Avira
He was lamenting that yeshivos don’t teach physics anymore and he said it to me. You are correct though that I “misspoke”. I wrote his intent was for “the sake of general knowledge”. Without question, for reb shmuel, “general knowledge” (physics) is to recognize Hashem incredible world in order to fear Him as the reshonim speak about.
Again, it very quickly gets confused (usually by those with a dangerous agenda) and put on some pedestal he/they would be horrified with.
It’s his opinion and there are others that go with that mesorah even though the majority of the yeshiva world does not
That majority opinion doesn’t not argue with the reshonim I mentioned. They simply hold it doesn’t come before learning even more Torah and/or doesn’t belong being taught in a yeshiva.
In addition, many from that majority opinion that don’t hold of teaching secular studies for general knowledge/fear of Hashem do hold we need to need to what needed to be able to make decent living and they therefore do promote general studies. There is another reason as well in America v’hamayvin yavin.