One of the basic characteristics of capitalism is the private ownership of the major means of production—capital. The ownership of large amounts of capital can bring (1)_____ profits, as well as economic and political power. Some recent theorists, (2)_____, have argued that our society has moved to a new stage of (3)_____ that they call 'postindustrial' society. One important change in such a society is that the ownership of (4)_____ amounts of capital is no longer the only or even the most important (5)_____ of profits and influence; knowledge as well as (6)_____ capital brings profits and influence. There are many (7)_____ with the thesis above, not the least of (8)_____ is that wealthy capitalists can buy the experts and knowledge they need to keep their profits and influence. But this does not (9)_____ the importance of knowledge in an advanced industrial society, as the (10)_____ of some new industries indicates. (11)_____, genetic engineering and the new computer technology have (12)_____ many new firms and made some scientists quite rich. In (13)_____ with criticism of the postindustrial society thesis, however, it must also be (14)_____ that those already in control of huge amounts of capital (i.e., major corporations) soon (15)_____ to take most profits in these industries based on new knowledge. Moving down from the level of wealth and power, we still find knowledge increasingly (16)_____. Many new high-tech jobs are being created at the upper-middle-class level, but even more new jobs are being created in the low-skill, low-paying service (17)_____. Something like a caste line is emerging centered around knowledge. Individuals who fall too far behind in the (18)_____ of knowledge at a young age will find it almost impossible to catch up later, no matter how hard they try. Illiteracy in the English language has been a severe (19)_____ for many years in the United States, but we are also moving to the point when computer illiteracy will hinder many more people and (20)_____ them to a life of low-skill and low-paid labor.