seeds of knowledge I do not know
not how do you represent the whole
human knowledge
for my part I see them as a
huge forest all of us are
a piece of this forest and the
plants the trees we leave
push on this plot are the
know that we have enough mastery to
to be able to teach them to others
there are plants that grow
spontaneously by contact as
cooking or DIY recipes
others who ask to be sown
sometimes in childhood by school or
the university there are trees
astronomy trees literature
medieval
there are trees whose fruits are
indispensable for the material survival of
humanity are trees of science and
technology
there are others whose wood is so
solid that it allows to build
extremely durable houses these are
wisdom trees and finally trees
in the only utility is to produce
beautiful flowers with fragrance
delicious they are art trees and
poetry
the seeds that gives life to these
trees are books
some books and more we read and
we read his books over the trees
in us grow up and then we are
many to read his books over the forest
extends and protects us
today in 2050
this threatened forest she almost was
completely destroyed whole sections of
knowledge is lost
technologies we thought mastered
are forgotten we are unable to
produce some antibiotics
we are unable to send a
satellite in space the forest of
knowledge must absolutely be
replanted but how in 2050
books have become extremely rare
most have burned in chafing stoves
fortune to warm up during the
war
these books are survivors like you
like me this one for example a
exemplary thoughts of pascal blaise
blaise pascal mathematicians physicists
mystic philosopher inventor of this
small calculating machine in the brass
pascaline considered the ancestor of
all computers and it’s less
known public transport contractors
with the carrasso 5 soil this man was
a forest all by itself
we took it as a model for
our school because if a school has to
produce seeds of humanity if she
must train men and women
able to rebuild the world if he
was falling apart
so today in 2050 a school must
to form polymath polymath polymath
polished several polymathe several
know someone who excel
in several areas of knowledge
our pot limit school is in
a small village far from the cities near
of a farm we welcome
children from diverse backgrounds often
orphans of war as many girls as
of boys all wear the same for
points will want are less and if your
child joins us maybe he does not
will not become pascal blaise
there is only one paschal blaise but
undoubtedly here he will develop a
concentration power out of
common an extraordinary memory and a
rightness of reasoning that you
could quickly find exasperating
as a parent yes here we
let’s develop the talent you find that
may be a little exaggerated to ask
as much to children yet
children are capable of prodigy
if they are asked and you too
you would be becoming
poles imad if like them you had
joined a school where we are concerned about
this talent but like me you were born
before the war before the war the
talent was suspicious we are wary of
talent have left fallow and he
always ended up withering
before the war the omnipresence of
machines give us the right to be a
lazy and ask little
talent to ours and to that of others
before the war the knowledge
was not stored on brains
of children she was not stored in
books she was stored in a
network of networks a network so much
robust
that we ended up entrusting him
all information every
communications family photos
telephone conversations
bank statements transactions
financial operations of the factories
and even that of power plants
what a beautiful way since the
pascaline
it was the most gigantic library
knowledge never built by
men and we all had access
without restriction for free at any
moment and more this library
grew up and I humans we
envied and needed to learn
and remember why remember
exactly this machine was eternal in
believe her designers she did not have to
never defect men vanity
would have said pascal blaise
internet fell 1 Tuesday morning at 7:25
and with him all the networks that him
were connected from near and far
for a reason we will not know
I never remember it very well
I was a little boy at the time I
I had breakfast
prepared at school my mother was very
worried that morning she had lit
television
on television we were told about a
escalation of violence between two
superpowers in the peaceful zone
suddenly images on television that’s
frozen and very soon after in hen
on the ceiling and television itself
are extinguished by all was black to
inside the apartment in
outside in the street my mom got
thrown on his cellphone for
use it as a flashlight
but his phone was not working anymore
normally and quickly too
this state know the rest
everything fell at the same time the networks
the communications the currencies the
trust and no one was there to
revive this machine the men of the
cities in their anger have ransacked everything
then all fire the banks and the
bankers the ministers in their
ministry and even libraries
when we founded this school
all the teachers got together and
we asked ourselves the question
what is essential
truly a man what is that
we must transmit in priority to
these young polymathe the will said the
professor of philosophy they will need
a brazen will to submit to
all these learning the memory said
the history teacher it will take them
an extraordinary memory worthy of
those the scholars the rebirth
the reason said the professor of
maths laughing it would be a
good thing that do not stuff the
head with too many mistakes and falsehoods
even though they would be printed in
books will memory reason that’s it
the bedrock of learning our
young polymathe will envy
to learn and the most capital
precious of a child is also the most
fragile here every child is followed by
a prefect of studies
the prefect is there to reassure him
to encourage him but also for the
push in its entrenchments for
that they continue to experiment
to explore all areas in
which he might want to
excellent and we are often shy
finally
his own talent these are the prefects
who also teach them techniques
concentration we have
point of breathing techniques very
simple so that they can get started
work effortlessly and maintain the
constant concentration for a few
hours but I must have heard you
that some of our students were able
to recite the iliad of homer and the
divine comedy of dante harker it’s
true and you too would be
maybe able if as you had
been introduced to the arts of memory in
our school we teach them to
build memory palaces a
memory palace is a mental space
in which they learn to tidy up
their memories and their learning
when they arrive here their calais
is not bigger than their room
when they leave us the palace is
become such a vast architecture and
organized that a cathedral ready to
receive a very large library
reason every new world that one
new pact with reason
the logic that we teach our
students is triple the language gic
that of men
mathematical logic that of nature
finally computer logic that of
machines we teach them c3 logis
with as much depth but I do not
will talk about that language and spa the
language that depends future peace between
men here we teach them to
detect any form of lie
approximations and special effects in
speeches for them to forbid
by themselves the practical work
this fund from a few treasure
copies of newspapers printed before
war are mines of treasures
approximations and special effects then
will memory reason once we
we put this base is good for the child
can finally start learning
learn what will you ask me
learn everything learn everything
what his talent will carry I will you
reassures his children remain children
they play sports he plays a lot at
balloon at the skipping rope at 1000 games
that I would be very sorry for you
describe but if you ask them this
that he prefers in our school I believe
that many of you will talk about our
walks in the forest the forest the real
she and outside very close
not without the presence everywhere in
school she helps us to do
understand to children something
simple but very powerful treasure
the most valuable of our school is
not in the library
he is not in the machines either
that we teach them to build and
to repair no the treasure is there outside
in this forest in all that lives
so on Saturday morning we take the
kids for this walk for their
learn to watch the forest grow the
rule is to never say a single
word it’s a silent walk in
this forest he sees all kinds of
very varied tree plants sees
also deer animals
hedgehogs foxes one day we
had taken to observe some
young ferns when suddenly a wolf
came out of the undergrowth
I sent an arm to try the
protect I looked at the kids but
none of them mouth
none of them said a word are
remained silent watching the wolf and the
wolf in response watched them he
bowed his head as if to greet them and
then he went to send these young people
polymath it’s grain of humanity will be
soon build whole cities
build all the machines but for
nothing in the world they would leave
destroy an acre of the same forest
to make books cherish the
knowledge thanks
[Applause]
[Music]
”
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