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by nickersonm 1232 days ago
> In fact, [writing] 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.

- attributed to Socrates by Plato. c.399-347 BCE. “Phaedrus.”

1 comments

Pretty sure there's a fallacy named after this whole "hey this is just exactly like before so we have nothing to be concerned about".
The point is that all technology is a tool. Whether it be writing, calculators, or various narrow AI software. We can either bemoan the loss of a now-less-useful skill (memorization, long division, longform writing), or learn how to use these tools to better achieve our goals.
Technologies develop for different purposes and have different effects. Modern digital technology has a very inhumane origin story, as noted in “New Dark Age” by James Bridle, and other works. https://jamesbridle.com/books/new-dark-age