Although the idea of “knowledge is power” itself has existed since ancient times, it was the 17th century English philosopher Francis Bacon. who made the phrase famous. He placed the concept as central in Western thought, and the phrase became widely quoted as “knowledge is power. Bacon was an advocate of scientific methodology and believed that the accumulation of knowledge based on experience and experiment would be the “power” to liberate humanity from the forces of nature and to build a better society. His ideas influenced many thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment and led to an emphasis on the value of scientific inquiry and the importance of education.
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