The Next Enlightenment
Johannes Gutenberg invented a machine to copy scripture. But what he actually created was an accelerant for ideas.
Johannes Gutenberg invented a machine to copy scripture. But what he actually created was an accelerant for ideas. The printing press pulled knowledge out of monasteries and put it in the hands of ordinary people, and in doing so it gave rise to schools, libraries, and scientific breakthroughs.
And we find ourselves in a similar moment today.
Today, I want you to see two pieces that capture the promise and peril of what comes next.
The Next Enlightenment wrestles with the nature of knowledge itself, drawing on history and grappling with the question: when creation costs us nothing, what is the value of what we create?
Then there’s The Man Mapping Hidden Cures with AI –– an interview with Dr. David Fajgenbaum. David was dying at 25 from a disease no one could treat. So he turned his research skills on himself and found a drug that saved his life –– a drug that already existed. Now he’s unlocking cures that have been there all along, waiting for someone to connect the dots.
Onward,
Sharon McMahon, Editor-in-Chief
P.S. We’re working on a series about healthcare in America for next week’s issue of The Preamble. We’re looking at insurance, access, costs, the whole system, and I need your stories. Send us a letter about what you’ve experienced or what you wish people understood.
This was excellent.