The Usefulness of the Useless by Nuccio Ordine

👍👍👍 A short book but a slow read. I’m sure I didn’t grasp most of what this book had to offer. I guess I'd need a stronger background in history, literature, and philosophy to really absorb all the subtle details and nuances surrounding its central idea—the value of what might seem useless. 

A collection of reflections on the value of the arts, literature, mathematics, science, and other pursuits, including forms of knowledge often dismissed as “useless” by modern utilitarian thinking. Ordine argues that things do not need to be useful to be worthwhile. Their value lies in their beauty and in the pleasure and joy they bring. They nourish the spirit, shape our sense of identity, help us understand ourselves, and make us more humane and morally aware. 

In contrast, a strictly utilitarian mindset corrupts us by reducing everything to profit and practical gain, ultimately turning us into slaves of utility and causing us to lose sight of our humanity. The book includes quotes by many notable historical writers, philosophers and thinkers who have expressed similar ideas from a variety of perspectives. At the end, it also includes a short essay titled The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge by Abraham Flexner.