Data, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom
Russell Ackoff's five catagories classifying the human mind
Russell Ackoff's system
- 1. Data = symbols
- 2. Information = data that are processed to be useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", "when" questions
- 3. Knowledge = application of data and information; answers "how" questions
- 4. Understanding = appreciation of "why"
- 5. Wisdom = evaluating understanding
- Example: The Weather
Data
- represents a fact or statement of event without relation to other things.
Example: It is raining
Information
- embodies the understanding of a relationship of some sort, possibly cause and effect
Example: The temperature dropped 15 degrees and then it started to rain
Knowledge
- represents a pattern that connects and generally provides a high level of predictability as to what is described or what will happen next
Example: If the humidity is very high and the temperature drops substantially the atmosphere is often unlikely to be able to hold the moisture and so it rains
Wisdom
- demonstrates an understanding of fundamental principles embodied within the knowledge that are essentially the basis for the knowledge being what it is.
Wisdom is essentially systemic.
Example: It rains because it rains. And this encompasses an understanding of all the interactions that happen between raining, evaporation, air currents, temperature gradients, changes, and raining.