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THE WORLD IS BUILT ON THE PRESUMPTION OF LITERACY (Thread)
It's funny how we take mass literacy on a global scale for granted. It wasn't until the mid 20th century that most people around the world went to school to the point they were literate.
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It's funny how we take mass literacy on a global scale for granted. It wasn't until the mid 20th century that most people around the world went to school to the point they were literate.
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Literacy has existed ever since the Egyptians made hieroglyphs and the Mesopotamians cuneiform. But for most of history the ability to read and write was for the elite few like priests and nobility and the chance to learn to do so was guarded jealously by the elite.
Literacy has existed ever since the Egyptians made hieroglyphs and the Mesopotamians cuneiform. But for most of history the ability to read and write was for the elite few like priests and nobility and the chance to learn to do so was guarded jealously by the elite.
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It's pretty obvious why they did so, literacy enables one to take in the thoughts of others and in turn transmit your own. Even if the two of you will never meet. (You are reading my thoughts, aren't you?)
It's pretty obvious why they did so, literacy enables one to take in the thoughts of others and in turn transmit your own. Even if the two of you will never meet. (You are reading my thoughts, aren't you?)
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For the elite to allow the subservient masses to be able to decipher and make sense of the squiggles on parchment and clay tablets and in turn expand their minds would be suicidal to their power and control. It's a tactic still used today especially by African leaders.
For the elite to allow the subservient masses to be able to decipher and make sense of the squiggles on parchment and clay tablets and in turn expand their minds would be suicidal to their power and control. It's a tactic still used today especially by African leaders.
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If you've read the 48 laws of power the 11th law is "Learn to Keep People Dependant on You". Do this by keeping them illiterate and dependant on you to read and understand things. Why do you think the Catholic Church refused to translate the Bible from Latin for centuries?
If you've read the 48 laws of power the 11th law is "Learn to Keep People Dependant on You". Do this by keeping them illiterate and dependant on you to read and understand things. Why do you think the Catholic Church refused to translate the Bible from Latin for centuries?
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You can learn more about the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Green here
: https://www.google.com/amp/s/grahammann.net/book-notes/48-laws-of-power-robert-greene%3fformat=amp
You can learn more about the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Green here
: https://www.google.com/amp/s/grahammann.net/book-notes/48-laws-of-power-robert-greene%3fformat=amp
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Some parts of the world like Europe and North America had a head start in their populations gaining mass literacy. In part due to technologies like the printing press making books more widely available and the Industrial Revolution ushering in the modern education system.
Some parts of the world like Europe and North America had a head start in their populations gaining mass literacy. In part due to technologies like the printing press making books more widely available and the Industrial Revolution ushering in the modern education system.
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You can learn more about trends in global literacy here: https://ourworldindata.org/literacy
You can learn more about trends in global literacy here: https://ourworldindata.org/literacy
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So many aspects about modern society wouldn't exist or be possible without mass literacy. From ads to the labels on packaging to car number plates to social media to signage to the publishing industry to even paper currency.
So many aspects about modern society wouldn't exist or be possible without mass literacy. From ads to the labels on packaging to car number plates to social media to signage to the publishing industry to even paper currency.
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Newspapers can't exist without a critical mass of the populace being literate to sustain demand. We wouldn't know how much a bank note is worth and pay accordingly. We wouldn't buy the jerseys of pro athletes because others wouldn't be able to read the name and feel jealous.
Newspapers can't exist without a critical mass of the populace being literate to sustain demand. We wouldn't know how much a bank note is worth and pay accordingly. We wouldn't buy the jerseys of pro athletes because others wouldn't be able to read the name and feel jealous.
