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Preface

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2014

Debal K. SinghaRoy
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University
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Summary

The progression of human society has remained intrinsically linked to the production and application of knowledge that has paved the way for its civilisational journey bringing in the spirit of rationality and scientific thinking, political liberation and social justice, material progress and economic development in society. The higher the quantum of production and application of knowledge, higher has been the degree of spread, sustenance and rejuvenation of such societal progression. Significantly the site of production of knowledge has invariably remained the human mind that possesses the potential to be developed infinitum unlike those of the other productive resources which are circumscribed by inherent limitation (UN, 2005). Human beings stand for cultivation and exploration of this potential that could be harnessed at a large scale for mass use for varieties of social, economic and political purposes. However, for long the processes of exploitation of this potential for the production, accumulation and dissemination of knowledge have remained strictly confined to limited few as these were considered to be the task of designated specialists and the philosophers (Machup, 1962; Drucker, 1968). The knowledgeable were thus a limited selected section of society and to be knowledgeable was a privilege that in many parts of the world was decided by birth and lineage. Moreover within these arrangements knowledge was viewed as the finest moral manifestation of humanity having a non-commoditised precious essence of human ontology.

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Chapter
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Towards a Knowledge Society
New Identities in Emerging India
, pp. xi - xviii
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2014

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  • Preface
  • Debal K. SinghaRoy
  • Book: Towards a Knowledge Society
  • Online publication: 05 August 2014
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107588349.001
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  • Preface
  • Debal K. SinghaRoy
  • Book: Towards a Knowledge Society
  • Online publication: 05 August 2014
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107588349.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Preface
  • Debal K. SinghaRoy
  • Book: Towards a Knowledge Society
  • Online publication: 05 August 2014
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107588349.001
Available formats
×