Name: york 2005-01-26 19:57
Let's compile a list. Please note that this is not 'good novels'. should be like 50-100 for consideration...
Religion:
The Bible
The Torah (although a subset of the Bible in a sense, it would necessarily have a Jewish tradition of literature bound up with it, i.e. The Talmud, which makes it distinct)
The Koran
(Eastern texts? list the most important.. Hindu writings..?)
Politics/philosophy/econ:
Marx & Engels: The Communist Manifesto
Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung
Adolf Hitler: Mein Kampf (even this volume itself is somewhat on the verge of 'importance' in my view. we can argue back and forth on this)
Even though there is a body of right/liberal political thought, specific, smaller texts which can easily be seen to be EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for ages, rather than merely important or widely influential, escape me at the moment. Please argue for some. Also I exclude ancient Greek philosophical texts because I need to hear a case for their EXTREME IMPORTANCE, so to speak.
Science:
Isaac Newton: Philosiphaie Naturalis Principia Mathematica (the Principia)
(Newtonian Kinematics and calculus sketched and applied)
Euclid: the Elements (all math rests on this, to this day. the layout of the Principia takes a cue from it, and it could be argued that no book, outside of religion, has both existed for so long and remained so relevant.)
Is there such a thing as a novel which is an 'Extremely Important' book, rather than just a marker of its time? This would suggest such a novel is more than a good story, but changed society.
Get Listin'
Religion:
The Bible
The Torah (although a subset of the Bible in a sense, it would necessarily have a Jewish tradition of literature bound up with it, i.e. The Talmud, which makes it distinct)
The Koran
(Eastern texts? list the most important.. Hindu writings..?)
Politics/philosophy/econ:
Marx & Engels: The Communist Manifesto
Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung
Adolf Hitler: Mein Kampf (even this volume itself is somewhat on the verge of 'importance' in my view. we can argue back and forth on this)
Even though there is a body of right/liberal political thought, specific, smaller texts which can easily be seen to be EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for ages, rather than merely important or widely influential, escape me at the moment. Please argue for some. Also I exclude ancient Greek philosophical texts because I need to hear a case for their EXTREME IMPORTANCE, so to speak.
Science:
Isaac Newton: Philosiphaie Naturalis Principia Mathematica (the Principia)
(Newtonian Kinematics and calculus sketched and applied)
Euclid: the Elements (all math rests on this, to this day. the layout of the Principia takes a cue from it, and it could be argued that no book, outside of religion, has both existed for so long and remained so relevant.)
Is there such a thing as a novel which is an 'Extremely Important' book, rather than just a marker of its time? This would suggest such a novel is more than a good story, but changed society.
Get Listin'