Knowledge and technology go hand-in-hand but they should not be confused for each other. Technology is just one expression of knowledge. For example, lithium ion batteries are the culmination of knowledge spanning chemistry, physics, and geology—batteries are not the knowledge itself.
This is an important distinction because arguing against technology (e.g. techno-pessimism) often means arguing against the premise that new knowledge can be created (and therefore better technology).
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The Mundaneum Was a Paper Internet
In 1895, Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine built a paper internet with 18MM index cards affectionately referred to as the Mundaneum. They sought to catalog the world’s information (much like Google) but quickly ran into the physical limitations of such a thing. As more information was added, they realized the 15,000 drawers needed to hold all those index cards was never going to be enough.
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Truth-Tellers, Liars, and Bullshitters
Truth-tellers need to know the truth so they can say it. Liars need to know the truth so they can lie about it. Bullshitters don’t concern themselves with the truth so they can perform whatever serves them.
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Imagine If Human Knowledge Received Half the Enthusiasm as AI
It’s striking how captivated the world is by LLMs and the latest techniques in AI. What if we were just as excited about progressing human knowledge and learning? Education doesn’t receive nearly the attention and hype it should yet we are far more capable.
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Techno-optimists believe technology can solve the world’s most pressing problems. With the right knowledge, we can find solutions to climate change like abundant clean energy. Can we acquire the knowledge to build nuclear fusion reactors? Can we do it in time?