Value Of Knowledge In Real Life

The great Russian playwright Antov Chechov once stated, “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.” In other words, knowledge is only useful when incorporated into practical use. The problem with this statement is that there is no definitive scale or criteria that measures the worth and value of knowledge. Leading to the question, to what extent can we determine the value of knowledge? From one perspective, knowledge is something that can be easily acquired, but is only useful when put into application in the real world. In contrast, all knowledge obtained is valuable to a person and there is no way to measure the greater significance of certain pieces of knowledge over others. But the problem with this contrasting statement …show more content…
Mathematic professionals continue to encourage the spreading of certain skills, despite having direct application into the real world. This idea is described by a real life experience I have had, learning Euclidean proofs in my previous Geometry class. A proof is a written account of the complete thought process that is used to reach a conclusion. Each step of the process is supported by a theorem, postulate or definition verifying why the step is possible. As I was learning how to complete proofs for a variety of different shapes, I found myself lacking the understanding of how they were going to be applied to the real world. I did not see the point of spending so much time learning Euclidean proofs when other skills could be learned like how to interpret 3D shapes, which can be used in fields such as architecture and engineering. But after time continued on, I used reason in order to deduce the importance of proofs in my learning. Although the skill of writing Euclidean proofs does not have direct application into the real world, it is used in order to teach problem solving skills in a more abstract method. It is also taught in order to teach a method of logical thinking that is important in order to understand more complicated mathematical concepts. But, throughout my time in Geometry, I noticed that proofs were not the core focus of the curriculum. Instead skills, like 3D shapes, were taught more frequently because they have more of a direct application into the real world. So even though Euclidean Proofs were taught in my class, I placed them as a piece of knowledge of less value than other pieces of knowledge because they are of less of an emphasis in the curriculum. So even though certain mathematical skills continue to have value despite not having direct application into the real world, they do not have as much value as those skills that can be