Knowledge is power

Those who are in power are often using this statement in reverse: They try to guard their knowledge so they can stay in power. They often state that they have to keep facts secret (i.e. hide their knowledge) for the sake of society, to protect the privacy of (other) individuals, etc. But in reality it is an egoistic point of view, which must be countered.

It is the collected knowledge of all humans that are of value. And we have to share it - no knowledge should be hidden. And in contrast to material assets their is no shortage problem: you can donate knowledge to others without loosing it yourself - in fact it is pure win-win - you will receive more knowledge yourself by sharing. There is nothing new in this, e.g. OpenSource software works exactly along these lines.

And once again, the net is an extremely useful tool. We are all Googling along, and the more knowledge we put on the net, the better prospects for the future. Furthermore it is one of the best ways to fight the inequality of the world. Poor countries are to a large extent kept in poverty by using the shortage-mechanism of material goods. They are trapped in poverty, because they don't have the money to buy the facilities which will bring them wealth so they can get out of poverty. Whereas energy and physical raw materials are limited, knowledge is unlimited. In economic terms, the value of energy and raw materials has a given value, expressed in a certain amount of money. But the economic value of knowledge is zero! Thus you bring an offer by donating physical stuff to other people, but not by donating knowledge.