Why does the human knowledge accumulate exponentially?

It is a widely accepted position that the collective human knowledge grows exponentially. But why?

The most common view is that the accumulation of knowledge is primarily driven by advancements in technology and science. The more knowledge there is, the easier it is to produce the next unit of knowledge. Knowledge is largely a non-perishable resource. While it might get outdated, once discovered, it fuels more research (catastrophes such as the loss of the Library of Alexandria are rare and are truly tragic).

The primary drivers are advances that affect our ability to capture data, process, and transform it into knowledge and share knowledge. To name a few inventions: the microscope, discoveries of mathematical theories and new chemical elements, the printing press and the internet, computers, search engines, and now AI. Buckminster Fuller, Ray Kurzweil, and recently, Azeem Azhar have discussed those trends — noting the overlapping exponentials that are fueled by our economic systems.

I noticed that a few elements are getting largely overlooked, particularly relating to past growth. I looked at the data across several data points starting with the invention of the Gutenberg printing press and progressing towards the present day.

Anyone who has ever played Sid Meyer’s Civilization will find these drivers of knowledge accumulation intuitive, but not all of us are avid gamers.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population: In 1450, the world had about 400 million people. In 1900, the population was 1.7 billion. But today, we are over 8 billion people. Longevity also plays a role. A large portion of the population did not make it to an age where they could produce knowledge and had fewer productive years. This leads to a x25 fold increase in knowledge productivity from the sheer number of people available.

✍️ Literacy: The ability to consume knowledge and disseminate it starts with the ability to read. Of course, further education plays a significant role, but it builds on top of this most foundational block. Literacy stood at roughly 10% worldwide in the fifteenth century and even in the 1960s was below 50% of the world population. Today, we seem to be at around 90%. This is another x10 factor of productivity relative to the 15th century.

⌛ Free Time: Up until recently, most people were spending most of their time working in agriculture or on household chores. The world still has about a quarter of the people employed in agriculture, but e.g. in the US, agriculture employs only 1.7% of the population. Household chores took 58 hours per household in 1900 vs. 18 hours in 1975. The free time has been to a significant extent shifted towards knowledge-intensive work. This factor is not independent of literacy, but could provide a x5-x10 multiplier.

These reasons alone might give a 1000-fold knowledge velocity increase relative to the past.

Any other mundane, but critical factors I’m missing?