A thought experiment: if we found ourselves in a new Dark Ages, what of American civilization would be worth preserving, and how would it be preserved? What would our descendants 1000 years hence be grateful to receive from us as they began to rebuild a civilization?
Dear Mr. White,
Definitely fried Okra and Derby Pie. I don't think I'd want to preserve it for a thousand years--but the recipes might be nice.
shalom,
Steven
Posted by: Steven Riddle at September 4, 2003 05:21 PMThat's odd, my thoughts turned to food immediately as well. I was thinking of more general principles, though, like, "Chocolate and fruit go very well together," and, "Sear the meat on high heat, then cook it through more gently."
I would hope beer, wine, and liquor making techniques are also preserved.
More prosaically, water treatment and sewage disposal technology will come in handy in any age.
Posted by: Tom at September 5, 2003 07:55 AMMy first thought was Guinness. It'll soon be Friday night!
More seriously, very little. If happiness is the criteria, then what of the studies that show those in poor, 3rd world nations are on the whole happier than we 1st worlders? To limit disease - i.e. water treatment & sewage disposal - seems right on the mark.
I hadn't thought of water treatment and whatnot. Recipes & cookbooks would be good. Britney Spears' oeuvre - wait, I'm drifting here.
How about political and historical knowledge? The "American genius" - our homegrown constitution; the social enthusiasm that's at the foundation of participatory democracy (see the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the crowds they drew) and that has been replaced by the American tradition of staring slack-jawed and drooling at kissing lesbianettes on TV; history and biography, of course; foundational documents. Who would be featured in a third-millenium Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Americans? (or somesuch)
You couldn't just "apply" the constitution willy-nilly, but the wisdom that shaped it could survive to influence a rebuilt civilization.
I dunno. Just fun rambling. One thought behind this was that the American things worth conserving for future generations could be part of the core of a homeschooling curriculum. This thought experiment could be helpful in separating the wheat from the chaff.
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