This last week I decided to build a computer myself because I had a few specific things I wanted out of my computer. Before buying any parts I spent hours and hours researching online to make sure all my parts fit and that it would actually work. As I was doing all this I became quite grateful for the openness of some very knowledgeable people. I looked at countless blogs and forums where people shared what they had learned. They had no incentives except to help those struggling at they same thing they once struggled at. This has given me the desire to also share my knowledge once I have finished this project. I wonder how much more effective the great minds of the 17th century like Newton and Kepler would have been if they had the internet to tap into. I believe they were intent on getting their findings to the world but simply did not have the same kinds of means which we have today. In my last blog post I debated if openness was achievable while money still exists but it seems to me that while we are not completely open we are certainly progressing towards it and have been for quite some time.
I recently read somewhere about the effect the internet is having on our minds. I can't remember exactly what it said, but it claimed that the internet has become a natural appendage to the way we think. As people get used to having this source of seemingly infinite knowledge constantly at their fingertips, their brain naturally adjusts so that it spends less time remembering things and more time analyzing and using data.
ReplyDeleteThis may seem scary to some people as it implies that people would be suddenly stupid if the internet were to "break" or "be destroyed." It is true we wouldn't have as many facts available for recall, but our ability to work with the facts we did have would be greater than in any other time period.
So, I applaud the internet and those who pour their own knowledge into for the benefit of others. In my opinion, it's the beginning of the next evolution of mankind.