Which Three Books to Start Civilization on Another Planet?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the selection of three books to bring for starting a new human civilization on another planet. Participants explore various genres and purposes of books, ranging from practical survival guides to theoretical texts, reflecting on their potential utility in a new environment.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest specific books like "The Road to Reality," "The Feynman Lectures on Physics," and "The Bible," indicating a mix of scientific, philosophical, and cultural texts.
  • Others propose bringing a Kindle or digital storage devices to maximize the number of books, highlighting the practicality of technology in a new setting.
  • Several participants emphasize the need for survival-oriented books, such as medical guides and practical living resources, arguing that these would be essential for establishing a civilization.
  • Some express skepticism about the relevance of Earth-based knowledge, suggesting that cultural evolution should guide the development of a new society without relying on existing texts.
  • There are contrasting views on the importance of theoretical knowledge versus practical skills, with some arguing that logical thinking and scientific methods are universally applicable, while others prioritize immediate survival needs.
  • Discussions also touch on the implications of bringing books that may not be directly useful in an alien environment, questioning the balance between theoretical and practical knowledge.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on which books are most appropriate to bring, with multiple competing views on the balance between theoretical knowledge and practical survival skills. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to starting a civilization.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note the limitations of their current book selections, indicating that their choices may not fully address the unique challenges of establishing a civilization on another planet. There is also a recognition that the utility of certain texts may depend on the specific conditions of the new environment.

  • #31
Brandon_R said:
I'm suprised it took 12 replies to say the Feynman lectures. That's one book that i will definitely take.

If you were going to start a new human civilization on a presumably habitable planet, why would you start with a set of lectures on theoretical physics?
 
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  • #32
I wouldn't take any books. Our books are written based on our experiences on the planet Earth bit useless to live on other planet.

I would just let the cultural evolution take care of everything.
 
  • #33
i don't think my shelf is up to the task. but i'd want books to help me survive.

some type of practical medical book
a book for living off the land
a mathematics compendium of some type

starting over would require a survivalist mode of thinking and living. you'd need the basics and work up from there, with hopefully a headstart on exploiting minerals for energy, metals, etc.
 
  • #34
SW VandeCarr said:
If you were going to start a new human civilization on a presumably habitable planet, why would you start with a set of lectures on theoretical physics?
To develop sharp minds!
rootX said:
I wouldn't take any books. Our books are written based on our experiences on the planet Earth bit useless to live on other planet.

I would just let the cultural evolution take care of everything.

We don't know whether they will be useless, so it wouldn't hurt to take them. If you end up not needing them, then you've lost nothing. Also, I'd argue that logical thinking and the scientific method would be useful no matter where you ended up.
 
  • #35
rootX said:
I wouldn't take any books. Our books are written based on our experiences on the planet Earth bit useless to live on other planet.

I would just let the cultural evolution take care of everything.

If the planet was habitable, sources regarding engineering, biology, chemistry, medicine, etc would be useful, not to mention human legal and cultural references. However, theoretical physics might be delayed a bit. I don't think the first project would be to build a supercollider.
 
  • #36
SW VandeCarr said:
If the planet was habitable, sources regarding engineering, biology, chemistry, medicine, etc would be useful, not to mention human legal and cultural references. However, theoretical physics might be delayed a bit. I don't think the first project would be to build a supercollider.

Certainly yes, building a supercollider first thing humans get will be a suicide equivalent. Food and shelter are more important.

It is an interesting question if our present engineering, medicine, and chemistry technologies will be of any use when we don't have any raw materials or processing tools. Would people go search for raw materials hoping that they can build modern tools and structures or they will be more worried if they are going to stay alive?
 
  • #37
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  • #38
rootX said:
Certainly yes, building a supercollider first thing humans get will be a suicide equivalent. Food and shelter are more important.

It is an interesting question if our present engineering, medicine, and chemistry technologies will be of any use when we don't have any raw materials or processing tools. Would people go search for raw materials hoping that they can build modern tools and structures or they will be more worried if they are going to stay alive?

stay alive. you will want to know how to make clay pots, weave baskets, flintknap, hunt, fish, garden, and build. the first year could be a mad dash to get and store food and water, stay warm and dry. it could take a couple of years just to get some leisure time to create greater things.
 
  • #39
rootX said:
Certainly yes, building a supercollider first thing humans get will be a suicide equivalent. Food and shelter are more important.

It is an interesting question if our present engineering, medicine, and chemistry technologies will be of any use when we don't have any raw materials or processing tools. Would people go search for raw materials hoping that they can build modern tools and structures or they will be more worried if they are going to stay alive?

I think the assumption would be that we established that the planet could support a human civilization before we started to colonize it.
 
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  • #40
SW VandeCarr said:
Sharp minds for what?

[STRIKE]Sharp minds for what? Surely you're joking! Why wouldn't you want your citizens to be intelligent?[/STRIKE]

Edit: It just occurred to me what you were actually asking with that question. :smile:

Are you saying that establishing a human civilization on an alien planet starts with theoretical physics? ...

No, I'm not. And I don't intend to start with Volume 3. I also don't understand why you've limited the series to being purely theoretical. A large chunk of the first volume deals with many basic concepts of science and engineering.
 
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  • #41
Dembadon said:
Sharp minds for what? Surely you're joking! Why wouldn't you want your citizens to be intelligent?

No, I'm not. And I don't intend to start with Volume 3. I also don't understand why you've limited the series to being purely theoretical. A large chunk of the first volume deals with many basic concepts of science and engineering.

Yes, I would want the first wave of settlers to be intelligent. Does that mean they should be physicists? Can't we also have intelligent engineers, biologists, chemists and health professionals? The Feynman lectures are directed mostly toward physics students, are they not? It would seem that establishing the infrastructure of a civilization requires engineers of all kinds, biologists to help develop a food supply, chemists to help transform planetary resources to materials humans need to live comfortably and health care professionals to provide their necessary services. What would be the role of the physicist in the early stages of colonization? I certainly do think they would play a role in a more developed civilization.
 
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  • #42
SW VandeCarr said:
Yes, I would want the first wave of settlers to be intelligent. Does that mean they should all be physicists? Can't we also have intelligent engineers, biologists, chemists and health professionals? The Feynman lectures is directed toward physics students, is it not? I would seem that establishing the infrastructure of a civilization requires engineers of all kinds, biologists and to help develop a food supply, chemists to help transform planetary resources to materials humans need to live comfortably and health care professionals to provide their necessary services. What would be the role of the physicist in the early stages of colonization? I certainly do think they would play a role in a more developed civilization.

I don't have any biology, chemistry, or medical books on my bookshelf. I have physics, math, and literature.

Edit: I do agree that the areas you've mentioned would be important, but we are limited to taking what is on our bookshelves at the moment. Perhaps the aliens could lend a hand with additional resources. :smile:
 
  • #43
Dembadon said:
I don't have any biology, chemistry, or medical books on my bookshelf. I have physics, math, and literature.

Edit: I do agree that the areas you've mentioned would be important, but we are limited to taking what is on our bookshelves at the moment. Perhaps the aliens could lend a hand with additional resources. :smile:

Or you could stay home. That's what I would do.
 
  • #44
SW VandeCarr said:
Or you could stay home. That's what I would do.

We'd have to ask Kevin to clarify "chosen."

Aliens:

"You're coming with us."

or

"You're being given the opportunity to build a new civilization; do you accept?"
 
  • #45
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mathematics : 2nd edition.
( read it twice and only found one error ) :)

MATHEMATICS ..From the birth of numbers. : Jan Gullbergah ..third ... no answer .. ( I may be a Republican candidate ) opps.
 
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  • #46
My books would be

Feynman lectures on physics
the road to reality and
a backup of the wikipedia.
 
  • #47
Dembadon said:
To develop sharp minds!We don't know whether they will be useless, so it wouldn't hurt to take them. If you end up not needing them, then you've lost nothing. Also, I'd argue that logical thinking and the scientific method would be useful no matter where you ended up.
If there were only three books to be taken, I would rather take three with empty pages than one on logical thinking/scientific methods :-p. So that people can write their daily to daily observations on those papers which will be more useful.
 
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  • #48
'Steal.
 

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