DEFINING KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY..............

Generally speaking, the term Knowledge Society refers to any society where knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital and labour. It may also refer to the use a certain society gives to information. A Knowledge society "creates, shares and uses knowledge for the prosperity and well-being of its people". Knowledge societies have the characteristic that knowledge forms a major component of any human activity. Economic, social, cultural, and all other human activities become dependent on a huge volume of knowledge and information. A knowledge society is one in which knowledge becomes a major creative force.

Knowledge societies are not a new occurrence. For example, fishermen have long shared the knowledge of predicting the weather to their community and this knowledge gets added to the social capital of the community.

What is new is that

• With current technologies, knowledge societies need not be constrained by geographic proximity
• Current technology offers much more possibilities for sharing, archiving and retrieving knowledge

Knowledge has become the most important capital in the present age, and hence the success of any society lies in harnessing it.

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_society

The proposition 'knowledge society' acknowledges the might of the brain power over of any other kind, be it economic or military or political. The position that a country enjoys in the present day world is determined by its ability to make best use of its brainpower. The capability created by knowledge is the foundation upon which our future is to be built.

SOURCE: http://presscouncil.nic.in/speech11.htm

According to New Webster’s Encyclopaedic Dictionary of the English Language (1997 Ed) ‘Information’ is knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance, news. Or "Knowledge gained through study, communication, research, instruction, etc, data, facts.

‘Knowledge’ means acquaintance with fact, truths. "Knowledge is a information combined with experience, context, interpretation, and reflection. It is a high value form of information that is ready to apply to decisions and action. (T. Davenport et al. 1998).

Knowledge exists in the minds of the people and when combined with capital, labour, existing knowledge and other inputs, produces goods and service and is thus a factor of productivity. This fact has been realised by many of the developed countries during their transformation into stronger economies.

SOURCE: http://presscouncil.nic.in/speech11.htm