'Useless' (?) Knowledge & it's Uses

Lord Bertrand Russel, mathematician & philosopher 'extraordinaire', wrote an essay  called 'Useless' Knowledge. In it he postulates that the Renaissance involved a revolt against the utilitarian conception of knowledge. The utilitarian concept is the needs man shares with the animals like sustenance & pecking order (called 'Status' euphemistically in human society.) Learning, in the Renaissance, was part of the 'joie de vivre' like drinking or love-making. The French Revolution gave a blow to 'gentlemanly culture' whereas the Industrial Revolution offered new scope to the exercise of 'ungentlemanly' skill. Lord Russell felt that there is indirect utility in the possession of knowledge which does not contribute to technical efficiency. He also thought that some of the worst features of the modern world could be improved by a greater encouragement of such knowledge & a less ruthless pursuit of mere professional competence.

Dr. Zena Hitz, in her book "Lost in Thought" devotes an entire chapter to "The Uses of Uselessness." Her credo is that "The exercise of the love of learning is a form of the inner life; it requires withdrawal from the pursuit of wealth & status, from politics & the pursuit of justice." She quotes the American Doris Day as saying "I am always telling people to read Dickens or Tolstoy." She also cites Jonathan Rose, author of "The Intellectual Life of the British Working  Classes" as saying the workers cultivate an inner world not subject to poverty's power to diminish. (Free public libraries being copious in England.)

The above views are particularly cogent here & now, where single minded pursuit of wealth & status have become the new be-all & end-all of human aspiration.

Modesty, defined by Mary Wollstonecraft

In her epoch-making book, "A Vindication of the Rights of Women", instead of the perceived view of her as a militant feminist, Ms. Wollstonecraft promotes the virtue of modesty. She writes "The woman who has dedicated her time to pursuits purely intellectual; and whose affections have been exercised by humane plans of usefulness, must have more purity of mind than the ignorant beings whose time & thoughts have been occupied by gay pleasures, or schemes to conquer hearts." 

If the word "intellectual" is replaced by "spiritual", she could well be describing Miranda, a fictional female paragon of Christianity in William Law's "A Serious Call to a Devout & Holy Life." This view also finds an echo in Zena Hitz's "Lost in Thought - The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life". 

Ms. Woolf also states that till men are more chaste, women will continue to be immodest, putting the onus squarely on the men. She writes about men, with debauched minds, coolly bringing forward indecent allusions or obscene witticisms in the presence of fellow creatures comparing them to lewd jokers setting the table in a roar.

She also berates women for being too familiar with each other, which leads to that gross degree of familiarity that renders the marriage state unhappy. She naively thought it was due to their minds being uncultivated in her time. Sadly, even though women are more supposedly more "educated" now, their minds remaining quite uncultivated is the "new normal" now!

It may be mentioned in passing that in traditional Hinduism, modesty is a prized virtue, protecting its possessor from the sin of vanity. In Quran (24:30), also both men & women are enjoined to turn their eyes away from temptation & to preserve their chastity. The Bible says, (1 Timothy 2:9), "women should adorn themselves modestly."

Kautilya & Thucydides

Even though Kautilya's "Arthashastra" is more known as a treatise on statecraft & Thucydides' "History of the Peloponnesian War" is considered the first accurate objective history, there is a striking similarity of views in both works, probably because Kautilya's work is believed to be composed in the 3rd Century B.C., Thucydides's work is believed to be from the 4th Century B.C.

Arthashastra has chapters on foreign policy, defence & war, going into details like neighbouring countries being allies or enemies & how & when to enter into treaties with allies. Both in India & Greece, there were vassal kings, who would pay tribute. So how to plan joint activities with them & start campaigns are minutely discussed.

"An enemy's destruction shall be brought about even at the cost of great losses in men, materials & wealth." (7.13.33) advises Kautilya. A Corinthian, an ally of the Spartans, urges them "Your inactivity has done enough harm. Give your allies the help you promised & invade Attica at once." (1.5.71) His advice was heeded & Sparta entered into the Peloponnesian wars against Athens, which lasted for 27 years. Even though Thucydides himself served as a General in the Athenian army, it did not prevent him from writing an impartial history of the war.

As Kautilya was writing about a landlocked country, the armed forces were divided into infantry, cavalry, chariots & elephants. The Greek forces consisted of infantry & the navy as they were surrounded by sea. But apart from these differences, the viewpoints are remarkably similar, proving the adage "Great minds think alike."