One can be without knowledge, but not without culture. The knowledge in front of this sentence mainly refers to the academic background, and the culture behind it refers to the cultural background. This sentence is not contradictory. Some people do not have high academic qualifications and traditional formal education, but they love learning and have learned a lot through their own efforts. For example, Degang Guo, who didn't graduate from junior high school, loves folk art and is proficient in all aspects of cross talk. His study is like a library.