Valuing Useless Knowledge: An Anthropological Inquiry into the Meaning of Liberal Education (Casebound Edition)

By Robert Bates Graber

Book Overview

Explores the historical, philosophical, and sociological origins and nature of liberal arts and science education and draws on anthropology to show us how much to value such 'useless knowledge'. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0943549299
• ISBN13: 9780943549293
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Truman State Univ Pr
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.5" x 0.5" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Charming and wise

When you read the title of this book, you may be unsure what the book is about, but still drawn to the book if you value knowledge of any kind (useless or otherwise). When you read the subtitle, "an anthropological inquiry into the meaning of liberal education," you get a much better idea of what the author, Robert Bates Graber, is up to. He takes liberal education to mean education which values knowledge for its own sake rather than for "practical" purposes, thus rendering such knowledge "useless." He evaluates human prehistory and history for clues as to why liberal education and useless knowledge are still so highly valued today, in an age which is apparently scientific, technological, commercial, and generally pragmatic. Graber first dismisses the notion that liberal education is valued simply because it enables us to think better (though it does that), since one can develop effective cognitive skills by other means, including "on the job" experience. He also dismisses Veblen's hypothesis that useless knowledge is valued mainly because it enables a display of higher social status. He then goes back to the ancient Greeks (no surprise) and points out that many of them (including Plato and Aristotle) valued liberal education and useless knowledge partly because it helped set them apart from the dirty hands-on practical work done by their slaves. And speaking of hands, Graber goes back further to our evolutionary history and notes that hands evolved before large brains, and so the root of human intelligence is manual and practical rather than abstractly intellectual. We're next brought forward into the modern era, where Graber shows how commercialization reinforced emphasis on the practical (you do better if you look around to see how things actually work) and thus helped pave the way for empirical science and subsequent science-based high technology. With this background, we're returned to our original question: why do liberal education and useless knowledge continue to be so highly valued in our modern age? Graber's answer is essentially that we hold useless knowledge "sacred" and thus protect it because we intuitively recognize that we live in a world much more complex and unpredictable and globally perilous than our ancestors, so we need to avoid the myopia that comes from emphasizing only specialized knowledge which serves only local, short-term, and narrowly concieved needs. Instead, we need to cultivate broadly liberal education which values knowledge for its own sake because we're far too limited to forsee which knowledge will ultimately prove useful or necessary to our species in the future. In other words, we need to keep our knowledge diverse in order to hedge our bets. I agree with Graber's answer, though I note two possible objections. First, he emphasizes the benefit of liberal education for our species, but one could argue that liberal education might not be the best option for a particular individual. I think that o

Treasuring knowledge

You know how some books go beyond interesting to become real charmers? Well, here's one! Buy several: Add one to the gift certificate you give to a great teacher at the end of the year, give one to the college student you know who is dithering over courses and majors, or just take one with on an afternoon at the beach. In his little volume (6 x 4.5 inches, and 80 pages), Graber tackles a big question: Why do we treasure knowledge for its own sake? He starts, tongue in cheek, by defining liberal arts as "essentially those areas of knowledge in which practical-minded parents hope their children will not major." From this light beginning, Graber takes us on a historical journey to understand why we place such a high value on learning. We visit John Henry Cardinal Newman, who tells us that knowledge is "not only an instrument, but an end." In stark contrast, we encounter the eclectic and disagreeable Thorstein Veblen, who argued that "useless knowledge" was a form of "conspicuous consumption" (a phrase he coined) whose only value was to display the wealth required to waste such amounts of time. Taking us even further back, all the way to ancient Greece, Graber tells us of the very, very serious conceptual split of "mind" and "matter", and why this understanding is of profound importance in understanding such issues as the persistence of slavery, the nature of the charges against Galileo, and the importance of the human hand in the reactions to Darwin. Graber concludes with a view of how modern science re-integrates mind and matter, and establishes learning for its own sake as firmly in the realm of the most human of undertakings. Enjoy this little treasure!

Valuing Useless Knowledge: A Gem of Practicality

What do Aristotle, Charles Darwin, opposable thumbs, and sacred cows have in common? They each appear as important elements in Professor Graber's delightful and engaging essay on why liberal education solidly retains its mystique and value into the present era. By keeping the prose lively and brief, Graber has produced what may be the most approachable book on the topic. In fewer than eighty pages, this book provides a thorough introduction to the basic shape of the centuries-long debate regarding the relative value of humanistic education and places the question in the larger context of evolutionary anthropology. The argument that ultimately emerges is appealingly simple, and goes well beyond the oft-repeated cliché that the value of a liberal arts education is that it teaches students to think clearly and independently. In fact, the book begins with a general admission that "it is difficult to see any way in which the study of logic or mathematics would be superior to that of electrical wiring or television repair." What parent does not inwardly groan (at some level, admit it) when their son or daughter declares a major in Art History or some such "humanity"? Graber finds the ultimate value in "useless knowledge" precisely in its definition as useless, and hence set apart for protection from our ancient evolutionary impulses to select and reproduce only that knowledge which has obvious, immediate, and practical application. Whether or not Graber's readers come away agreeing with the thesis, Valuing Useless Knowledge is a gem of practicality. It should be required reading for students, faculty, and parents involved in any way with institutions of liberal learning. The argument is never heavy-handed and always stimulating. As Freshman Week begins to introduce students to the array of expectations and complexities in college life, a reading and discussion of this book might provide the best orientation of all: a common starting point on which to begin a rigorous reflection on all human endeavors, sacred and profane.On a personal note, I first encountered this book while studying the liberal arts as an undergraduate. I recently reapproached it as I have been considering a return to the university for graduate study in law and social work. Each reading triggered a different but significant response, and revealed for me a lasting relevance in this compact book.

A Must-Read For The Parents Of College-Bound Kids

This book begins with a provacative thought: "The liberal arts may be defined -- impishly, but accurately nonetheless -- as essentially those areas of knowledge in which practical-minded parents hope their children will not major. 'But what are you going to do," they cry, "with a major in ______?'"In this well reasoned, eighty page treatise, Graber sets forth an argument for valuing a Liberal Arts and Sciences education in a material world of "get it all, get it now." For those who have read the Carnegie Foundation's Boyer Report you'll nod your head as Graber takes you to the importance of an education based on a broad appreciation of many disciplines and the ability to create, reason and communicate. He concludes that it is acqusition of the "tools" and their use more than the ever changing facts and knowledge that builds a strong foundation for life and work. This book made a significant impression on my son as he opted for a smaller, lessor known college focused on quality undergraduate education in the arts and sciences (Truman State University) rather than a half-dozen larger, comprehensive universities with huge reputations, impressive athletic teams, but invisible faculty and undergraduate indifference. 2007 Update - The premise of the book is supported by a recent poll conducted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. 305 business executives and 510 recent graduates were surveyed. The San Antonio Express-News summarized the findings, including: "What employers want from college graduates... is the ability to work in teams, write and communicate, think on the spot and solve real-world puzzles. ...every student should get a liberal education - one that fosters a broad worldview and teaches critical thinking skills that cut across disciplines."