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Knowledge, To share or not to share

Clipped to the Drawing Board by Ryan

A lot of what you thought you knew about the history of civilisation could well be wrong. How does that make you feel? A growing number of people are coming to the conclusion that certain people from long ago had access to large amounts of knowledge. Back then, just as in today, knowledge was power and so the masses were kept in the dark while a select few benefited greatly. Without the knowledge being shared, it tended to die along with it's owners and was gone from history forever. An example of this is how a German monk knew what South America looked like well before any European were supposed to have actually been there.

This does raise the question however, is valuable knowledge still being today because of the pursuit of power and importance? When you come up with great ways of doing things do you share them or keep them to yourselves to your advantage?

Start a conversation

DesD ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 15:03:28

the strange thing about knowledge is that - the more you know : the more you know that you don't know -
as detailed in books and research papers, there are many ancient monuments and other relics located about the world which defy logical and rational explanation - It has got to make you think about the what if's

Jez ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 15:06:50

all i can say is that space exploration continually pushing the frontiers - but we see only a tiny bit of what's out there so maybe George Lucas was on to something with Star Wars

Saha ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 15:14:54

there's a lot of stuff around the world which cant be explained with logical rational explanations - who knows - we have evolved a system of record keeping using writing and physical stuff - you'd think that any ancient visitors would have left some similar type of record, somewhere - but if they had evolved to say a telepathic system or some other form of communication and didn't need to us a "primitive" system like ours - then there could be evidence all around and it could be staring us in the face and we just don't see it

Razza ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 15:19:57

sounds like a lot bulldust to me - con artists making a quick buck - and if they can get away with it - good for them
who knows what happened thousands of years ago ?- who cares?
when i meet an alien i'll believe it - till then ??

Tony (166)

Newbie | 2007-12-08 18:42:52

I think you're missing the point guys, they're not talking about aliens, they're saying that ancient civilisations may have had people that were a lot smarter than we thought, just that said smart people didn't share their knowledge so it got lost over time.

Pat ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 19:27:50

Yeah, it is inspiring to see that people have always been creative and aspiring.

You really have to wonder if we aren't falling short of our true potential. We probably are capable of a lot more than what we believe we can.

Ellen ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 18:45:51

Of course the obvious counter argument to sharing knowledge is that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

I have seen several disasters created at work where people just jumped in without appreciating the big picture and how their actions would affect other areas.

Craig ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 18:48:46

hehe yes I imagine a smart sailor could benefit greatly from letting others, such as, say the King stay in the dark regarding the true shape of the Earth.

Mallory ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 18:55:02

Indeed it is an unfortunate thing. Same happens in our current time as well. Unfortunately world politics is such a complex beast which most average people just can't appreciate as they're not involved in it every day. That's why politicians have to keep certain facts and reasons from us. Without properly understanding the full picture most just wouldn't appreciate the reasons why.

Phil ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 19:00:45

And hence arises one of the problems with politics. Our leaders are elected by us yes we don't actually understand what their jobs are.

Leaders are elected to do what's best for us. Problem is that what is actually best for us and what we think is best for us can be two completely different things. Politicians realise this and so they use spin to try and make us happy.

Derrick ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 19:06:57

And the media also helps a great deal in this problem There should be laws against what they can publish in terms of certain topics.

I hate every time interest rates go up and the media has a go at the government saying their mean and heartless because a lot of poorer people are going to find it harder. Then a lot of people think that the government isn't doing that good a job when infact they are just doing what's necessary to help keep the economy in check.

Mary ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 19:09:40

Well yes, we could probably benefit greatly from more effective sharing of knowledge in an organisation. Good managers can definitely help to promote this better.

It's such a shame when someone leaves and you know that a whole lot of valuable knowledge is leaving with them.

Coby ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 19:11:10

I agree, and today there are many good pieces of software that can aid in the sharing of knowledge in an organisation.

Manuel ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 19:19:54

In an ideal world this would be great, however the reality is that there are forces working against this.

For starters it takes effort to share your knowledge, and when you're already overworked as it is where do you find the time.

Secondly, not sharing knowledge can harm the organisation as a whole but can increase the importance of yourself which encourages people not to share.

Pat ()

Newbie | 2007-12-08 19:23:55

One of the downsides of creating a society that is so materialistic and self serving. Also, I have to say that organisations are partly to blame themselves. A lot of the more successful ones, such as Google for instance are realising that the more respect you give to your employees the more respect and cooperation you will get in return. It's a long term benefit however and a lot of people miss these.

Jonno (92)

Senior board member | 2007-12-09 05:12:10

knowledge is power - if you know something and others don't your power base increases
- if others know what you know, your power decreases - therefore - on a need to know basis - tell them, nothing they don't need to know - - An Ancient Chinese proverb which I've just made up

Saturday 8 December, 2007 02:06 PM

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