ISSUE 10

[xupa0]

Scholars and researchers should not be concerned with whether their
work makes a
contribution to the larger society. It is more important that they
pursue their
individual interests, however unusual or idiosyncratic those interests
may seem.
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The speaker alleges that instead of concerning whether scholars and
researchers’ work could make a great contribution to a larger society,
the more important thing is whether its related field can intrigue
those scholars and researchers for studying further. Although I
strongly agree with the speaker that pursuing individual interests,
including unusual and idiosyncratic ones is the main spirit for doing
research, as a scholar or a researcher, one can not ignore the
contribution toward a whole society either.
I concede that the speaker is on the correct philosophical side of
this issue. After all, it is the interests and passion that bolster
one’s painstaking research from the obscure progress to the
transparent result. It is also the development of hobby from youth
that results to one’s great contributions toward the public
eventually. Consider, Madame Curie, as an example. If she had not
developed her own interest affected by her father, who taught
mathematics and physics in college, she won’t then became a pioneer in
the field of radioactivity, neither would she won the the Nobel Prizes
in 1903 and indirectly cure millions of cancer patients. Consider the
other example, Thomas Alva Edison. With three months education only,
Edison’s endless inquiries and insatiable appetite for knowledge in
his early life that contributes to numerous inventions in these fields—
mass communication, and telecommunications, which make the society
better and more convenient.
In addition, the speaker’s allegation emphasizes the importance of
“unusual and idiosyncratic” interests as a motivation of research,
which is congruous with the adage once said by Albert Einstein:
“imagination is more important then the knowledge.” Without the
whimsical interests, neither would Newton come with an idea of
universal gravitation by a fallen apple, nor would Copernicus
formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology. In other words, one
could say that the unbounded imaginaiton is the fundamental of
discovery and exploration to the unknown world.
On the other hand, while considering scholar and researchers’
personal interests, one should not ignore the welfare of society as
well. Possessing raw intelligence and affluent imagination,
intentionally or unintentionally, an scientist or researcher is likely
to study certain experiment which may contribute to a sudden
catastrophe toward innocent populace. The invention of atomic blasts
is an negative example which claimed hundreds of thousands of people
murdered and maimed during world war II. Although have not fully
published yet, the result of colonel man research could also cause a
harmful result by other’s ill-intended purpose or without an
appropriate regulation. Whether how the research was developed in the
beginning, as an scholar or a researcher, the impact of results on the
welfare of larger society is one’s priority to concern with, for
certain contributions could lead to extremely different consequences
to the public.
In sum, I agree with the speaker that the essential spirit of doing
research is through personal interests, even with whimsical ideas.
However, the speaker fails to recognize that the true knowledge cannot
be developed by either individual interests or the motivation from
contributing to the larger society only. The importance of the former
is amount to that of the latter. Lacking one of them in the academic
field could be a waste of resources and intelligence for individual or
jeopardize to the society.