Scientia potentia est

Knowledge is power is a saying in German, which dates back to the English philosopher Francis Bacon ( 1561-1626 ). Bacon put in his works a cornerstone of the philosophy of the Enlightenment and led the Aristotelian- Christian scholasticism approach the knowledge and methods of science. His efforts bring people " into a higher state of existence " to 1597 expressed in his Meditations sacrae in the formulation Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est ( because the science itself is power ) out, often shortened to scientia potestas est. In the English version of 1598 the sentence was:

" ( For) knowledge ( Itself ) is power "

"For knowledge itself is power"

The idea led Bacon in his 1620 published major work Novum Organum further. There he writes:

" Scientia et potentia humana in idem coincidunt, quia ignoratio causae destituit effectum "

"Knowledge and power of man coincide, because ignorance of the cause [ also ] belies their impact "

In the English-speaking world, the term Knowledge is power gained wide circulation, so called him Benjamin Rush in a letter written in 1806 as a well-known aphorism.

1872 attacked Wilhelm Liebknecht ( 1826-1900 ) in a lecture on the formulation of Bacon:

"Knowledge is power - power is knowledge"

Liebknecht, a founder of the Social Democratic Party of Germany ( SPD), represented the requirement that the working class was to gain political power and remove existing barriers that large parts of the population denied access to knowledge, education and culture. The slogan became very popular within the labor movement. 1891 used it Max cone in the lyrics of the song socialists march:

" In light of the mind, knowledge, power, The whole nation was given it! "

Beginning of the 20th century is the term, with the reference to Bacon, already in German encyclopedias.

Since the 1970s, the saying in the German youth language, first as a slogan of Sponti movement ( cf. Sponti sayings ) of unknown authorship is being satirized in various forms. Thus we find the slogan Knowledge is power, I do not know, does not matter. - Also in the variant Knowledge is power. We know nothing. Do not worry. in graffiti and other scene -specific expression in various modern subcultural youth movements and contrary to elite -oriented society drafts stationary counter- cultures.

Similar formulations

" توانا بود هر که دانا بود "

" Someone has knowledge, is powerful "

" גֶּבֶר - חָכָם בַּעוֹז; וְאִישׁ - דַּעַת, מְאַמֶּץ - כֹּחַ "

" The wise man is superior to the Strong, a man of sense robust. "