Is knowledge obsolete? The phone in your pocket can answer just about any factual question you care to pose. The cloud knows more than you do or ever will, and its store of knowledge grows with every passing second. So why should we bother to fill our heads with facts?
This is a question we’re all wrestling with, one way or another. There are many approaches to answering it. Traditionally it was held that there is a certain body of facts that every well-educated person should know. But the choice of these canonical facts is subjective. Canons are an increasingly tough sell in our diverse, digitally savvy society.
There are more objective ways of valuing knowledge. I examine several in my book Head in the Cloud. For instance, there is what I term a “knowledge premium.” People who have a higher level of general knowledge—demonstrated by answering quiz questions on survey—have higher average income. Often their self-reported health and happiness are better, too. – READ MORE