Knowledge is awareness of knowing about what, why, when, where and how of anything. It is power. Power is of two kinds: one physical and the other intellectual. The physical power includes strength and skill to do things, to perform acts and to produce goods. The intellectual polders include – recall, recognition, retention, reasoning, imagination, curiosity and so on.
Knowledge therefore in the broader sense means intellectual as well as physical powers. Literally it means to see, listen, understand, desire, plan, work and achieve. So knowledge helps an individual not only to desire but also to achieved what he desires.
Man, since his early existence on this planet, has been in the quest of knowledge continuously. It was on account of his curiosity and desire to acquire knowledge of facts that civilization has developed to its modern stage. Man had been living just like other animals, roaming in the forest, hunting for good, searching the caves for shelter, almost naked, in the early stage of his evolution.
His quest of knowledge has helped him to create fire, develop agriculture and grow food, construct beautiful houses for shelter, weave good cloths to wear, and play on instruments of music for recreation. Thus man who was once afraid and worshiped the elements of nature like fire, water, earth, air and space has now brought these elements under his control. He has advanced so much in science that he is able to produce whatever he wants, go wherever he likes and turn forces of nature to his advantage.
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Knowledge sharpens the mind and intelligence, which in turn improves farther quest and desire for adventure and investigation. Man has already known the different corners of the world. He has started stepping on other planets. He has gone and come back from the moon. He is now exploring the other planets. All this is possible because of his knowledge of science and technology.
Muscle power was the law of the jungle. Today it is knowledge of science and technology that rules the world. The Second World War came to an end on account of the atom bomb only. Scientific knowledge alone would decide the fate of the world. Hence if power is to be acquired it is possible only though knowledge. It is agreed that knowledge is power as it enables an individual to prove his superiority over others.