While thrusting the importance of knowledge, Bertrand Russell highlights one special utility of it, i.e., knowledge promotes a widely contemplative habit of mind; and such knowledge, he terms ‘useless’. For Russell, the habit of contemplation is the capacity of rationalized enquiry which enables individuals to consider all questions in a tentative and impartial manner, frees them from dogmas and encourages the expression of a wide diversity of views. Besides ‘useless’ knowledge, Russell admits the importance of ‘useful’ knowledge too, but his appreciation for the intrinsic value of ‘useless’ knowledge more than the extrinsic value of ‘useful’ one brings to light the significance of knowing, i.e., to know is to know something for its own sake. Pursuit of such knowledge is possible only in case of ‘useless’ knowledge; and not in case of ‘useful’ one. Highlighting contemplative habit of mind as the greatest advantage of ‘useless’ knowledge, Russell says that such habit, in order to get accelerated, has to be guided by education; but education without freedom cannot perform the job. To be free, according to Russell, means, to be free from the forces of tradition; and also from the tyranny of one’s own passions. Freedom is thus seen to be the cardinal force in fostering contemplative habit, and is closely found to have been associated with ‘useless’ knowledge. In the present paper, by highlighting the nature of contemplative habit of mind, I have argued that ‘useless’ knowledge has to be appreciated more than ‘useful’ knowledge. Moreover, I have shown why freedom in education has to be considered a necessity for accelerating habit of contemplation.

中文翻译：

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罗素对“无用”知识的辩护：自由在教育中的作用

在强调知识的重要性的同时，伯特兰·罗素强调了知识的一个特殊用途，即知识促进了一种广泛沉思的思维习惯；而这样的知识，他称之为“无用”。对于罗素来说，沉思的习惯是理性探究的能力，它使个人能够以试探性和公正的方式考虑所有问题，使他们摆脱教条，并鼓励表达广泛多样的观点。除了“无用”知识，罗素也承认“有用”知识的重要性，但他对“无用”知识的内在价值的欣赏比“有用”知识的外在价值更能揭示知识的重要性，即知道是为了自己而知道某事。只有在“无用”知识的情况下才有可能追求这种知识；而不是在“有用”的情况下。罗素强调沉思的思维习惯是“无用”知识的最大优势，他说，为了加速这种习惯，必须以教育为指导；但没有自由的教育不能胜任这项工作。在罗素看来，自由意味着摆脱传统的力量；也来自个人激情的专制。因此，自由被视为培养沉思习惯的主要力量，并且被发现与“无用”知识密切相关。在本文中，通过强调思维习惯的本质，我认为“无用”的知识必须比“有用”的知识更值得欣赏。此外，我已经说明了为什么必须将教育自由视为加速沉思习惯的必要条件。