Overinformed yet Ignorant
Too much information makes you dumb
The curse of the 21st century is death by being given too much.
Our minds can only absorb so much at a time. When we are given too much information, we don’t know what to focus on. We become ignorant, not because information is hidden from us, but because we are given more than we can digest.
Every time I create a new email account, I must agree to complex terms and conditions. The agreement form is written in the tiniest font possible and it scrolls on forever. I don’t know what I am agreeing to or where the important clauses are.
I pity the medical students studying now — they have it a lot harder than I did. They are paralyzed by choice. They spend more time agonizing over what book to study from than actually studying. Also, the older textbooks were far better — they went straight to the point and didn’t have much fluff. With each new edition, the books get thicker and it’s much harder to find things succinctly explained.
The ability to communicate and give just enough correct information is a skill.
The superhero of our time can communicate clearly without wasting words. He is ruthless about cleaning out mental clutter. He can focus.
The more information we are given, the less we understand. The more clues we are given, the worse our predictions are.
Information is bad for knowledge. — Nassim Nicholas Taleb
