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Maybe we should have scientists rotate through unrelated professions on a pre-set schedule? Just putting it out there. Killing scientists to stimulate progress

Maybe we should have scientists rotate through unrelated professions on a pre-set schedule? Just putting it out there. Killing scientists to stimulate progress is out for ethical reasons, obviously.

Verdex_2 10y ago
Cross pollination of disciplines also seems to bring out great ideas, which makes your (obviously first) proposal sound even better. Unfortunately, I feel this is similar to that one dessert on the front page of the menu at an expensive restaurant. It looks delicious and tastes even better, but as soon as the bill comes you wondered what in the world you were thinking.
- dexterdog 10y ago
  Wouldn't it be better for the old scientists to be the ones that go out and cross-pollinate since they can bring something to the new endeavors?
santaclaus 10y ago
I've seen firsthand evidence that jumping between subfields of a given discipline can have great results. A couple of the seminal papers in our field came from super senior researchers moving into simply different areas.
- im3w1l 10y ago
  Correlation doesn't imply causation. Maybe they got a very promising idea and chased it into a different subfield? Or maybe there is a filter effect where only the brightest and most ambitious can be bothered to change fields.
BurningFrog 10y ago
Professorial term limits? Could be a good system, but I don't see the professors endorsing it.
- beevai142 10y ago
  Why not term limits for all occupations? 1 year white collar work, 1 year on the farm.
  - throwaway2048 10y ago
    Yeah it would be a real Cultural Revolution
- dredmorbius 10y ago
  It's not an out-for-good approach, necessarily. But it is a proposal to get you out of your headspace. The established institution of a sabbatical year (every 7 or so years) fits into this. China also tried a ... not entirely unrelated approach in the 1960s. With mixed results.
AuthenticApe 10y ago
Well, killing SS officials dispelled the "scientific consensus" that Jews were inferior humans... so I'm not sure.

Maybe we should have scientists rotate through unrelated professions on a pre-set schedule? Just putting it out there. Killing scientists to stimulate progress is out for ethical reasons, obviously.

Verdex_2 10y ago

Cross pollination of disciplines also seems to bring out great ideas, which makes your (obviously first) proposal sound even better. Unfortunately, I feel this is similar to that one dessert on the front page of the menu at an expensive restaurant. It looks delicious and tastes even better, but as soon as the bill comes you wondered what in the world you were thinking.

dexterdog 10y ago
Wouldn't it be better for the old scientists to be the ones that go out and cross-pollinate since they can bring something to the new endeavors?

santaclaus 10y ago

I've seen firsthand evidence that jumping between subfields of a given discipline can have great results. A couple of the seminal papers in our field came from super senior researchers moving into simply different areas.

im3w1l 10y ago
Correlation doesn't imply causation. Maybe they got a very promising idea and chased it into a different subfield? Or maybe there is a filter effect where only the brightest and most ambitious can be bothered to change fields.

BurningFrog 10y ago

Professorial term limits? Could be a good system, but I don't see the professors endorsing it.

beevai142 10y ago
Why not term limits for all occupations? 1 year white collar work, 1 year on the farm.
- throwaway2048 10y ago
  Yeah it would be a real Cultural Revolution
dredmorbius 10y ago
It's not an out-for-good approach, necessarily. But it is a proposal to get you out of your headspace. The established institution of a sabbatical year (every 7 or so years) fits into this. China also tried a ... not entirely unrelated approach in the 1960s. With mixed results.

AuthenticApe 10y ago

Well, killing SS officials dispelled the "scientific consensus" that Jews were inferior humans... so I'm not sure.