The Internet of Us: Knowing More and Understanding Less in the Age of Big Data [Paperback]

We now only rarely discover facts, Lynch observes; instead, we download them. Of course, we also upload them: with each click and keystroke, we hack off tiny bits of ourselves and glom them on to a data Leviathan&The root of the problem, as he sees it, is a well-known paradox: reason cant defend itself without resort to reason.InAn excellent, much-needed contribution to the constant battle to sort truth from falsity.A bracing challenge to Internet enthusiasts.To object to the internet would be like objecting to the atmosphere. But just as the atmosphere can be too warm, too toxic or can send violent storms our way, so, too, can the infosphere create many difficulties, not the least of which is the conflict between privacy and security. Luckily, theres a new book out there by philosopher Michael P. Lynch.In this age of surf Google now, everyone is an expert by virtue of the instant ability to click for answers&Lynchs treatise shows us that constantly forsaking the effort to dig and analyze in favor of quick information is a recipe for disaster that too often results in impulsive half-formed decisions&[T]his is a must read book.Combing the sharp insights of a leading philosopher with the lucid, accessible style of a natural historian, Lynch shows us how, as knowledge has become a manufacturedand controlledcommodity, genuine understanding and creativity are becoming dangerously scarce. Essential reading for educators, parents, policymakers and, one hopes, those pulling the levers in the knowledge economy.Michael P. Lynch is a deep thinker and a wise soul. In his beautifully written An intelligent book that struggles honestly with important questions: Is the net turning us into passive knowers? Is it degrading our ability to reason? What can we do about this? David Weinberger,