"Information" and "knowledge" are they the same thing?

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They are actually quite different.

Knowledge, as defined by Plato, is a justified true belief. The key word in this case is TRUE. It is something that verifiably corresponds with all other knowledge and reality as we know it.

Information actually derives from the root 'inform'. To inform is to teach or report, and whatever it is that you teach or report is information. You may note that there is no qualification of truth anywhere in that definition. Information is just stuff that you've been told. Not necessarily anything you believe or is necessarily true.

For the record, intellect is the capacity to discriminate good information from bad, and to help turn it INTO knowledge....Show more

Information is essentially the same as data - it is a collection of facts. It contains everything that is known about a topic, but on its own is not terribly useful.

Knowledge is the useful product of information put together with a context in mind.

Synthesizing the raw information into groupings and formats that make sense together - a flow chart showing troubleshooting steps, a spreadsheet of financial figures, a report showing which employees are paid over $35000/year in salary - creates knowledge.

Edit:
Neither of these on their own is Wisdom, which would be a third category.
Wisdom is the retained knowledge and decision-making skills to use what is known and apply it to making choices in a context.
E.g. A senior manager knows the what financial results imply for the company in the near future because he has studied previous reports, market publications, business admin theory, etc.
A poker player folds his hand because he sees his opponent glancing repeatedly at the glass on the table (information) and interprets it as the one of his opponent's 'tells' (knowledge)....Show more

From a purely cybernetic perspective, "information" is a transcendental term to express the pattern that is found in data. Pure "Information" itself does not exist because it must always be contained within something. For example, the 'information' in this response is bound to the English language and writing. In short, 'information' is the pattern within a medium that allows it to be understood or have meaning.

Knowledge is the practical use of such pattern. In short, knowledge is only knowledge when it can perform some act....Show more

No. Information are just the facts and knowledge is the capability of using those facts or information and interpret them in a more sophisticated way....Show more

Information is a tool to gain knowledge.

a book is full of information.....lets say a book is about lawn mower repair...Until you apply the information, you will never have the knowledge necessary to repair that lawn mower.

Information+ application= knowledge...Show more