TO WHAT END KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION

This paper is put up for discussion to help Knowledge Organization fin d its proper place. To begin with, a few basic concepts from the field of communication theory are defined. The new concepts permit the conc lusion that what we are facing at present is not a flood of informatio n but one of messages, and that this latter flood must not be equated indiscriminately with a knowledge flood. Messages must be judged on th eir contents. To this end, 'knowledge' is subdivided into 'core-', 'pe ripheral', and 'pseudo-knowledge', and it is argued that the great maj ority of scientific publications contains peripheral and pseudoknowled ge. With the aid of two interlocking and self-amplifying recursive mec hanisms it is shown that and how pseudoknowledge is more and more gain ing ground, particularly outside the mathematical and scientific disci plines, hence precisely in those fields which deal with social problem s in the broadest sense of the word. Thus a deficit of knowledge on wh ich to base action is produced, leading to a general disorientation - a modern form of ignorance, keenly manifesting itself at present in a crisis of leadership. The research tasks resulting from the above for Knowledge Organization are roughly outlined.