The easy access of facts on line is a good thing. This kind of “knowledge” is shallow, assembling the parts together to synthesize new knowledge is the important step. That part isn’t easily found online.
This reminds me of leaning math. At one point “doing math” meant calculating numbers, like memorizing multiplication tables or performing long division. I was always relieved when the teacher said we could use a calculator on a test. But at some point I came to realize that math is not calculating. Math is about relationships between numbers and their general properties.
Googling facts is akin to using a calculator. Extracting meaning from that jumbled pile of facts is knowledge.
This reminds me of leaning math. At one point “doing math” meant calculating numbers, like memorizing multiplication tables or performing long division. I was always relieved when the teacher said we could use a calculator on a test. But at some point I came to realize that math is not calculating. Math is about relationships between numbers and their general properties.
Googling facts is akin to using a calculator. Extracting meaning from that jumbled pile of facts is knowledge.