Re: So Farewell Then...

b) this made wonder what, in general, is the value of remembering
in the age of the internet. For example, I did remember the
definition (a set with a metric) but for the complete properties
of a metric and to reinforce my feeling that there a no huge
theorems, unless you regard as theorems the very fundamental
notion of continuous functions and the results that come with
those as theorems, I did have to go to Wikipedia. Well of course
there still is a value in remembering because it would be very
dangerous to fully rely on information from the web, but you
will know what I mean.

Interesting point about the value of memory, in an age when almot any
fact can be checked within seconds. A bit like the value of mental
arithmetic after the advent of small dirt-cheap pocket calculators.
You had me nodding in agreement -- till the last sentence. Why is it
better to rely on half-forgotten info from years ago than on
Wikipedia, which is usually pretty sound? No, the key thing is to
keep your wits about you, benig alert for scammers, jokers, hoaxers
and cranks, to develop a feel for how authoritative different sources
are and, when something is important, to fact-check it within an inch
of its life. These are vital life skills which I believe should be
taught at school. But they have always been necessary. It's a
ridiculous prejudice that some people still have that anything in
print is basically reliable while "I got it off the internet" means it
must be dodgy. The difference with our schooldays is that there is
just so much more information washing round these days, and it's so
much easier to get stuff published, at least online, but there's no
reason to think humans are any more lazy or gullible now than they
ever were.
.

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