Jimmy Wales and the democritization of knowledge

In the good old times, knowledge was institutionlaized. It was put together by researchers and scholars, it was authorized by institutions such as academies and universities, it was distributed by big publishers. For instance, the Encyclopedia Britannica is the standard bearer of general information.

Now we have Wikipedia. Wikipedia places the authority with the contributors. Indeed, there are no “authorities” in the wiki world. It is a democratic set up in which each individual has a voice, has a story to tell, and has a right to be heard. Another contributor might have other views, and has equal rights to criticise the story.

The very idea of an authoritarian setup, with a jury deciding the official version of the story is undermined. We now have multiple stories: readers have more options. They can buy into a story they find suits their understanding of the world (world view).

In time to come, this approach to knowledge is going to gain ground. All scientific systems must meet the test of democracy – that is, approval by the users of the knowledge. It is a bottom-up approach to building the grand narrative.

But then, is there a grand narrative? Is there a universal design in all things we see around us?