In his classic essay "The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge," Abraham Flexner describes a great paradox of scientific inquiry. The search for answers to complex questions, with search as its sole motive and without concern for its conjecture, often leads to the greatest scientific discoveries and most revolutionary theories.
Abraham Flexnet, founder and director of IAS in Princeton, was one of the foremost leaders in education and philanthropy in the 1920s and 1930s. The essay is just as valuable today as it was when it was first published in 1939. Below you will find the link to the full article and link to a lecture about the essay by demisionair Minister Education, Culture and Sciences Robbert Dijkgraaf.
Source: The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge - Ideas | Institute for Advanced Study (ias.edu).
In 2007 the essay was reissued with an companion essay by demissionair minister Ecucation, Culture and Sciences (OCW) Robbert Dijkgraaf. Here you can view an online lecture he gave about this essay: The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge - Robbert Dijkgraaf - YouTube
Header image: Jaredd Craig via Unsplash | Boek - Zwevend - Kennis
Icon image: Jaredd Craig via Unsplash | Boek - Zwevend - Kennis