I have been wondering lately if "intellectually rich" can be found solely in books.

I read Jim Stanford's Economics for Everyone, and he recommends to go out and talk to people and see what problems they are having in life.

That's not to say that long time dead philosophers cannot give good insights, but I feel that looking at other people's problems (especially in different cultures) is a lot more relevant for understanding the world.

I like your idea, but it's missing any sort of practical skills (which Dantes and Faria certainly had).

What would be more interesting, IMHO, books that Cyrus Smith from The Mysterious Island had memorized.

Just from what I saw on HN, I remember Gingery books on metal workshop from scratch, and some homesteading manual from late 19th century.

What do you think are the factors that caused this fall?

> Have the elites through history always been this insecure or is it a modern phenomenon?

Yes. As a kid, I read a legend that one of the Charlemagne's knights got so annoyed for losing a game of chess that he killed his opponent with the chessboard.

> If at some point the cheats/fakes will be cheaper and easier than the real thing

Is there any evidence this is going to ever happen? The evidence I see points in opposite direction - everyone has so many sensors and data being recorded about the real world that it is actually harder to fake things.

For example, there used to be a widespread belief in aliens and animal cryptids in the 70s. Today, less so, because people capture everyday reality on much bigger scale than they used to.