5 ms·
There was an article on HN a few weeks ago talking about the slowing pace of “innovation” in the modern world, the lack of an Einstein or a Bohr or a Feynman. I
by uncomputation 5y ago
There was an article on HN a few weeks ago talking about the slowing pace of “innovation” in the modern world, the lack of an Einstein or a Bohr or a Feynman. I have no evidence of this and maybe the entire notion is unfounded in the first place but I think this framing:
- teaching marketable skills so people can get jobs
- teaching "how to think" and learning about art and culture
is part of the problem. When you go back and look at many of science and philosophy’s “greatest,” they were almost always deeply curious and inquisitive people and interested in many things, not just what they are known for now. They read other “greats” and were well-balanced intellectually.
I think a problem now is we are producing unbalanced minds, the equivalent of a bodybuilder who skips leg day, every day. Perhaps there is some something to be said about encouraging a diversity of thought, people who read poetry as you say. It is likely no coincidence that genuine genius is extremely divergent and radical in thought, likely not someone who learns physics and only physics with no other interests.
- erosenbe0 5y agoUnfounded. There are billions more literate people than in Einstein's day.
- lesam 5y agoI think the problem with innovation is more the incentive structure. There are too many people trying to p-hack stuff that just doesn’t work well and spin it to get the next grant, and not enough people actually breaking new ground.
- socksset 5y agoI would look at it more as what would Einstein, Bohr or Feynman be doing right now? There is a really good chance they would be lured away to Wallstreet to work at a hedge fund or Silicon Valley to work on the latest CRUD application. Especially Einstein. There is no way he would have ever been a clerk today. He would be doing something that Physics would be a massive pay cut. I don't think the point is that these people don't exist today but the point is that people of this level can make so much more money than doing physics. It wasn't that long ago that a University Professor was a high end job that a person could afford a second vacation home and a ton of status came along with the position.