About the intersections between applied and basic science

The distinction between basic and applied sciences is as operational today as historically controversial. Educational institutions had been created after this differenciation, also courses and forms of reseearch.

Physics is normally considered the basic science and for example Engineering is the applied science. Engineer applies physics, as simple as that. Ok, but what came first in history? The fact that a knowledge is used as base to other means that it exists first? No, usually it´s just the opposite.

Society needs practical solutions to guarantee good life standards and then people start to propose these solutions. Agriculture was invented before botanics (basic). Building was invented before geometry (basic). 

Nevertheless, basic science,  doesn´t necessarily comes to justify what is being done. Under this point of view, basic science could be seen as an abstraction of practices, not necessarily naive, but not yet strictly scientific.

What I want to state is that there is a circularity between basic and applied science. Those are interdependent, as much as are complementary. Basic science came from something practical, "applied", and will influence it again. Applied knowledge gives a beginning to basic investigations, a basic landmark. And so on.

So what I'd like here in Finland, during my stay, is located at this intersection between basic and applied. My aim is applied - to empower teacher education in the Federal Institutes -, but my means are basic - to comprehend the meaning(s) of Finnish education, especially teacher education. This hermeneutic task of course demands the effort towards comprehending Finland, if I can say so, of course an endless task. Nonetheless, whatever I achieve during this internship period, will surely be a sufficient beginning! It already is. I was expecting for some time the opportunity of coming to Finland, I am glad it came and the difficulties are part of the process.