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  1. Dec 2023
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    The Idea of a World Encyclopedia by H.G. Wells (Harper's Magazine, April 1937)
    4
    1. chrisaldrich 29 Dec 2023

      Wells attempts in this essay to help mankind "pull it's mind together" for the betterment of people and the planet. How is this supposed to happen in a modern media environment which is designed to pull our minds apart as rapidly as possible?

      How might the strength of capitalism be leveraged to push people back toward a common middle rather than split them apart?

      media studies H. G. Wells World Encyclopedia (H. G. Wells) collective memory extremism surveillance capitalism common ground toxic capitalism capitalism can't fix everything
    2. chrisaldrich 29 Dec 2023

      Adler & Hutchinson's Great Books of the Western World was an encyclopedia-based attempt to focus society on a shared history as their common ground. H. G. Wells in his World Encyclopedia thesis attempts to forge a new "moving" common ground based on newly evolving knowledge based on distilling truth out of science. Shared history is obviously much easier to dispense and spread about compared to constantly keeping a growing population up to date with the forefront of science.

      How could one carefully compose and juxtapose the two to have a stronger combined effect?

      How could one distribute the effects evenly?

      What does the statistical mechanics for knowledge management look like at the level of societies and nations?

      link to https://hypothes.is/a/abTT1KPDEe6nqxPx4fXggw

      World Encyclopedia (H. G. Wells) Great Books of the Western World common ground shared history knowledge management knowledge distribution
    3. chrisaldrich 26 Dec 2023
      This Wo;Id Encyclopedia would bethe mental background of every intelli-gent man in the world.

      Who, here, defines intelligence?

      How would comparative anthropology between societies view such an effort? Would all societies support such an endeavor?

      comparative anthropology intelligence World Encyclopedia (H. G. Wells)
    4. chrisaldrich 26 Dec 2023
      very carefully assem-bled with the approval of outstandingauthorities in each subject, carefully col-lated and edited, and critically presented.It would be not a miscellany but a con-centration, a clarification and a synthesis.

      Compare this with Hutchins and Adler's solution undertaken just a few years following this beginning in the early 1940s and finally published in 1952: The Great Books of the Western World.

      These books speak toward the idea of living well and understanding mankind, but don't have the same deeply edited and critical synthesis viewpoint.

      Great Books of the Western World World Encyclopedia (H. G. Wells)

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