Infinite knowledge is not the same thing as wisdom.
I went to see Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein through UCSB Arts and Lectures. He had much to say, not only about memory but also about the current state of the education system.
Being able to Google and have info available is not the same thing as having knowledge. Memory takes time and depth of involvement in a topic. College education is about breadth of knowledge and a cursory 10-15 week exposure to subject matter to be tested on yett promptly forgotten. Foer confessed that he didn’t remember anything from his college days.
During the Q&A, a student asked if he should quit college since he wasn’t going to remember anything anyway. Should he and his parents go into debt for nothing? Realizing that a college was paying for his speaking fee, Foer said the student should stay in school.
He usually does his speeches from memory but he had been ill and didn’t have what it took to memorize a presentation. Foer spoke well and with passion.
A favorite quote from the book:
Creativity is future memory.