The Value of Recorded Knowledge
These days, most people would reach for their phones when they want to write something down. But before the advent of digital technologies, the only way to write something down is via pen and paper. Or rather, ink and a surface to write on.
Without this seemingly simple technology, there would be no recorded knowledge. Everything we will ever know would have to be passed down verbally, generations after generations. And without a means to record knowledge, how far do you think we can advance our civilization?
Knowledge takes time to learn, and even after having learned something, there's always a chance we might forget or misremember. So we will always risk losing our knowledge and technologies every few generations, especially when the only person in the tribe who has the know-how dies before passing it down to someone.
This is why books and other forms of recorded knowledge are so powerful. They are the foundation of our civilization and are one of the main reasons for our evolutionary success.