信息管理专业英语unit 1 Reading Material.docxVIP

Data(数据), Information(信息), Knowledge, and Wisdom(智慧)There is probably(可能) no segment(项) of activity in the world attracting(吸引) as much attention(注意) at present as that of knowledge management(管理). Yet as I entered this arena(领域) of activity I quickly found there didnt seem to be a wealth(丰富) of sources that seemed to make sense in terms of defining(定义) what knowledge actually was, and how was it differentiated(区别) from data, information, and wisdom. What follows is the current level(水平) of understanding I have been able to piece together(拼凑) regarding data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. I figured(认为) to understand one of them I had to understand all of them.According to Russell Ackoff, a systems theorist(理论家) and professor of organizational(组织的) change, the content(内容) of the human mind(意识) can be classified(分类) into five categories(范畴):Data: symbols(符号)Information: data that are processed(处理) to be useful; provides answers to who, what, where, and when questionsKnowledge: application(应用) of data and information; answers how questionsUnderstanding(理解): appreciation(评价) of whyWisdom: evaluated(有价值的) understanding.Ackoff indicates(指出) that the first four categories relate(联系) to the past; they deal(处理) with what has been or what is known. Only the fifth category, wisdom, deals with the future because it incorporates(结合) vision(想象力) and design(设计). With wisdom, people can create the future rather than just grasp(掌握) the present and past. But achieving(达到) wisdom isnt easy; people must move successively through the other categories.A further elaboration(阐述) of Ackoffs definitions(定义) follows:Data... data is raw(未加工的). It simply exists(存在) and has no significance(重要性) beyond its existence (in and of itself). It can exist in any form(形态), usable or not. It does not have meaning(含义) of itself. In computer parlance(用法), a spreadsheet(电子数据表) generally(一般地) starts out by holding(含有) data.Information... information is data that has been given meaning by way of relationa