I was getting home to day, in a busy big city. On the bus stop the digital sign table was showing the exact time of the arrival of my bus (it came exactly on time) ....A thought came to me: is this what all the history of science has lead to: to make the live (more (and more)) convenient? As a kid I dreamt about conquering the faraway planets, building big space stations and such. But anyway it seems that our mentality really goes for the convenience, otherwise we would have been living like the Spatrans putting all our resources into development of knoweledge. But in reality we try to spend our lives as easy and nice as possible, no vision what so ever. The marginal exploration of space is a sort of TV entertainment for masses, and I suspect that its budget is lower than the budget of Hollywood an TV industry. If somebody will ever write "The Story of Science" it will be a book ending sadly.

Funny you should bring this up...

As I am sure you know, most folks just are not interested in science. Instead it is how much beer they can drink or what are we B-B-Queing this weekend.

The world has been radically changed more times than would be fair to mention by changes in technology that shattered mom and pops world of parties. I doubt the future will be much different. It might be on a smaller scale but I have the thought that it will continue.

A sad commentary...

Science is the study of how the universe works, science though has no practical purpose except to piss the @#$% out of the religious people. Technology is the use of scientific discoveries to make purposeful things; this is what you’re talking about.

Ya people will do what makes them happy: living like lazy fat pigs is the inner dream of everyone, Understand all existence is the dream of few so. There for technologies rules! We will make missiles to blow up our enemies but we won’t make rockets to go to mars and explore. It’s the sad truth of the inner nature of the talking monkeys.

Not to mention the easing of suffering science has provided.. Anyone who has had headaches, tooth ache, muscle aches, colds and flus, cancer, and an unending list of sufferance, will know the beauty of science.

According to some AIDS epidemics was caused by polio vaccination programs in Africa. (Doesn't the development of medicines have more to do with commerce than with altruism?)

To the cynical it is commerce, to the scientist in the lab it is altruistic intent.

To the cynical it is commerce, to the scientist in the lab it is altruistic intent.

Oh, I would have thougth that the scientists were well payed for what they did, and in reality they did it all just to feel good.

Originally posted by ProCop
Oh, I would have thougth that the scientists were well payed for what they did, and in reality they did it all just to feel good. The pay isn't as great as you might expect.

in fact it is much less than what you may expect for a highly educated person.

Maybe the following will offer some (small) comfort: I've read recently somewhere on the internet (The Economist?) that the times when hard working was the most appreciated quality of an employee are over. Knowledge is now the key word. If you know a lot you maybe a bit lazy or disorderly, still you are more effective in what you are doing then a less knowledgable hard worker....