Is “useless knowledge” useless?
Is “useless knowledge” useless? A strange sort of question.
Here is what the British philosopher Bertrand Russell says in a little book of essays titled Let the People Think.
Perhaps the most important advantage of ‘useless’ knowledge is that it promotes a contemplative habit of mind.
Credit: Bertrand Russell
And he tells this short story:
Curious learning not only makes unpleasant things less pleasant, but also makes pleasant things more pleasant.
I have enjoyed peaches and apricots more since I have known that they were first cultivated in China in the early days of the Han dynasty; that Chinese hostages held by the great King Kanisaka introduced them into India, whence they spread to Persia, reaching the Roman Empire in the first century of our era; that the word “apricot” is derived from the same Latin source as the word “precocious” because the apricot ripens early; and that the A as the beginning was added by mistake, owing to a false etymology.
All this makes the fruit taste much sweeter.
Credit: Bertrand Russell
Yes, it is useless knowledge; you can do little with it, but as he says, it makes the apricot taste that much sweeter. Does it do that for you? It does for me.
So is such knowledge useless? Stopping, thinking, reflecting, and contemplating the world and enjoying or being disgusted with its flavors can rarely be a waste of time.
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Things Todo
- Reflect: What is your favorite piece of useless knowledge?
Resources
- Book: Let the People Think by Bertrand Russell
- Book: The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge by Abraham Flexner
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