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The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge
Abraham Flexner
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Description for The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge
Hardback. Num Pages: 104 pages. BIC Classification: PDA; PDR; PH. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 178 x 114 x 18. Weight in Grams: 171.
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 ... Read more
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 ... Read more
Product Details
Publisher
Princeton University Press
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2017
Condition
New
Weight
170g
Number of Pages
104
Place of Publication
New Jersey, United States
ISBN
9780691174761
SKU
V9780691174761
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-50
About Abraham Flexner
Abraham Flexner (1866-1959) was the founding director of the Institute for Advanced Study, one of the world's leading institutions for basic research in the sciences and humanities. Robbert Dijkgraaf, a mathematical physicist who specializes in string theory, is director and Leon Levy Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study. A distinguished public policy adviser and passionate advocate for science and ... Read more
Reviews for The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge
[Flexner's] 1939 essay ... advocates for unfettered inquiry that, paradoxically and unexpectedly, has often resulted in extraordinary utility... Dijkgraaf ... weaves Flexner's personal story together with compelling new examples that support Flexner's thesis... [He] beautifully expounds on Flexner's view of the lengthy and often unpredictable research path.
Craig Tovey, Science [R]eaders will discover a timeless essay by Abraham Flexner ... Read more
Craig Tovey, Science [R]eaders will discover a timeless essay by Abraham Flexner ... Read more