>[!abstract] >McLuhan’s amputation is a speculative consequence of our [[cognitive offloading]]. As new technological innovations extend our physical and mental selves, our bodies and minds may experience atrophy or even some form of the [[Dunning-Kruger effect]]. For example, the calculator might dull our basic mental arithmetic skills, GPS devices might dull our natural spatial mapping and navigational abilities, and access to LLMs might lead us to the impression that we know more than we really do. >[!quote] >There is a fear that new technologies are making us stupid. GPS apps are shrinking our hippocampus (or in other ways eroding our unaided navigational abilities); easy online search is making us think we know (unaided) more than we do; multitasking with streaming media is driving down our native attention span and (possibly) affecting grey matter density in anterior cingulate cortex. […] > >In Plato’s Phaedrus, written around 370BC, we find a clear statement of the fear that new-fangled inventions such as reading and writing will have catastrophic effects on human memory. The fear was that these innovations would lead to lazy minds. […] > >Empirical studies have shown that the use of online search can lead people to judge that they know more “in the biological brain“ than they actually do, and can make people over-estimate how well they would perform under technologically unaided quiz condition ([[Clark (2025)|Clark, 2025, p. 1]]). >[!related] >- **North** (upstream): — >- **West** (similar): — >- **East** (different): — >- **South** (downstream): —