Veracity in the old cliche

Reductive materialism or…?

Prologue: Let’s do a little philosophy. Let’s fiddle with thoughts a bit.

‎"No knowledge is lost". A pithy expression we’ve heard from various individuals - mostly elder - to the extent it became trite. ‎I did not fully grasp the veracity of the statement until now. I did not comprehend the heft of its undertone that it’s not us that stays around in the end but knowledge - an uncommon perspective. ‎Now, it appears knowledge is the only thing or one of the few things immune to death. What’s death if not the symbolic culmination of highly degraded proteins unable to carry on their respective functions?

Accrescing over and across generations, refined and tweaked with every new research, theory, debunking, discovery etc. It is bequeathed over to subsequent generations on and on. It stays around. It eludes death. ‎Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene implied that the gene is the only thing immune to death. What’s the gene if not a biological encoding of ‎information? ‎Is knowledge not information appreciated, appraised and awared of? My knowledge of Mathematics can only exist as I do but Mathematics itself will outlive me. Same is my knowledge of muscle contraction. Mathematics and Physiology will still be studied in the next century to come.

Knowledge will grow while zillions of humans will pass on. ‎Ergo, we’re nothing but an ephemeral passer-by in comparison to this perennial, colossal mound of information. Brisk-walking through earth while knowledge ensconces itself here perpetually. ‎ ‎So yes, eventually knowledge isn’t lost because it’s impervious to death. ‎‎It’s you and I that would get lost. ‎