[MD] new blog

[ml]

MP,

Good evening.
<snip>

> MP: I can't think of an instance where science has sought to explore,
> investigate, question anything for the pure purpose of curiosity absent an
> underlying expectation that upon gaining such new knowledge man would take
> advantage of any opportunity this knowledge presented to exert greater
> manipulation of his physical environment.

mel:
Our experience with scientists is apparently quite different.
My experience in R&D is that curiousity and wonder is a
far greater motivatior for the bench and instrument  scientist
than the promise of some sort of power.  Biologist, even more so.
Sometimes it's like hearding cats to get the "paying work" done.

Read about Xerox Parc.  From a friend who was more
familiar with the inside operations there than I am, it
sounds like there was a lot of  "oooh shiny" that got
done there.  The sort of uber-geek version of "hold my beer
and watch this," but it took people like Jobs and Gates to
'steal' the ideas and realize them.  Otherwise the work
would have remained a curiousity, a neat idea.

Technology exploits the fruits of science.  Sometimes
it's lightening fast, but there is an almost naive state
of some of the scientists I've  been around.

Man is the tool user and the techniques for getting
things done is at the core of human behavior.  So,
almost from the moment a Dynamic piece of science
gets done, someone looks to codify-for-use, or make it
static and leverage it against something.

It is in the moment of that dynamic new discovery that
there is an absence of underlying expectation.  Although,
if you mean the increase-of-knowledge as part of your phrase
"...to exert greater  manipulation of his physical environment.,"
then I guess we are in agreement, but I didn't see that as
your meaning.

(Of course part of my reaction to your statement is that it
 treats science-writ-large as if it is an entity that 'does'
 something.  I believe that individuals do things and if I
 have learned anything about people it is that as individuals
 they apt to do anything but what we expect.)

But that's just my experience...

thanks--mel