A Theory of the Knowledge Industry

Abstract: This paper deals with the social production of knowledge in the exact sciences. After defining the term, exact science, it delineates the broad dynamic of its history. It, then, offers a socio-economic historical explanation of why the production of knowledge has become a major industry, if not the largest industry, in the last hundred years. The paper concludes by drawing a detailed blueprint of the components, mechanisms and specificities of the knowledge industry.