The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge

Abraham Flexner (1866-1959) was the founder of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, as well as the author of the famous Flexner Report on the state of US medical schools, which instituted the current biomedical dominance in medical education. His successor provides a biographical introduction to the famous essay which, if anything, is now even more relevant than when it appeared in 1939. It makes the case for basic research, giving historical and contemporary examples of how this later led to practical applications, for instance with the Manhattan project and the development of computers. The short-term culture based on metrics means that basic research is now more difficult to fund, and both authors advocate a portfolio approach giving space to basic as well as applied research, emphasising the importance of curiosity and imagination. Flexner wanted to create a climate of spiritual and intellectual freedom giving rise to unobstructed curiosity, which he succeeded in doing at the Institute. One Harvard professor enquired before coming about his duties, to which Flexner replied "you have no duties, only opportunities." Interestingly, in this climate people tend to work long hours, and the wife of an English member once asked if everyone worked until two in the morning. Dijkgraaf rightly argues that society fundamentally benefits from embracing the scientific culture of accuracy, truth seeking, critical questioning, healthy scepticism, respect for facts and uncertainties, and wonder at the richness of nature and the human spirit. It is a reassuring thought the Institutes like that in Princeton are still dedicated to blue sky thinking.