Myth: Instead of knowledge, we only need an index to knowledge

Myth

We do not need SuperMemo. All we need is an index to sources of knowledge. With multiple on-line sources of knowledge, some people are tempted to believe that all we are supposed to learn is a sort of index to these external sources of knowledge

Fact

Even the "index to knowledge" is subject to forgetting. It needs to be maintained via repetition. All creative geniuses need knowledge to form new concepts. The extent of this knowledge will vary, but the creative output does depend on the volume of knowledge, its associative nature, and its abstractness (i.e. its relevance in building models)

Index to knowledge

A less extreme version of "memorization is not needed" myth, is that "we only need to remember an index to knowledge". It is true that abstract knowledge and general concepts are most useful. However, this type of knowledge is also subject to forgetting. Moreover, not all knowledge is inferential. To reason about Antarctica, we often need to know that it is cold. We might derive the temperature conclusion from the position of Antarctica on the map, but we need the knowledge of the map, the knowledge of the climate, and the knowledge of the earth's position in reference to the sun. Any kid will admit that it is simpler to just remember that Antarctica is white and cold. In this case, rules are more useful, but facts are easier to remember.

A mere mortal will usually be aware that doughnuts are foods that should better be avoided by people who fear heart disease. The fact "Doughnuts ain't good for heart" contributes to an average man's knowledge about health. This fact probably does not need SuperMemo. After all, most of us will refresh the knowledge about doughnuts and the heart each time we see a tasty doughnut. The Doughnut Fact contributes also to our index to knowledge. It is enough to jump to Google and type +doughnut +heart to make good use of this particular entry in our index. The search will help us recover more knowledge about the relationship between doughnuts and the heart.

If we want to enhance our ability to think and conclude about doughnuts and the heart, we might try to remember the following:

1. Fact 1: Doughnuts are high in trans fatty acids
2. Rule 1: Trans fatty acids in foods tend to lower HDLs (high-density lipoproteins)
3. Rule 2: Lower blood HDLs are a major risk factor in cardiovascular disorders (e.g. arteriosclerosis)

There is an advantage to knowing the above facts and rules: upon finding out that French fries are high in trans fatty acids, we will be able to use Rule 1 and Rule 2 to derive a new fact: French fries ain't good for the heart. The awareness of the above rules will increase our reasoning ability. In the terminology of knowledge engineering, we will be able to derive new facts and rules from the existing set of facts and rules. In plain language, we will know more than we have actually learned. We will be able to conclude more. We will become more intelligent (if intelligence was defined as the inferential ability of the human mind).

Yet there is a downside to remembering the trans fat rules. They are not as plain as the Doughnut Fact, and they may not effectively be refreshed upon a sight of a doughnut. Consequently, we may simply forget the link between doughnuts, trans fat, and the heart. This is where SuperMemo comes to play a role. It will help you refresh the trans fat rules. It will minimize the number of reviews in lifetime. In other words, it will help you keep the trans fat rules in your forgetful memory. Thus SuperMemo makes sure that your "index to knowledge" remains intact in your mind.

Myth busting is an important mission at SuperMemo Guru. We tackle myths about memory, learning, creativity, SuperMemo, and incremental reading. Please write if you want a myth busted or if you disagree