Earlier quoted context omitted.
What is the MIT course that covers this book? Many thanks!
https://opencw.aprende.org/high-school/humanities-and-social...
Thanks!
Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?
801–810 of 980 posts
Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?
#802Earlier quoted context omitted.
Property tax is a land value tax. You literally pay a percentage of some notional value of your property every year, largely based on how you use it. The fact you don't recognize that is a good shibboleth for "never have engaged with the real world."
A portion of a property tax is a land value tax, but 1) it’s only one portion of it and 2) it’s the opposite of the portion that you just described. It’s very specifically not based on how you use the land. And that’s literally the core fact of the system. The two calculations yield entirely different incentives. It’s clear you misunderstood it. I recommend reading the book itself as it will be clearer than you’ve ap…
>It’s very specifically not based on how you use the land.
Sorry but you are wrong. Farmers and homeowners pay less than investors. If you build expensive stuff on the property (put another way, if you USE it to do something expensive) you generally pay more.
Again, I don't need to read a whole book, much less one based on pure idealism and with no thought given to real economic data and real human nature, to know that it is generally wrong. I don't need to read the whole book here any more than I need to read the whole bible to doubt it. You need to learn about the real world and stop assuming you know better than everyone just because you read an old book. Sometimes a book review is actually enough to get the gist. I even got reviews from people who thought highly of the book, and I was unconvinced.
Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?
#803Earlier quoted context omitted.
I disagree. I listened to an hour long, glowing summary of it and read about it on Wikipedia. It is just not convincing to me. The only thing cartoonish is how hard people praise it, considering we already have property taxes much like George wanted, which are often quite high and don't add to the economy. Property taxes like that are very close to communism, especially if you take it to an extreme. The higher the ta…
Sorry, I didn’t mean cartoonish in the sense of extreme (quite the opposite), I meant it in the sense of not understanding what you’re talking about. You’ve stuffed an impressive number of misunderstandings into these few comments, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to help you unwind them except to say you should read the book.
Well, perhaps the people glorifying this book are the ones who have misunderstood it. They certainly did not convey anything about it to me besides what I have said and criticized here. I don't feel the need to read it one way or another. If the main idea is simply that property tax can be good, I already think that. If the main idea is that property tax is likely to fix poverty and inequality (as I have been led to believe), nothing in it can possibly convince me of that. On a similar note, I don't think that reading a Bible will make me doubt the theory of evolution, or the laws of physics. And you can't convince me that the Bible is not contrary to those principles, because I know better than that.
Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?
#804The sheer insanity and quality of writing in Hunter S Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas cements it as probably the best book I've read in terms of enjoyment and influence on my own prose.
In terms of the book that's perhaps made me think and reflect the most, Daniel Keyes Flowers for Algernon has probably had the greatest effect on me.
Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?
#805"The best book I've ever read was Atlas Shrugged in 8th grade. Changed my life." Not because I remember anything about it, or believe anything it espouses, or even like it all that much, but because it's a useful filter for obnoxious people in meatspace. If someone I don't know too well asks me what my favorite book is, I say Atlas Shrugged. If they react inappropriately, I'll be cordial and treat them with respect,…
that story checks out considering your actual favorite books all have dark, dystopian elements with a glim outlook on human nature in general.
Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?
#806When I’m asked about best book I always bring up „The Last Ringbearer” by Yeskov. It’s a fanfic in LOTR universe, and it wasn’t very interesting when I was reading it but it revolved around a twist that helped me develop critical thinking skills. In short and without too much of a spoiler - it’s about relativism of everything, including history and importance of narrative in shaping perspectives. Somewhat similar to…
"History is written by the victors" would be the succinct way to describe it.
I can’t disagree, but such succinct description is robbing the story from its value.
For me it was coherent (and back then I knew Tolkien lore well). Stark contrast between believable realities gave me plenty of space for wandering thoughts.
E.g. both are work of fiction, so no ultimate proof of truth can be found, but what are the elements that make world real; who stumbled more in their story?
Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?
#807These threads often end up, with everyone trying to prove they are literary scholars. I prefer junky fantasy books. I'm really too old and cynical to give a damn what y'all think of me. I probably liked David Edding's Belgariad series, along with the Mallorean series, the most. I reread them, regularly, and go through all ten books, in a couple of weeks. They are an easy read. Also, Glen Cook's Black Company books ar…
It isn't hacker news until I see a reference [1] below the text, an unneccessary italicized portion, and some word salad about how we've been doing it all wrong but suddenly this simple change will revolutionise things moving forwards.
And if we're feeling crazy, __Some of this__
Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?
#808Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is exactly the opposite of what GP wants. N.K. Jemisin does not write page turners. He's looking for compulsive schlock at the Edgar Rice Burroughs end of the spectrum.
“She.” J. K. Jemisin is a woman (of color). I had no idea, myself, until after I had read The Broken Earth series, and wanted to find out more about the author. I did enjoy her stuff, but it isn’t what I’d want on my Desert Island list.
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Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?
#809Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is exactly the opposite of what GP wants. N.K. Jemisin does not write page turners. He's looking for compulsive schlock at the Edgar Rice Burroughs end of the spectrum.
“She.” J. K. Jemisin is a woman (of color). I had no idea, myself, until after I had read The Broken Earth series, and wanted to find out more about the author. I did enjoy her stuff, but it isn’t what I’d want on my Desert Island list.
You are a "he."
> it isn’t what I’d want on my Desert Island list.
That's what I said.
Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?
#810Earlier quoted context omitted.
A portion of a property tax is a land value tax, but 1) it’s only one portion of it and 2) it’s the opposite of the portion that you just described. It’s very specifically not based on how you use the land. And that’s literally the core fact of the system. The two calculations yield entirely different incentives. It’s clear you misunderstood it. I recommend reading the book itself as it will be clearer than you’ve ap…
>It’s very specifically not based on how you use the land. Sorry but you are wrong. Farmers and homeowners pay less than investors. If you build expensive stuff on the property (put another way, if you USE it to do something expensive) you generally pay more. Again, I don't need to read a whole book, much less one based on pure idealism and with no thought given to real economic data and real human nature, to know th…
> If you build expensive stuff on the property you generally pay more.
This is not Land Value Tax. Georgism is an argument against this concept of taxing based on what you do with the land.