The value of theoretical knowledge or the usefulness of useless knowledge
“It’s theoretical” or “it’s soooo theoretical” or “this is just theory”… Theory and knowledge sought for their own sake are often seen as less than real, not quite true, and a waste of time. Considering the past of human knowledge adventure, which is sprinkled with false or kooky theories, some would rush to say “Amen” to all this.
Yet, to paraphrase Willie Robertson of “Duck Dynasty” fame science “is all about figuring out in your head that which you would rather not do…” Once you figured it all out theoretically, practical applications are a mere formality… This has been proven time and time again. An example would the theoretical discovery of electromagnetic radiation, which made radio possible. Abraham Flexner makes this point brilliantly… If you are an educator, next time your students ask you “what good is all this theoretical stuff”, give them to read this article…
https://library.ias.edu/files/UsefulnessHarpers.pdf
