If you could send a book back in time for a person to read, what book would it be and who would be the recipient? - eviltoast
    • kora@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      11·
      8 months ago

      I see 3 outcomes, in order of least to most in likelihood and excitement:

      1. Julius see’s the error in his ways and establishes what essentially is an entirely new politcal system that is so good and just that It would stand today.

      2. Same scenario as above except his grandson grows up to one day claim his rule and reverses everything.

      3. He is killed, and for the exact same reasons as current lore. Either because his arrogance causes him to deny what will happen, or because regardless of any attempt to avoid such an outcome those who sought the power he had would still seek out that same power. Both lessons are fairly important but I think the latter one is often missed in the countless retellings. Power both corrupts and it’s one sexy hot bitch.

    • NotSteve_@lemmy.ca
      7·
      8 months ago

      Side question, but would ancient Romans be able to decipher a modern day language from one book? I’d imagine a language with Latin based words might be easy enough but not sure how equipped they were.

      I miss /r/AskHistorians

    • Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.eeEnglish
      1·
      8 months ago

      He couldn’t get himself to read a note an eavesdropper to the conspirators gave him trying to warn him about the attack, I sadly doubt he’d read a whole prophetic book.

  • Björn Tantau@swg-empire.de
    14·
    8 months ago

    I’d love to send Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity to Newton. Or maybe a whole textbook on modern physics but that would probably not be deep enough for him. But I’d really love to see what he could have done with modern physics.

    • 342345@feddit.de
      1·
      8 months ago

      Some people are just one hit wonders, so it could be für nothing. But it would be worth a try.

      It’s definitively better than to give the idea of nuclear fission to Henry Cavendish in 1766. Right now we live in the sweet spot between discovery and… broad practical application.

  • Chainweasel@lemmy.worldEnglish
    141·
    8 months ago

    I have a book at home on my shelf which is just a collection of all of Nikola Tesla’s notes and findings.

    I’m sending it to Benjamin Franklin.

  • andrewta@lemmy.world
    101·
    8 months ago

    The complete history of the stock market. I’d send it to me for my 21st birthday. With a certain letter proving it was me from the future. With the last chapter being the history of bitcoin.

  • Katrisia@lemm.ee
    3·
    8 months ago

    I’d like to prevent many tragedies, but I’m not sure a single book would change history. I can actually imagine it going very wrong…

    — Mein Führer, this book here explains our theories about the origin of the German population and about the natural maliciousness of Jews are wrong.
    — Let me see… Lies, all lies! This here is evidence of their pervasive propaganda against the aryan people.

    — Witchfinder General, a book had arrived… from the unknown.
    — What kind of sorcery is this? “Witches do not exist”. “…These trials were the result of ignorance and greed”. What in the name of God is this blasphemy? A powerful witch is near and these are her evil tricks!

    So I need to think of a better plan, lol.

    • Achyu@lemmy.sdf.org
      1·
      8 months ago

      A book on how to make weapons or improve trade, so that people will try it out.
      But after the first 3 items or so(to show that the book is legit) we shift to stuff that accelerates science very much.
      Get them to create electricity and radio waves earlier.
      Society gets to progress faster.

      Tho, who should it be sent to? Someone religious? In that case it’d be better to mask it as a religious text, where god is revealing the workings of the universe and encouraging humans to find out more about his design by observation and experimentation?

  • Icalasari@fedia.io
    2·
    8 months ago

    The Silmarillion, but carved into stone and sent to the earliest Northern Europeans

    See what happens to world mythology