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As researchers age, they produce less disruptive work

nautil.us

21–30 of 157 posts

Re: As researchers age, they produce less disruptive work

#21
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This feels apt in more than just science/technology. It matches my experience with culture as well, e.g. music and movies.

I feel like many younger people still listen to music from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s etc, as an exception (?)

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Re: As researchers age, they produce less disruptive work

#22
post #5
post #3

Author must not have heard of Nobel Disease - many laureates go on to propose absolutely batshit insane theories. Sounds disruptive to me…

They’re usually outside their field of expertise, though. It’s like being a billionaire; you stop getting “no, that’s stupid” feedback and it rots your brain.

When brilliance in one area doesn't translate to another.

Re: As researchers age, they produce less disruptive work

#23
post #3

Author must not have heard of Nobel Disease - many laureates go on to propose absolutely batshit insane theories. Sounds disruptive to me…

Ironically the article claims scientists become less radical as they get older. I suppose it depends what you consider radical.

Re: As researchers age, they produce less disruptive work

#24

I found Thomas Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" helpful on this topic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Structure_of_Scientific_Re...

I was shocked that the article did not mention Kuhn as the source for the two paradigms. Has he been forgotten already?

And of course if you haven't read that book, it's insightful and easy

Re: As researchers age, they produce less disruptive work

#25
post #9

Disruptive work nowadays is not very popular with institutions and doesn't win you grants. What does win grants is plodding along on a same path usually towards some end goal that is the latest buzzword. Those who stay in academia all start aspirational and wish to change the world, but the system sucks it out of them.

nowadays? It's never been popular.

I was surprised that the article did not mention that Einstein was not originally given the Nobel prize for relativity because the Old guard did not like the work...

Re: As researchers age, they produce less disruptive work

#26
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This feels apt in more than just science/technology. It matches my experience with culture as well, e.g. music and movies.

I feel like many younger people still listen to music from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s etc, as an exception (?)

That's in the rule - for them it's "just a natural part of the way the world works".

Re: As researchers age, they produce less disruptive work

#27

I prefer the full quote by Douglas Adams. I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies: 1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. 2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. 3. Anything invented…

I don't know about number 3. As a 53 year old Gen X'er, I still haven't come across things that see against the natural order. The main things I don't understand are things like the Humane AI pin, which didn't seem against the natural order, I just didn't see the appeal or usefulness of it. Maybe it just doesn't seem like there is much new being invented.

Re: As researchers age, they produce less disruptive work

#28

I prefer the full quote by Douglas Adams. I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies: 1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. 2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. 3. Anything invented…

I don't know about number 3. As a 53 year old Gen X'er, I still haven't come across things that see against the natural order. The main things I don't understand are things like the Humane AI pin, which didn't seem against the natural order, I just didn't see the appeal or usefulness of it. Maybe it just doesn't seem like there is much new being invented.

> I still haven't come across things that see against the natural order.

So many people these days spend hours watching short-form videos spray endlessly from a screen while they stare dumbly at it. They aren't even picking which videos to watch, just letting the algorithm do it.

Every time I see someone doing that, I just absolutely cannot relate to what's going on in their head at all. I'm certainly not above watching some YouTube, but the complete mindlessness of it, they watch it goes on forever, and the utter stupidity of the videos. I feel like I'm watching zombies in an opium den.

But billions of people are doing that shit every day, so what do I know?

Re: As researchers age, they produce less disruptive work

#29
post #16

I prefer the full quote by Douglas Adams. I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies: 1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. 2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. 3. Anything invented…

This feels apt in more than just science/technology. It matches my experience with culture as well, e.g. music and movies.

It's way more apt with culture than with science or technology.

The lack of patience from adults for learning the byzantine interfaces companies were making in the last quarter of the 20th century got generalized to a ridiculous degree.

Re: As researchers age, they produce less disruptive work

#30

I prefer the full quote by Douglas Adams. I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies: 1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. 2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. 3. Anything invented…

I don't know about number 3. As a 53 year old Gen X'er, I still haven't come across things that see against the natural order. The main things I don't understand are things like the Humane AI pin, which didn't seem against the natural order, I just didn't see the appeal or usefulness of it. Maybe it just doesn't seem like there is much new being invented.

I think that if the pattern exists, it is strongly muted for GenX because everything we are seeing (and more) was virtually promised to be here “any day now” during the hay day of science fiction media. If anything, 2026 in the real world isn’t futuristic enough compared to what was “supposed” to have happened by now.
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