Without application in the world, the value of knowledge is greatly diminished

Knowledge can be described as the familiarity or awareness of a certain fact or situation. It is

about understanding something precisely but more than that knowledge is about the application
of what is known. If a person has a clear idea of anything and he does not exhibit it to the world,
it becomes worthless. Having an insight into a matter and not presenting it is equivalent to not
possessing it at all. Human beings are blessed with a mind which has the power and capability to
gain knowledge 1. This is an ongoing process as human beings are always keen on learning
something new . This adds on to their knowledge base by fuelling it with more and more ideas
and information. But most importantly, it is needed that they realize the value of the acquired
knowledge. This is the basic agenda to be analyzed in the essay. By valuing knowledge, one
means to suggest the usefulness and importance of it.
In order, to find out the real value of true knowledge, one needs to first consider the worth of
applying it. Once we gain knowledge in our elementary schools and college, we are expected to
make use of it. This can be done by using our insight in matters of daily life especially, when we
talk to others or take our decisions. How much we have learnt is shown by the way we deal with
certain situations. Thus, it is exhibited by our mental or behavioural approach. So, in short, it can
be said that knowledge is primarily based on a utilitarian concept. By making use of our acquired
knowledge, we survive in this world and portray ourselves to be learned and knowledgeable
beings2. This brings in to our mind another question that is it only means of survival? There are
different species on our planet. So, is knowledge the reason for their survival as well? Apart from
that, there are insane people with lack knowledge who survive. So, it can also be asserted that
knowledge is a personal concept. One does not need to show off knowledge to the world in order
to prove ones worth. To make the point clear, the examples of highly revered saints and scholars
can be given, who possessed great knowledge but never attempted to brag about it. These were
people possessing true knowledge3.

Castillo, Jesus Martinez del. "Linguistics As A Theory Of Knowledge". ELR 1.2 (2015): 62.
Web.
1

Cavell, Marcia. "Knowledge And Value". The Journal of Value Inquiry 19.2 (1985): 111-118.
Web.
2

The idea of true knowledge further brings forward a point of its realization. The cognizance
possessed by someone can be classified as true knowledge only when one gets an idea about it
and to be aware of it, there is a need of transmission of knowledge. This again calls for an
application of our learning. It is only after we apply it that we make proper use of it and prove it
to be valuable. It has been suggested that the greatest obstacle to progress in not the absence of
knowledge, but the illusion of knowledge. Many a time, people believe that they possess
knowledge but are reluctant to share it with others. This is restricting what one knows and
keeping it more personal. This can result in stagnation as this way people do not get a chance to
understand what others know about a certain issue 4. They live in an illusion of knowledge which
further gives rise to a void that is even greater than that created by an absence of knowledge.
Hence, this is nothing but diminishing ones worth and the value of knowledge one possesses.
In the process of gaining cognizance, we come across several areas of knowledge. These streams
are essentially made up of numerous networks which help in the attainment and dissemination of
knowledge. For example, if we take the case of the study of linguistics also called Philology, we
find the origin or evolution of languages. The whole world is physically and culturally divided
by many countries. The people of these regions speak in different languages which have
originated in different times and in different backgrounds. There are many linguistic and
phonetic differences in tones of these languages 5. The only one uniting factor is the need of their
origin. Human beings in order to communicate with one another felt the need of some mode
through which they could express their thoughts and emotions. This resulted in the formation of
a common language spoken by a group of people in a particular region. Later the need of
communicating with people of other regions led forward the movement of cultural transmission
Niwa, Kiyoshi. "Knowledge Transfer: A Key To Successful Application Of Knowledge-Based
Systems". The Knowledge Engineering Review 2.03 (1987): 147. Web.
3

Olsson, Erik J. "The Value Of Knowledge". Philosophy Compass 6.12 (2011): 874-883. Web.

Records, Kathie. "Differentiating The Generation Of Knowledge From The Application Of

Knowledge". Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing 43.4 (2014): 399-400.
Web.
5

and also, resulted in the study of linguistics. The earliest direct evidence of language in the form
of writing is no more than some 5000 years old6. Before that was the sign or spoken language.
People in order to interact with someone, earlier made use of different signs and then a language
which called for an exhibition of what they knew. It means that they acquired sense and then
carried it further with the help of their language. Thus, they applied their knowledge and made
adequate of it for their survival. There have been traces and linguistic evidences of several
civilizations that happened to flourish years back. Therefore, it shows that even centuries ago,
people made use of their knowledge and expressed it in different forms. Such was the value of
knowledge for them.
Taking a look at another area of knowledge, i.e. Physical Science, we find that here again there
has been a greater exploration of true knowledge and wisdom and the so forth, application of it.
During the past several centuries, the scientists have been highly functional in gaining wisdom
from their day to day observations and systematic experiments. These explorations can be traced
as back as from the time of the discovery of fire7. Then in the stone age, there were the
discoveries of weapons, ornaments etc. Further, the inventions of light, gravitational force etc.
led to a revolution in the whole world. All these could be possible only because people chose not
to keep the knowledge to themselves but to share it with the society so that each and everyone
could take the advantage of it. This is how the application of knowledge benefitted the whole
world. Also, in todays generation, the ever changing technology calls for several enhancements.
These improvisations can only take place with the proper use of the acquired knowledge 8. With a
motive to maintain our standard of living, we have been accustomed to using several gadgets in
our daily lives. Its impossible to imagine our lives without these. All these things came into
Rusk, Rogers D. "The Fabric Of Our Physical Knowledge". School Science and Mathematics
18.2 (1918): 157-163. Web.
6

Tondl, Ladislav. "On Qualified Use And Application Of Knowledge". Chinese Semiotic
Studies 4.2 (2010): n. pag. Web.
7

Wilson, T.D. "Knowledge Application: The Knowledge System In Society". Social Science
Information Studies 1.4 (1981): 276-278. Web.
8

prominence with the sheer use of knowledge and we hope to see further improvisations in the
future as well. But if we decide to restrict this application of knowledge for whatever reason, we
cannot expect the world to develop or even survive at any cost9.
After considering the cases of these two areas of knowledge, it can thus, be visualised that the
application of knowledge is more important than the mere possession of it. True knowledge
comes not from the acquisition of it but from utilization of our cognizance. This provides the real
value to it. Had it been the case that people, centuries back, being guided by their personal
interests decided not to inter mingle with others, or not to share their ideas with others; the world
would have been in some other form altogether. So, it can be inferred that it was the need of
social or cultural dependence on one another that caused the interaction and hence, the
knowledge propagation. This is the real motive and also importance of knowledge. Human
beings, unlike the other species, in general, are keen to learn more and more and they possess the
mental capacity to do so10. They are also backed by a desire to prove to the world that they are
very knowledgeable. In order to show themselves better than others, people opt for higher
education and add on to their knowledge base. But if this is not properly applied and exhibited to
the world, it becomes meaningless. It is said that a person becomes successful not when he just
thinks of himself but of others as well. Thus, to use ones knowledge and also to enhance it
further, it is highly essential to apply it by making it common to all. Moreover, this application of
knowledge helps a person to take certain right decisions for himself. This awareness acts as a
guide aiding one to distinguish between what is right or wrong. So, knowledge, in whatever field
it is, never proves to be useless 11. It may be outdated at times but not worthless. Hence, one
should know how to grasp as much knowledge as possible and keep it updated. This can be done
Zeng, Ting. "The Application Of Basic Principles Of Knowledge Engineering In Knowledge
Management". AMR 108-111 (2010): 123-128. Web.
9

10

Olsson, Erik J. "The Value Of Knowledge". Philosophy Compass 6.12 (2011): 874-883. Web.

Rusk, Rogers D. "The Fabric Of Our Physical Knowledge". School Science and Mathematics
18.2 (1918): 157-163. Web.
11

either by learning or by interacting with others. A combination of these two elements along with
its application in the world proves highly advantageous to ones knowledge by adding value to it.

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Castillo, Jesus Martinez del. "Linguistics As A Theory Of Knowledge". ELR 1.2 (2015): 62.
Web.
Cavell, Marcia. "Knowledge And Value". The Journal of Value Inquiry 19.2 (1985): 111-118.
Web.
Niwa, Kiyoshi. "Knowledge Transfer: A Key To Successful Application Of Knowledge-Based
Systems". The Knowledge Engineering Review 2.03 (1987): 147. Web.
Olsson, Erik J. "The Value Of Knowledge". Philosophy Compass 6.12 (2011): 874-883. Web.
Records, Kathie. "Differentiating The Generation Of Knowledge From The Application Of
Knowledge". Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing 43.4 (2014): 399-400.
Web.
Rusk, Rogers D. "The Fabric Of Our Physical Knowledge". School Science and Mathematics
18.2 (1918): 157-163. Web.
Tondl, Ladislav. "On Qualified Use And Application Of Knowledge". Chinese Semiotic Studies
4.2 (2010): n. pag. Web.
Widdowson, H. G. "Knowledge Of Language And Ability For Use". Applied Linguistics 10.2
(1989): 128-137. Web.
Wilson, T.D. "Knowledge Application: The Knowledge System In Society". Social Science
Information Studies 1.4 (1981): 276-278. Web.
Zeng, Ting. "The Application Of Basic Principles Of Knowledge Engineering In Knowledge
Management". AMR 108-111 (2010): 123-128. Web.