What's Left to Explore?

Are we approaching the end of new discoveries? We can now locate almost everything on this planet on Google Maps; string theory, which may be the theory of everything, has already been proposed; touch screens and electric automobiles are being mass produced; and almost all species of living organisms have already been documented. But if one were to ask me, so what's there left to explore? My answer: Everything, again. 

I think we would only deceive ourselves by mixing access to knowledge, with knowing itself. Even with the fastest and easiest access to a wealth of knowledge (on websites like Wikipedia), without reading and understanding these resources we would be no more enlightened than our grandparents who've never had such conveniences. The fact is that your grandmother is a better cook than you - yes, because she has more experience in cooking. But she would have learned how to cook from her mother, or peers, who would have limited knowledge on cooking than what we have access to today: Youtube cooking videos.

Nevertheless, thousands of Youtube videos and websites on cooking won't make you a better cook. Only after you have seen, read and practised those cooking techniques and recipes, then only you'd be a good cook. This is why it is important to distinguish access to knowledge, with knowing itself. The fact is, we have so many things to explore for ourselves today that it's just mind-boggling even to think about simple things like how does our computer screen work?

Of course, we can't all be expected to learn nuclear physics, or study genetics - we all have other things to do. We would assign the task of exploration to explorers: researchers in their respective fields. And we may admit any new discovery to be an achievement for all mankind. 

Mankind may have already made many great discoveries, but are these the ultimate truths?* That's something for each of us to explore. 




*What? It's easy to imagine questioning the truths of scientific theories, etc. But how do we question the 'ultimate truths' of modern technology? Isn't the fact that these machines can function is enough to make us believe that they are 'true'? Actually there is another important question to ask about modern technology, that is if they are so good, why do they tend to break down so easily? And what would be the solution to this problem?