Who Will Take Part in Knowledge? On the Condition(s) of Knowledge Socialism

This chapter aims to discuss some of the conceptual underpinnings of the prospect of knowledge socialism. I analyze selected characteristics of knowledge socialism found in current literature, especially in Michael A. Peters’ works and related authors. I discuss its condition(s) by methodically posing the question of who takes part in knowledge, based on an introduced concept of distribution of the knowable. I point to the issues related to the notion of general intellect and to the indispensability of considering the consequences of digital transformation. I argue that for knowledge socialism to work out a viable alternative to the current developments of knowledge capitalism, one has to rethink the core importance of externalization and commodification for knowledge.