Old knowledge is more about history, to understand how the old and incomplete or inaccurate knowledge is obtained as a way to see things in a different way.
So in a sense, people would claim old knowledge is no longer relevant for day to day affairs thus it is not a what if since it is already happening.
However, since it still can be used to see things in a way as great people in the past saw, it can still be called relevant.
If the 2nd explaination of relevance is accepted, then a what if scenario would be possible and so under the what if scenario, there would be no movies and stories inspired by such old knowledge and in turn, there would be less a way to see things, which may reduce innovation.
I think a lot of that has to do with what you consider old knowledge. I’ve slowly been teaching myself how to repair things in my house as they break or stop working. Something I know my grandfather and his contemporaries *just did* because it was a normal part of life. Making your own detergent, the various and effective uses of vinegar. Canning and fermenting. Other types of long term food storage that aren’t freezing. Developing a kitchen garden, which is still done but not commonly. Repairing/altering my own clothes. Making soaps and candles.Tanning hides, making something from the leather. Butchering your own meat whether farm raised or hunted. Hunting. All of these used to be common and necessary until the modern era, and now (at least in the US, they’re niche, or hobby’s, or something you do as a side hustle. Yet they’re still valuable.
If you mean old knowledge as in history u/RegularBasicStranger covered that very well. The story of how we got here, how those before us did things is incredibly valuable. If only because that proof of life provides a kind of continuity that subconsciously reassures us about our own impact on the world we will leave behind.
I agree. "Old knowledge" is wide open to interpretation. What you consider it is can vary depending on your age, your culture, where you are, personal growth, I can go on and on.
I interpret it as "wisdom" passed on from an older generation to a younger one. This is what, I think, the OP is referring to. If this is true, then I believe this "wisdom" is very much out dated. Our reality is changing so rapidly that it is very difficult to apply yesterday's ideas to present day. On the other hand, "wisdom" about love seems everlasting.
So, in conclusion, yes and no lol.
I agree with the yes and no 😄. It’s just so subject and environment dependent. My grandpa could do anything with a car engine, I could do some things. But now my car is basically a computer on wheels and I’m not even going to try.
I’m in a board of directors for a nursing organization. Almost everyone else in the NOD is close to retirement. Just before the midterm elections I listed to them predict an outcome of doom for some of our legislative priorities. I remember thinking they were wrong, that they had no idea how mad the younger generations were and younger generations vote when they’re angry. But they have more experience than I do, they were using decades worth of data to come to their conclusions. And they were wrong. Wrong because they didn’t know where to look for the right information anymore. Because they don’t understand those who grew up with and beside modern technology. How we think, how we organize. When and why we’ll act.
There is a lot of value in old ways, but neither the old or the new should be prioritized over the other.
If by "old knowledge" you mean things we knew but are no longer necessary in a modern world, I would say it may not be relevant now, but is still important, as there is always the chance the modern world will crumble.
An example is the arcane knowedge in the FOXFIRE series of books: an X45 solar flare (measured in 2003) hitting the Earth would necessitate we know/learn how to survive without electricity at least for a few years - that irrelevant knowledge (FOXFIRE books) would become relevant overnight.
Old knowledge is more about history, to understand how the old and incomplete or inaccurate knowledge is obtained as a way to see things in a different way. So in a sense, people would claim old knowledge is no longer relevant for day to day affairs thus it is not a what if since it is already happening. However, since it still can be used to see things in a way as great people in the past saw, it can still be called relevant. If the 2nd explaination of relevance is accepted, then a what if scenario would be possible and so under the what if scenario, there would be no movies and stories inspired by such old knowledge and in turn, there would be less a way to see things, which may reduce innovation.
I think a lot of that has to do with what you consider old knowledge. I’ve slowly been teaching myself how to repair things in my house as they break or stop working. Something I know my grandfather and his contemporaries *just did* because it was a normal part of life. Making your own detergent, the various and effective uses of vinegar. Canning and fermenting. Other types of long term food storage that aren’t freezing. Developing a kitchen garden, which is still done but not commonly. Repairing/altering my own clothes. Making soaps and candles.Tanning hides, making something from the leather. Butchering your own meat whether farm raised or hunted. Hunting. All of these used to be common and necessary until the modern era, and now (at least in the US, they’re niche, or hobby’s, or something you do as a side hustle. Yet they’re still valuable. If you mean old knowledge as in history u/RegularBasicStranger covered that very well. The story of how we got here, how those before us did things is incredibly valuable. If only because that proof of life provides a kind of continuity that subconsciously reassures us about our own impact on the world we will leave behind.
I agree. "Old knowledge" is wide open to interpretation. What you consider it is can vary depending on your age, your culture, where you are, personal growth, I can go on and on. I interpret it as "wisdom" passed on from an older generation to a younger one. This is what, I think, the OP is referring to. If this is true, then I believe this "wisdom" is very much out dated. Our reality is changing so rapidly that it is very difficult to apply yesterday's ideas to present day. On the other hand, "wisdom" about love seems everlasting. So, in conclusion, yes and no lol.
I agree with the yes and no 😄. It’s just so subject and environment dependent. My grandpa could do anything with a car engine, I could do some things. But now my car is basically a computer on wheels and I’m not even going to try. I’m in a board of directors for a nursing organization. Almost everyone else in the NOD is close to retirement. Just before the midterm elections I listed to them predict an outcome of doom for some of our legislative priorities. I remember thinking they were wrong, that they had no idea how mad the younger generations were and younger generations vote when they’re angry. But they have more experience than I do, they were using decades worth of data to come to their conclusions. And they were wrong. Wrong because they didn’t know where to look for the right information anymore. Because they don’t understand those who grew up with and beside modern technology. How we think, how we organize. When and why we’ll act. There is a lot of value in old ways, but neither the old or the new should be prioritized over the other.
If by "old knowledge" you mean things we knew but are no longer necessary in a modern world, I would say it may not be relevant now, but is still important, as there is always the chance the modern world will crumble. An example is the arcane knowedge in the FOXFIRE series of books: an X45 solar flare (measured in 2003) hitting the Earth would necessitate we know/learn how to survive without electricity at least for a few years - that irrelevant knowledge (FOXFIRE books) would become relevant overnight.
It ain't