock's baby books if they're not already on the list. He helped to ruin an entire generation. I would also add the "therapeutic" book "I'm Okay, You're Okay" which started a whole trend in non-judgemental therapy.

[Mrs. Don-o]

OK, I'll bite: what's wrong with THE STORY BOUT PING?

[Right Wing Professor]

The Bible didn't make the list?

Wasn't written in the 19th or 20th century.

Man, are you going to get flamed, though!

[dmartin]

You joined just to spew that drivel? Bye-bye.

[seowulf]

Why is that on the list?

That was my question as well. It could be that Mill justified an empire if it was benevolent and well meaning (the British Empire, e.g.), if it brought classical liberalism to the backward civilizations of the world. I don't necessarily think it's such a terrible thing to export freedom to enslaved societies, even if it takes a little imperialism.

[AzSteven]

I loved 'The Story About Ping' when I was very young; I think it was my first book back about 36 years ago, and it came with a read-along record (one of those old round black things that used to be so popular). Thanks for posting the picture to remind me!

[lilylangtree]

Another one is "Becoming an active member of the ACLU."