To think is to forget.

To think is to forget a difference, to generalize, to abstract.(Jorge Luis Borges)

This quote is from the short story "Funes el Memorioso", dating back to 1944,about a young man named Ireneo Funes who, after an accident, gains the ability to remember everything in vivid detail, ultimately discovering that such perfect memory is more of a curse than a blessing.

Ever since I read that piece it kept me wondering if this is not exactly the direction our world is steering into. Our technological advances help us to remember more than we would without them. (And I am not even talking about computer/brain interfaces here.)But does this support us? Or is there a limit to that support in such a way that it keeps us from thinking by displaying and reminding us of every single detail?

Especially when it comes to my field of futures. There are such great advancements in the application of AI for horizon scanning, scenario building, and beyond. How can we ensure that we use the time spared to forget and think for ourselves? How do we design Futures Work processes, that ensure this balance?I cut the second half of the quote above:"En el abarrotado mundo de Funes no había sino detalles, casi inmediatos."In the overly replete world of Funes, there were nothing but details, almost immediate.

I feel we are there - drowning in details. Almost immediate.

Just thinking.

Hi,

I am Eva Tomas Casado, futurist by nature, engineer by training, and philosopher by heart. With Simple Thinking I am exploring the intersections of these three realms to deduct and induce new ways of acting on futures. Join me!