"And, uh, I did that, and there was nothing more ridiculous to me than finding the weight of the earth because I didn't care how much the earth weighed"

In this quote, Rube Goldberg, the famous American cartoonist and developer known for his satirical illustrations of overly intricate devices developed to carry out basic jobs, offers a philosophical reflection on the pursuit of understanding and its relevance to personal experience and interest. At its core, the quote highlights a sense of disconnection in between the acquisition of abstract understanding and its useful significance to an individual.

Goldberg uses hyperbole to highlight the absurdity he felt in the job of finding out the weight of the Earth. The task itself is a complicated clinical endeavor requiring detailed computations and an understanding of gravitational forces and mass. Nevertheless, Goldberg's termination of this job--"I didn't care how much the earth weighed"-- reveals a much deeper commentary on the nature of curiosity and the personal value of understanding.

The quote recommends that understanding, no matter how grand or considerable, can seem useless if it does not resonate with the person's own interests or affect their daily life. To Goldberg, measuring the Earth's weight was unimportant to his personal context, highlighting a broader point: that the pursuit of knowledge or intellectual endeavors ought to be lined up with an individual's passions or requirements.

Additionally, the quote can be seen as a satirical nod to the often-overwhelming intricacy present in scientific and academic pursuits. It reflects Goldberg's particular humor and critique of needlessly complicated systems-- akin to the devices he so notoriously illustrated. His hyperbolic expression of indifference might highlight the value of grounding intellectual pursuits in usefulness and relevance, rather than getting lost in abstract thought for its own sake.

Ultimately, Rube Goldberg's quote is a funny yet poignant pointer that our engagement with knowledge must be meaningful to us personally. It invites reflection on how we choose to invest our intellectual energies and reminds us not to forget what personally enriches our understanding and experience of the world.