Older and Weiser

The author and critic James Bowman recently delivered a talk to the Philadelphia Society in Indianapolis. His address was part of a panel convened to consider “The Pursuit of Wisdom in the Age of the Internet.” Bowman says that although research does not conclude the Internet is making us dumber—quite the opposite, in fact—in his personal experience, it is a barrier to focused, linear, thinking. He says that constant Internet use has made him an unfocused reader. He also surmises that the medium itself dilutes our ability to appreciate great works and figures from the past.

Bowman points to a quote by the economist Tyler Cowen which helps clarify, what he thinks, is most disturbing about the bounty of choices and simultaneity offered by the Internet. I think it is worth excerpting in its entirety.

“Instead of experiencing the emotional range of Don Giovanni in one long, expensive sitting, on the Web we pick the moods we want from disparate sources and assemble them ourselves. We take a joke from YouTube, a terrifying scene from a Japanese slasher movie, a melody from i-Tunes, and some images — perhaps our own digital photos — capturing the sublime beauty of the Grand Canyon. Even if no single bit looks very impressive to an outsider, to the creator of this assemblage it is a rich and varied inner experience. The new wonders we create are simply harder for outsiders to see than, say, the fantastic cathedrals of Old Europe.”  -Tyler Cowen

This kind of self-worship—or “intertextuality” if you’re a grad student—annoys Bowman. He says that throwing together all of these sources in a single, mixed-up, experience is not just shallow but can’t endure in our memory. In other words, the Internet may not be actively lowering our IQs, but it isn’t giving us much knowledge either.

Read the entire talk. It is very good.

Blog Editor
Older and Weiser

Filed under: Uncategorized by admin