4.0226 Knowledge: Permanent and Transient (1/30)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Tue, 26 Jun 90 18:18:02 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 0226. Tuesday, 26 Jun 1990.

Date: Tue 26 Jun 90 10:54:37
From: dusknox@skipspc.idbsu.edu (Skip_Knox)
Subject: Knowledge: Permanent and Transient

Alan Corre observes the difference in his computer knowledge, which
rapidly becomes useless, and his classical knowledge, which serves him
always. Fair enough. That's an interesting observation; I hadn't quite
thought of it that way. I sympathize - I work as a PC support tech, have
for six years, but have my Ph.D. in Early Modern European history.

But I have to disagree with the despondent tone of his message. I don't
see that anything needs to be balanced. I can still recite the Winston
cigarettes jingle. I can see Speedy Alka-Seltzer in my mind's eye. My
brain is stuffed with all sorts of garbage. But that's not the right
metaphor.

My brain is not an urn, which gets filled up. It is a muscle that needs
regular exercise. It doesn't much matter whether I exercise it with
something eternal or something ephemeral; it's the exercise that counts.
So just because I remember the syntax for PIP (but not all the switches!)
is no cause for alarm. That just means that I've been busy over the
years, and the old muscle in the cranium is still limber.

Don't worry, Alan - you've still got tons of disk space left!

-= Skip =-

Skip Knox
Boise State University
Boise, Idaho
DUSKNOX@IDBSU.IDBSU.EDU