Imho, while it is not important to blindly memorize data, it is difficult to build mental models if you don't hold some information in your brain. For starters,

Imho, while it is not important to blindly memorize data, it is difficult to build mental models if you don't hold some information in your brain. For starters, it is not quite feasible to have all the information be stored in a secondary location (the internet/cloud) but have your brain process that information to make conclusions, to the best of its ability. Even if it were possible, in such a situation, a person would be completely dependent on the source of information, and could be easily misled by a wrong resource -- because they might have little primary data developed from their experience of the world, on which to base their decision making -- in a sense, how does one develop a sense of whether or not to believe something one reads on the internet, without regard to the reputation of the source? This is an example of what I would call critical thinking. If one is always used to having the information at one's fingertips, then how does one acquire the ability to "figure things out"? Isaac Asimov touches on something along these lines in his wonderful story -- "Profession" ( http://www.abelard.org/asimov.php http://www.abelard.org/asimov.php )