Response to The Melancholy of Anatomy

In Wendell Berry's "The Melancholy of Anatomy", he says, "We have accumulated a massive collection of 'information' to which we may have 'access.' But this information does not become knowledge by being accessible" (14). This statement was a little bit surprising to me because with all the up to date information that we're able to get our hands on today, I personally feel that information is much easier to retain. Just because information in today's world is seen through Berry's eyes as being easily accessible does not mean that it's the wrong way to retain it. For me as a college student, and I'm sure the majority of college students could advocate for this as well, information you can receive at the palm of your hand is much better than reading through pages of a textbook.

We live in a world where most people get their information through technological devices, such as iPhone's and laptops. This is because it is much easier and much less time consuming this way, and I don't necessarily agree with Berry's points that he makes after reading his thoughts. Berry also goes into detail about the importance science has played in the development of our military by stating, "There are, we know, scientists who are properly scrupulous, responsible, and critical, who call attention to the dangers of oversold and under-tested products, and who are almost customarily ignored" (14). Berry acknowledges the fact that there have been negatives to science, but he does point out later the role science has played in the military industrial complex.

Berry points out that we should be in suspicion of the role that science plays in our world because the products are costly to consumers and bring power to governments and profit to certain organizations. At the conclusion of Berry's essay, he advocates for the health of the context in which we're retaining out information, whether it be "the body, the community, the ecosystem" (15), he just wants to gain knowledge in a healthy manner.