The constitution of knowledge management is the topic of this chapter, finding this to be as much a subject of debate as the nature of knowledge itself. Various approaches to knowledge management are critically reviewed, arguing that it is largely the debate over the nature of knowledge that influences the directions of the field and its practice. Knowledge management's origins are investigated, finding three generations of development, as is the question of whether knowledge management is merely a passing management “fad.” Technology is found to be a major defining and push factor, while the final part of this chapter addresses the question of whether, from ethical perspectives, knowledge should in fact be the target of management.