Ah, hmm, while looking for an old tweet of mine on this topic, I discovered a 2017 thread that made most of the same points I’m about to tweet today! Both draw on an unfinished blog post that apparently I ought to polish up and publish for reference…https://twitter.com/Meaningness/status/843950702187560960 …
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Some types of cognitive work, which may be critical for innovative breakthroughs, are apparently *impossible* except under highly specialized circumstances that are mostly no longer available. This *might* explain why we’re continuing to make progress in “normal science” only.
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David Chapman Retweeted David Chapman
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@michael_nielsen and I discussed this yesterday in a tweet thread that unfortunately forked so it's a bit hard to point to, but here's one pointer into it:https://twitter.com/Meaningness/status/1196125642342858753 …David Chapman added,
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David Chapman Retweeted Venkatesh brrrRao
Some outstanding researchers recognize the problem and go independent, hoping that it’s easier to do serious thinking outside an institutional context than within one. In this
@vgr explains some of the reasons that mostly doesn’t work:https://twitter.com/vgr/status/1195789557465153536 …David Chapman added,
Venkatesh brrrRao @vgrI was briefly calling myself an independent researcher: somebody who self-funds spec R&D on their own ideas. In theory it’s something like indie-research : academic research :: blogging/self-publishing : traditional publishing. But the idea doesn’t really work.Show this thread2 replies 2 retweets 20 likesShow this thread -
David Chapman Retweeted Venkatesh brrrRao
We urgently need alternative mechanisms/institutions for research support. This
from @vgr crunches some numbers: what would that cost? Answer: surprisingly little, in the scale of things.https://twitter.com/vgr/status/1195937380210921472 …David Chapman added,
Venkatesh brrrRao @vgrThinking about my thread this morning on why independent research is hard, and what it would take to make it possible, and whether it’s within the reach of private investors who ALL complain endlessly about how they have far too much capital and don’t know where to put it. https://twitter.com/vgr/status/1195789557465153536 …Show this thread2 replies 4 retweets 18 likesShow this thread -
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@vgr’s
also covers many of the issues that come up in discussions of alt-research funding and institutions. This is a common, live discussion among people I talk with often. There’s growing momentum and consensus in the conversation, but will it lead to action?3 replies 0 retweets 8 likesShow this thread -
I suspect the central challenge here is to find alternative mechanisms for selecting what research/researchers to fund. How do grantors know their money is being well-spent? Who makes those decisions? Is there a way to do this that doesn’t just replicate the existing pathologies?
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Replying to @Meaningness
Can confirm, now that I do grantmaking. This is a mess.
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Replying to @uncatherio
I have some vague sense that this issue is reaching critical mass!
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Replying to @Meaningness
neat :) well - if it would be useful for momentum, I would be happy to host some sort of gathering on it in the new year, but I would need to have someone who would help me figure out who should be there! (I feel I can't quite "see" where the center of discussion/momentum is)
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David Chapman Retweeted David Chapman
That might be good! I'm not part of the "inner circle" on this, to the extent there is one, though. Relevant woolgathering from me just now in a thread ending here:https://twitter.com/Meaningness/status/1196931290500489216 …
David Chapman added,
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