Presently there is growing interest in “translating” knowledge so that it is easier for practitioners to use it. The intent is to minimize jargon and maximize the utility of knowledge. I agree with these efforts, and I have done such work myself. Applied knowledge is very important, particularly for transdisciplinary fields. Working on practical problems almost always requires the perspectives and methods of more than one discipline.
However, if we devote too much attention to translation or technology transfer or applications, we might miss some opportunities. In addition to asking how a theory can be used, it is also useful to know where a theory came from or what was the context or the origin of the theory? In addition to reasoning down to applications, it can also be helpful to reason up the philosophical and historical origins of ideas.
This paper will examine the ancient philosophical questions that various societies have asked in an effort to learn the nature of the intellectual journey that the society was engaged in and how the fundamental philosophical questions that were of concern emerged from the practical problems the society had faced.
