The long term limitations of knowledge

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If the development of knowledge in various fields keeps going at a certain constant rate, then in some centuries' time how could people study the whole of a subject in a single lifetime? (Unless, of course, medical science improves to such an extent that time isn't an average of 80.)

Even now it's impossible to cover the entirety of a field in detail, they get split into smaller and smaller more isolated sections. A lot of big discoveries come from when scientist cross over from there little safe havens especially in psysics and maths.

Thread moved from Random Discussion to Computers, Maths, Science and Technology

Sometimes new knowledge invalidates old knowledge, and sometimes improved solutions make old ones obsolete. Also, there's always abstraction...

as Evinceo poited out abstraction allows us to fit several concepts under more general concepts, some people also reach a treshhol where their accumulated knowledge allows for easy learning of even comlicated ideas, they have the framework to build upon.

we arent required to remember in the same level of detail either, since computers allow us to have a vat array of precise data at our fingertips in a way we havent had before, that in itself is a large factor in why the rate of gained knowledge is accelerating.

if we talk about raw data we are currently creating more data very two weeks than existed throughout human history till the year 2005, cant remember where i saw that particular fact or even if its true, the general gist of it probably is nonetheless.

the myth of progress would have this fictive entity "knowledge" growing on an upcurve without restraint or limit.
just like other things that look good on this curve.
i myself regard it like the multiplication of bacteria, as a cautionary tale.
every culture regards itself as the repository of all necessary wisdom, & whatever it lacks gets pushed beyond some useful horizon of don't-care-to-find-out.
instead of people filling their memories with lore of the tribe, useable skills, & integrated perceptions of their immediate environment, nowadays they stock up with media products, imaginary worlds, & cultivated triviality. i doubt if this fits us for any survival outside of this moment in time which will surely end in most of our lifetimes.
we won't even have maps or encyclopedias by then.