Lucas Velenosi

Article Synopsis

There seems to be an underlying meaning in what modern knowledge entails. Behind a single word, there is an infinite amount of links which represent what knowledge means to each and every one of us; at least according to Brain Martin of 1998’s Freedom Press. Despite Martin’s constant emphasis on the same few factors [money, power] which bring knowledge and people together, he also suggests alternative ways in which people can turn the tides on making knowledge more accessible to the general public. For the most part of Martin’s piece entitled “The Politics of Research”, he elaborates on elements that influence modern knowledge. It turns out that “interest groups affect the creation and use of knowledge, such as through funding, disciplines, hierarchy and competition” (Martin, 1998, p.114). Each aspect holds their own in terms of money and power and each is as equally important as the next. The text goes on to say that knowledge is held in the hands of those who are capable of either buying it, mastering it, earning it or challenging it. Take the military for instance. The military is fueled by governmental money; governments across the globe assume responsibility for their militaries because the citizens themselves wouldn’t be able to organize such a large-scale operation. The same can be said for the field of medicine. Through universities, “students are trained in the standard way of thinking” (Martin, 1998, p.117) however not everyone can achieve the highest successes of what the practice can offer. Schools and companies thereafter, pick the cream of the crop of students to represent them in turn shutting out the rest of any particular area’s civilians from that body of knowledge. As you can see, based on a couple of factors such as money and power, the general public is separated from modern knowledge more often then