You know, I can quote wikipedia any time I want...
Ooh, goodie. We've got a striaghtforward sci-fi scenario for this week's thought experiment. See what you think of this.
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No more would Usha feel ill at ease in the company of her name-dropping, bookish colleagues. Confidently, she sidled up to the ostentatiously learned Timothy to test out her new powers.
"Usha, daaarling," he said. "How like la belle dame you look tonight!"
"'Full beautiful, a faery's child'?" replied Usha. "I'm flattered. But, 'Her hair was long, her foot was light. And her eyes were wild.' I can't speak for my eyes, but my shoes are size eights and my hair is most definitely short."
Timothy was clearly taken aback. "I didn't know you were such a fan of Keats," he said.
"To paraphrase Kant," replied Usha, "perhaps you have no knowledge of myself as I am, but merely as I appear." And with that, she left him standing, aghast.
Her new implant was working a treat: a high-speed wireless chip that was connected to the world-wide web and a built-in encyclopaedia. It responded to the effort to remember by delving into these information sources and picking out what was being looked for. Usha could not even tell what she was actually remembering and what the chip had retreived. Nor did she care, for now she was the most erudite person in the room, and that was what counted.
Baggini, J., The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten, 2005, p. 226.
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So, could instant access to facts ever equal great wisdom? If so, what's the difference between this scenario and real-world abilities to now google practically anything? If that isn't making us wiser...why not? I'll be back on Friday with my answer in my last blog post of the year.
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No more would Usha feel ill at ease in the company of her name-dropping, bookish colleagues. Confidently, she sidled up to the ostentatiously learned Timothy to test out her new powers.
"Usha, daaarling," he said. "How like la belle dame you look tonight!"
"'Full beautiful, a faery's child'?" replied Usha. "I'm flattered. But, 'Her hair was long, her foot was light. And her eyes were wild.' I can't speak for my eyes, but my shoes are size eights and my hair is most definitely short."
Timothy was clearly taken aback. "I didn't know you were such a fan of Keats," he said.
"To paraphrase Kant," replied Usha, "perhaps you have no knowledge of myself as I am, but merely as I appear." And with that, she left him standing, aghast.
Her new implant was working a treat: a high-speed wireless chip that was connected to the world-wide web and a built-in encyclopaedia. It responded to the effort to remember by delving into these information sources and picking out what was being looked for. Usha could not even tell what she was actually remembering and what the chip had retreived. Nor did she care, for now she was the most erudite person in the room, and that was what counted.
Baggini, J., The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten, 2005, p. 226.
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So, could instant access to facts ever equal great wisdom? If so, what's the difference between this scenario and real-world abilities to now google practically anything? If that isn't making us wiser...why not? I'll be back on Friday with my answer in my last blog post of the year.
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