Those topics are intrinsically harder and more intractable. They deal with far more complex and chaotic systems. This is the fundamental issue. Looking at it t

Those topics are intrinsically harder and more intractable. They deal with far more complex and chaotic systems. This is the fundamental issue. Looking at it this way, it isn't surprising that humanity has a much less productive grasp of such subjects. The topics are of great interest, but it is difficult to make substantial, concrete progress. This doesn't mean we should give up. It just means we should expect to struggle greatly as we seek to move forward in these areas. Another important lesson is the value of the indirect approach. Progress and changes from other domains can have a massive impact in the long run, sometimes even dwarfing the majority of efforts from those who are working directly on the thing. I think we need to study these dynamics more.