The Speed of Change

Posted by Jim Connolly on 2 June, 2010  Email This Post -  Print This Post

If we assume that all of the knowledge that mankind had accumulated by the year 1 AD equaled 1 unit of information, how long does it take to double that knowledge?  Keep in mind, this original 1 unit of knowledge includes Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Homer, etc.

According to Dr. Daniel Johnston, a Clinical Psychologist practicing in Macon, Georgia:

• The original 1 unit of knowledge took 1500 years to double
• The next doubling (2 units to 4 units) took only 250 years (1750 AD)
• The next doubling took 150 years (1900 AD)
• The doubling speed has now reached 1 - 2 years

We wonder why we have difficulty keeping up.