Why Knowledge?
“Knowledge gives power,” says the philosopher. “Knowledge enriches,” says the scholar. But the practical individual exclaims: “Special expert knowledge is a personal asset, but how does general knowledge enrich?”
“Knowledge makes life fuller and more interesting.” And what does that mean? It means that life, through knowledge, may be made a joy and a blessing in spite of what the cynics say. It means that through knowledge we learn to appraise things at their true value. Our eyes are opened to see other colors than purple and gold, our ears to hear understandingly other sounds than the roar of traffic, the shriek of an automobile horn, or syncopated music. Knowledge reveals to us the nicer shades of color that give us quiet satisfaction—the finer and gentler tones of Nature and of human life that afford us a lasting enjoyment. It teaches us that there are things more “worth while” than ourselves.