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It may just be a change in the way that we work. This paper may just as well be titled "Are institutions getting less effective?" or "Are research institutions
by stcredzero 6y ago
It may just be a change in the way that we work. This paper may just as well be titled "Are institutions getting less effective?" or "Are research institutions getting less effective?".
Lots of progress might be stymied by entrenched interests using laws, regulations, or some form of corporate bureaucracy/cronyism as a "moat" to ward off competition.
The short shrift paid to EVs by auto makers and car dealers before Tesla came along is one example. (Yes, I know that batteries also had to improve.) Intel's practices before AMD stepped up its game recently can be seen as another example. Then there's SpaceX.
Hell, it might even be that our smartest people aren't researching and the amount of brainpower we throw at research problems has actually decreased
Is research now a "2nd tier" career? Are you thinking this is based on economic competition from industry?
- say_it_as_it_is 6y agoResearch is a privilege
- epicureanideal 6y agoWhat do you mean? I don't understand what you're trying to say about the parent comment.
- neerajsi 6y agoMy read of his comment is that fruitful research was historically done by people within the aristocracy after their fundamental needs for comfort were met.
- bumby 6y ago>Is research now a "2nd tier" career? Hasn’t the trend always been to favor industrial application rather than fundamental research, in terms of pay at least? Or do you mean second tier in terms of status/prestige? People get paid based on what they contribute to the economy not what they contribute to science
- Gollapalli 6y agoNo, I'm thinking more in the context that research professorships are not what they once were. They have effectively become a kind of sweatshop labor to the academic research institutions for which the reward is a PhD and then the delightful prospect of becoming an adjunct professor. Such tremendous effort for little reward tends to dissuade many of the brightest minds from research careers and towards other careers like finance or consulting.