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  2. www.derekthompson.org www.derekthompson.org
    The End of Thinking
    11
    1. zandermorris 23 Sep 2026
      In a viral essay entitled “The dawn of the post-literate society and the end of civilization,” the author James Marriott writes about the decline of thinking in mythic terms that would impress Edward Gibbon.
      1. Describes a world if we become illiterate, where there will be no creativity and people will not know as much about the world as we do now. Thompson disagrees with this. he thinks the results would be less drastic.
    2. zandermorris 23 Sep 2026
      , told
      1. This quote describes an interesting dilemma in which medical students have been encouraged to used AI to diagnose patients. this asks the question if these student will truly be "doctors" or just people who are good at prompting AI.
    3. zandermorris 23 Sep 2026
      proven out by several studies that found that students on their phones take fewer notes and retain less information from class. Other research has shown that “task-switching” between social media and homework is correlated with lower GPAs and that students whose cellphones are taken away in experimental settings do better on tests.
      1. These quotes describe the correlation of phone use and educational success. creating another way that technology can hinder education and literacy. Thompson uses the quotes to give another view reason as to why scores are lower than in the past.
    5. zandermorris 23 Sep 2026
      has declined by nearly 50 percent since the 2000s. In another essay observing that "American students are getting dumber," Matt Yglesias quoted the education writer Chad Aldeman, who has noted that declines in 12th grade scores are concentrated among the worst-performing students.
      1. These Quotes are also used to provide evidence of declines in literacy. Thompson agrees with these
    6. zandermorris 23 Sep 2026
      lled National Report Card pu
      1. Thompson uses these statistics to show that average reading scores are at an 32-year low, backing up the point that human brainpower has past it's "peak" from the last quote and providing concrete evidence of such.
    7. zandermorris 23 Sep 2026
      wonder
      1. uses this quote to show other people are seeing the decline in literacy. creates an idea that humans might have reached peak brain power at a similar time to the advancement of AI. Thompson agrees with this quote
    8. zandermorris 23 Sep 2026
      The End of Thinking
      1. Thompson is trying to convince you not to fall into the trap that AI models are a direct substitute to reading and writing. He urges you to do your own work and research as the use of AI deprives you of the cognition you gain from doing things yourself. I think Thompson does a good job of this. Im convinced that AI will have negative effects on the human population if used as the main resource for reading and writing. I think his use of personal example to describe time under tension was a smart and easy way to explain a rather complex topic. as someone who spends time in the gym it made a lot more sense to me. I think literary techniques like this allow for a fun, but also simple way to explain topics.
    9. zandermorris 23 Sep 2026
      Do not let stories on the rise of “thinking machines” distract you from the real cognitive challenge of our time. It is the decline of thinking people.Share
      1. addressing the reader on a personal level, reaching out to someone interested in "thinking machines" and the future of them and how people should use them.
    10. zandermorris 23 Sep 2026
      The End of Thinking
      1. Thompson is making the argument that AI will be harmful to humans, only if we lean on it as a crutch. If people to continue to use AI as a direct substitute to reading, writing, research, etc, we will continue to lose those skills and reach a point where we are fully reliant on it. I think this is his main point as he describes the statistics around literacy and the decline of reading and writing. followed by why they matter.
    11. zandermorris 23 Sep 2026
      The message is: “YOU HAVE 18 MONTHS.”By the summer of 2027, they say, AI’s explosion in capabilities will leave carbon-based life forms in the dust. Up to “half of all entry-level white-collar jobs” will be wiped out, and even Nobel Prize-worthy minds will cower in fear once AI’s architects have built a “country of geniuses in a datacenter.”
      1. Thompson uses these quotes to create an image of a dystopian world with an "AI overlord" that is being portrayed by noble minds. This is a scary thought, one that relies on AI and lacks human guidance. Thompson then goes on to explain why he disagrees with this prediction, expressing that his true worry is that these thinking machines will lead to a decline in human thinking.
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    derekthompson.org/p/the-end-of-thinking