We’d have no progress without academic pursuits
Re: “Why knowledge of the past is important”, Have Your Say, July 31.
Julius Caesar, as I call “JC” Wilcox, states, “Academic learning is theoretical, with no practical or other useful bearing.” Then he says, “On the other hand ... historical research gives us a guide to who we are, where we are and where we are going.”
But where does the writer think such research occurs in? It occurs in universities! So academic learning is both theoretical and research-oriented. I think Mr Wilcox’s main point of contention is that theory is useless, while applied research is not. But I have to take issue with this.
Theory is the wellspring of all innovation and research. Without scientific theory, there could be no marvellous feats of engineering and architecture.
The problem in today’s society is that people no longer regard the acquisition of knowledge as an end in itself, only as a means to an end. JC Wilcox is clearly a product of an Anglo-Saxon upbringing, where practical knowledge is to be valued above all else.
Paul
Khon Kaen
