You get an historical context by reading the original, "direct from the source", which you don't get from a more modern, easier to digest version. It also gives

You get an historical context by reading the original, "direct from the source", which you don't get from a more modern, easier to digest version. It also gives you a good reference point to be able to discuss the topic with other people, since the more popular text will've had far more commentary written about it and will have far more people having read it. I think the historical context also has value just because I think, in our modern age, there's a tendency to dismiss the intellectual achievements of our forebearers. To think that humanity in the past made mistakes just because they were dumb. Which is dangerous, because these mistakes tend to repeat themselves. I think reading these older books can give you an appreciation for not just what's changed with humanity, but what's stayed the same too and I think that can be very valuable indeed. So ponderous maybe, but I don't think it's a pretentious list. I think there's real value there.