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 Book: The Half-Life of Facts

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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


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Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
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Book: The Half-Life of Facts Empty
PostSubject: Book: The Half-Life of Facts   Book: The Half-Life of Facts EmptyMon Sep 11, 2017 7:05 pm

In this 2012 book author Samuel Arbesman argues that facts, or items we accept as facts, have a determinable lifespan and every field of knowledge has its own schedule for when those facts become obsolete.

Some examples he uses are barely what I would call "facts" like the human population of the earth or the number of books in print.  Yes, those are ALWAYS changing.

Others, like the number elements, or the number of species, change but on a reverse exponential scale.  New discoveries are getting rarer and rarer.

And contrary to the book's title, mostly what he describes is the ADDITION of new knowledge to most fields, not the obsolescence of known facts.

I'm not convinced.
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