Definition [I]

While knowledge is managed as knowledge resources, knowledge itself is a fascinating resource, especially for humans, and most critically as the industrial economy saturates, as confirmed by pollution, species and resources depletion, wealth's hyper concentration, as well as automation, robotics and "AI" replacing the work of many humans.

After the hunting-gathering economy, the agrarian economy, and the industrial economy, what can be the next main source of prosperity for humans ?

Which resource ...

• is infinitely renewable?
• is very soft on the environment?
• can transform learning and education?
• can provide effective solutions and services for all?
• requires network structures rather than hierarchical pyramids?
• supports a much more equitable redistribution of wealth and power?
• requires more human abilities and ingenuity than machine performance?
• favors collaboration and solidarity rather than competitive greed?
• is based on science, innovation, creativity, and education?

The knowledge economy is based on sharing and trading knowledge resources, rather than industrial resources. It is an economy based on intellectual property rather than physical property.

The knowledge economy does not void the industrial economy anymore than the industrial economy voided the agrarian economy, but rather, it is poised to become the main source of wealth, releasing much pressure on the industrial economy that is now resorting to planned obsolescence in a futile attempt to survive, relentlessly compromising the ecological viability of territories, countries and even planet Earth.

To achieve a thriving knowledge economy, some elements still need to be set up, the most crucial of which includes all aspects of securing and safely trading intellectual property, which becomes possible with a thorough understanding of knowledge and knowledge architecture, especially as knowledge naturally includes the required elements and supports enabling concepts like those of security.

Computing systems can now be designed and developed to process knowledge resources as well as to adequately support their effective sharing.

Knowledge processing also provides unrivaled support for fundamental knowledge economy trading operations such as micro-payments and pay-per-use.

Knowledge architecture is key to properly organize and securely manage corporate knowledge, and it is also key to humanity's next great evolutionary leap, the knowledge economy. Knowledge architecture is key to the survival of the human specie as well as most others.