3 ms·
In my mind, your opinion is the epitome of capitalist thinking. You have an extremely low bar for the definition of lifetime impact. In a century, will "changin
by rscho 6y ago
In my mind, your opinion is the epitome of capitalist thinking. You have an extremely low bar for the definition of lifetime impact. In a century, will "changing how household brands do business" be remembered, or rather the low-paid scientists who will have discovered the thing that will make nuclear fusion work? Admittedly, academic work is often a dead end. That's because it's high-risk, low pay. You're choosing the high pay, low risk path. It's almost certainly a better path personally speaking, but will people remember you for it? I think not, and nor should they.
- DennisP 6y agoNuclear fusion is an interesting example. Right now academia is mostly focused on conventional tokamaks, and while they're learning a lot, the exponential rise in the fusion triple product essentially stopped while we wait 25 years for ITER to finish construction. Now private startups are building reactors to explore all sorts of alternative ideas.
- rscho 6y agoThe example was chosen on purpose, as I'm aware of that. However, pure research startups although private, definitely do not fall in the same basket as companies which produce something they can sell. Otherwise and following the alternate opinion, the distinction between academia and private businesses disappears (in the US) since US research depts are in good part funded by private money. Truth is that modern academia is a poorly regulated and inefficient industry. It wasn't always like that I think, and I am still hoping for better days to come back.
- 0-O-0 6y agoIn a century you and everyone you know will be dead. So what difference does it really make?
- rscho 6y agoNone indeed. But then how do you define the impact of a lifetime? If it's to be immediate, then politics is a far better choice than anything else.