Idea: part of why ChatGPT seems so appealing as a substitute of a search engine is that most of us don't know a good method for knowledge management. Nobody taught us how to build a second brain or make smart notes, so we just keep everything in our head and inevitably struggle
ChatGPT creates an illusion of a knowledge base which can be queried using a natural language, so that we wouldn't have to remember anything anymore. But as I read more about #Zettelkasten and other methods, it seems that each of us could've had such a KB even w/o a computer
Imagine that early at school you'd learn how to create your own system of interconnected notes containing the material you learn. You'd then use it as a seed for your second brain which you keep building throughout your life and filling with personal and professional knowledge.
Imagine that making smart notes, organizing and updating them, and re-using them later for all kinds of intellectual work would be as natural to you as brushing your teeth. Think of all the knowledge you have learned and forgotten w/o such a system. How much further would you be?
And it's a low-tech solution. Niklas Luhmann did it with pen, paper and a slip box, not even a computer. He didn't need to rely on a proprietary AI with unspecified training set. So just with simple digital tools each of us could be a super-powered version of themselves.
So it seems like we should start paying attention to knowledge literacy as another crucial personal skill. And teaching and learning simple knowledge management methods could become a way to counteract overreliance on ChatGPT and similar tools.
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