> I notice that the author became convinced of the futility of fusion research only after his income became in no way dependent on society's hopes and expectati

> I notice that the author became convinced of the futility of fusion research only after his income became in no way dependent on society's hopes and expectations for it. I notice that lots of people can give highly detailed accountings of their ex-spouses failings as an individual post-divorce than they would have pre-divorce. Perhaps it's because their income is no longer dependant on their ex, or perhaps it's because they're no longer under the influence of infatuation... A stupendous amount of our energy "debate" is emotional and fantasy driven, not deeply related to pragmatic low carbon energy production at meaningful scales. I speculate this is related to messaging and disinformation campaigns from entrenched interests, but maybe youthful idealisation and generalized ignorance is a larger contributor...