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

[Dasquian Belargic]

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=7591


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.

Interesting stuff.

[Oriadin]

I read somewhere the other day that 5 countries tried to ban harry potter books from being released as they felt it would influence children into reading about witchcraft!

[Cat Terrist]

I cant argue that karl Marx and Chairman Mao's views have lead to some truly monumental disasters in the 20th Century and Hiltler goes without saying. But the est, there's a few real issues being listed in that lot - Keynesism in fact is quite acceptible in moderationa nd applied correctly, which it normally isnt. The others are very much against conservative viewpoints.


15 conservative scholars and public policy leaders

Can you say extreme bias?


His views had great influence on the direction of American education--particularly in public schools--and helped nurture the Clinton generation.

Yep, Clinton is indeed the centre of all evil. FFS give up on Clinton already.


Unsafe at Any Speed
by Ralph Nader
Score: 11

Made up of lies and mistruths, this should have been a hell of a lot higher.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

I'm mostly baffled that 17 members of a panel composed in part by doctors and professors could vote "Origin of the Species" as being 'dangerous'.

[Nyax Imotep]

I find it quite interesting that I have managed to read the most harmful book of the 20th century. I'm an undercover commie. :cool

[Yog]

Some people would say "The Bible", but thats far too obvious :)

[Cat Terrist]

Originally posted by Master Yoghurt
Some people would say "The Bible", but thats far too obvious :)

I would have added it but it was not written in the 19th / 20th century. But, the book itself is not dangerous, it's people who dont grok it properly who are truly dangerous - like aany book it's words on a page. It's up to the reader to do with it what they will.

[Anuis Ma'artra]

Don't know if anyone actually watched the interview with one of the editors of this publication. He was adamant in his statement that he believed that it was the duty of all educated peoples to read these books. He claimed that they didn't want these books banned at all and in fact he teaches them in a literature class he teaches, he just said the basis of the study was to show how people can twist ideas or create ideas that can cause a massive "harmful" impact on society as a whole.

[General Dan]

I've read a few of those, and I have to say #1 and #2 are harmful not because of their material, but because they are written by boorish, rambling buffoons who have no reason to be set in front of a typewriter, ever.

I can only think of two writers who suck worse than Adolf Hitler, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels.

Kevin J. Anderson and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

[James Prent]

Originally posted by Master Yoghurt
Some people would say "The Bible", but thats far too obvious :) By that same token (taking into account that neither were written in the 19th or 20th centuries) you might say that the Quran is also a harmful book. Why single out one religious text?

[Morgan Evanar]

Originally posted by Dan the Man
I can only think of two writers who suck worse than Adolf Hitler, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels.

Kevin J. Anderson and Nathaniel Hawthorne. If it weren't so true it would be funny, but I hate Hawthorne and Anderson like posion.

Charley: Darksaber and the Scarlet Letter should be sold together
Morgan: the "Baptize your Eyes with Icepicks" series

Edit: please be keeping to the topic.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Originally posted by Cat Terrist
But, the book itself is not dangerous, it's people who dont grok it properly who are truly dangerous - like aany book it's words on a page. It's up to the reader to do with it what they will.

Yup. You could say that about a few books in there, I think. Not the Communist Manifesto since that's telling people to do something, but a few of the others are just laying down theories aren't they?

[Droo]

Originally posted by Dan the Man
I've read a few of those, and I have to say #1 and #2 are harmful not because of their material, but because they are written by boorish, rambling buffoons who have no reason to be set in front of a typewriter, ever.

This needs to be emphasised. The Communist Manifesto is a horrible horrible read.

[Vendetta]

Hmm...Donald doesn't seem to think so.

[Shawn]

Information is never dangerous, it's how people use it. I've read several of the books on that list; Even if I don't agree with the viewpoints being presented, I feel it's important to expose myself to other beliefs and philosophies.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Originally posted by Ka' el Darcverse
Don't know if anyone actually watched the interview with one of the editors of this publication. He was adamant in his statement that he believed that it was the duty of all educated peoples to read these books. He claimed that they didn't want these books banned at all and in fact he teaches them in a literature class he teaches, he just said the basis of the study was to show how people can twist ideas or create ideas that can cause a massive "harmful" impact on society as a whole.

^^ for emphasis :)

And I agree with Shawn. And if its actually MIS-information, one should learn about it so they're informed as to what's wrong with it.

[Figrin D'an]

I've read a few of the books on that list. "Das Kapital" and "The Communist Manifesto" are terrible reads. The theories are interesting (though faulty), Marx and Engels just have terrible presentations skills, like Charley mentioned. "The Origin of Species" isn't the most exciting read, but it's quite interesting. Seeing which parts of Darwin's theories have stood up over the years and which parts have been debunked can be worthwhile. "Beyond Good and Evil"... Nietzsche was a very good writer, his prose is poetic in nature, and it flows very smoothly, it's just a matter of whether you are really intrigued by the material or not.







Unsafe at Any Speed
by Ralph Nader
Score: 11



Made up of lies and mistruths, this should have been a hell of a lot higher.

Seconded. Twisting of facts and statistics so horribly that it's hard to not call them lies.

[Drin Kizael]

Information in and of itself is not dangerous. No. How that information is framed to form an ideology, though... that can be dangerous when done for the wrong reasons, through mindless rhetoric, or in defiance of the facts to serve an agenda.

In some cases, the books in the list ended up becoming dangerous because of how they were used. Some of them served as fuel for misguided activists and became more than they were intended to be.

In others, though, they do not become dangerous until combined. Origin of the Species doesn't become a problem until given to academics who combine of The Course of Positive Philosophy and Democracy and Education into the same ideology.

But in all cases, they are only dangerous when preached to the uninformed (like kids) disguised as fact (like in a textbook).

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Originally posted by Drin Kizael
But in all cases, they are only dangerous when preached to the uninformed (like kids) disguised as fact (like in a textbook).
seconded

[Jedieb]

Turner Diaries didn't make the list? Oh, well, it's only a matter of time before the left gets "its" list out. Doubt we'll see Darwin, Nader, or Kinsey on there. But I'm sure at least 1 religous text will make the list.

[Sanis Prent]

I've always wanted to read the Turner Diaries. Not for the crazy white supremacism, just for kicks :)

[Jedieb]

Here's a quick summary;
Black people and the Federal government suck. Kill them all! And I think he hates kittens as well. In fact I"m fairly certain there's a whole chapter on bashing kittens and bunnies. The man has issues.

[Sanis Prent]

What's wrong with a severe dislike of the Feds? :)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Get back into your hole, Militia Man.