Paris GiampourasJan 8, 2023
Andrew Perfors

How to slow down scientific progress

"Leo Szilard—the physicist who first conceived of the nuclear chain reaction and who urged the US to undertake the Manhattan Project—also wrote fiction. His book of short stories, The Voice of the Dolphins, contains a story “The Mark Gable Foundation,” dated 1948."

You can see the full thing at this link, but I've also taken a screenshot of an excerpt. 😬 🤔 😢

https://rootsofprogress.org/szilard-on-slowing-science

How to slow down scientific progress, according to Leo Szilard

“Science would become something like a parlor game. There would be fashions. Those who followed the fashion would get grants”

The Roots of Progress
Jan 7, 2023 at 1:36amWeb
Show threadSchrödinger's PratJan 7, 2023
@AndyPerfors That's only the 9th wildest bit in that story: https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb33804055
Mark Gable Foundation

Item from the Leo Szilard Papers collection

UC San Diego Library | Digital Collections
Show threadAndrew PerforsJan 8, 2023
@Rhodium103 Oooh, thanks for this link! You are right. This is insane.
Show threadA.C. TupperJan 9, 2023
@AndyPerfors @Rhodium103 It's like a pop-up book of wild ideas. Turn the page and another one springs up!
Show threadCarl T. BergstromJan 10, 2023

@ACTupper @AndyPerfors @Rhodium103

I'd read the excerpt but I'd never read the story.

I'm legit tripping balls here. It's amazing.

Show threadAndrew PerforsJan 10, 2023
@ct_bergstrom @ACTupper @Rhodium103 It's like he threw every random idea he had into one story at once :)
Show threadJohn F. AllenJan 7, 2023
@AndyPerfors Szilard understood. One could add “turn researchers into peer reviewers; promise them anonymity; then break that promise, covertly, in specific cases in order to establish a sociogram of who supports, or opposes, whom.” Access to that information is essential for the would-be trendsetter, who will thereby be able to secure recognition for himself, and broker deals for collaboration, and funding. Then “measure” research “performance” by citations and grant income.
Show threadJohn F. AllenJan 7, 2023
@AndyPerfors Also get managers, however ignorant, to accept such measures of research “performance”. It will make them feel important, and help them in their ability to hire and fire. Also – most importantly – scrap tenure. Then researchers will rightly fear for the consequences of stepping out of line with new ideas.
Show threadAndrew PerforsJan 8, 2023
@jfa Luckily, I think this is an exaggerated and distorted picture of how it really is (at least in my end of the world and experience). But exaggerated and distorted doesn't mean entirely inaccurate -- just that it's not that bad, yet. I can see the trendlnes though.
Show threadJohn F. AllenJan 9, 2023
@AndyPerfors Thanks. It’s a rough outline, but it broadly corresponds with the state of university research in the UK. It was not always this way. Szilard’s “fiction” has somehow become fact.
Show threadPavel Korytov  Jan 7, 2023

@AndyPerfors Although we don't know the counterfactual, that probably didn't work, considering how much progress has been made since then.

Even there was some Machiavelli back in the day, who rationalized screwing humanity like that for some reason, which is extremely doubtful tbh.

Show threadAndrew PerforsJan 8, 2023
@sqrtminusone Well, it's fiction... (But also, a plausible case can be made that this vignette illustrates a lot of what is wrong with science now. The question isn't "has progress been made in an absolute sense" but rather "how does this compare to what it could be")
Show threadSrikumar SubramanianJan 7, 2023
@AndyPerfors
Lol - "As a matter of fact, any of the National Science Foundation bills which were introduced in the Seventy-ninth and Eightieth Congresses could perfectly well serve as a model."
@physicssteve
Show threadAndrew PerforsJan 8, 2023
@srikumarks @physicssteve I don't know if there is a "laugh-cry in despair" emoji I can use here
Show threadZeNeece 🦄🏎️Jan 7, 2023
@AndyPerfors Well, that would Never happen in rea... oh. ☹️ never mind.
Show threadhklJan 7, 2023
@AndyPerfors That is quite scary... How would we break away from the continued grinds of writing grants, wasting time on committees, and trying to get papers published? It seems without a clear solution we'll be all stuck. 
Show threadrrogersJan 7, 2023
@AndyPerfors
Book:
The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
by Lee Smolin (Author)
Show threadMCDuncanLabJan 7, 2023

@AndyPerfors

Wow! He predicted today's US biomedical science enterprise 75 years ago.

Show threadmathewJan 7, 2023
@AndyPerfors Greetings from Brussels, where a few hundred civil servants set the fashion for scientists across 27 European countries to follow, in many cases exclusively.
Show threadNicole RustJan 7, 2023
@AndyPerfors
Thank you! I had never heard of it. Read it. It's one of those things that we don't have good words for - some combination of on point, too close to home, uncomfortable and funny all at once.
For anyone into that description, a recommended read ⬆️​
Show threadAndrew PerforsJan 8, 2023
@NicoleCRust There is probably a German word for it somewhere! :)
Show threaddanibanezJan 7, 2023
@AndyPerfors that last sentence feels true today… both internally at my employer and in academia abroad I see fashions… UQ was the previous one, AI/ML is the current one
Show threadAdrián PérezJan 8, 2023
@AndyPerfors recently I've learnt about Szilard due to a podcast I'm listening about the Cold War which goes into quite some detail, and he sounds like an interesting character indeed! Thanks for sharing, this quote is amazing.
Show threadAlastor de IonJan 8, 2023
@AndyPerfors Prophetic! Unbelievable! Thanks a lot for sharing. I spent one year of life writing grant applications instead on focusing on my reasearch, so this strikes very close to home. I’m glad there is a debate going on about this. Stagnation means death!
Show threadAndrew PerforsJan 8, 2023
@augustusvalentinus I'm becoming more and more convinced that the grant process is a terrible drain on science. Solidarity.
Show threadAlastor de IonJan 9, 2023
@AndyPerfors Indeed, it is. We are hamsters in wheels, chasing short-term funding so we can keep spinning…
Show threadCyber YukiJan 9, 2023
@AndyPerfors oh no 
Show threadBeneJan 10, 2023
@AndyPerfors How could he perceive that we would use this as a manual?
Show threadBadriJan 10, 2023
@AndyPerfors the website link had me hooked! Now I'm going to try and get hold of the book...📖
Show threadAndrew PerforsJan 10, 2023
@badri If you didn't see it, someone in the thread linked to a pdf of the whole story. It's good! Totally bizarre though :)
Show threadBadriJan 11, 2023
@AndyPerfors couldn't see it on my instance but found it from the original post page! Thanks for the tip :D
Show threadTimo RoettgerJan 10, 2023
@AndyPerfors wow