Don and dusted: is the age of the scholar over?

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The pursuit of knowledge for its own sake is often viewed as old-fashioned. A recent education minister infamously dismissed 'the medieval concept of a community of scholars seeking truth' as 'a bit dodgy'. Is evidence-based research in the humanities and social science inching out theoretical work? Is output-driven research in the sciences limiting experimentation? Or will more targeted research mean less waste and more public support for academics' work? How can scholars and researchers best preserve the contributions of the past and unearth new knowledge in the present? A satellite event of the Battle of Ideas, a two-day festival of high-level, thought-provoking debate organised by the Institute of Ideas.