.
With the advent of the internet, any topic we want to know about is instantly available with the touch of a smartphone button. With so much knowledge at our fingertips, what is there left for our brains to do? At a time when we seem to be stripping all value from the idea of knowing things—no need for math, no need for map-reading, no need for memorization—are we risking our ability to think? As we empty our minds, will we one day be incapable of thoughtfulness? And what will the world be like if no one in it is wise?
.
Simon Winchester is the acclaimed author of many books, including The Professor and the Madman, The Map That Changed the World, and Krakatoa, all of which were bestsellers. In 2006, Winchester was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the Queen. He lives in western Massachusetts.
.
“The acclaimed Winchester leaps nimbly from cuneiform writings through Gutenberg to Google and Wikipedia as he examines … how we acquire, retain, and pass on information—and how technology’s current capability to do those things for us might be threatening our ability to think.” — Library Journal