Knowing What We Know
How we acquire, retain and communicate knowledge from ancient times to the era of big data
By: Simon Winchester
Paperback | 25 April 2024
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With the advent of the internet, any topic we want to know about is instantly available with the touch of a smartphone button. With so much knowledge at our fingertips, what is there left for our brains to do? At a time when we seem to be stripping all value from the idea of knowing things – no need for maths, no need for map reading, no need for memorisation – are we risking our ability to think? As we empty our minds, will we one day be incapable of thoughtfulness?
Addressing these questions, Simon Winchester explores how humans have attained, stored and disseminated knowledge. Examining such disciplines as education, journalism, encyclopedia creation, museum curation, photography and broadcasting, he looks at a whole range of knowledge diffusion – from the cuneiform writings of Babylon to the machine-made genius of artificial intelligence, by way of Gutenberg, Google and Wikipedia to the huge Victorian assemblage of the Mundaneum, the collection of everything ever known, currently stored in a damp basement in northern Belgium.
Studded with strange and fascinating details, Knowing What We Know is a deep dive into learning and the human mind. Throughout this fascinating tour, Winchester forces us to ponder what rational humans are becoming. What good is all this knowledge if it leads to lack of thought? What is information without wisdom? Does René Descartes’ ‘Cogito, ergo sum’ 'I think, therefore I am’, the foundation for human knowledge widely accepted since the Enlightenment still hold?
And what will the world be like if no one in it is wise?
Industry Reviews
‘An ebullient, irrepressible spirit invests this book. It is erudite and sprightly’ - Sunday Times
ISBN: 9780008484422
ISBN-10: 0008484422
Published: 25th April 2024
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number of Pages: 432
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Country of Publication: GB
Dimensions (cm): 19.8 x 12.9 x 3.2
Weight (kg): 0.38
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