Knowledge for the sake of Knowledge?

(HH JAS 10/2007)

Lady Speaks: Burton Russel said that knowledge is this one possession we have which is never ending, it’s like a river you can take, take it as much as want, and everybody can and there’s so much of it and it won’t complete.... so this contradicts what you say ’knowledge should be proactive or should be...’ I think Burton Russel was thinking of terms of knowledge for knowledge’s sake.

HH JAS Speaks: I’m not sure that we are in contradiction although I’m sure Burton Russel and I would differ on all sorts of things. But by knowledge I don’t mean that now you’ve got it and it’s in a box, you know, how many square metres it takes up and put a little package in it and send it to your own address and post and you’re done...that’s not at all what I have in mind. Knowledge should expand, knowledge should be ongoing, knowledge should be progeressive, knowledge should lead to more knowledge and that should still lead to further knowledge....but there is such a thing as knowledge for knowledge's sake with no purpose: where I know how big this is, I know how much it costs, I know so many things and ultimately I don’t know what in the world I am doing with that, with that information, I am just being processed, I’m been given information, I take the information...I spit it back and I have knowledge at the end I have certified I have knowledge. But do I have a clear understanding of deeper issues...No, do they matter...maybe No ...you know, at the end of my education, deeper issues don’t matter, what matters is getting hired by a good company, and that matters more than the issues I haven’t even addressed or brought up, I’ve not even thought about, even as a professor! That’s my point. Thank you very much