Knowing What We Know

From internationally bestselling author Simon Winchester, a vibrant history of the collection and dissemination of knowledge. In Knowing What We Know, Simon Winchester offers a global narrative history of how civilizations have accumulated knowledge. Winchester follows the eccentric ways and by-ways of those who compile encyclopaedias, dictionaries and online resources - from ancient texts to Wikipedia. This remarkably original book addresses the consequences of the democratisation of knowledge. The invention of the internet has made knowledge more readily available than ever before, but is this a good thing? Winchester questions how this effects our creativity, our decision-making, our compassion. Today, it is not people on thrones that hold the most power but the people behind the screen at companies like Google and Facebook. Winchester argues that these are the political leviathans that we must monitor. Split into three parts - knowledge taught, dispersed, and stored - Winchester"'s Knowing What We Know is an ambitious and colourful history spanning twelve millennia. Follow as humans draw on the cave wall and invent the internet, as they learn the value of almanacs and fight against censorship.