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Bluenorthwest

(45,319 posts)

14. Not reading biographies because you don't value 'heroes' is pretty limiting, bios of vile people and

Reply to LWolf (Reply #11)

Thu Feb 5, 2015, 11:39 AM

Feb 2015

of those who failed are highly useful. I love reading biography of people I do not respect in the slightest and even more, biographies of people in my own field who have make large errors along the way. Heroism has zip to do with it. Perhaps the greatest value in biographies of people who have accomplished admirable things is the lesson that 'greatness' is very often a result of one's own flaws and fears, that those figures are not 'heroes' but regular people in extraordinary circumstances.

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When i was a child back in the early 60's, I used to take out [View all] hedgehog Feb 2015 OP

America became anti science in the 70s olddots Feb 2015 #1

Well, some of us never lost the interest. Warpy Feb 2015 #2

I believe that was more the 1980's Sherman A1 Feb 2015 #4

For me, it was Expat in Korea Feb 2015 #3

I did, too. My mom had this great book of biographies of scientists, and I loved it. Hekate Feb 2015 #5

Not to mention homework! hedgehog Feb 2015 #6

The books may be passe but the science isn't. lovemydog Feb 2015 #7

Kids are still reading those books, and others. MineralMan Feb 2015 #8

I was wondering how much this change has to do with the entire anti-vaxxer hedgehog Feb 2015 #9

Most people have been ignorant of science for a very long time. MineralMan Feb 2015 #13

Very true. Most kids in the past 3 or 4 generations did not read a book unless Nay Feb 2015 #10

When I was a child back in the 60s, LWolf Feb 2015 #11

I think a lot of younger adults have no notion of what life was like hedgehog Feb 2015 #12

That's really an issue LWolf Feb 2015 #20

Not reading biographies because you don't value 'heroes' is pretty limiting, bios of vile people and Bluenorthwest Feb 2015 #14

That's not why I don't read them. LWolf Feb 2015 #19

I remember doing a book report on Thomas Edison as a child. closeupready Feb 2015 #16

Learning is for sissies. closeupready Feb 2015 #15

I did the same thing, but it sure was not the mainstream thing back then. Bluenorthwest Feb 2015 #17

They didn't but pseudo-science came back cloaked in the language of science pushing it into the mix Johonny Feb 2015 #18