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Comment by folli | Hacker News Reader

I'm definitely not trying to downplay Asimov, but reading a >60 year old book to learn more about biology might not be the best use of your time. There has been an exponential (I'm not using this word lightly) knowledge gain in the last decades. The function of cholesterol won't be the only thing that's completely outdated.

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I see utility in reading scientific literature produced with a vastly different outlook. What old scientists emphasized back then is worth investigating today to understand how and why they arrived at their conclusions (you know, that whole "study history to avoid repeating mistakes" spiel). Could they simply not observe the world with fine-enough detail? Where did their views derive from?

Asimov's broad strokes in here are correct, even if specific details aren't. His presentation of biological principles is lucid to a degree few can match.

In general, I agree that you're probably right. Asimov tends to be remarkably articulate though so it might be worth it (or it might not, I've never read that particular title).

Note that while older scientific materials (ie research papers, not topical sources) often have huge gaps compared to current knowledge, they are still generally impressively accurate in what they do say. Good science really does operate as a refinement process for the most part.

I could see that for a field like biology. In some other disciplines older texts weather better.

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