Gutenberg and Flow

So I posted about Flow and then Gutenberg

Of course Gutenberg was the first to unleash the flow of knowledge, ideas and communication.

Today the projection looks like this

The unleashing of such data flows are the equivalent to Gutenberg unleashing the first 15million books printed in the first 2o years of the printing press.

So are such data flows going to deliver a new Renaissance?

Comments

[Jon Husband]

Given the size and scope of the flows of information, any hope of a new Enlightenment will require some pretty interesting and enlightened / enlightening filters, methinks.

Communities may (or may not) be some of those filters. Maybe there will be lots of small "e" enlightenments ?

[vinu]

Well Alan, I wish it would happen :-)

But a small structure and packaging needs to happen so that it can be consumed a people can benefit.

I personally think when you are in the Flow - 95% will be data + information. Knowledge and Wisdom would be rare and harder to find!

In short, I think whats happening is all the conversations and thoughts are getting documented and everyone is learning & growing.

Sorting out through the deluge of information and making knowledge will remain the same time frame. Infact might get slower :D Of course, it will be human limited not access limited!

[Tim Harrap]

Vinu is right to question whether there will be knowledge and wisdom from this deluge of data - where's Noah when you need him! Personally I have a sense that the overwhelming nature of the information/data that is being unleashed actually, in the end, will truly awaken individuals to their sense of self. All this information is "out there" when the only truth that you can hold onto is an awareness of your selfhood. Nothing "out there" can satisfy the basic human need to "know thyself" as the Delphic oracle said. I would suggest that the groundwork is being laid for a post-materialistic world where as Erich Fromm stated the question is "To have or to be?". If you realise that in the end you do not need "to have"(a deluge of information) and that actually "to be" is "where it's at", then the true result of this flow will be for people to confidently observe themselves and start "thinking about thinking". A spiritual outcome if ever there was one to the emergence of the www and Web2.0.