Book Review-In Praise of Wasting Time by Alan Lightman

Alan Lightman is a very well regarded writer. His Einstein’s Dream is a playful piece of writing which explores Einstein’s relativity idea by playing with time and demonstrating relativity through clever writing.

This book, although not as whimsical is a valuable warning, guidebook, and inspiration. Lightman delves into his daily existence and found that he was caught up in the accelerating pace of modern life. Much of the acceleration comes from the rapid pace of technological development and he found himself being caught up in this era of computers, smartphones, instant messengers etc. He does a bit of research into what these brand new and invasive habits are doing to our minds and our lives. Needless to say, he found the changes in our habits lacking and he also experiences what we all do: that the dictates of this life is forcing our cognitive ability changed, and not for the better.

Lightman does a bit of storytelling and a bit of information relating, all to illustrate to us the predicament that we find ourselves in. The book is well structured and Lightman makes his points carefully and concisely. The chapters are well written and hits several notes of recognition in me and drew me in. He stays away from being pedantic and did not prescribe solutions, leaving the solutions to us the readers to contemplate and discover for ourselves. He did give us some salient examples. It is a good monograph that I can refer to in my worst days of being lost to time and be able to recover my equilibrium and slow my time down. I can use this book to abandon my chronos temporarily and indulge in my Kairos. (Read the book, it is Chapter 7.)

One note. This is a publication of TED, and this is the second book from TED that I have read. So far the content has been good but not in depth, much lik the TED Talks, it serves to keep the reader’s mind engaged without delving into the subject in a deep manner. It is a good start, I hope they keep it up.

Book Review-The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge By Abraham Flexner

This little monograph gives us two related essays. The first essay is contemporary and written by Robbert Dijkgraaf, the present director of the Institute of Advanced Studies. In this essay he serves up a history lesson of sorts, giving us some autobiographical detail on Abraham Flexner, the founding director of the Institute of Advanced Studies. He goes into the Flexner’s beliefs which was the founding principles of the Institute as well as its role in the history of American innovation as the place where creativity and research into basic and fundamental research takes place. He goes into how the founding belief in the meaning of the title forms the guiding principle of the institution. He very nicely frames Flexner’s basic belief. We are then given Flexner’s original essay on why seemingly useless knowledge is more important than just practical knowledge; indeed, should be the bedrock principles of scientific and humanities research in the United States.

You can read the passion and purpose in Flexner’s essay, he resolutely defends his idea against every plausible objection anyone can raise in opposition. It is inspirational to read this essay, written in 1939, it demonstrates just how prescient Flexner was in insisting that the Institute of Advanced Studies be the exception to the pragmatic tendencies of American science and resist the commercial bent of the American mindset.

Dijkgraaf skillfully demonstrates, with the examples from the Institute’s history, of just how the useless knowledge being pursued by the researchers at the Institute end up contributing to the applied knowledge of the world. In a way, the contemporary essay serves as vindication of Flexner’s conviction.

This book will be read many times, as a beacon for myself when my belief for basic research is faltering.