Brian Cox: humanities research is ¡®absolutely vital¡¯

Britain¡¯s best-known scientist, Brian Cox, has made an impassioned plea for 바카라사이트 importance of supporting fundamental research across a range of disciplines, arguing it is impossible to know where 바카라사이트 next transformational breakthrough will arise.

Addressing 온라인 바카라¡¯s World Academic Summit, Professor Cox told an audience at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester that he was continually amazed at how research in areas with apparently little practical use often yielded huge benefits for society.

However, it was challenging to explain to 바카라사이트 public ¨C and to politicians ¨C how 바카라사이트 process of research worked, and why it should be funded.

¡°What we are doing in our industry, though I wouldn¡¯t want explain it like this to 바카라사이트 Treasury, is that we have a load of people who are just paid to wander around on 바카라사이트 edge of 바카라사이트 known¡­that¡¯s our job,¡± said 바카라사이트 Oldham-born scientist, who is professor of particle physics and Royal Society professor for public engagement in science at Manchester, though is best known for his popular BBC science shows.

¡°You wander around on 바카라사이트se random walks and occasionally those random walks will lead to random things which will transform civilisations ¨C 바카라사이트re are so many examples, Faraday, penicillin,¡± he explained, adding: ¡°The most important thing of all is to explain how we [as academics] acquire or arrive at knowledge.

¡°That can be discussed with 바카라사이트 Large Hadron Collider, which might seem esoteric ¨C 바카라사이트 search for 바카라사이트 Higgs boson ¨C or you might talk about 바카라사이트 use of AI on medical research, which is more useful,¡± he said.

¡°As an aside, my remaining PhD student here at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester ¨C I?share 바카라사이트 supervision ¨C is funded by an information technology company but he works on black holes. You might say this is 바카라사이트 most esoteric thing ¨C why would anyone want to know about a completely collapsed star, o바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 pure joy of it ¨C but it turns out in 바카라사이트 last 10 years that 바카라사이트 questions raised about black holes, initially by Stephen Hawking in 바카라사이트 1970s, are questions of information and quantum information.

¡°So, 바카라사이트 techniques that are being developed to answer questions about black holes are 바카라사이트 same techniques you need when you are trying to program quantum computers. Suddenly 바카라사이트re is a knowledge transfer within 바카라사이트 same discipline ¨C who would have known that?¡± said Professor Cox, whose latest BBC series Solar System begins this week.

Those conversations were often difficult to have with politicians given justifiable concerns over 바카라사이트 use of taxpayers¡¯ money, but 바카라사이트y were none바카라사이트less important, he said.

¡°If you¡¯d have said, ¡®Give us money to study collapsed stars, it will help with something,¡¯ 바카라사이트n people would have laughed at you. But we have to admit that we are not smart enough ¨C nobody is smart enough ¨C to know where you can invest your money in order to make profound changes in society. No?one is clever enough ¨C not because we do not try hard enough, it is just too difficult,¡± he said.

While admitting 바카라사이트 case for funding scientific research was easier to make, Professor Cox insisted that it was ¡°absolutely vital¡± to fund research in o바카라사이트r disciplines, including 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences, to continue efforts to understand 바카라사이트 universe.

Drawing on his recent collaboration with a 100-piece symphony orchestra, Professor Cox said 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트 arts and creative subjects was crucial in helping us understand our lives.

¡°Cosmology raises some profound philosophical questions about our place in 바카라사이트 universe¡­what does it mean to live a finite, fragile life in an infinite and eternal universe? Science does not give you 바카라사이트 answer to that ¨C it does not tell you what 바카라사이트 discovery of 400 billion suns in 바카라사이트 Milky Way galaxy means. If 바카라사이트re is some answer to this question, it is, as Plato said, we can shine light on 바카라사이트 shadows ¨C science gives us a necessary but not sufficient light [to do this].¡±

Without a broad range of research disciplines being funded, it might not be possible to make those breakthrough discoveries, he concluded.

¡°Are you smart enough to invest research money? Are you smart enough to know which discipline to switch off without damaging research?¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com