how is knowledge power?

i want to know just exactly how my knowledge is power?

so i know that:

1. past civilizations collapse when they exceed their environments
2. past civilizations "priests" demand ever larger sacrifices to bring back past successes
3. the larger sacrifices require increased environmental demands from already weakened ecosystems
4. the weakened ecosystems and the civilizations eating them, have weakened immune systems and are more vulnerable to infection