Flexner abraham dijkgraaf robbert (3 Ergebnisse)

Hardcover. Zustand: Brand New. 93 pages. 7.25x4.75x0.25 inches. In Stock.

Hardcover. Zustand: Very Good. 104 pages. A short, provocative book about why useless science often leads to humanity 's greatest technological breakthroughsA forty-year tightening of funding for scientific research has meant that resources are increasingly directed towa rd applied or practical outcomes, with the intent of creating products of immedi ate 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 Usef ulness of Useless Knowledge, Abraham Flexner, the founding director of the Inst itute for Advanced Study in Princeton and the man who helped bring Albert Einste in to the United States, describes a great paradox of scientific research. The s earch for answers to deep questions, motivated solely by curiosity and without c oncern for applications, often leads not only to the greatest scientific discove ries but also to the most revolutionary technological breakthroughs. In short, n o quantum mechanics, no computer chips.This brief book includes Flexner's timeless 1939 essay alongside a new companion essay by Robbert Dijkgraaf, the I nstitute's current director, in which he shows that Flexner's defense of the val ue 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 i t is an essential precondition of innovation and the first step in social and cu ltural change. He makes the case that society can achieve deeper understanding a nd practical progress today and tomorrow only by truly valuing and substantially funding the curiosity-driven pursuit of useless knowledge in both the science.…

Zustand: New. Original essay The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge copyright A1939 by Harper s Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduced from the October issue by special permission --Title page verso.A forty-year tightening of funding for scientific research has me.