Without Real-World Application, the Value of Knowledge is Much Diminished. Discuss.

Without Real-World Application, the Value of Knowledge is Much Diminished. Discuss.

1 Introduction

This paper looks at whether the value of knowledge is greatly diminished if this knowledge does not have any application in the real world. Thus, if a concept or theory does not have any useful pragmatic application, then it might be said that its value is questionable. In order to consider this idea though, two areas of knowledge will be explored in order to illuminate this discourse – these being intellectualism (which refers to pure reason derived from the mind) and physics (and particularly the study of the mechanics of the universe). Both of these types of knowledge then, often include very abstract concepts with debatable practical application. The discussion shall therefore begin with a brief overview of the terms to be used, and some definitions; before looking more closely at knowledge that has no real-world application, with this focus being on intellectualism and physics, and whether this lack of practical use diminishes its value. Finally, some tentative conclusions will be offered with regard to this complex and multifaceted subject.

2 A Brief Overview of the Terms to be Used: Epistemology, Intellectualism, and Physics

2.1 Defining ‘Epistemology’

This discourse then is an epistemological study (Alston, 1989; Audi, 1998; Eames, 1969). The word ‘Epistemology’ comes from the Greek episteme, meaning ‘knowledge’, and logos, which means ‘study’. Therefore, from a linguistic point of view, the word epistemology is referring, in the most literal sense, to the study of knowledge (Horrigan, 2007). However, Horrigan (2007) elaborates upon this somewhat, and states that epistemology is: “the science of knowledge studied from the philosophical point of view” (p. vii). This then, succinctly nails down what this term refers to.

Popkin & Stroll (1969) argue that epistemology is one of the most important branches of philosophy, and that: “Philosophers have attempted to discover the means by which our knowledge is acquired, the extent of our knowledge, and the standards or criteria by which we can judge the reliability of knowledge claims” (p. 204). Indeed, much knowledge that has been acquired throughout human history has already been overturned. For example, it seems preposterous that humans once believed the Earth to be at the centre of the universe (often referred to as the geocentric model of the universe, or the Ptolemaic system), and this supposed knowledge has now been overturned by the heliocentric model that scientists have since discovered and verified. However, new scientific discoveries are constantly creating new paradigms of belief, and epistemological studies aim to find agreed upon standards for claims of knowledge, to determine the basis of such knowledge claims (Popkin & Stroll, 1969), and the value that they hold. As such, the nature of science is that new paradigms emerge and routinely replace old ones, and so current knowledge in the sciences is simply made up of what we, as humans, know now (rather than absolute truths that might stand the test of time).

2.2 Intellectualism and Physics: Clarifying Terms

Halliwell & Rasmussen (2014) note that some academics use the term ‘intellectualism’ synonymously with the term ‘rationalism’. However, Patterson (2012) takes a more straightforward approach, and explains that intellectualism is the philosophy or theory that knowledge is wholly or mainly derived from pure reason; or it involves someone who is “limited to the brain and its thinking” (Patterson, 2012, p. 64). Thus, pure reason alone is used by the intellect, with any notion of intuition or insight (which is likely the result of unconscious thought processes) being dismissed. As such, for the intellect, only the conscious mind is utilised in order to come to reasoned decisions. However, the question of whether intellectualism in its purest form has any real practical use is very much up for debate.

Physics, of course, refers to the knowledge that people have of nature (Pickover, 2011; Mohindroo, 1991), and particularly the study of matter and how it moves through space and time. On a small scale then, this could involve the study of life on Earth and is part of the natural sciences, but more broadly, it includes the study of the mechanics of the universe – which has much less practical application; at least for the time being; and again, it could be questioned as to how much real-world application such knowledge actually has, particularly as new findings continue to emerge with regard to quantum physics and ideas about the universe possibly being digita