Which sources of knowledge - books, websites, the media, personal experience, authorities or some other - do you consider most trustworthy, and why?.
What is knowledge? The dictionary meaning of knowledge is (1): the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association (2): acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique (3): the range of one's information or understanding (4): the circumstance or condition of apprehending truth or fact through reasoning. In all sense of the word every source of knowledge is valuable and trustworthy in its own way. However, not any one source of knowledge is more reliable than the others. In many cases a certain source of knowledge would be more ideal to discovering what you want to know then other sources. For example; if one wanted to learn how to tell a joke, the most ideal source of knowledge would be comedies in the media (i.e. The Simpsons) or personal experience (i.e. trial and error). The reliability of a source of knowledge is purely situational and/or dependent on whom it is written, recorded, or broadcasted by.
When consulting a book for knowledge in a certain area one must keep in mind several points. A publisher will not publish a book unless it achieves the high standards placed on it and it has promise of selling and making a profit. Books are also generally written by professors who have studied and obtained degrees in a certain area of study so generally the information would be accurate. The professors also have to go through publishers and editors before the book is out. However, there is a downside. Books are typically written by one person, or if by a group of people with similar ideas. This will create a prejudice within the book and will leave no room for open ideas. Also it takes so long to write a book, that by the time it is published the information can be archaic.
