Quote:
Originally Posted by ApK
It doesn't need to be just facts. It could be the particularly effective argument, or the the example of an effective way to express ideas, or the lessons of powerfully expressed, world-view changing metaphor.
The 'knowledge' that would disappear may be precisely the same 'knowledge' that is lost when you learn the story of a book through Cliff's Notes or other summary, rather than actually reading the source material.
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Yes my opening sentence was a bit vague. And perhaps I was referring to knowledge a bit loosely as well. After all if I read a book I just know whatever is in it must be true
The fact that there are Cliff notes does not mean the knowledge, whether fact or subjective opinion is lost. Maybe the Cliff Note reader is missing things but the 'knowledge' still exists. The fact that a book is not currently published does not mean this either. Only if that book is not in existence and no one is alive who has read that book and no one has published anything or has knowledge of a particular something that was contained in that book is the knowledge truly lost. Yet I am sure this has happened, just I doubt this is the loss of knowledge that is so piously referred to so often.
Helen