The Answer is in the Question
The Source of All Knowledge
Consider for a moment that we are going to continue to create and archive human knowledge for eons to come. As our knowledge base expands, so does our technological capacity to remember and store it. We soon amass knowledge that will make a terabyte look like a byte. But though we are currently able to amass an enourmous amount of knowledge, we are still unable to understand one basic concept: "Where did it all come from?" It almost sounds ridiculous, but that is exactly what is happening.
Many would say that it 'just happens' and we really don't need to know where it comes from. However, But this stance assumes that chaos, confusion, error, and complexity are not a factor in this knowledge advance. But if we don't understand the source of knowledge, how can we expect to manage it in the midst of forces like choas and confusion? That's a bit like building a house with people throwing wood and nails at the job site.
We are approachng a point in time known as 'Singularity.' There are many definitions and angles for this term, but simply put, it represents a major paradigm shift. This shift will be the end of the information age and the beginning of a new age that has not yet been defined. The information age was simply about cataloging knowledge in paper and electronically. With Web 2.0 and the advent of social media, we've moved into an era in which knowledge is worked 'socially and electronically.' At present, we're experimenting with this new capability and just starting to get our arms around it. As we progress we will move into a solid understanding of knowledge interactions involved in knowledge working. And we will come to understand the cornerstone of all knowledge interactions, knowledge creation. And we will see that the key to understanding this cornerstone is not in knowledge itself, but rather in the question.
