Why so many promises of our future space-faring capabilities failed (as argued in this short piece)? I would extend the list of related questions... Why optimi

Why so many promises of our future space-faring capabilities failed (as argued in this short piece)? I would extend the list of related questions... Why optimism associated with real-world problem solvers is replaced with empty-talk activism? Why the second-hand dealers of ideas (activists) can only approach any and all problems as by the force of government? Why it seems that these days that any issue/difficulty/problem a society faces has only a single approach of 'Im enlightened science wielding king' who will establish my simplistic model of reality by the only means I know possible - government force? Why acknowledging complexity and letting more degrees-of-freedom in a market system (including those of bankruptcy of 'sick' companies regardless of their size) to explore another solution space in the multi-dimensional world of civilizations issue? Why research (for the most part these days) is politicized, skewed and elite-vision constrained? Im not sure why, but it seems that one factor is that ignorance of the intellectuals catering to today's elites feels to them so much like expertise. And, it provides a wonderful, though vulgar, feeling of being morally superior with having such a big role in manipulating the 'dump-masses'. Solution? Among the top for me: education of our young generations needs to instill much deeper sense of physical world, constrained choices, trade-offs, compromise rather than self-righteous visionary solutions.