“Knowledge is power.”
This was quoted by Francis Bacon in his book ‘Meditationes Sacrae and Human Philosophy’ during 1597, but is rooted from a proverb in Sanskrit — an ancient Indian language¹.
“There is no comparison between a king and a scholar, as the king is celebrated only in his country, whereas, a scholar is celebrated everywhere.”²
These words contain the meaning that “knowledge is more powerful than physical strength and no great work can be done without knowledge.”³ Knowledge is indeed powerful, and people are able to achieve their goals and outstanding results by using knowledge — if one aimed to become a doctor in the future, then knowledge of scientific terms and other information related to this field are needed in order for that individual to succeed.
Knowledge also sits on top of a throne. The idea of knowledge is integrated within education, as teachers emphasise the importance of revision, pumping knowledge after knowledge into students’ brains to prepare them for exams. The results of these exams, through the use of knowledge, then determines those who are top-achievers and under-achievers. Typically, students with the best grades are considered to be the ‘winners’ as they are deemed to be people who will go on to achieve the best out of everyone.
Let’s be real, a student with low grades probably won’t get accepted into Oxford or Cambridge when compared to a student whose grades are skyrocketing across the whole of space. This is when we realise that having knowledge is important if you want to achieve the best in education.
Of course, knowledge about life is important too — how will we become wiser to educate future generations without it? Without knowledge about life, we wouldn’t know about the changing seasons, the process of a seed growing into a plant, what to do when you have your first heartbreak or when you pop your first pimple… Knowledge comes with life experiences, and for most, it shapes who they become as they grow older.
There are also the simple things that enable us to have power when we have knowledge. For example, when we have knowledge on self-defense, although something physical, we instantly have power over those with the intention to harm us.
The idea of using one’s own knowledge for encouraging the goodness in society to thrive, has not gone unnoticed. There are individuals who use their knowledge to help those in need. For example, Hippocrates, known to be the founder of medicine, studied the human body — his medical practice was then based on these observations. He then proceeded to share his knowledge by opening a medical school in order to teach his ideas⁴.
And then there are innovative ideas creating the modern world that we know today.
“We started out to get a computer in the hands of everyday people, and we succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.” — Steve Jobs⁵.
Everybody knows Apple and almost everyone in the world owns an iPhone. Steve Jobs started out as someone who had an interest in gadgetry and electronics; he continued to enhance his knowledge by being an intern at Hewlett-Packard after calling the company’s president, William Hewlett, to ask for parts for a school project. He then met Steve Wozniak and the two later created the prototype Apple I (also known as Apple-1), a desktop computer they both built in Jobs’ parents’ garage. This simple idea of wanting to create a computer for everyday people led to the creation of the iPod, iTunes, the revolutionary iPhone and the iPad, which is now dominating the globe⁶.
However, knowledge can be dangerous, which depends on how that knowledge is used. There are people that exist who use their knowledge for their own selfish gains, or to commit evil acts, possibly encouraging those with a wicked mind to put their thoughts into play.
The Manhattan Project — the code name used for the development of atomic weapons during the second World War, and is one of the examples of how knowledge can be dangerous because if a group of people can make an atomic weapon, that means anyone can if they have the knowledge to do so.
Scientists contributed to the creation of these atomic weapons and facilities were set up in New Mexico, Tennessee, Washington and Canada. The untested atomic bomb ‘Little Boy’ was then dropped 1,900 feet above Hiroshima, which caused “unprecedented destruction and death over an area of five square miles”⁷. This was later followed by the ‘Fat Boy’ bomb being dropped over Nagasaki “destroying more than three square miles of the city”⁸.
Another example of how knowledge can be dangerous is the use of poison. It was during ancient times that poison was first discovered, but its purpose was to act as a hunting tool in order to catch prey. However, it was also used by tribes and civilisations against their enemies. When more and more people gained knowledge on the use of poison and how to create it, specific weapons were forged for poison enhancement; it was even used for assassination during the time of the Roman Empire.
More and more individuals decided to use poison as a method for killing during medieval Europe, and as knowledge about how to make poison was handed down to almost every individual, apothecaries decided to sell poison, which increased its availability. Due to this rise in the use of poison, substances that were known for their curing purposes unfortunately ended up being utilised for evil intentions.
Meanwhile, in the modern world, using poison with the intention to cause harm is now less common. It is instead used as disinfectants, pesticides, cleaning solutions and preservatives. In the remote parts of countries such as Africa, South America and Asia, however, poison is still utilised as a hunting tool.
It is clear that with knowledge one can attain power — whether that power is good or bad is down to how an individual uses their knowledge and the action that they take with this power. If an individual gained the knowledge of how to make every dangerous weapon in the world, then they have the power to destroy if they choose to, which would make their actions evil, unless it was justified. If they decided to destroy and do some killing with the reason that they hate everyone, then that would be an act of selfishness.
On the other hand, there are people who choose to act for the good of the world after attaining knowledge. For example, if a person saw an advert stating that aid was needed in a more deprived country and decided to help by donating money, or even volunteering physical help, then they have gained the power to change the world gradually. Another example would be a person contributing their talents to society in order for it to thrive, just like Steve Jobs with Apple.
Of course, there are those that abuse their power through their own knowledge of manipulation, which would translate as an act of selfishness since they’re trying to achieve their goals for their own self-gain and satisfaction.
However, this doesn’t change the fact that knowledge is power, but it can be both noble and dangerous.
References:
(1–2) Iyengar, Nandita. ‘Inspirational Quotes: Who was the first to say “knowledge is power”?’. Quora. https://www.quora.com/Inspirational-Quotes-Who-was-the-first-to-say-knowledge-is-power
(3) ‘“Knowledge is Power” — Meaning and Expansion of the Proverb’. Important India. https://www.importantindia.com/20596/meaning-of-knowledge-is-power-proverb/
(4) ‘Hippocrates — The Father of Medicine’. Kos Hellas Travel Guide. https://www.kosisland.gr/en/kosisland-history/hippocrates-from-kos.html
(5–6) ‘Steve Jobs: An Extraordinary Career’. Entrepreneur Europe. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/197538
(7–8) ‘Manhattan Project’. History. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/the-manhattan-project
