Dennis Duncan

Are we losing the wisdom of the ages?

Inherited knowledge saved the indigenous Andaman islanders from the 2004 tsunami. But how will fast-changing data affect our judgment?

An imaginary view of the library of Alexandria, the great repository of knowledge in the ancient world. [Getty Images]

  • Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic

    Simon Winchester

    William Collins, pp. 400, £25

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