They have refined it and passed it along to their heirs. When our descendants no longer read, they lose more than just the enjoyment of their literary heritage. They lose their history, their culture, and their identity. Certainly, this can all be digitized and made available on the Net. Birkerts shouts no.
Digital information is ephemeral both in form and in meaning.
As the characters flicker on and off the screen, the substance also flickers. The reader expects the data to change quickly over time. This is fine when you want the weather forecast or today's Dow-Jones averages. But Birkerts feels that it does not work for items that are meant to be carved in stone, preserved on parchment, or encased in buckram. When books were rare, the reader was highly focused, and consumed each treasure with intensity.