Internet shortcuts
The ease of information available online is amazing. The shortcuts in research flow smoothly into shortcuts in thinking. Perhaps the pervasive availability of information stems off innovation. Existing knowledge spreads like never before possible, but new thoughts may prove harder to evolve.
Had NASA scientists and engineers had spaceship designs available they would start with those rather than reinventing blueprints from scratch. Perhaps that would have limited the innovations developed.
I could be wrong, but I suspect the internet era increases the number of people with access to information (like never before), but decreases the number of individuals thinking. Why think when you can borrow the collective intelligence online? Wikipedia manifests this notion most succinctly, but a larger trend seems in place too.
Had NASA scientists and engineers had spaceship designs available they would start with those rather than reinventing blueprints from scratch. Perhaps that would have limited the innovations developed.
I could be wrong, but I suspect the internet era increases the number of people with access to information (like never before), but decreases the number of individuals thinking. Why think when you can borrow the collective intelligence online? Wikipedia manifests this notion most succinctly, but a larger trend seems in place too.
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