Yes -and no.
Yes, we go intimidatingly far in writing about how and when and with what to shave and how and when and with what to maintain our gear, where to buy it etcetera. We sometimes make this look like an exact and advanced science, or an art that needs years and years of apprenticeship before any noteworthy proficiency in it may be expected. Especially where we chill newcomers' cold feet a bit further.
No, there can be no end to our strife for an ever better shave and ever better understanding of it - and ever more joy in the process.
That said, I think we must be careful in our assertions of how our edges compare to those of years yonder. Yes, we may have easy access to more and more expensive and more advanced tools, and we talk and write about it a great deal more, and quantify and standardize. But that doesn't mean our edges are sharper.
Never underestimate the skills of oldfashioned craftsmen. Someone who learned by doing as a years long apprentice, and then spent years using one razor, one stone, and one strop (or just few of each) on a semi-daily basis, under close scrutiny from demanding customers, surely, surely had a far better understanding of that razor and the sharpness of its edge than the vast majority of us could ever hope to acquire of one of his?