FWD: the need for anthro

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>It is a sad day when we have to justify the quest for knowledge in terms
>of what it can provide for the industrial marketplace. Who can say
>from what study the next great piece of knowledge will come. To
>attempt to limit humankind's quest for knowledge is to attempt to
>limit the growth of future generations.

It may indeed be a sad day. However, that's how a "free market"
economy works. Academia is asking me to work to pay for something that
probably won't positively affect my life or that of my children. Why
should I? Why is it unreasonable to expect that people want a return on
their investment? I have this vague feeling that I would do a better
job of spending the money taken from me as taxes than the government
will. Given that the money will be taken from us, is it better to spend
the money on feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, finding a cure
for AID, or paying people to research and think about often obscure
subjects? Don't get me wrong, I fully believe that my taxes should
support the "quest for knowledge" unrelated it "market value". It is
just maddening when people feel they *deserve* my money with no real
justification.

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