People who think science is slowing down should take a look at these charts of AI-related publications.
Science slows down *in specific fields* as easy discoveries get mined out. But we're always inventing new fields!!
noahpinion.substack.com/p/why-do-peopl…
The field of neuroscience basically didn't exist before 1960.
The field of computer science did exist before 1960, but it was pretty esoteric and small.
People talk about how Moore's Law is slowing down, or getting more expensive to maintain.
But before 1970, no one would even have LOOKED AT Moore's Law as a barometer of innovation!
Synthetic biology is a field that basically didn't exist before 2000.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
This is my theory of innovation and discovery. It's like mining for veins of ore. Old veins get exhausted, but we keep striking new veins.
I plan to write in much greater detail about this "mining" theory of discovery.
But for now, I used it as a way to explain why many people feel like their academic fields are at an impasse.
noahpinion.substack.com/p/why-do-peopl…
cc @JvNixon
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