The Decline of Politics and Ideology in a Knowledgeable Society

From reports on the growth and changing character of contemporary knowledge, it is argued that we live in a "knowledgeable society" with certain epistemological characteristics, among which are the development of more fruitful categories of thought, increased differentiation of ego from inner and outer worlds, an imagination of situations contrary to fact, reflective abstraction, changing truth criteria, and a changed philosophy of knowledge. This increase in knowledge and change in thoughtways lead to changes in policy-making procedures. There is increased application of scientific criteria for policy determination at the expense of the usual short-term political criteria and ideological thinking as well. In this situation, social knowledge is creating its own attitudinal disequilibrium.