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Research is our lifeline
Research is not only the heart of higher education; it fertilizes the curious mindset of young minds, such as students and researchers.
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Research is not only the heart of higher education; it fertilizes the curious mindset of young minds, such as students and researchers.
(Shutterstock/File)
H
uman beings are constantly thinking how to survive and overcome problems they face on a daily basis. We think because we want to maintain our existence, as Descartes famously said with, “Cogito ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am). Research is part of that thinking process.
As a nation, we need more research in order to understand ourselves. The late professor Nurcholish Madjid once said, citing Islamic sources, if we make a mistake in the process of inquiry, we will get one reward; if we find the correct answer in this process, we will get two rewards.
The moral of this opinion is whatever you do in research, you will benefit. As George Bernard Shaw said: “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”
Indonesian academia was shocked by the news that the government moved to scrutinize all research projects, just like in the old days. Worse, the job would be entrusted to the Home Ministry, rather than the dedicated Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry.
