Introduction

The word “omniscience” literally means “to know everything.” In English it is translated as omniscience, derived from omni (all) + science (knowledge).

This idea of “knowing everything” has appeared in religions and philosophies around the world since ancient times. In Greek mythology, the supreme god Zeus is described as having the power to see the entire world, while in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam the one God (Yahweh / God / Allah) is portrayed as an “all-knowing, all-powerful” being who knows the past, present, and future as well as the innermost thoughts of humans.

In many religions—especially monotheistic ones—the phrase “God is omniscient and omnipotent” is a standard expression, describing a being who knows all events and all human hearts.

This concept of omniscience has symbolized “ultimate knowledge” and “absolute understanding” within human imagination. In eras when science and technology were still undeveloped, it was only natural to think that knowing everything was the sole privilege of the gods.

This idea has also been widely adopted outside religion, into literature and philosophy. In narrative arts, for example, the technique of the “omniscient narrator” who knows all characters’ inner worlds and future developments has been established, offering a “god’s-eye view” that is still used today in games and scenario design.

In other words, the term “omniscience” has come to represent not just a religious expression but also the ultimate ideal of “knowing everything.”

The Illusion of “Omniscience” in the Modern Era

With the dramatic advances of modern science and technology, we now handle information on a scale unimaginable in the days of mythology or the Middle Ages. So is the concept of omniscience something that exists only in ancient myths? Or does something like “omniscience” also exist in the modern world?

AI, big data, surveillance cameras, social media, the Internet of Things… our world is full of systems that seem to “know everything.” Search engines index information from all over the world, social media algorithms read user behavior patterns, and cloud monitoring tools visualize the status of entire services in real time.

Modern societies and organizations also collect information and try to view the whole picture. Integrating vast logs into dashboards, tracking user behavior, and improving system observability are typical examples—attempts that could be seen as approaching a “god’s-eye view.”

However, the human-built “networks of knowledge” are only superficially similar to omniscience and in reality something quite different. In religion and mythology, “omniscience” means the ultimate knowledge whereby God completely and infallibly grasps the entire world, and can even see into the future and into people’s hearts. By contrast, today’s information networks and AI, though they may look “omniscient” because they provide access to huge amounts of data, are only a distributed and incomplete form of collective knowledge.

Data can be biased or erroneous, predictions remain just predictions, and the interpretation and judgment of that information rest with individuals and society. No matter how advanced technology becomes, what we possess is not the “absolute omniscience” described in myths but vast, fragmented data sets that may contain gaps, biases, and time lags.

How Should We Live?

Just as an “omniscient narrator” in a story understands characters’ inner thoughts and guides the plot, we too are asked to look over our projects, our lives, and the flow of society as a whole—to understand them deeply and make meaningful decisions that guide things in the right direction.

Modern technology gives us unprecedented access to information, but that information is neither perfect nor error-free. What matters is not to accept everything at face value but to develop the ability to choose, understand, and use information—critical thinking, ethics, and sound judgment.

Perhaps the word “omniscience” does not simply symbolize “knowing everything,” but also raises the question of how we use that knowledge and how we return it to society and to ourselves.

Thank you for reading.