Why Books Don't Convey Details?

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In an essay on why books don't reliably convey detailed information, Professor Andrew Keen points out the false idea that you can come to know a thing by having that knowledge directly transmitted into you. In some sense, books are kind of imagining, or an author'skind of imagining, that they can write an explanation of a thing and then they'll come to know it. And actually the medium itself doesn't do much to convey what else must be done in order to learn.

Software Engineer Andy Matuschak talks about his essay "Why Books Don't Work" with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Matuschak argues that most books rely on transmissionism, the idea that an author can share an idea in print and the reader will absorb it. And yet after reading a non-fiction book, most readers will struggle to remember any of the ideas in the book. Matuschak argues for a different approach to transmitting ideas via the web including different ways that authors or teachers can test for understanding that will increase the chances of retention and mastery of complex ideas.