The Price of Enlightenment

[Gary Childress]

I was browsing the Amazon Kindle store which I just downloaded on my cell phone a couple days ago and came across a particularly interesting title to me, The Blackwell Companion to Social Inequalities. I browsed a little of the previews of the book which seemed to possess some very relevant and timely discussions of inequalities based on race, gender, class and nationality--discussion of some of the ways that groups of people are denied access to various social goods.

How paradoxical that, at $180.00 for the title, it's more than a little prohibitive (even to this relatively privileged resident of a first world country) to be able to afford to learn what the authors have to say. I couldn't imagine any one of these excluded classes of people having access to the material. It makes me wonder if any of the authors truly care or understand the full ramifications of what they are championing.

[Philosophy Explorer]

I was browsing the Amazon Kindle store which I just downloaded on my cell phone a couple days ago and came across a particularly interesting title to me, The Blackwell Companion to Social Inequalities. I browsed a little of the previews of the book which seemed to possess some very relevant and timely discussions of inequalities based on race, gender, class and nationality--discussion of some of the ways that groups of people are denied access to various social goods.

How paradoxical that, at $180.00 for the title, it's more than a little prohibitive (even to this relatively privileged resident of a first world country) to be able to afford to learn what the authors have to say. I couldn't imagine any one of these excluded classes of people having access to the material. It makes me wonder if any of the authors truly care or understand the full ramifications of what they are championing.

Don't know if the authors set the price or the publishing company. It's the business of the copyright holder to set the price at the market value which seems to be $180. Too low and the copyright holder is losing out on money. Too high and the holder may also lose money through lost sales. That's the way the business world works.

I would suggest an app from Amazon store (not Kindle) and do some shopping there. You may find a cheaper used book.

PhilX

[wtf]

How paradoxical that, at $180.00 for the title

A virtual book on social inequality for $180. I wonder if the authors are aware of the irony.

[Impenitent]

actually, the price of several if not most college texts is comparable to the price of this

-Imp

[wtf]

actually, the price of several if not most college texts is comparable to the price of this

Yet another scandal. Textbook publishing is an area ripe for disruption.

[Gary Childress]

actually, the price of several if not most college texts is comparable to the price of this

-Imp

A friend of mine took a course back in college, something to do with NASA and how funding for space programs is supposed to work (IIRC). He told me at the time that his text book was something over $1000.00 (retail), but apparently part of it was factored into his tuition.

[-1-]

I was browsing the Amazon Kindle store which I just downloaded on my cell phone a couple days ago and came across a particularly interesting title to me, The Blackwell Companion to Social Inequalities. I browsed a little of the previews of the book which seemed to possess some very relevant and timely discussions of inequalities based on race, gender, class and nationality--discussion of some of the ways that groups of people are denied access to various social goods.

How paradoxical that, at $180.00 for the title, it's more than a little prohibitive (even to this relatively privileged resident of a first world country) to be able to afford to learn what the authors have to say. I couldn't imagine any one of these excluded classes of people having access to the material. It makes me wonder if any of the authors truly care or understand the full ramifications of what they are championing.

I hear you, but why would the disadvantaged groups need to learn how they are disadvantaged? They experience it on their own skin.If they ever took the course in which this was a text, they would ace it and pass it with flying colours, without opening a text even just once.

It is the privileged whose guild complexes need to be worked on, to spread the Good News.

I typoed "guilt complexes" into "guild complexes." I should have written, in retrospect, "gilded guilt complexes."

[Gary Childress]

I was browsing the Amazon Kindle store which I just downloaded on my cell phone a couple days ago and came across a particularly interesting title to me, The Blackwell Companion to Social Inequalities. I browsed a little of the previews of the book which seemed to possess some very relevant and timely discussions of inequalities based on race, gender, class and nationality--discussion of some of the ways that groups of people are denied access to various social goods.

How paradoxical that, at $180.00 for the title, it's more than a little prohibitive (even to this relatively privileged resident of a first world country) to be able to afford to learn what the authors have to say. I couldn't imagine any one of these excluded classes of people having access to the material. It makes me wonder if any of the authors truly care or understand the full ramifications of what they are championing.

I hear you, but why would the disadvantaged groups need to learn how they are disadvantaged? They experience it on their own skin.If they ever took the course in which this was a text, they would ace it and pass it with flying colours, without opening a text even just once.

It is the privileged whose guild complexes need to be worked on, to spread the Good News.

I typoed "guilt complexes" into "guild complexes." I should have written, in retrospect, "gilded guilt complexes."

That seems likely and is a good hypothesis, however, not having access to the text, it's difficult to verify that that is the case. I mean, weighing in at 592 pages, I would think there might be more to the material than simply stating some obvious ways that certain groups are disadvantaged. I'm a relatively low income white male. I can sum up the fact that monetary factors present a barrier to me, in one sentence. Do I therefore not need to read the text and would ace an exam on it without ever cracking it open?

[-1-]

That seems likely and is a good hypothesis, however, not having access to the text, it's difficult to verify that that is the case. I mean, weighing in at 592 pages, I would think there might be more to the material than simply stating some obvious ways that certain groups are disadvantaged. I'm a relatively low income white male. I can sum up the fact that monetary factors present a barrier to me, in one sentence. Do I therefore not need to read the text and would ace an exam on it without ever cracking it open?

You have quite a few and strong valid points there, Gary.