Social Power of Knowledge

The recognition that knowledge isn't just information—it's a form of social power that can confer status, justify authority, or maintain hierarchy. To be known as someone who knows—to have your knowledge socially recognized—is to wield influence regardless of the content of your knowledge. The social power of knowledge explains why credentials matter even when the credential-holder is incompetent, why expertise is often performative, and why challenging established knowledge is always also a social struggle, not just an intellectual one.

Social Power of Knowledge "He didn't actually understand the data, but he had the right degree and the right confidence, so everyone believed him. That's the Social Power of Knowledge: looking like you know is often more powerful than knowing."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

Theory of the Social Power of Knowledge

A systematic account of how knowledge functions as a social resource, distributed unevenly and hoarded strategically. This theory examines how institutions credentialize some knowers and disqualify others, how knowledge communities form and police their boundaries, how epistemic authority translates into material advantage. It reveals that the "marketplace of ideas" is never a level playing field—some ideas arrive with trust funds, others show up in hand-me-downs. Understanding this theory means understanding that every claim to knowledge is also a claim to power.

Theory of the Social Power of Knowledge "The Theory of the Social Power of Knowledge explains why your uncle's YouTube research doesn't carry the same weight as a doctor's opinion, even when they're saying the same thing. It's not about the information—it's about the social position of the informer."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026