The Usefulness Of Useless Knowledge
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The Usefulness Of Useless Knowledge
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Author : Abraham Flexner
language : en
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Release Date : 2017-02-21
The Usefulness Of Useless Knowledge written by Abraham Flexner and has been published by Princeton University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2017-02-21 with Reference categories.
A short, provocative book about why "useless" science often leads to humanity's greatest technological breakthroughs A forty-year tightening of funding for scientific research has meant that resources are increasingly directed toward applied or practical outcomes, with the intent of creating products of immediate value. In such a scenario, it makes sense to focus on the most identifiable and urgent problems, right? Actually, it doesn't. In his classic essay "The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge," Abraham Flexner, the founding director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and the man who helped bring Albert Einstein to the United States, describes a great paradox of scientific research. The search for answers to deep questions, motivated solely by curiosity and without concern for applications, often leads not only to the greatest scientific discoveries but also to the most revolutionary technological breakthroughs. In short, no quantum mechanics, no computer chips. This brief book includes Flexner's timeless 1939 essay alongside a new companion essay by Robbert Dijkgraaf, the Institute's current director, in which he shows that Flexner's defense of the value of "the unobstructed pursuit of useless knowledge" may be even more relevant today than it was in the early twentieth century. Dijkgraaf describes how basic research has led to major transformations in the past century and explains why it is an essential precondition of innovation and the first step in social and cultural change. He makes the case that society can achieve deeper understanding and practical progress today and tomorrow only by truly valuing and substantially funding the curiosity-driven "pursuit of useless knowledge" in both the sciences and the humanities.
The Usefulness Of The Useless
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Author : Nuccio Ordine
language : en
Publisher: Paul Dry Books
Release Date : 2017-02-21
The Usefulness Of The Useless written by Nuccio Ordine and has been published by Paul Dry Books this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2017-02-21 with Philosophy categories.
“A little masterpiece of originality and clarity.”—George Steiner “A necessary book.”—Roberto Saviano “A wonderful little book that will delight you.”—François Busnel International Best Seller / Now in English for the First Time In this thought-provoking and extremely timely work, Nuccio Ordine convincingly argues for the utility of useless knowledge and against the contemporary fixation on utilitarianism—for the fundamental importance of the liberal arts and against the damage caused by their neglect. Inspired by the reflections of great philosophers and writers (e.g., Plato, Dante, Montaigne, Shakespeare, Borges, and Calvino), Ordine reveals how the obsession for material goods and the cult of utility ultimately wither the spirit, jeopardizing not only schools and universities, art, and creativity, but also our most fundamental values—human dignity, love, and truth. Also included is Abraham Flexner’s 1939 essay “The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge,” which originally prompted Ordine to write this book. Flexner—a founder and the first director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton—offers an impassioned defense of curiosity-driven research and learning.
Useless Arithmetic
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Author : Orrin H. Pilkey
language : en
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Release Date : 2007-01-09
Useless Arithmetic written by Orrin H. Pilkey and has been published by Columbia University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2007-01-09 with Science categories.
Noted coastal geologist Orrin Pilkey and environmental scientist Linda Pilkey-Jarvis show that the quantitative mathematical models policy makers and government administrators use to form environmental policies are seriously flawed. Based on unrealistic and sometimes false assumptions, these models often yield answers that support unwise policies. Writing for the general, nonmathematician reader and using examples from throughout the environmental sciences, Pilkey and Pilkey-Jarvis show how unquestioned faith in mathematical models can blind us to the hard data and sound judgment of experienced scientific fieldwork. They begin with a riveting account of the extinction of the North Atlantic cod on the Grand Banks of Canada. Next they engage in a general discussion of the limitations of many models across a broad array of crucial environmental subjects. The book offers fascinating case studies depicting how the seductiveness of quantitative models has led to unmanageable nuclear waste disposal practices, poisoned mining sites, unjustifiable faith in predicted sea level rise rates, bad predictions of future shoreline erosion rates, overoptimistic cost estimates of artificial beaches, and a host of other thorny problems. The authors demonstrate how many modelers have been reckless, employing fudge factors to assure "correct" answers and caring little if their models actually worked. A timely and urgent book written in an engaging style, Useless Arithmetic evaluates the assumptions behind models, the nature of the field data, and the dialogue between modelers and their "customers."
Why Education Is Useless
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Author : Daniel Cottom
language : en
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Release Date : 2003-05-21
Why Education Is Useless written by Daniel Cottom and has been published by University of Pennsylvania Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2003-05-21 with Education categories.
"A tour de force, implicitly summarizing and commenting on more than two millennia of arguments about the function of education."—Michael Bérubé, author of The Employment of English: Theory, Jobs, and the Future of Literary Studies
Not A Scientist How Politicians Mistake Misrepresent And Utterly Mangle Science
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Author : Dave Levitan
language : en
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Release Date : 2017-01-17
Not A Scientist How Politicians Mistake Misrepresent And Utterly Mangle Science written by Dave Levitan and has been published by W. W. Norton & Company this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2017-01-17 with Science categories.
An eye-opening tour of the political tricks that subvert scientific progress. The Butter-Up and Undercut. The Certain Uncertainty. The Straight-Up Fabrication. Dave Levitan dismantles all of these deceptive arguments, and many more, in this probing and hilarious examination of the ways our elected officials attack scientific findings that conflict with their political agendas. The next time you hear a politician say, "Well, I’m not a scientist, but…," you’ll be ready.
The Society For Useful Knowledge
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Author : Jonathan Lyons
language : en
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Release Date : 2013-06-11
The Society For Useful Knowledge written by Jonathan Lyons and has been published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-06-11 with History categories.
A spellbinding, rich history of the American Enlightenment--think 1776 meets The Metaphysical Club
The Incredible Book Of Useless Information
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Author : Don Voorhees
language : en
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date : 2012-10-02
The Incredible Book Of Useless Information written by Don Voorhees and has been published by Penguin this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2012-10-02 with Humor categories.
The #1 New York Times bestselling series continues to delight and astound with an all-new collection of surprisingly unnecessary facts and figures. Would it surprise you to learn… •it takes a sloth about a month to digest a meal? •more tourists visit France than any other nation in the world? •the United States still has debt from the Revolutionary War? Do you think you ever need to know… •what type of trees are most frequently struck by lightning? •how much a clerk was paid for penning the U.S. Constitution? •which celebrity uses the pseudonym Slappy White?
Alcoholica Esoterica
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Author : Ian Lendler
language : en
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date : 2005-09-27
Alcoholica Esoterica written by Ian Lendler and has been published by Penguin this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2005-09-27 with Cooking categories.
Finally, there’s a book that’s almost as much fun as having a couple of drinks. Alcoholica Esoterica presents the history and culture of booze as told by a writer with a knack for distilling all the boring bits into the most interesting facts and hilarious tales. It’s almost like pulling up a stool next to the smartest and funniest guy in the bar. Divided into chapters covering the basic booze groups—including beer, wine, Champagne, whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, and tequila—Alcoholica Esoterica charts the origin and rise of each alcohol’s particular charms and influence. Other sections chronicle “Great Moments in Hic-story,” “Great Country Drinking Songs,” “10 Odd Laws,” and “Mt. Lushmore, Parts I–V.” Additionally, famous quotes on the joys and sorrows of liquor offer useful shots of advice and intoxicating whimsy. Did you know... that the word bar is short for barrier? Yes, that’s right—to keep the customers from getting at all the booze. that Winston Churchill’s mother supposedly invented the Manhattan? that the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock because the sailors on the Mayflower were running low on beer and were tired of sharing? that you have a higher chance of being killed by a flying Champagne cork than by a poisonous spider? that the Code of Hammurabi mandated that brewers of low-quality beer be drowned in it? that beer was so popular with medieval priests and monks that in the thirteenth century they stopped baptizing babies with holy water and started using beer?
The Usefulness Of Useless Knowledge
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Author : Abraham Flexner
language : en
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Release Date : 2017-02-06
The Usefulness Of Useless Knowledge written by Abraham Flexner and has been published by Princeton University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2017-02-06 with Science categories.
A short, provocative book about why "useless" science often leads to humanity's greatest technological breakthroughs A forty-year tightening of funding for scientific research has meant that resources are increasingly directed toward applied or practical outcomes, with the intent of creating products of immediate value. In such a scenario, it makes sense to focus on the most identifiable and urgent problems, right? Actually, it doesn't. In his classic essay "The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge," Abraham Flexner, the founding director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and the man who helped bring Albert Einstein to the United States, describes a great paradox of scientific research. The search for answers to deep questions, motivated solely by curiosity and without concern for applications, often leads not only to the greatest scientific discoveries but also to the most revolutionary technological breakthroughs. In short, no quantum mechanics, no computer chips. This brief book includes Flexner's timeless 1939 essay alongside a new companion essay by Robbert Dijkgraaf, the Institute's current director, in which he shows that Flexner's defense of the value of "the unobstructed pursuit of useless knowledge" may be even more relevant today than it was in the early twentieth century. Dijkgraaf describes how basic research has led to major transformations in the past century and explains why it is an essential precondition of innovation and the first step in social and cultural change. He makes the case that society can achieve deeper understanding and practical progress today and tomorrow only by truly valuing and substantially funding the curiosity-driven "pursuit of useless knowledge" in both the sciences and the humanities.
Transfer Of Learning
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Author : Robert E. Haskell
language : en
Publisher: Academic Press
Release Date : 2001
Transfer Of Learning written by Robert E. Haskell and has been published by Academic Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2001 with Education categories.
This text addresses the problem of how our past or current learning influences, is generalised and is applied or adapted to similar or new situations. It illustrates how transfer of learning can be promoted in the classroom and everyday life.