The rate at which new knowledge is generated and disseminated is increasing at an unprecedented pace. In order for humanity to keep up with these advancements, we must not only learn faster but also ensure that our education systems adapt to the changing landscape.
The intersection of the rate of knowledge growth and rate of human knowledge propagation (HKP derivative) will be a pivotal moment.
In this essay, I will primarily explain how the survival of carbon-based life forms, specifically humans, depends on increasing the rate of human knowledge propagation (HKP) and discuss the factors hindering its progress.
It’s worth mentioning that non-carbon based life forms, specifically AGI, will excel at compute and primarily face constraints in energy.
TL;DR: The domain of human knowledge rapidly expands. We are learning much to slowly to keep up with the growth of new knowledge. We need to learn more, faster. The eduction system needs to change sooner than later to make meaningful progress.
This is not my complete thesis. This is an extremely condensed version of it, to help bring light to the central issue. Later, I will write more on HKP, the best path to accelerating it, and why it’s essential to refactor current education system.
Terms
I’m particular with the meaning behind words. Before diving in, let us first define some essential terms in order of hierarchy.
- Knowledge: Singular and/or interconnected data points that form a body of facts, information, or skills.
- Learning: The flow (propagation) of knowledge via a medium, such as audio, text, visuals, etc.
- Understanding: Meaningful application of knowledge to real-world situations, demonstrating comprehension and mastery.
- Curriculum: The structure and organization of information in educational settings, designed to maximize learning efficiency.
- Education: The synthesis of learning, understanding, and the application of knowledge.
- School: A primary environment where education is distributed on a large scale, providing various functions beyond instruction.
- Effective Education: An education system that effectively contributes to the growth and survival of human species by adding to the collective body of knowledge.
As I’ll later point out, these “levels” of knowledge create a perfect feedback loop.
The Imperative of Accelerating HKP (Constraint 1)
We are living in a time where the expansion of knowledge is happening at an exponential rate, with new information being generated faster than we can absorb it.
Consider the example of a library containing 100 books. If you were to read one book per week, it would take 100 weeks to complete. However, if 10 new books are added per week, per week (10 books per week2), in just 100 weeks, there would be 9900 books left to read.
This exponential growth of knowledge poses a significant challenge for humanity, as the ability to keep up with new advancements becomes increasingly difficult.
Over a long enough time horizon, the rate of growth of human knowledge is likely to be an S shaped curve. I’ve created general equations that roughly model the curve, but I’ll save this for a later post.
Outdated Curriculums and Education Systems (Constraint 2)
It’s also important to consider another factor that hinder HKP — the outdated nature of our educational systems.
With over 5.6 billion people using the internet, it is crucial that our curriculums adapt to the changing world around us. Yet, few high schools and fewer colleges reflect this.
Many schools still require students to focus on general education (GEs) in areas such as arts, languages, and history, while neglecting essential skills like understanding how web pages work or even learning to code.
Roughly 65% of the human population uses the internet and only ~1 percent understands how it works. This is absurd. I’m not saying we should all become expert coders, but we should, at the very least, teach the basics about data, databases, algorithms, and servers.
Companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, etc are increasingly relying on innovative technologies like emotional design and CAD for product development. Yet, these vital concepts are rarely taught in schools, leaving students unprepared for the modern world.
The Feedback Loop of Creating and Propagating Knowledge
Our current system for creating and propagating knowledge is a feedback loop that creates an imbalance between inputs and outputs.
There is a vast amount of new knowledge being generated (constraint 1), but our education systems are struggling to keep up (constraint 2).
This is like adding 10 million more vehicles to a highway while only constructing one more lane using shovels and pickaxes. It simply won’t work out.
A Solution – AI and the Future of Education
Given the challenges we face in accelerating HKP, it becomes essential that we explore new solutions.
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a compelling approach to revolutionizing education by providing adaptive learning environments that cater to individual students’ needs, making learning more effective and efficient. My company, nerd-notes.com is taking this approach.
An important thing worth mentioning is AI would complement current systems. Not replace it. This is a another topic I’ll write about in the near future.
As we move forward, it is crucial that we recognize the importance of increasing the rate at which human knowledge propagates (The HKP derivative). By understanding the factors hindering HKP, such as the expansion of knowledge and outdated curriculums, and exploring solutions like AI, we can work towards creating a more effective education system that contributes to the growth and survival of human species.
To learn more about my efforts in building AI tools to help students learn faster, check out Nerd-Notes.com, where you can discover Phy, a tool I designed to help students learn Physics 200% faster.