Rerum cognoscere causas

Little reflexion on the motto of our university.

Today, I was looking to my subscription papers and I noticed that something was written on the university coat of arms : "Rerum cognoscere causas". I called my old latin courses memories (and searched on google :wink:

) to know the menaing of this sentence.
It means "Knowing the causes of things". Actually it's the part of a larger sentence from the Virgil's Georgics (II,290): "Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas" : "Happy, who had the skill to understand causes". Original text available here.
Virgil's georgics is a didactic poem about rural life. So why this motto as our university's ?
I think, as students, or intellectual workers, our work is to understand things. And this in each field. So my question is : "how does this motto apply to your study field ?"
As a computer scientist, it's more difficult for me. Computer science has been totally man-made. I think that computer science is not a question of causes, but a question of aims. I think this motto apply to computer science in that way : "Why did man invent computers ?". And then our works is to match the computers to mankind's needs.
What about your fields ?

Reply 1

weatherwaxed

Archaeology, speaks for itself. Gotta look back to look forwards lest history repeat itself, and all that.

Reply 2

Guitarmarama

English Language And Linguistics... Not only part of the basis for all aspects of life (Well, if you speak English... But language in general), but also knowing why basic speak (whether it be a baby or an ape) developed into such a vast complex and endless way of communicating.

Okay so it's just because the bigger the brain the easier it is, but there's a lot more to it than just that... So that's how the motto applies to me...