The main difference between a man and an animal is that man has some knowledge but an animal has no knowledge of anything. Knowledge is the godmother of all discoveries, explorations and inventions.
Mostly man gains knowledge through observation and experimentation: At first man starts with certain hypothesis or theory and sometimes even without any premeditation, prerequisite or predetermination. In other words, he embarks upon a project just at random and the results are startlingly positive or negative.
Einstein, for instance, was actually not working for discovering the atom when he stepped upon it just by chance. Even Newton’s sight of the falling apple and the thoughts that it generated in his mind which led to the discovery of the theory of gravitation were not for conceived by him.
All the modern technology which has made certain nations so powerful economically and militarily is all based on knowledge. In countries like the USA research in all fields of science is done on regular basis and that is one of the underlying secrets of her success and matchlessness and invulnerability as a nation in the world, at least not to the extent of a crippling effect.
India has also done great research in certain fields, as for instance, in the fields of information technology and telecommunications and she is now reaping rich harvest for this. So, in a nutshell we shall have to agree to what Bacon said four centuries ago that knowledge is power.
All human progress and perhaps even man’s very existence on the globe depends upon his retention and growth of knowledge in various fields for positive and constructive purposes because if knowledge is used for negative purposes, it can play havoc with our life and existence on earth.