KnowledgeBased Development or Oil Based Pseudo-Knowledge: This is the Problem

In recent years, “knowledge-based economy” and “knowledge-based development” have been frequently used by Iranian academics and politicians. Although all are unanimous in the importance of being “knowledge-based”, some interpret the increasing growth of Iran’s scientific outputs and consequent impressive upgrade of the country’s science production rank as a positive sign of progression in the direction of being “knowledge-based”, and the others are concerned about the quality of knowledge and research in Iran. In a deeper survey of the relation between “us” and “knowledge-based development”, if we, on the one hand, take our history in the account and consider “development”, “modern science” and “knowledge-based” within their main context (modern West), on the other hand, we realize that the acquisition of a proper understanding of such a relation requires regarding the relation between “our historical path” and “modern West”. In other words, in order to be able to understand and manage present threats and opportunities, we should consider current situation as a two-way created from historical and conceptual trends. In this regard, using the capable analytical framework of institutionalism, it is demonstrated that from one perspective, “knowledge” has the capability to correct our historical path provided that we consider it as our foundation and center and from another perspective, we, in continuing our historical path, have also the capacity to turn such transformative concepts “knowledge” and “knowledge-base” into “pseudo-knowledge” and “pseudo-knowledge base”. Therefore, in terms of the relation with being knowledge-base, our problem is not that if we do not act carefully, only our productivity will reduce or if we do not increase science and research budget, it takes more time for us to be developed or knowledge-based, our problem is that if we make mistakes, we will soon realize that despite our impressive growth in quantitative science and research indices, we have come the wrong way as before, with the difference that what we will this time convert into a luxury mask in an oil-based approach for the medication of our chronic pains, which has been turned into a fancy “pseudo-medicine”.