Changing times, changing knowledge

A term used to describe those societies in which knowledge is the motor for social, economic, cultural and political development and change. The focus of this book so far has been on changing knowledge; knowledge about societies and the knowledge that is produced by the social sciences. This focus on change suggests that the world we live in is being transformed, perhaps at a faster rate than at previous moments in history. There are, of course, continuities, but how we know about the changes that are taking place is a fast moving field. There is dispute about the extent of change as well as debate about the benefits and advantages of the changes that may be taking place and this chapter covers different approaches. We consider some of the ways in which change and the growth of knowledge can be seen as beneficial and desirable on the one hand as well as, on the other hand, creating greater anxiety. However, we would like to start by exploring in a bit more detail the claim that knowledge is particularly important in contemporary societies and by offering a discussion of what we mean by the term ‘the knowledge society’.