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David George Moore's avatar

I liked Fooled by Randomness as well but find Taleb's love of the antilibrary unpersuasive.

We have a large library of about 3500 books, and no, we have not read them all. It's not because I want an antilibrary. Rather, it is because I need those other books for research, rather than a close cover to cover read.

If one wants a free reminder of how much they don't know, ask questions of mechanics, doctors, lawyers, general contractors, botanists, etc. It won't take long to be humbled!

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Joel J Miller's avatar

That’s a true fact. I’m building a garden right now. I’ve hired a friend who helps people set up gardens and I’m shocked at how much germane knowledge she has just bubbling away there—all ready to be synthesized and applied. Wild.

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Zina Gomez-Liss's avatar

I’ve been thinking of the two terms Tsundoku and Antilibrary for two weeks now, and I was going to write a similar post. I may riff on your points as well. My life is crazy right now so I haven’t had the time. But I will make an effort. It’s fun to ponder these things aloud in community. (BTW-love your Substack.)

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Joel J Miller's avatar

I get the crazy life thing. Sometimes there simply isn’t the bandwidth. Glad you enjoyed the post! And glad you’re loving the newsletter! Thanks for letting me know!

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Richard Ritenbaugh's avatar

Taleb's comment seems like an attempt at cleverness that, in actuality, is an absurdity.

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Yes, exactly. What’s totally bizarre is how so many people picked up on it as if it weren’t an absurdity.

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Holly A.J.'s avatar

I tend to think of a book as unread until I have read it cover to cover, with an exception of course for works intended for reference, such as dictionaries. But by Bacon's standards, none of my books are unread.

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Joel J Miller's avatar

I’ve got plenty of books I’ve purchased for just one tidbit. Some I’ve gone back to later and found I loved the whole thing.

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Peter Wright's avatar

The term antilibrary does not bother me. I spent some time trying to determine if it should, since I have a bunch of books I haven't read. After some research, it still doesn't bother me. But, I did like your post, even if I don't agree with it, because it made me challenge my assumption.

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Joel J Miller's avatar

My pleasure!

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3musesmerge's avatar

A tea bag tag once advised:

Live light, travel light, be the light.

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Wiser words were never spoken.

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Ephie's avatar

My first read this morning and it was a good one.

My one piece of advice on the subject is try and find a spouse who shares your bibliophilia, lest you live out your days hearing “another book?”

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Excellent. And on your advice: Couldn’t agree more. My wife has been very supportive for more than 16 years now—thankfully she’s pretty bookish herself.

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Andrés L. Córdova's avatar

Another iteration of Borge's Library of Babel? In which shelf are we to find the treatise refuting all unread books?

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Joel J Miller's avatar

The statements refuting statements others haven’t read is pretty much Twitter, right? :)

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Cosmo P DeStefano's avatar

My library is an ever-expanding collection: most books finished, a few waiting to be opened. As you build your own library, the books you’ve read will serve as reminders of the knowledge you’ve gained, while the unread ones will hint at the wisdom you’ve yet to discover. The partially read volumes? They gently remind us that the pursuit of knowledge is an ongoing adventure.

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Dan Vallone's avatar

I like the idea of a Baconian take on libraries, though Taleb is a compelling writer and storyteller; even if we unpack an idea and find it unpersuasive, he gets us to first pick it up.

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