The Jevons Paradox of Knowledge

Efficiency does not reduce consumption of a resource. It explodes it.

AI has collapsed the cost of accessing vast textual traditions, deep knowledge, and complex information to near zero. What once required years of specialized training and rare libraries is now instant on a phone.

The bottleneck has shifted. Access is no longer the constraint. The new limit is chiddush - the creation of genuine new insight that surfaces hidden structure always latent in the material.

Abundance does not satisfy desire. It expands it. Cheap consultation creates explosive demand for original synthesis and creation from the now abundant raw knowledge.

The vocation of the learner moves from passive consumption to active baking: turning abundant wheat into nourishing insight and building the communities that sustain it.

This is a premium philosophical gem that expands how people think about AI’s real long-term impact: https://x.com/i/status/2054168204658815070