Well, in this case, I imagine they mean by shredding books after scanning them. Since that's what's happening.

That's not consuming knowledge, that's consuming cellulose and ink. If it were, then printing another copy of a book would be "producing knowledge".

BRB, going to do "programming" by copying source files to another directory. Look how productive I can be.

When the refcount goes to zero the knowledge is consumed. Your take is overlay pedantic without benefit.

Both definitions of knowledge creation can used. If one creates a book and it is never read, has it been produced? Isn't knowledge also its access and how widely it is disseminated?

> Your take is overlay pedantic without benefit.

The benefit is that it properly mocks a misleading framing.

> If one creates a book and it is never read, has it been produced?

If one destructively scans a book that will never be read, has anything been lost?

Then say what you mean, instead of having coy false confusion and this addled manic line of conversation.

Very little was gained.