Knowing What We Know

Vibrant and original, KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW is a colourful journey spanning twelve millennia. Winchester not only offers a global narrative history of how civilizations have accumulated knowledge but also addresses the consequences of the democratisation of knowledge. Follow as humans draw on the cave wall and invent the internet, as they learn the value of almanacs and fight against censorship.

From internationally bestselling author Simon Winchester, a vibrant history of the collection and dissemination of knowledge. In Knowing What We Know, Simon Winchester offers a global narrative history of how civilizations have accumulated knowledge. Winchester follows the eccentric ways and by-ways of those who compile encyclopaedias, dictionaries and online resources - from ancient texts to Wikipedia. This remarkably original book addresses the consequences of the democratisation of knowledge. The invention of the internet has made knowledge more readily available than ever before, but is this a good thing? Winchester questions how this effects our creativity, our decision-making, our compassion. Today, it is not people on thrones that hold the most power but the people behind the screen at companies like Google and Facebook. Winchester argues that these are the political leviathans that we must monitor. Split into three parts - knowledge taught, dispersed, and stored - Winchester''s Knowing What We Know is an ambitious and colourful history spanning twelve millennia. Follow as humans draw on the cave wall and invent the internet, as they learn the value of almanacs and fight against censorship.

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Simon Winchester is the acclaimed author of many books, including The Professor and the Madman, The Men Who United the States, The Map That Changed the World, The Man Who Loved China, A Crack in the Edge of the World, and Krakatoa, all of which were New York Times bestsellers and appeared on numerous best and notable lists. In 2006, Winchester was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the Queen. He resides in western Massachusetts.

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'A delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter' New York Times

'An ebullient, irrepressible spirit invests this book. It is erudite and sprightly'Sunday Times

From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes-here is award-winning writer Simon Winchester's brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.

With the advent of the internet, any topic we want to know about is instantly available with the touch of a smartphone button. With so much knowledge at our fingertips, what is there left for our brains to do? At a time when we seem to be stripping all value from the idea of knowing things - no need for maths, no need for map reading, no need for memorisation - are we risking our ability to think? As we empty our minds, will we one day be incapable of thoughtfulness?

Addressing these questions, Simon Winchester explores how humans have attained, stored and disseminated knowledge. Examining such disciplines as education, journalism, encyclopedia creation, museum curation, photography and broadcasting, he looks at a whole range of knowledge diffusion - from the cuneiform writings of Babylon to the machine-made genius of artificial intelligence, by way of Gutenberg, Google and Wikipedia to the huge Victorian assemblage of the Mundaneum, the collection of everything ever known, currently stored in a damp basement in northern Belgium.

Studded with strange and fascinating details, Knowing What We Know is a deep dive into learning and the human mind. Throughout this fascinating tour, Winchester forces us to ponder what rational humans are becoming. What good is all this knowledge if it leads to lack of thought? What is information without wisdom? Does René Descartes' 'Cogito, ergo sum'-'I think, therefore I am', the foundation for human knowledge widely accepted since the Enlightenment-still hold?

And what will the world be like if no one in it is wise?