Roads to Knowledge - Books Part 1

I have in my possession a couple books that I would bet my life on.

The first one, "Roads to Knowledge, Edited by William Allan Neilson."

I have a first and a second edition of this second book. The first edition in 1932 sported 12 sections of knowledge, the second in 1937 expounded on that with 15:

*The Fine Arts
*Biological Science
*The Classics
*Economics
*Geography
*History
*Modern Languages
*The Study of Literature
*Mathematics
*Music
*Philosophy
*Physics
*Politics
*Psychology
*Sociology and the Study of the Modern World

Written by fifteen of the USA's best in their respective field, these fifteen were, at the time, areas of study thought to be the ones worth learning as a whole. Each chapter has an ending of a listing of books pertaining to each field. I remember fondly of how my late grandfather had knowledge in each of these fields of study.

Not like today where the USA has slipped in basically every modicum of study, these areas were taught even in the primary levels, within a certain degree - I work at an elementary school, and I can tell you that one would be hard pressed to find the same kind of learning going on nowadays, as eighty years ago.

One might say that times were different back then, so these areas were needed, or, that these areas were more prevelant with the times in which the book was written. Perhaps.

Or, perhaps by looking at the modern world's interpretation of which country's are at the top of which list, the US isn't presently near the top on any of them. Check the statistics from eighty years ago, and you'll find the US heading almost every list.

Granted this book was written in the midst of 'The Great Depression', I think that the USA's turn toward capitalism came from the very heart of the Depression, so that the US economy would never again falter. Capitalism made us power hungry for the jobs with the most revenue - not attributed to the way a person thinks, but how a single person with power could rule over a broken mind - broken from a depression, and broken from a world war.

All a ruling entity has to do is supplant that all is good, while sub-consciously directing us with fear for control, exacting us in the direction that they want us to go, instead of thinking for our selves.

Makes me think what would have happened to capitalism had the depression not happened ... and it must not happen again, but we are heading into a recession now as I type this ...

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte