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From: eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,sci.edu,comp.cog-eng
Subject: Re: What to know
Message-ID: <4841@eos.UUCP>
Date: 24 Aug 89 16:23:55 GMT
References: <56543@aerospace.AERO.ORG>
Reply-To: eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Followup-To: sci.edu
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Calif.
Lines: 37

In article <56543@aerospace.AERO.ORG> abbott@itro3.aero.org (Russell J. Abbott) writes:
>learn.  That is, why know something when one can look it up using an
>information locator service?  I also wonder what the difference is
>between knowing something and knowing where to find out about something.

This is a philosophical rather than scientific question.  There are also
far to many groups, so I cut it to sci.edu [I don't know why does not
complete belong there either].

There are several reasons why locator services are deficient:
1) There is distinctly larger amount of information which we don't know,
than we do know.  There is some tendency to believe that all the inventions
which ever will be, will be.  To better appreciate that you have to consider
the state of knowledge before something was known, some great recent
scientific discovery.  Consider warm superconductors in recent knowledge, or
lasers (1963).  These are to some degree old hat now.  Technology and
research products find their way slowly into new areas.  Knowledge alone
isn't enough.  One must dervive some appreciation for our state of ignorance.

2) Information and knowledge can be wrong or falsified.  This is why
consumer and social responsibility groups are concern with credit ratings
databases, crime databases, etc.  The potential threats are greater than
this.  Errors are made.  You don't feel this until it happens.  It is
a strength in a free society where science (for instance) stakes its
claim by the ability to reproduce something.  Other areas use the
term "checks and balances."

3) There are other reasons, you think about them based on these.

Another gross generalization from

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov
  resident cynic at the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers:
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  {ncar,decwrl,hplabs,uunet}!ames!eugene
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