Knowledge is Power
by Nathanael Schildbach

Photo © Shutterstock Images

“Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.” ~ Paulo Freire

Pet peeves. Things that drive us nuts. These are all topics for a therapy session. Maybe not the biggest of issues for anyone, but aren’t the pettiest things that bother us so telling about our personalities? Doesn’t understanding them help us to better understand ourselves? “Knowledge is power.” This is one of my pet peeves.

It probably seems ridiculous to most that I’d find this so irritating, like it was some horrid statement out of Mein Kampf, but it drives me nuts. I’ve given myself time to think about it, to see if I’m onto something here or just going off the deep end and the more I’ve pondered it, the more it’s bothered me.

Doing this reflective process, I’ve increased my own knowledge of the quote. Who thought that “Knowledge is power” was a good statement, a sound proclamation? Well, Sir Francis Bacon did for one, since he’s credited with saying it. I’ve come across it quoted as “Knowledge is power” and then again as “For knowledge, too, is itself a power” and even found this second version’s Latin translation.

So, am I feeling more powerful with this new knowledge? I now know more about this quote, but not even the Latin translation has helped me in anyway, let alone bestowed powers upon me. Or even provided me with a snazzy super hero type outfit – I’d settle for that.

In all fairness to Sir Frank, what bothers me about the quote has almost nothing to do with him or his thoughts on it. What bothers me about it is how it is used today. I’ve heard this statement bandied about during my lifetime to justify any number of things to be learned, comprehended, memorized, or otherwise stuck inside a person’s head. It assumes that there is just some intrinsic value in knowing, for example, the Latin translation of “For knowledge, too, is itself a power.” It assumes that with this knowledge I can go forth and have a better life or make the world safe for democracy or however it is that it is empowering me.

On the micro level, I’ve seen this lobbed at students by many a teacher when the student dared ask . . .

Nathanael Schildbach lives and learns in western Massachusetts with his wife, three sons, dog, cat and some racing pigeons.

The term life learning refers to a form of homeschooling that trusts children and avoids the trappings of school. It is sometimes called unschooling, radical unschooling, or natural learning. Life learning children live and learn naturally, with the support of their families, based on their own interests and their own timetables, and without curriculum, tests, or grades. Go here, here and here for a more comprehensive explanation.

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