this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2024
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To what degree? I know how to plug inputs into my tv and turn it on, I have no idea how the TV actually works. I know how to flip a light switch, I don't understand how to wire a house.
You should know to the extent that you're using it, not the other way around. You should understand that the house is wired, and you don't know how to wire it, and that the light in that bulb is from fire, not wizard shit. Maybe also where to find books on how to wire a house.
The light in the bulb is most certainly not from fire.
If its an actual bulb? Yes it is. But nowadays, no probably not, but you get the point.
Yeah, light emitting diodes don't work like traditional incandescents. I suppose you could say that a filament bulb is a controlled fire, at the most simplistic and basic level, but that's a misrepresentation of what's really happening. The filament heats up to a very high temperature, causing it to glow and emit light. This process is known as incandescence, and it involves heating a material until it emits light, rather than burning or combustion, which would involve a chemical reaction with oxygen to produce fire. The bulb is filled with an inert gas or a vacuum to prevent the filament from burning up due to oxidation.
Fair. I think to the extent of "if you use a web browser you have to know what HTTP is". Not really how it works, just being conscious of the technology in use.
But how does my IE chromes the google bing?
Knowing what HTTP is has 0 effect on someone's ability to use the internet. Knowing what web browsers and search engines are does.
The idea is it's a litmus test for tech literacy. It doesn't have to be relevant to the daily browsing experience, it would just ensure that everyone on the internet knows what things like cookies are and what they actually do.
It's like not bothering to learn what an engine is before learning to drive a car.
The problem with your examples is that they do affect the user's ability to use the tech in question, and the same can't be said for HTTP. If there isn't a clear benefit to knowing something, then making it a requirement is just an artificial gate and an unnecessary burden. For example, pharmacists don't withhold your prescriptions because you don't understand a drug's mechanism of action, but they do make sure you understand the risks and any drug interactions. Airlines don't force you to learn how their planes create lift, but they do educate you on what to do in an emergency. I don't see why tech should be any different from those 2.
Why don't you understand those things? Both are technologies that have existed for your entire life. You've never been curious how either of them work? I'm biased because I'm a naturally inquisitive person, but I can't imagine being surrounded by things I don't understand. You can learn about both of them in less than a single evening, and your life will be richer because of it.
My point is there are plenty of things people use every day and don't fully understand the mechanisms behind them. That is the benefit of society having people with expertise.
The average person doesn't need to know how springs are formed, the chemical make up of the metal involved, the process of cutting trees, harvesting their lumber, cutting it into planks, how to make screws, how to weave cloth, how to create the thread for the weaving, or how to collect the materials for the thread, all in order to sleep in a bed.
Do that for every item you use on a daily basis and you see how it becomes impossible. There's always more you can learn and one person can't learn everything.