10 Questions
What is the rate at which data has been increasing in the world for the last three decades?
10 times every two years
What is the consequence of the rapid increase in information?
The present moment looms far larger than even the recent past
What is the problem with big data?
It overlooks history
Why are short-term analyses invalid and misleading?
They do not take into account historical context
What is the bias towards the present engrained in?
Technology
What is the challenge in dealing with big data?
Determining what is worth preserving and what to cull in the name of knowledge
What is "intelligent forgetting"?
Forgetting irrelevant data to keep the larger continuities in view
What is the limiting factor when dealing with big data?
Time
Why is it important to choose what not to know?
To determine what is worth preserving and what to cull in the name of knowledge
Why does time become more important in softer sciences?
Time itself becomes a filter in softer sciences
Study Notes
- The amount of data in the world has increased by about 10 times every two years for the last three decades.
- Such a rate of information increase means the present moment looms far larger than even the recent past.
- Big data tends to overlook history, leading to short-sightedness and recency bias.
- Short-term analyses are invalid and misleading.
- The bias towards the present is engrained in most technology surrounding us.
- The challenge is to determine what is worth preserving and what to cull in the name of knowledge.
- "Intelligent forgetting" is needed to keep the larger continuities in view.
- Time is a limiting factor, as there is no more available attention, board members, or hours in the day.
- What you choose not to know matters just as much as what you do in an era of bigger and bigger data.
- The softer the science, the more important time itself becomes as a filter.
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