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Re: Newspapers as Primary Sources



So, let me see if I understand this exciting new development in the
Bash-Baker-Thread. If it's not "true," then it's not "a primary source."
Ergo, we don't need to worry about saving it in the original. Have I got
this part right?

Well, really, it's not difficult to see the many benefits that would
accrue from extending this thought to its logical conclusion. Somewhere,
an alert mind must already have noticed that, if it's not true, then not
only need we not save the original but also there's no very good reason
why we should pay any attention to it with but the cheapest form of
"preservation microforming" -- or keep it on the shelf even if it doesn't
require any intervention to preserve.

As I recall, the friendly folks who burned Alexandria's library -- clearly
prophetic thinkers before their time -- worked on many of these same
principles. Unfortunately, their specific notions of "truth" and
"falsehood" were, as we who live in more enlightened times know, false,
but that misfortune is, really, little more than a mere detail. Their
*principles* merit our admiration and thoughtful emulation, for they are
wonderfully appropriate here.

In fact, put into practice, they would save us all a great deal of money
and effort by freeing up space and resources now badly misused for storing
and preserving an unfathomably immense amount of untruths. These may be
found in printed, manuscript, and visual form. Just *think* of the
savings: you don't need to be a mathematician to do a cost-benefit
analysis on *this* one!

Perhaps, if we didn't have to worry about caring for such mountains of
fallacious stuff, we'd have time, since we'd be unemployed, to . . . well,
actually *read* Baker's book before consigning it to the pile of untruths
not worth preserving. On the other hand, the friendly folks who lit up
Alexandria didn't waste *their* time reading the stuff they burned. Why
should we?

Cheerfully,

Daniel Traister
University of Pennsylvania

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