Adventure of Wisdom
Knowledge is power; throughout history, societies that transformed information into wisdom gained an advantage over societies that remained ignorant.
Historical Development of Information
Living beings require information to sustain life.
The emergence of the first life form marked the beginning of information in the living world. Information obtained from different sources was then transferred among living beings and across generations.
This essay describes the development of information toward wisdom. It begins with the history of information, examines methods of obtaining it through the information pyramid and then evaluates the shared processes. The discussion is limited to the information-pyramid model, although other theories also exist.
From the earliest stages of humanity to the present, information has been verbalized, learned through hearing and sight, and stored in human memory. Humans later attempted to reproduce capabilities such as hearing, seeing and learning in machines and information systems. As human needs increased, research on these systems continued. Information-processing systems eventually emerged that resembled living systems and exceeded them in some specific functions.
Data, Information and Knowledge
The information pyramid describes four principal layers.
Data
The lowest layer is data, the plural of the Latin word datum. Data is discrete, raw and objective.
Data is stored in datasets, databases and data structures. It is acquired, generated, quantified, calculated, compiled and evaluated. Related processes involve reliability, security and communication. Codes, symbols, numbers and words are examples of data.
Information
The next layer is information. At this level, processed data gains meaning and purpose within a context. Sentences, paragraphs, equations, ideas and questions belong to this stage.
Knowledge
Above information is knowledge: information that has passed through application filters such as synthesis, evaluation, experience and foresight. Knowledge is personal.
Wisdom
The final stage of the process is wisdom. Knowledge is power; throughout history, societies that attained wisdom gained an advantage over societies that remained ignorant. Research into the attainment of wisdom has also increased.
Some approaches describe wisdom as a character trait and a personal strength. Philosophy is characterized as the love of wisdom and therefore as the effort to attain it.
Conclusion
Because wisdom is a deep concept connected with many disciplines, it can be useful to examine it through concepts from different fields and through individual life stories.
