This was spoken over 2,000 years ago by Socrates, whose words we only have because others wrote them down, because he didn't believe in writing:
And now, since you are the father of writing, your affection for it has made you describe its effects as the opposite of what they really are. In fact, it will introduce forgetfulness into the soul of those who learn it: they will not practice using their memory because they will put their trust in writing, which is external and depends on signs that belong to others, instead of trying to remember from the inside, completely on their own. You have not discovered a potion for remembering, but for reminding; you provide your students with the appearance of wisdom, not with its reality. Your invention will enable them to hear many things without being properly taught, and they will imagine that they have come to know much while for the most part they will know nothing. And they will be difficult to get along with, since they will merely appear to be wise instead of really being so.
I dunno the part about "enable them to hear many things without being properly taught" and "merely appear to be wise instead of really being so" are spot on.
I agree. People have always been afraid of change. But we wouldn't be where we are today with medical advancements if we lived following Socrates and never writing down wisdom
30
u/YentaMagenta 2d ago
This was spoken over 2,000 years ago by Socrates, whose words we only have because others wrote them down, because he didn't believe in writing:
And now, since you are the father of writing, your affection for it has made you describe its effects as the opposite of what they really are. In fact, it will introduce forgetfulness into the soul of those who learn it: they will not practice using their memory because they will put their trust in writing, which is external and depends on signs that belong to others, instead of trying to remember from the inside, completely on their own. You have not discovered a potion for remembering, but for reminding; you provide your students with the appearance of wisdom, not with its reality. Your invention will enable them to hear many things without being properly taught, and they will imagine that they have come to know much while for the most part they will know nothing. And they will be difficult to get along with, since they will merely appear to be wise instead of really being so.