What’s the difference between a pipe dream & hope?
Consider 2 views
a. Extrapolations from history
The massive fear & destruction caused by the World Wars & the Great Depression in the early 20th century fuelled big technological leaps in the 30s & 40s, especially in the US. Significant investments in basic sciences & industrial R&D. Many inventions & discoveries. Increased govt. spends on infrastructure, education & health. Renewed vigour in entrepreneurship.
All these were due to the extreme threats to lives & livelihoods. People panicked, but ultimately got their mojo back. This snowballed into a steady momentum through 50s to 80s, giving us various wonders like antibiotics, jets, internet, microprocessors, etc., solving many challenges and making our lives immeasurably better.
May covid-19 help create some such magic !!
b. The sky is the limit
We now realise the world is more complex than we thought. But, the emerging field of complexity science is beginning to figure out how nature works. We may be part of a complex system with many interacting agents whose collective behaviour is random, uncertain and very hard to predict, but quite soon we will have the tools & methods to engineer ourselves out of any complex challenge, such as pandemics, poverty & climate change.
We will soon learn to embrace and harness complexity. We will design systems which are as robust and adaptable as Mother Nature is. We will flourish under randomness & uncertainty in the future, even if we cannot exactly predict outcomes. And, of course, other challenges we face in the future will be solved by newer kinds of science & technology.
May covid-19 help enhance the scientific fervour !!
Pipe dream or hope?
