Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Is Knowledge a Commodity?
When someone reads, listens, thinks, introspects, experiments, observes, tries various alternatives, watches underlying patterns in the long run, learns something the hard way and finally distills the entire experience into a few principles or a neat framework and shares it with the world, how long does it take the world to understand the merit in these principles or the framework? Actually, in the first place, what exactly does it take the world to understand it? How does it work? Is it a journey in the reverse direction for the world (learner)? Are such learnings looked at, more often than not, with complacency? Does the learner see the merit, sweat and insight the way it ought to be or blindly apply it depending on the trust he has in the source it originates from?
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8 comments:
Pranam!
Knowledge is a commodity at present.
Human body is a commodity(sorry)!
Exercises can bring 6 or 8 packs!
Again 'size zero'!
Same way exercises (education) can bring 8 pack muscles of intellect-intellectual muscles.
Knowledge-in the true context-is nothing more than that.
Yes-its a truth that the same is a tool, genuinely helpful to survive the MATERIALISTIC life of all, who live and die within the circumference of materialism.
Knowledge originates from outer, contributes to the outer, confronts the outer, magnifies the outer, maintains the outer-but with the interference of the outer banks of the inner.
You rightly said it-the 'frame works'-always will be great within the frames!
Most of the learners blindly follow.... matter of trust-Yes-they do trust-trust usually brings sound sleep no? So its nice to trust no? (hihihi)
If not, what can they contribute of their own in addition, to strengthen the frames of those works-if they think of trust and originating sources?
So let them sleep sound.... Let them trust..... Let them forget from where it originated.... Let them live a 'fruitful' life-(like me!)
Wrong question. Ask, is an IDEA a property ? Read Intellectual Property Laws.. I am doing distance learning course from NLU, bangalore currently. I am founding that knowledge is not a commodity but a mode of liberation to all. more u put barrier on its spreadings, more is the rise of unequalities in the society. Knowledge is not the commodity but treated like it in modern state [mostly after post industrial revolution]...
@Surya: Thanks for the elaborate comment. I do believe that knowledge is sometimes treated like a commodity....but it, of course, should not be treated so all the time. I think trust has to arise from within. You need to be clear that you've learned things right for you to sleep peacefully!
@Yayaver: That's an interesting question! Yes....an Idea is treated like a property in today's world. But we all know that an Idea cannot just be picked up and used like any other physical commodity! Knowledge most certainly liberates people and it is essential for us to share knowledge in order to achieve progress (golden words) but the question is do we treat it like a common physical object in these exchanges? Do we give it the merit it deserves? Do we add value to it? Do we dig deep into it or just catch it at its surface?
an idea is a property. and knowledge as a cause for and as a result of the idea, can very easily become a commodity. it does most times. like you suggest, specially when there is trust in the source. how deep we dig into it, how much we embellish it and how much we take out of it, is directly proportional to interest and attitude- today, unfortunately it is solely dependant on time at one's disposal. the intent, i like to beileve, is always there.
in my restricted understanding :)
Tej: Thanks again! :-) All of you folks are making me follow my own blog-threads to "areas" that matter and are helping me think with more clarity in the process! :-) The joy of blogging and seeing people bring in their own insights and learnings is great! I like the way you've linked knowledge with idea and pointed out that the former is a cause and/or result of the idea. Brilliant! Here is what I was concerned about when writing the post:
1. What happens when we don't understand something and just take the "knowledge" or the "idea" at a superficial level (maybe because of the source it comes from)? We dilute it, unwittingly, and spread it further!?
2. Is it really easy to share "knowledge" or an "idea" that originates from decades of experience in the form of principles and frameworks? Does everyone have that kind of talent? If and when we do so, do people "taking" it understand the complications and intricacies? (Like you say, the intent to understand may certainly be there!)
No!I don't think that knowledge is every gone to be a commodity.Because it such a thing that is same for all the individuals.....
knowledge management
Nimmy, you have raised a genuine doubt in my mind. replying to your question is tough for me.
1- Do we treat it like a common physical object in these exchanges? No, an idea is free of any monetary exchange or barter trade. Still, what is the use of such IP rights if they serve for few and utilize resources of whole society..
2- Do we give it the merit it deserves? Do we add value to it?
If an idea is important than person, then idea deserves the merit, not the contributing face behind it. This answer of mine is dilemna not unsolved puzzle.I think, noone can really come out of this dilemna. Your expert view is must required..
3-Do we dig deep into it or just catch it at its surface?
We can get idea out of thin air or may be inspired from anyone.
For more in this case read: Talking of ‘IP’, here’s what Krzysztof Zanussi has said about his stance)
@Yayaver: Thanks a ton for the thoughtful follow-up comments! And the link....will look it up today! :-)
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