As We May Think (1945)

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-may-think/303881/

by smk_ • 4 years ago

11 2 4 years ago

jrgd• 4 years ago

I'm fascinated by the alternate ideas that didn't take enough hold to become dominant in our culture and tools.

If you start digging this way, you might be interested in the pyramidal book idea by Robert Darnton, in The Case for Books. He is an 18th century historian but reflected on how the electronic book could be designed/used.

Another interesting exploration (not digital) is Abby Warburg's Mnemosyne Atlas in which he agglomerates images to explain/demonstrate ideas he explores as an art historian.

https://books.google.ca/books?id=60eLZTNfi1kC&lpg=PP1&vq=pyr...

https://warburg.library.cornell.edu/about

hari_seldon_• 4 years ago

Tangentially related, but this made me think of Aristotle's teachings on technology effectively as a "prosthesis" or non-biological way to evolve. Even back then, being able to record trade deals, journal, and so on enabled folks to offload some of their brain capacity. Today, we can consider the smartphone as an extension of our brain. Source: http://www.joachimschummer.net/jslit/aristot.htm

Of course, it is important to note that I am trying to discuss these neutrally and do believe that there are negative repercussions of offloading too much from our brains onto these devices, particularly if it results in relying on social media dopamine hits and news articles to tell folks what to think...

As We May Think (1945)

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