INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING
Charles François (2004). INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 1680.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1680 ▶ |
| Object type | Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
R. ACKOFF and J. GHARAJEDAGHI (as quoted by M. DODDS & G. JAROS, 1994) “identify three levels in the hierarchy of knowledge:
- “Information is descriptive: it is contained in answers to questions that begin with such words as What, Which, Who, How many, When and Where. Knowledge is instructive: it is conveyed by answers to How-To questions. Understanding is explanatory: it is transmitted by answers to Why questions…” DODDS & JAROS add “Understanding presupposes knowledge and information. Information presupposes neither knowledge nor understanding. It does presuppose a perspective and the purpose of an inquiring viewer, for it is information for someone. To the above hierarchy one could add wisdom, as the knowledge of what to do in any given context of problems”.
More carefully still, what is factually possible to do should be distinguished from what is socially, and ethically suitable to do.