We can’t circumvent the work needed to train our minds

Core value of internalized knowledge and intuition

• Many compare the issue to math: calculators are useful, but number sense and “back-of-the-envelope” skills are essential for spotting nonsense and quickly reasoning about the world.
• Similar arguments for other domains: you need enough background to gauge what’s plausible, sanity‑check outputs (Excel, AI, search), and not just trust black‑box results.

Critique of “you must remember everything”

• Several commenters think the article overreaches: you don’t need exhaustive knowledge to get good results in areas like fitness or exercise programming; “good enough” plus consistency often beats theoretical optimization.
• Others reframe it as hyperbole: you don’t literally need to remember everything, but the more you have internalized, the better you can think and the less you’re bottlenecked by lookup.
• Emphasis from many on conceptual models, tacit knowledge, and “knowing the map” rather than recalling all details.

AI, search, and the BS detector

• Broad agreement that firing and forgetting the first Google/LLM answer is bad; prior knowledge is needed to assess sources and detect hallucinations.
• Some argue AI is helpful for vague queries and as a brainstorming partner, but should be seen as a starting point that you verify, not a final authority.
• Distinction drawn between using AI to replace thinking vs. using it to automate rote work and free time for harder thought.

Phones, attention, and younger generations

• One subthread claims smartphones are damaging foundational abilities (attention, navigation, creativity), citing multiple studies and linking this to long‑term cognitive decline.
• Others push back: evidence is mostly about distraction, anxiety, or early childhood screen overuse, not clear IQ drops in teens; factors like weakened schooling and Covid disruption are proposed alternatives.
• There’s also debate over “digital natives”: some say they’re more skeptical of legacy propaganda; others counter they just shift trust to new influencers and niches.

Memory tools, education, and limits of memorization

• Mixed views on Zettelkasten, Anki, and rote learning: some find them powerful for building mental frameworks; others report burnout and little marginal benefit.
• Several note humans have always offloaded memory to tools (writing, books, songs), and that judgment, not raw recall, is now the key scarce resource.
• A recurring theme: internal training of the mind is unavoidable, but what you must remember is mostly foundations, patterns, and “BS filters,” not every fact.