411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Everest syndrome
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Alternative forms
en Mount Everest syndrome Mt. Everest syndrome
Etymology
In reference to George Mallory's alleged reply when asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest: "Because it's there."
Noun
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The tendency of academic researchers to study things merely because they exist to be studied, regardless of the usefulness of the research.
en 1990 Paul Saettler The Evolution of American Educational Technology https://archive.org/details/evolutionofameri0000saet/ Englewood, Colorado w:Libraries Unlimited 0-87287-613-6 490 https://archive.org/details/evolutionofameri0000saet/page/490/ Maddux says further that there is an Everest Syndrome in educational computing and that there are those who "believe that computers should be brought into educational settings simply because they are there.⁹³ The result of the Everest Syndrome, according to Maddux "is an improper emphasis on computer hardware, and a consequent underemphasis on other, frequently more powerful variables affecting the computer."
en terms derived from toponyms