Ways people reading books proliferated knowledge

Ways people reading books proliferated knowledge

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The world today is built on a practically incomprehensible quantity of knowledge that has actually been handed down in books.

It is very important to keep in mind that, although plenty of the best modern books of all time tend to be regarded as ground-breaking works of fiction, for the majority of mankind's literary history, we did not write much fiction at all. Most stories would have been sung throughout the great bulk of history, just because the huge bulk of people might not read, suggesting that the majority of books were specialised things meant for those few who could comprehend them. After a short boom throughout the classical age of antiquity, the amount of literate individuals dropped considerably during the Middle Ages. Books ended up being uncommon treasures, with monks meticulously copying out the enduring classic texts by hand so as to protect them, as they were a few of the only members of the populace who were able to read or write. They were the specialist keepers of knowledge like biology and faith that we all have access to in the contemporary world.

With such an abundant history of ideas, events, and stories right at our fingertips, it's in some cases simple to forget how incredibly fortunate we are to have the likes of the founder of the hedge fund that owns Waterstones or the CEO of the asset manager with a stake in Amazon books supporting access to a substantial percentage of all the books that have ever been written (or the good ones at the very least). The best books of all time can easily change the way that you take a look at the world, which has been true throughout all of history too. The modern world is built upon knowledge that has actually been handed down through books, whether that is philosophy, science, or history, and human civilisation would not be anywhere near as advanced as it is today if it had not been for the books that changed minds throughout the ages.

It can be tough to envision what the world would be like today if the large bulk of individuals were not able to read, but for the vast majority of history the large bulk of individuals could not, and nor were books accessible even if they could. It was the creation of the printing press towards the close of the 15th that altered that, making books far more accessible. Of course, it was still only truly the wealthiest and well-read that could read or write, however it enabled a whole host of advancements in science, art, and thinking to be spread out throughout great distances. Consider what would have taken place if the theory of gravity, or of evolution, could not have actually been distributed across the globe. Human civilisation rests upon a foundation of books, and we are lucky to be able to just log onto a site like the one backed by the co-founder of the impact investor with a stake in World of Books, and quickly gain access to the totality of human understanding.