The wisdom of Discworld

IronicMaidenIronicMaiden
in General

Discworld is a fantasy series by the late Sir Terry Pratchett. It started off as parody, but quickly morphed into satire and philosophy with a thin veneer of fantasy over top. I saw this posted elsewhere today and thought I'd share.

Background: This is from the story Going Postal. Moist von Lipvig is a conman who has been selected to revive the decrepit and nearly abandoned Post Office. Mr. Pump is a golem who is his keeper, both protector and jailer.

Do you understand what I'm saying?" shouted Moist. "You can't just go around killing people!"

"Why Not? You Do." The golem lowered his arm.

"What?" snapped Moist. "I do not! Who told you that?"

"I Worked It Out. You Have Killed Two Point Three Three Eight People," said the golem calmly.

"I have never laid a finger on anyone in my life, Mr Pump. I may be–– all the things you know I am, but I am not a killer! I have never so much as drawn a sword!"

"No, You Have Not. But You Have Stolen, Embezzled, Defrauded And Swindled Without Discrimination, Mr Lipvig. You Have Ruined Businesses And Destroyed Jobs. When Banks Fail, It Is Seldom Bankers Who Starve. Your Actions Have Taken Money From Those Who Had Little Enough To Begin With. In A Myriad Small Ways You Have Hastened The Deaths Of Many. You Do Not Know Them. You Did Not See Them Bleed. But You Snatched Bread From Their Mouths And Tore Clothes From Their Backs. For Sport, Mr Lipvig. For Sport. For The Joy Of The Game."

Comments

  • IronicMaidenIronicMaiden

    Also this exchange, from Carpe Jugulum.

    "There's no grays, only white that's got grubby. I'm surprised you don't know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself. That's what sin is."

    "It's a lot more complicated than that--"

    "No. It ain't. When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they're getting worried that they won't like the truth. People as things, that's where it starts."

    "Oh, I'm sure there are worse crimes--"

    "But they starts with thinking about people as things..."

    This is later paraphrased in I Shall Wear Midnight as

    Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.

  • CharlieBearCharlieBear Mod

    I have all the books (thank you humble bundle) and I need to read them. I read through the first book and that alone made the games on PS1 make a whole lot more sense. Also, and I know it’s not part of Discworld, but I LOVE Good Omens.

  • AlyLaurenAlyLauren

    Thank you for the reminder!! I keep meaning to start this series!!

    @CharlieBear I also love Good Omens!! I would join a CC book club in a heartbeat. Just sayin.

  • IronicMaidenIronicMaiden

    Good Omens is definitely a good book. And as you read and encounter more of Death (my favorite character), you may be less certain that Good Omens isn't part of Discworld.

    IN A UNIVERSE SO FULL OF WONDER, HUMANS HAVE MANAGED TO INVENT BOREDOM. - Death (from Hogfather)

  • CharlieBearCharlieBear Mod

    Ohhhh interesting! Well that’s awesome 😲

    @AlyLauren
    A book club, you say? That would be cool! I know someone that used to be on here that does a book club via an app called Fable. A Discworld book club would maybe get me to read them!

  • AlyLaurenAlyLauren

    @CharlieBear I love this idea! I'd totally start it with you!!

  • IsabellemornaIsabellemorna

    WOW!!
    I believe I've read all the disc world books, at least once, but usually a few times. I'm surprised to see people talking about it!! Terry Pratchett is one of my all time favorites!!
    I also have the movie going postal and the color of magic.

  • IronicMaidenIronicMaiden

    This is also the perfect time of year to read or watch Hogfather.

    It's not necessary to read them all in order, but it helps sometimes. Like when someone is brought to the wizards' university.

    "He needs to be able to think straight."

    "And you brought him here?!"

  • [Deleted User]CharlesGrove (deleted user)

    @IronLemon If you enjoyed Pratchett (and of course you did!) you might also enjoy Lois McMaster-Bujold.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lois_McMaster_Bujold

  • IronicMaidenIronicMaiden

    @CharlesGrove I've read one or two things by her. One day I'll have more mental energy for more reading.

    Meanwhile, I leave you (and everyone else) the Sam Vimes’s ‘Boots’ Theory of Socio-economic Unfairness.

    The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

    Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

    But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

  • IronicMaidenIronicMaiden

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