Posted: Jul 06, 2012 2:48 pm
From the big announcement thread:
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[snip]
Over sufficiently long times, basic research has historically tended to be the very best investment one can make. And quite possibly particle physics will be no exception. But I rather expect that the great technological consequences of particle physics will rely more on the development of theory than on more results from experiment. If one figures out how to create energy from the vacuum or transmit information faster than light, it’ll surely be done by applying the theory in new and unexpected ways, rather than by using specific experimental results.
[snip]
http://motls.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/ste ... .html#more
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One would think the value of basic research is well understood, yet emphasis on applied research is quite wide spread, not only among business and politics. This should probably be debated more.
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[snip]
Over sufficiently long times, basic research has historically tended to be the very best investment one can make. And quite possibly particle physics will be no exception. But I rather expect that the great technological consequences of particle physics will rely more on the development of theory than on more results from experiment. If one figures out how to create energy from the vacuum or transmit information faster than light, it’ll surely be done by applying the theory in new and unexpected ways, rather than by using specific experimental results.
[snip]
http://motls.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/ste ... .html#more
----
One would think the value of basic research is well understood, yet emphasis on applied research is quite wide spread, not only among business and politics. This should probably be debated more.