This book discusses the importance of knowledge as an intangible asset separate from physical
entities that can enable us to understand and or change the world. It provides a thorough
treatment of knowledge one that is free of ideological and philosophical preconceptions and
which relies exclusively on concepts and principles from the theory of computing and logic. It
starts with an introduction to knowledge as truthful and useful information and its
development and management by computers and humans. It analyses the relationship between
computational processes and physical phenomena as well as the processes of knowledge
production and application by humans and computers. In turn the book presents autonomous
systems that are called upon to replace humans in complex operations as a step toward strong AI
and discusses the risks - real or hypothetical - of the careless use of these systems. It
compares human and machine intelligence attempting to answer the question of whether and to
what extent computers as they stand today can approach human-level situation awareness and
decision-making. Lastly the book explains the functioning of individual consciousness as an
autonomous system that manages short- and long-term objectives on the basis of value criteria
and accumulated knowledge. It discusses how individual values are shaped in society and the
role of institutions in fostering and maintaining a common set of values for strengthening
social cohesion. The book differs from books on the philosophy of science in many respects
e.g. by considering knowledge in its multiple facets and degrees of validity and truthfulness.
It follows the dualist tradition of logicians emphasizing the importance of logic and language
and considering an abstract concept of information very different from the one used in the
physical sciences. From this perspective it levels some hopefully well-founded criticism at
approaches that consider information and knowledge as nothing more than the emergent properties
of physical phenomena. The book strikes a balance between popular books that sidestep
fundamental issues and focus on sensationalism and scientific or philosophical books that are
not accessible to non-experts. As such it is intended for a broad audience interested in the
role of knowledge as a driver for change and development and as a common good whose production
and application could shape the future of humanity.
