Maybe part of the problem is that most of true progress and new discoveries in recent decades require a decent amount of understanding of some domain before one

Maybe part of the problem is that most of true progress and new discoveries in recent decades require a decent amount of understanding of some domain before one can appreciate how it's not just incremental. It's intuitive for anyone how an automobile is distinctly different than a locomotive. You need some understanding of computer science or physics to understand how quantum computing is different. At the same time, there was indeed an explosion of new foundations during the earlier 20th century (it's a stretch to claim it went on until the 70s) and it turns out we're not done just by formulating them, in order to explore and succeed in them as a society we need a couple of generations to let them sink in. Once we get there, I am sure we will have new paradigm shifts. Just wait until after the next global crisis when structures in societies have fallen apart and we have fresh ground to build on. Not that I think that's desirable, but I'm sure I'm not the only one getting pre-WW vibes right now.