My overall point is that from an anthropological standpoint of learning about our species, we don't want to "forget the bullshitters." We want to know everything.

But you have no argument for this. You're attempting to say "we got lucky with Shakespeare" but that does a grave disservice to Shakespeare. He got read because he was good at it and wanted to be read. Facebook only accentuates the latter.

I've studied Roman daily life -- what they ate, why, when, how they went to the bathroom, how they treated their slaves, wives and kids -- and do you think that's the sort of thing they found interesting about themselves?

Abso-fucking-lutely. More importantly, when you have to scribe it in charcoal ink on papyrus you focus on the shit that matters. If the Romans had Twitter there'd just be more bullshit to wade through.

| The point isn't that without having Facebook from 1500 on we'd have missed out on Newton's Principia -- the point is if we'd had it we'd know a lot more about why he was so fucking nuts all his life.|

An argument you cling to with no evidence whatsoever. Using your own example, if Newton were you, our perspective on Newton would be a bunch of news clippings.

You think we won't have news clippings in the future?