8 ms·
The Great Library Rescue of Timbuktu
- orbitingpluto 10y agoThe irony of course is that jihadists seeking to burn down libraries will unwittingly desecrate copies of the Quran.
- nickbauman 10y agoThe story opens with the destruction of hundreds of ~15th century manuscripts. I, for one, would like to know what they were, what was in them and an explanation of what has been erased from the world, for all people, for all time for what may be the most oxymoronic reason ever conceived.
- danidiaz 10y agoI recently learned about the book "Beyond Timbuktu" http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674050822 http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674050822 but still haven't read it. It seems a good introduction to the subject.
- louithethrid 10y agoThe prevention of islamistic book burnings is cultural imperialism.
- acdha 10y ago> Please avoid introducing classic flamewar topics unless you have something genuinely new to say about them. > Be civil. Don't say things you wouldn't say in a face-to-face conversation. Avoid gratuitous negativity. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- vikiomega9 10y agoDoes an ethics course provide some sort of framework to think about questions like this? (as a thought experiment?)
- mirimir 10y agoThat hopefully was sarcasm. Poe's Law.
- acdha 10y agoI'd like to think so, too. Even as attempted humor, though, I just didn't see any way that was going to end up in a conversation worth having.
- GFK_of_xmaspast 10y agoCheck their post history tho.
- louithethrid 10y agoI lost 4 karma points. I have now 88. To be honest though, it would be a nice moment to discuss the creation of dystopian situations by organized AND unorganized irresponsible biological adults who declare there feelings/instincts undiscussable by a diety and thus end the conversation, long before the Flamethrowerbrigade can appear. But as long as cause and effect are timewise detached enough, such irresponsibilitys are non-discurse worthy it seems. It could also be a nice place to discuss other factions who declare there feelings absolute and holy undiscussable, thus ending any conversation. It could also be a masterpiece about how everyone in his corner, beeing smug gets nobody anywhere in rich countrys and civil wars going in poor countrys. But it shall be none of those. Thus a change of program is needed: The Following is the american first amendment as a poem,written with twelve Socks around each hand: mmmmmmmMMMMmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMmmmmMMMMMmMMMMMMmMmmmmmMMMM mmmmmmmMMMMmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMmmmmMMMMMmMMMMMMmMmmmmmMMMM mmmmmmmMMMMmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMmmmmMMMMMmMMMMMMmMmmmmmMMMM To discover truth, one must viciously attack ones own felt certaintys. Im certain moderation was right here.
- bmmayer1 10y agoIf you want to help, the US-based organization supporting the efforts in Timbuktu (that I volunteered for a couple years back to set up their website and digital fundraising) is T160k: https://t160k.org/campaign/libraries-in-exile/ https://t160k.org/campaign/libraries-in-exile/