I have long been of the school of thought that knowledge is empowering. The more information one has about the circumstances one finds oneself in, the more helpful it is.
Our transport systems have taken this on board too. Increasingly, when faced with inevitable delays and cancellations, particularly on our train network, information comes across a tannoy system explaining the causes in lots of detail, concluding in announcing the likely time you will be delayed. Psychologists have recognised that anxiety and frustration in passengers is reduced when people are told that their train will be x number of minutes late rather than left hoping constantly for the arrival of a train. This makes sense; it enables you to make a decision for alternative travel or to go for coffee resigned to the long delay, or continue to wait.
However, having knowledge is not always helpful or empowering.
Have we lost confidence in the Bible?
Google’s Ngram Viewer is a fun way to waste time online. You can search Google’s book database and discover how …