Information abandunce and the decline of human intellect?

By Josh Reighley on December 8, 2007 8:28 AM | Permalink | Comments ()

I believe that items that are scarce are highly valued. Things that used to be valuable, but are abundant now have generally lost their luster.

I think this is true of information. In the information age, I can find out most anything I would like with a few keystrokes. This actually is a strong disincentive to learn.

In the Biblical times, they didn't have printing presses. If one wanted to learn scripture, they had to find one of the few copies in their area and memorize it, or find somebody who had it memorized and memorize it orally.

While the printing press liberated us somewhat from our need to memorize large volumes of literature, it didn't really diminish the value of having done so. Somebody who was "well read" would have a lot of information and ideas available to them at the drop of a hat. When they make a decision in life, they have a much larger body of information providing context for their decision. The more information they have, the wiser the decision is likely to be.

Unfortunately as we head down the information highway, it is easy for us to be lazy and tool-dependant in our intellect. For example, when I have a question about a bible passage, I can look it up on a website, find out what the original Greek word meant, and how that word was used elsewhere in the bible. This answers the question at hand, but is in no way a substitute for knowing Greek. We get fed for a day, rather than learning to fish. What could be known off of the top of my head is instead a research project.

The information age has made many of us specialists instead of generalists. The fact that I can go down and buy a high quality CD at 5 or10 places within walking distance of my house does impact the market for the skill of making our own music. What is abundant is not valued as much as something that is scarce. My musical incompetence however reduces my capability to communicate ideas in poetry or song. The right brained world is going to have a lot more difficulty grasping my ideas because I am not at all versed in their language.

Do you guys agree?

Comments

I believe that items that are scarce are highly valued. Things that used to be valuable, but are abundant now have generally lost their luster. I think this is true of information. In the information age, I can find out most anything I would like with a few keystrokes. This actually is a strong disincentive to learn. In the Biblical times, they didn't have printing presses. If one wanted to learn scripture, they had to find one of the few copies in their area and memorize it, or find somebody who had it memorized and memorize it orally. While the printing press liberated us somewhat from our need to memorize large volumes of literature, it didn't really diminish the value of having done so. Somebody who was "well read" would have a lot of information and ideas available to them at the drop of a hat. When they make a decision in life, they have a much larger body of information providing context for their decision. The more information they have, the wiser the decision is likely to be. Unfortunately as we head down the information highway, it is easy for us to be lazy and tool-dependant in our intellect. For example, when I have a question about a bible passage, I can look it up on a website, find out what the original Greek word meant, and how that word was used elsewhere in the bible. This answers the question at hand, but is in no way a substitute for knowing Greek. We get fed for a day, rather than learning to fish. What could be known off of the top of my head is instead a research project. The information age has made many of us specialists instead of generalists. The fact that I can go down and buy a high quality CD at 5 or10 places within walking distance of my house does impact the market for the skill of making our own music. What is abundant is not valued as much as something that is scarce. My musical incompetence however reduces my capability to communicate ideas in poetry or song. The right brained world is going to have a lot more difficulty grasping my ideas because I am not at all versed in their language. Do you guys agree?