what is the meaning of

[jdcrisp]

Knowledge is power

[Quizmonster]

'Knowledge itself is power' is a quote from Francis Bacon, the 16th century scientist/philosopher. Basically, it means that - if you know people and things - you can to a large extent control them.
In a bad sense, for example, blackmail is an illustration of the meaning. In a good sense, you might use your knowledge of life and others to guide them to perform correct actions.

[chompu]

 Not wishing to dispute you Quizmonster but knowledge is power was one of the main theories of the French social theorist, Michel Foucault. It is a very complex theory but purports that the two are inextricably linked. On a very simple level if a Doctor is about to give you an injection, you accept it because he has the medical knowledge. We know what happened in one notable example. For a much wider example, how about Hitlers' Germany and the halocaust.

[Quizmonster]

Michel Foucault was a 20th century philosopher. Francis Bacon wrote: "Scientia ipsa potentas est" - Knowledge itself is power - in the 16th. He seems in other words, Chompu, to have got to the concept rather before Foucault did! Cheers

[Quizmonster]

'Potentas' above should, of course, have been 'potestas'.

[babkin]

knowledge is not power, power is power.

An example Stephen Hawking has a great deal of knowledge but limited power.

[Quizmonster]

It is a mistake to think that power is always a physical thing, Babkin. Hawking actually holds an absolutely vast amount of 'power' in the influence his thinking has among scholars in the sphere of cosmology and higher mathematics.

[babkin]

Power does not just have to be in the physical department both are necessary this is why I said knowledge is 'not' power as neither on their own is enough. Hawking does have great power in a limited field but is of little use in life or death matters which would matter the most.

[Quizmonster]

OK, Babkin, I'll tell you about a little, grey-haired old man who has no army, navy or air force. He has no atom bonbs, he does not attend G8 summits or get involved in any of the other trappings that you apparently think mean 'power'. Yet, there are millions and millions of people all around the world who hang on his every word and - when he tells them they must do so-and-so - they do it.

He's called the Pope!

[Quizmonster]

Oh, I should have added above that he does influence life and death matters in areas such as abortion and euthanasia. I'll leave it at that.