--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The normal way of gathering information…" description: "\"The normal way of gathering information is through sound: when you hear information that you want to gather, you look in its direction, you see what it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/gordon-hempton-18344_committed_the-normal-way-of-gathering-information_876742.jpg" --- # The normal way of gathering information is through sound… ![“The normal way of gathering information is through sound: when you hear information that you want to gather, you look in its direction, you see what it is, if you choose you can get closer, you can see it, you can touch, and then, finally, the most committed form of data gathering is to taste it…” quote by Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/gordon-hempton-18344_committed_the-normal-way-of-gathering-information_876742.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/gordon-hempton-18344_committed_the-normal-way-of-gathering-information_876742.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/gordon-hempton-18344_committed_the-normal-way-of-gathering-information_876742.jpg) > “The normal way of gathering information is through sound: when you hear information that you want to gather, you look in its direction, you see what it is, if you choose you can get closer, you can see it, you can touch, and then, finally, the most committed form of data gathering is to taste it and eat it. But for the urbanite, we're cut off from our primary sense, and I want to stress that - our primary sense of gathering information about the place that we're living in - and instead, we're in a war zone.” [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Urban dwellers rely on sight and touch for information, but modern city life limits these senses, making understanding the environment feel hostile. **In simple terms:** City life blocks natural senses, making knowledge feel like a war. Key Takeaway Seek alternative ways to sense your surroundings. Themes urbanization sensory loss environmental awareness Mood reflective concerned Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - city planning - architecture - personal navigation - education - technology Key Concepts perception cognitive mapping adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How can you reclaim sensory connection in a city? - What tools can augment your perception? A Different Perspective Physical senses are still vital; digital tools can't fully replace them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War zone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-zone/) [You choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you-choose/) ## Related quotes > [“leap in the ability to process and data. 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McRaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-mcraven/) ## More by Gordon Hempton > [Acoustic ecology is the study of information systems: the shared acoustic environment and how species send and receive messages in this shared acoustic environment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/acoustic-ecology-is-the-study-of-information-systems-the-shared/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [If you're listening to a symphony, you're getting all the information, including the audience around you, the delay from the sides of the concert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/if-you-re-listening-to-a-symphony-you-re-getting-all-the-information/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [The earth has continued to change, from rapid climatic changes that have caused the glaciers and the ice sheets to basically bulldoze the landscape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/the-earth-has-continued-to-change-from-rapid-climatic-changes-that/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [You can listen to a birdsong, and from the content of the birdsong, you will be able to determine whether or not the bird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/you-can-listen-to-a-birdsong-and-from-the-content-of-the-birdsong-you/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [You don't really need to engage your visual sense, because the natural wiring of the human psyche is to monitor the environment through sound,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/you-don-t-really-need-to-engage-your-visual-sense-because-the-natural/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [Quiet is the element of discerning what is essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/quiet-is-the-element-of-discerning-what-is-essential/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [I believe that our distant nomadic ancestors came forward and survived because they could hear distant, faint birdsong as an acoustic navigational beacon, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/i-believe-that-our-distant-nomadic-ancestors-came-forward-and/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [How are we going to know what sounds are important before we've even heard those sounds? 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