So, I'm just going along with my day when I read a facebook post about the Too Big To Fail banks getting bigger. In the comments to that post, someone posted a book title that sounded interesting to me. I search for the book at my local library; no dice. Went to Amazon, $15 for an "updated" version (the original book was written in 1871. I have found most "updated", "abridged", "edited", etc. versions of classic finance books to pale in comparison to the original authors intent and words); um nope. So, since it is no longer under copy write protection, I find it as a downloadable PDF book at the authors own named site (who knew that someone who died 114 years ago could have their own web site. Technology from the grave.) Anyway, I start to read some of the reviews for this particular book. Six five-star reviews and one one-star review. I always like to know why someone doesn't like a particular book, so I clicked on the one-star review. I quote "was too distant from my beliefs to lend any true credence to the author's arguments." Ok, I can understand you not liking the book or the conclusions the author makes, but to disparage the authors arguments because they don't line up with your own beliefs is to me, very egotistical. Books are there to challenge us, to teach us, to shape past ideas into new ideas. If you don't like the authors hypotheses, then point out the flaws. What you don't do is say that since the author, who died in 1897, doesn't agree with me then his arguments are invalid. Blindness does not only come from not seeing with the eyes but also from not opening up the mind.
FYI - The book I downloaded was an edited and abridged version. :) But it was free!
FYI Dos - The book is called "Progress and Poverty". The author, Henry George.
