What is the simplest definition of information, knowledge, wisdom and genius?

The simplest way to see the progression is: Information → Knowledge → Wisdom → Genius • Information: Knowing what. Facts, data, and observations. Example: “Water boils at 100°C at sea level.” • Knowledge: Knowing how and why. Understanding information and knowing how to use it. Example: “Heating water to 100°C causes it to boil.” • Wisdom: Knowing what matters and what to do. Applying knowledge with judgment, experience, and perspective. Example: “Boiling water can make it safer to drink, but it doesn't remove every contaminant.” • Genius: Seeing what others don't see. An exceptional ability to discover connections, principles, or solutions that are not obvious to others—and often create something genuinely new. Example: Einstein didn't merely know facts about physics; he saw a radically new relationship between space, time, matter, and energy. A very compact formula: Information = facts Knowledge = understanding Wisdom = judgment Genius = extraordinary insight And an important distinction: genius isn't necessarily the highest stage of wisdom. A person can be extraordinarily intelligent or creative yet make terrible judgments. Genius is primarily about exceptional cognitive insight or creative ability; wisdom is about using understanding well. If we want look at this classification from the kind of questions each step will basically encounter and address, how can we do it, for example, What? Where? When? become questions for the basic fact and information stage.… Yes. In fact, I think the question-based classification is more useful than simply saying “information → knowledge → wisdom → genius,” because each level represents a deeper kind of inquiry. I would structure it like this: Level Fundamental questions What it seeks Information What? Where? When? Who? Facts Knowledge How? Why? Understanding Wisdom Should? Which? What matters? Judgment Genius What if? Why not? What is missing? New possibilities 1. INFORMATION — “What is it?” The basic questions are: What? Who? Where? When? How many? These establish the facts of reality. What happened? Who did it? Where did it happen? When did it happen? How much did it cost? The answer gives you information, but not necessarily understanding. 2. KNOWLEDGE — “How and why does it work?” Now we move beyond facts: How? Why? What causes it? What is the relationship between things? For example: Information: “It rained heavily yesterday.” Knowledge: “The rain occurred because a warm, moisture-filled air mass encountered a cold front, causing condensation and precipitation.” Knowledge connects facts into a system of understanding. 3. WISDOM — “What should I do?” Wisdom introduces judgment and consequences. Its questions become: Should? Which is better? What matters? What are the consequences? When is this appropriate? For whom? For example: Information: “It is going to rain.” Knowledge: “Heavy rain can cause flooding.” Wisdom: “We should postpone the outdoor event because the cost and risk of proceeding outweigh the benefit.” Wisdom isn't simply knowing more. It is knowing what knowledge is relevant, what consequences matter, and what action is appropriate. 4. GENIUS — “What has nobody thought of yet?” Here the questions become fundamentally generative rather than merely analytical: What if? Why not? Could it be otherwise? What are we assuming? What are we missing? Can these apparently unrelated things be connected? For example: Everyone knows: “People need elevators to move between subway levels.” Knowledge asks: “How can we make elevators faster and more efficient?” Wisdom asks: “How can we move people safely and efficiently while minimizing energy and cost?” Genius asks: “Why must the elevator itself provide all the energy? Could the movement of people going down somehow provide the energy for people going up?” That question can generate an entirely new conceptual framework. So I would actually refine the hierarchy to: Information asks: WHAT? Knowledge asks: HOW and WHY? Wisdom asks: SHOULD and WHICH? Genius asks: WHAT IF and WHY NOT? And there is an interesting progression hidden here: What is? → How does it work? → What should we do? → What could be? That last transition is particularly important. Genius doesn't necessarily possess more information than everyone else. It often asks a better question.