You know, you're getting downvoted a lot, but there's a sense in which I agree in part and disagree in part. On the disagreement side, what is the purpose of be

You know, you're getting downvoted a lot, but there's a sense in which I agree in part and disagree in part. On the disagreement side, what is the purpose of being caught up in this exuberance for something widely considered to be possible only if something else impossible becomes possible? On the agreement side, the sciences have become unimaginative because they have become so competitive and careerist. In that context, people are encouraged to sell snake oil even just to tread water in the academic system. (It's much easier than actually doing serious honest work. And a more reliable career path!) In that context, there must be a sufficiently strong repressive skepticism, or else you just end up with unscientific fields full of unrigorous snake oil: like nutrition, nanotech, aging research, etc.