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Before books, everyone had to memorize information they wanted to preserve. Books robbed a hundred generations of that learning. So it goes.
by cainxinth 3y ago
Before books, everyone had to memorize information they wanted to preserve. Books robbed a hundred generations of that learning. So it goes.
- hnfong 3y agoNot really. Many cultural traditions emphasize reciting every single word from classical texts as part of the learning process. (I hated it, but it's still there 2000+ years after books were invented.)
- cainxinth 3y agoPeople still ride horses sometimes too, but I would argue that the advent of the car meant most will never become proficient at horseback riding. There are many examples like this. People aren’t great at writing cursive with fountain pens anymore because we type. Our mental math skills aren’t as strong because we have calculators. Even our sense of direction and ability to navigate is probably weakening due to decades of reliance on GPS. Are there still people who can memorize whole books, ride horses, write cursive, calculate big numbers in their head, and navigate by the stars? Of course, but they are outliers. Most of us just use our smartphones.