Why do we crave useless knowledge? - by bea

the search for inefficient learning in an age of instant answers

(cover photo from Bed and Board (1970) dir. François Truffaut) There are things we learn because we have to: how to read, write, drive, cook, file taxes. Things that help us navigate the world and clearly improve our way of life. But there’s also another kind of knowledge we seek out—facts, stories, and obscure details that serve no real purpose at all. But we collect them anyway, like little artifacts in a museum of useless information. A couple of weeks ago, I posted an article about the forgotten female perfumers of history. I spent weeks piecing it together—digging through obscure…

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• Amy Weng

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