Strategic, Methodological and Developmental Importance of Knowledge Consumption - Production in Countering Terrorism and Ensuring Peace
Politics / Religion Nov 23, 2014 - 02:22 PM GMTBy: Dr_R_M_Mathew
Conventionally, Knowledge had been associated with the God, Scriptures, Religions, Sacrifices and sometimes even Sex till the development of the Modern Science, Technology, Humanities, Social Sciences, Language and Literature. For terrorists and religious fundamentalists, Knowledge has become a deadly weapon. Knowledge poses several new and unfamiliar Methodological, Theoretical, Strategic and Practical Challenges related to Peace, Development, War and Terror and the very existence of the Humanity. Nobody is fully aware of the potentialities of Knowledge, including the top Think Tanks and Universities for they are dealing with fragmented Knowledge and self-growing bundles of Data.
Sources and Applications of Knowledge
Knowledge can be drawn or generated from Observing the Nature, Conducting Experiments, Explorations, Inventions, Dreams, Meditation, Ecstasy and even some form of Madness besides Revelations by the Ghost or Angel or Devil or Dead Persons. Knowledge can be used not only for Peace, Unity, Development, Cultural or Spiritual or Intellectual Advancements and Understanding or Cooperation between Peoples or Nations but also for War, Terror, Extermination and Annihilation of the other people or nations besides even committing Suicide.
Knowledge - A Two Edged Weapon
Terrorists and religious fundamentalists have been using knowledge as a deadly weapon to inculcate and radicalize the youth and women and turning them into the mercenaries or suicide fighters to establish their kingdoms. Such a strategy can be dealt only by using knowledge as the most effective counter weapon against terrorism and fundamentalism and guarding the youth and women from radicalization.
Liberalism, Secularism and Rationalism as well as liberating the people from the undue Fear of Hell or Heaven or Paradise can also be employed besides making the youth and women realize of the futility and stupidity of Martyrdom besides the incompatibility of the primitive tribal faiths and socio-economic system in the modern world dominated by new technologies and globalization, through education and propaganda. It is high time to deal with all forms of religious fundamentalism and extremism as a crime against the humanity.
The quality of knowledge that the people in a country consume and produce determines their levels of advancements in cultural, intellectual and economic life. In the primitive stage, the quality and quantity of knowledge produced and consumed were insignificant or very low. Development of agriculture was a major breakthrough in knowledge production and consumption that lead to the institutionalization of education and the development in the concept of God and religions.
Religion and the Other Domains of Knowledge
The emergence of faith and religion was the beginning of the codification and systematization of Wisdom and Knowledge that are not only divine or spiritual but worldly also. Scriptures and religious texts collected, codified and preserved the then existing knowledge, before the beginning of Science, Technology, Philosophy and Modern Education.
Though religions played a very important role in collecting, organizing, preserving and propagating wisdom and knowledge, they are not the end but only the beginning of knowledge. Out of ignorance, people with low intellectual caliber consider or believe that their scriptures and religious texts are the last word for the entire knowledge and they have solutions for the entire problems of the humanity. This is the basis of fundamentalism. Religious or spiritual knowledge, though valuable, is one among hundreds of other useful Domains of Knowledge for our advancements.
Moses and the Babylonian and the Egyptian Civil Codes
Even centuries before the birth of Moses and his Ten Commandments and Other Testaments, the ancient Babylonian and Egyptian kings or emperors had effectively codified and introduced Civil Codes. Moses was brought up in the palace of the Egyptian Kings or Pharaohs who had earlier patronized the poverty-ridden Abraham and his beautiful wife, Sara and made them immensely rich. Moses was well aware of the Babylonian and Egyptian Civil Codes.
The Ten Commandments propagated and effectively introduced by Moses were a clever adaptation of the Babylonian and the Egyptian Civil Codes, substituting the term ‘The Lord’ or ‘The God’ in the place of ‘The King’ or ‘The Pharaoh’. They formed the basis of the Laws and the Old Testament of the Bible. Probably, the same God might have revealed the strikingly similar codes or commandments to the Pharaohs of Egypt and the Kings of Babylonia before Moses.
Primitive Tribal Cultures and Systems
Most of the socio-economic or political systems propagated in the scriptures and religious texts were developed in the contexts of the Primitive Tribal Culture or Society in which a particular primitive tribe designated or claimed as 'the chosen people' to conquer or loot or rape or exterminate or enslave the other tribes or people on the basis of a dream of a tribal leader or saying of a black magician or witch or temple priest that the god had given the commandment or license to conquer the 'Promised Land' , brutally exterminating the people who built up the land and raping their women.
This is the basis or justification for Fascism and Religious Fundamentalism and Terrorism. Just like the men of Adolf Hitler, now the religious fundamentalists and terrorists exterminate the people branding as ' not the chosen people ' or 'enemies of the god' or 'infidels'. They never care or bother about the rights to live and flourish of the people whom they prosecute. How can a True God choose one or two tribes alone as his people and the rest of the Humanity his enemies? This dirty or dangerous ideology or faith is built upon human right violations and sins and crimes against the Humanity.
Primitive Tribal Deity
With the glorification of the primitive tribal ideology and culture, some people are branded as the 'enemies of the God', just as the enemies of some ancient kings or rulers or their kingdoms to be exterminated. It is illogical or impossible for any human being or a group of people to be the enemies or infidels of the God, if God is the creator of the Sun. Even if the entire mankind stands against the Sun, nobody can do any harm to the Sun or become an enemy or infidel of the Sun who is great enough to blesses the mankind with light and warmth. Then what about the Almighty God who created the Sun?
The primitive tribal God, known indifferent names, was silly enough to get angry, jealousy, revengeful and weak or sick very soon and to side or support somebody in the War, just like the ancient, cruel and hot tempered kings or emperors. If nobody is required to protect and fight or die for the Sun or Moon ; if nobody can cheat the Sun or Moon, then what about the God, the creator of the Sun or Moon? Nobody can cheat the True God; nobody can be the enemy of the True God; nobody can be the infidel of the True God.Silly and petty minded people can never realize the True God, but only the primitive tribal deity.
The True God is far beyond the faith or mind of the primitive and wandering tribes, especially the desert tribes and their priests or sorcerers or black magicians who had been conducting human or animal sacrifices for their Blood-Thirsty Tribal Deity. Their followers or children are still doing the same even in the 21st century.
Does a True God need the human beings to fight for Him and die for Him? .It is not the God, but the Devil or Satan! It is easy for any coward or fool to die or kill others for the sake of his or her god or faith. Only the heroes or brave men alone can live for their faith or God or religion and let others live according to their faith or god or religion.
Science and Technology
A deep understanding of the religious texts or scriptures can act as a catalyst for the development of human brain and thereby the growth of Logic, Mathematics, Philosophy, Literature, Science and Technology. Most of the well-known Mathematicians, Philosophers, Literary figures, Scientists and Technologists had deep knowledge or understanding of the scriptures and religions; they might have provoked them to think and act differently or resented against the stupidity or crime and injustices glorified in them. Even the Pope Francis has been resented with the stupidity of the Genesis in the Bible.
Sometimes, the scriptures may have positive impacts in the developments of knowledge, science and technology. Some of the books in the Bible had influenced Karal Max, Charles Darwin, Machiavelli, Galileo ,Adolf Hitler and so many other people. So also are the cases with the Koran or the Bhagavth Geetha.
Religions and the Mass Poverty or Sufferings
Religions and scriptures have long history varying from 1500 years to 5000 years. The big question is, do they have any solution for the war or terror or starvation or the global economic crisis other than some big and baseless claims? In spite of their glorious existence, over 80% of the humanity still lives in hunger, ignorance and injustice or oppression without any dignity.
Even in the two well organized religions such as Islam and Christianity, 40 % to 90 % of the believers or followers are still live in poverty, ignorance and without any dignity. However, just 2 % to 8% of them owns and controls over 80% of the wealth so as to enjoy all the pleasures of the Paradise or the Heaven when they are alive, leaving the rest of the humanity to aspire these pleasures only after death.
Are misery and sufferings, a pre-condition for entering the Heaven or Paradise to enjoy all the pleasures offered by a ten or seven star hotel and the growth of religions ? If Islam and Christianity cannot solve the basic human problem of Hunger, Ignorance and Oppression of at least their own members, how can they offer or promise Heaven or Paradise, after death? They flourish in the Fear of the Hell and Promises of Heaven or Paradise.
If Islam and Christianity are prepared to spend at least 20 % of the money they spent for constructing building and conducting tours or pilgrimage, the poverty, ignorance and oppression faced by more than 40 % of their own members could have been solved. Islam and Christianity are the greatest promoters and beneficiaries of the travel and tourism industry as well as construction industry.
There exists a dubious relationship between religious fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism and the defense industry as a marketing strategy. Every terror or suicide attach is followed by new defense or weapon orders worth several millions or billions. In effect, the terrorists or suicide bombers are employed in creating new market for them, though they claim otherwise. Defense industry and some corporate houses are the patrons or sponsors of religious fundamentalism and terrorism. Terrorists, unknowingly, are mere puppets in the hands of the weapon traders or their agents working as firebrands or extremists.
Terrorism is Knowledge-based
Generally, hard core religious fundamentalists and terrorists are drawn from brilliant youth with a passion for knowledge. They are inculcated with the deadly knowledge taken or quoted from the religious scriptures glorifying the primitive tribal instincts of survival, enmity and extermination of all other tribes with the help of some black magicians and tribal deity, branding them the enemies of the god and also the primitive tribal socio-political-economic systems. Unless and until the young generation is made aware of the incompatibility of the centuries old primitive tribal faith, ideology and system in the modern technology-based global socio-economic-political systems, nobody can deal with terrorism and fundamentalism with mere weapons and military power alone.
Jesus and Moses
According to The New Testament of the Bible, Jesus could not accept or agree with the cruel and inhuman Laws of Moses and his Angry, Jealous, Partial, Dreadful and Merciless God, just as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jesus even dared to proclaim that the time of the Laws and Prophets had already been over with the death of John, the Baptist .Jesus had even foreseen the total collapse of the great monumental Temple of Jerusalem built by David and Solomon with the message that for the God, temples or structures as unimportant.
Instead, Jesus has introduced a Loving, Merciful, Forgiving and Caring God, the Heavenly Father whose kingdom is in the heart of the living men all over the world. He also advocates ‘The New Law or Testament’ based on Love and Forgiveness and not on Fear and Revenge, even loving and forgiving the enemies and caring the poor and oppressed. He instructs his disciples to go to the all the corners of the world and all tribes and races teaching the New Testament and the message of the Kingdom of the God.
Jesus empowered the youth, women and the common people with knowledge. The then priests and leaders of the Jews knowing that without the Laws and Prophets, the Angry and Dreadful God and the weak and fear-ridden people and above all the pride of the House of the God, the Temple of Jerusalem, they would be reduced into a big zero. That is why; they had executed Jesus that lead to the emergence of Christianity.
But Christianity, as has been in the case of Islam, even in the twenty first century, propagates and glorifies the Prophets from deserts and the Laws of Moses and the Angry and Revengeful or Punishing and sometimes Favoring God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, relegating the basic teaching or the New Laws of Jesus and the Heavenly Father of Jesus.
Both Islam and Christianity thrive in reinforcing the sense of fear, the fear of the dreadful God and the Hell in the mind of the people telling that the God needs monumental Mosques or Churches, just like the Temple of Jerusalem; every follower must contribute or donate lavishly to the religious agencies and conduct religious tourism or pilgrimage as a passport for the Heaven or Paradise.
Religious Extremism and Fundamentalism propagated by the fire-brands of Muslims and the Evangelistic or Charismatic Christians and other religions have grown to the extent of the biggest industry worth billions of dollars for the patronage or sponsoring of the defense industry. Silly and religious minded, sometimes highly educated, youth in Islam and Christianity have been made easy victims of fundamentalism and extremism with a heavy dose of hate or revenge or sacrifice capable of becoming martyrs or even suicide killers.
Knowledge - A Riddle
Though knowledge grows and expands exponentially, the humanity has not yet developed any suitable science, system or technology to process and handle it and ensure its optimal accessibility and consumption by the entire mankind, other than what had developed 2600 years ago. As a result, knowledge is getting fragmented and less than 5% of the knowledge is consumed or put into application. The rest is getting buried.
The solutions offered by Information Technology, including IT companies like Google or Microsoft do not help much in this regard, for it is essentially data-centered or data-based and not knowledge-based or centered. Here comes the strategic importance of the study on knowledge consumption-production theories.
Knowledge Consumption-Production Theories
Mathew's Theories of Knowledge Consumption-Production is a major attempt in knowledge handling; they examine the underlying principle of the quality and quantity issues of knowledge and the dynamic, non-linear and multidimensional nature of knowledge, quite different from Data and Information.
Knowledge is organized and positioned on the way in which the human brain thinks and organizes knowledge from the very beginning. The building blocks of knowledge are concepts; each concept is non-linear, dynamic and multi-dimensional. There exists a well-defined common pattern for thinking and organizing knowledge as well as a common structure for all domains of knowledge. That is why; scriptures or ancient knowledge written thousands of ago are understandable to the people of the twenty first century or later.
These theories help formulate strategies and policies in augmenting knowledge consumption and production globally and thereby revolutionizing education, scientific productivity, professional competency, decision-making and making knowledge a product for mass consumption.
An understanding of the types, nature and structure of knowledge dealt in various scriptures, religions, and ancient and modern literature, science and technology helped a lot in formulating these theories of Knowledge. They are: Mathew's Theory of Knowledge Consumption-Production Correlation and Mathew's Stage Theory of Knowledge Consumption-Production Growth, published in 1985 by the FID R/I Committee, Moscow. Now they have emerged as an area for doctoral research, including research on Post-Information Technology era.
Knowmatics
Knowmatics, the science or mathematics or cybernetics of Knowledge, is an elaboration of Mathew's Theories of Knowledge for developing methods, systems, science and technology to process and manage knowledge for augmenting the consumption and production of knowledge and thereby attaining a real revolution in education, scientific productivity and professional competency, including decision-making.
Peace and Development
Consumption of the scientific and humanistic Knowledge by the masses leads to their empowerment. The greatest threat or stumbling block for religious fundamentalism, terrorism and cultural anarchy is the empowerment of the people, especially women and youth with knowledge. It ensures a fivefold development and two hundred years of advancements happen within twenty years.
A new paradigm of development based on Knowledge and Brainpower is emerging and thereby the New Generation Knowledge Industries. This discussion may lead several advanced level study, research and discussions or debates in the theoretical, strategic, methodological and applied aspects of knowledge consumption and production and also knowledge industries. It may be useful for the scientists, technologists, industrialists, technocrats, strategic experts, educationalists, theologians and even the common people.
By Dr. Raju M. Mathew
© 2014 Copyright Dr. Raju M. Mathew - All Rights Reserved
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