Most academic fields document and communicate the knowledge that was gained by doing research in the form of research papers.
Most academic fields document and communicate the knowledge that was gained by doing research in the form of research papers. Consequently, these papers are full of the latest information as to where the field is right now and where it is likely to go next. They also constitute a historical record of how the empirical edifice of any given field came to be. Thus, being able to gainfully read original research papers is an indispensable skill. Unless one is able to do that, one will have to rely on a summary by someone else, and this person might well have a limited understanding, misaligned interests or even both.