# We're Not Getting Dumber  ## Metadata - Author: [[Alejandro "Kairon" Arango]] - Full Title: We're Not Getting Dumber - Category: #articles - Summary: insert summary - My notes: - Summary: People worry LLMs are making us dumber, but the evidence is flimsy and based on narrow tasks. Human intelligence shifts with tools and culture, not just rises or falls. We’re not losing smarts — we’re developing different skills and should study those instead. - URL: https://k41r0n.substack.com/p/were-not-getting-dumber - Source File: web-only ## LLM Chats ## NotebookLM ## LLM Audio ## Highlights > The book’s namesake, the Polynesian wayfinders, really took me for a spin when I first found out about them. These navigators developed what's called a "star compass": a mental construct that divides the visual horizon into 32 houses, each separated by 11.25 degrees of arc. To them, water currents and the flow of waves are like highways, complete with proper signaling and entries and exits. They learned to visualize themselves as a constant point in the world, with everything else around them moving towards their destination. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01ke52rp7v6kfkdezcg5hs3r0s)) > "The sum total of all thoughts, dreams, ideas, intuitions, myths and memories brought into being by the human imagination since the dawn of consciousness." ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01ke52tmxxp165tz56x00rvwmx)) > Right now, memorization may be disappearing with the aid of computers, but that doesn't mean we're not developing other types of abilities like critical thinking, asking the right questions, and understanding core needs (because the execution of solutions is increasingly becoming immediate and cheap). ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01ke52x1dye0fykx6qb9byzfp8)) > The Polynesian wayfinders didn't become worse navigators when they started using stick charts to map ocean swells. The ancient Greeks didn't lose their storytelling abilities when they started writing things down (any Aristotle or Plato fans around?). And we're not losing our intelligence when we start using LLMs to handle routine cognitive tasks. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01ke52zzsbgew6kvthq1meqnp9)) > (the often-called third spaces). ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01ke4dznt0v895m3yja2jyaz40)) - Note: Q: Third space? In this context? A: "Third spaces" refers to informal public or communal places outside home (first space) and work/school (second space) — like cafes, parks, clubs — where social interaction and mental stimulation happen; the author argues the lack of such spaces reduces opportunities for richer socialization that shape cognitive development.