Mathematician: 'Useless knowledge' is only useful if humans digest it
AlexKontorovich · x · 2026-09-03
- Princeton mathematician Alex Kontorovich revisits Flexner's classic essay "On the Usefulness of Useless Knowledge" after lunch at IAS, agreeing it argues for the societal value of institutions like IAS.
- But he adds a crucial point Flexner left unstated: the usefulness of useless knowledge exists in the minds of humans.
- If discoveries in abstract mathematics aren't "digested" by people, the case for funding them collapses—an implicit worry about knowledge production in the AI era.
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