Scientia potentia est

The famous phrase scientia potentia est is a Latin maxim "For also knowledge itself is power" stated in this form by Sir Francis Bacon, which in modern times is often paraphrased as "knowledge is power." ^[1]

Contents 1 Origins and parallels 2 Interpretation 3 See also 4 Sources and further reading 5 References

Origins and parallels

A proverb in practically the same wording is first found in Hebrew, in the Biblical Book of Proverbs (24,5): גֶּבֶר-חָכָם בַּעוֹז; וְאִישׁ-דַּעַת, מְאַמֶּץ-כֹּחַ, translated (in the KJV) as A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

This early 1st millennium BC sentence became considerably widespread, as witnessed by a reference (around 1000 AD) in Ferdowsi's Shahname: توانا بود هر که دانا بود "One who has wisdom is powerful"^[2] - and by Bacon's wording (although whether he was deliberately quoting Proverbs cannot be determined - cf. Vulgate vir sapiens et fortis est et vir doctus robustus et validus).

Interpretation

The phrase implies that with knowledge or education one's potential or abilities in life will certainly increase. Having and sharing knowledge is widely recognised as the basis for improving one's reputation and influence, thus power. This phrase may also be used as a justification for a reluctance to share information when a person believes that withholding knowledge can deliver to that person some form of advantage. Another possible meaning for this phrase can be found in philosophical idealism - if the world exists solely as the content of consciousness, then knowledge itself can be used to directly manipulate the content of reality.

See also

• Cognitive elite
• Intelligence (information gathering)
• Information warfare
• Rationality and power
• Technology

Sources and further reading

• Flyvbjerg, Bent. Rationality and Power: Democracy in Practice. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. [1]
• Flyvbjerg, Bent. "What is Rationality? What is Power?" [2]
• Haas, Ernst B. When Knowledge is Power: Three Models of Change in International Organizations. University of California, 1990. ISBN 0-520-06646-4.
• Higdon, Lee. "Knowledge is power." University Business, September 2005.
  • Higdon argues that because the U.S. economy is a knowledge economy the decline in enrollment of non-U.S. students in U.S. universities "has serious long-term implications for the United States." [3]
• "Knowledge is power (But only if you know how to acquire it)." The Economist, May 8, 2003. [4]
  • A report on corporate knowledge management.
• Peterson, Ryan. "Michel Foucault: Power/Knowledge." Colorado State University Resource Centre for Communications Studies. [5]
  • An exploration of what Peterson terms Foucault's "new model of the relations of power and knowledge" that contradicts Bacon.
• Powers, Rod. "Knowledge is power in the military." U.S. Military: The Orderly Room. [6]
  • An anecdotal argument that in the military, a person with the most rank is not always the one in charge of a given situation, but that the person with the "real power" is the person who knows the regulations.
• Trump, Donald J. "Use Knowledge to Your Advantage." Trump University. [7]
  • Trump argues that knowledge is one of the main secrets to success.

References