Just back from Barnes and Noble, where I wandered between the shelves for a while contemplating the books I was thinking of buying. I could not help thinking as I reflected on the mass of volumes surrounding me – does humanity really need all of these books?
I love knowledge and so I’m naturally attracted to books, but when I see so many of them and consider how little time I have for actually reading, I wonder whether the information needs of humanity are so diverse or the ability of people to consume information so vast that there is actually a good reason for all of these books to be written.