He cites concerns about the invention of printing in the 1600s: “Should the Egyptians learn to write… it will implant forgetfulness in their souls: they will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is written”.Nicholas Carr quotes the Egyptian King Thamus, resisting the spread of writing, in Plato’s Phaedrus written in 400 B.C.: At the same time, it fosters shallow thinking and encourages us to flit from one thing to another.

What’s that damage this time? Nicholas Carr’s primary thesis is that our interaction with computers and phones erodes our ability to concentrate on anything. At each stage, people expressed concern that new-fangled technology would bring not only gains but also harmful effects. The book explores past revolutions in the way humans interact with information – from the invention of writing, through the evolution of maps and clocks, to the arrival of the printing press. A similar trade-off may well take place as we automate the work of the mind.” “When a ditchdigger trades his shovel for a backhoe,” Carr writes, “his arm muscles weaken even as his efficiency increases. Required to memorise London’s entire street-map in a test known as “The Knowledge”, they develop greater spatial awareness than others. As one of many examples, he cites the brains of London cab-drivers. Nicholas Carr starts by examining whether experiences can change our brains.

The shallows by nicholas carr