* The Laboratory can only be used to test knowledge

* Books are only a method of recording and transferring knowledge

2) People need an environment that fosters the growth of knowledge in order for knowledge to grow. This requires the student to be allowed to learn what they want to learn without outside judgment of the results.

3) Virtually every formal educational structure restricts the growth of knowledge. The same is true of business and government funding.

* The educational systems tend to describe what needs to be learned, how and when it is to be learned and places the focus on an external (to the individual) judgment of the results.

* Government funding is dependent upon the political climate of the times and is ever changing.

* Business is focused on financial results. It makes the assumption that knowledge exists upon hiring.

Given the present methods to limit knowledge, how can we foster the growth of knowledge?

If we look at the systems where it might occur, we find problems with each, as I stated above. We could try to change these systems. To me this does not seem to be an effective first step.

Consider business. Let's say that we would choose to start a business with the intent of fostering the growth of knowledge. If a business were to exist with that as the primary goal, it would not last long in today's Capitalist system. It could not be supported by the product (knowledge). It would have to be supported from outside. This would make it not a business, but a foundation -- requiring outside funding and in existence at the whim of the populace.

There are some companies who spend a great deal on research. This is never research for the sake of knowledge; but is always research for the sake of long term financial gain. While this is some improvement over the company just in business to manufacture, it, too, is at the whim of outside influences (the economy).

Government funding of knowledge is very limited. During more liberal administrations, it exists to a small degree, but every administration recognizes that they would not be allowed to purely for knowledge -- there must be a physical product that will ultimately benefit the public (usually through manufacturing).

During more conservative administrations, the chances of squeezing a spare dollar from the triple fastened pockets of the wealthy Republicans is greatly diminished.

We could try to change government to more consistently fund pure research for the sake of the growth of knowledge, but if the Equal Rights Amendment couldn't pass, what would be the chances of something apparently far more esoteric? To say "None" would be optimistic.

The educational system seems to be based on the requirement that knowledge does not grow. It is as if every educator is saying "Gosh, I hope that nobody finds out that they can do it better without us, or we will be out of work." The same is true of every group that is involved in doing something that is not well understood: Medicine, psychology, law just to name a few. If you want a more complete list, just look in the phone book for Organizations. The more protective the organizations are of its members, the greater the tendency for the subject to be not well understood. One of the strongest and most protective organizations in the US is that of the teaching professions.

The effects of this organizations are so strong that their influence reaches into business. They have convinced businesses that the only way to hire competent people is to hire people with degrees from the educational systems. To a very large degree, business accepts this -- with the majority of the evidence to the contrary. Most of the greatest advances in knowledge were accomplished by people without college degrees or, at least, were done prior to or in spite of the degrees. Many of what we think of as major advances were no more than turning great advances in knowledge into practical, financially successful products.

So what is left for us -- the common people, to do to advance knowledge? When we raise our children, we can give them the tools to advance knowledge by themselves. What would these tools be?

* Self reliance

* The ability to focus on what is important to them

* The ability to value their own decisions