Here is my view: there is a lot of information that is unnecessary if you know the basics. Take for example mathematics: if you learn well the basics of analysis, number theory, geometry, and combinatorics, everything else is noise that you can pick up if needed. Learn philosophy and you will see that most new ideas are not really new anyway. Read the classics. These are the basics that give you perspective so that you don't need to read every scrap of "new" information out there, and concentrate only on what you need.