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The good public domain books are typically outdated in both content and language. This makes it hard for those with less resources to stay competitive and makes
by derangedHorse 3y ago
The good public domain books are typically outdated in both content and language. This makes it hard for those with less resources to stay competitive and makes the task of understanding unnecessarily hard.
The link you posted that you say used public works to form a “basis for an education” uses Aristotle as an author for example, and seem to be taught in the context of an instructor-led class (where an expert can discriminate what’s still relevant today and help decipher the language)
- comfypotato 3y agoThe notion that you need cutting edge books to educate yourself is poorly informed. There are countless well written resources for every aspect of a good education available for free online. They are often not as easy to find as their well-advertised modern equivalents. Saying there aren’t good free textbooks is like saying there aren’t good free classics on Project Gutenberg. It’s ignorant.
- Etherlord87 3y agoThe problem with your reasoning is similar to coming with the highest possible number. When you figure out a number, someone will say "that plus one!". Whatever standard of free service you establish, someone with resources can surpass, but needs to be motivated to do it by the perspective of a return of the resources spent. So either hinder development by forbidding the commercial stuff altogether, or tax all people and then finance authors from public money, but hopefully I don't have to explain how wherever this model is tested, the society degrades towards famine.