Great work! Nice, concise video that got to the heart of a really important problem.
I’m curious to know if you came across anything in your research about the most effective levers scientists currently have to affect change. As much as I’d like to see an institutional reinvention of the scientist as a scientist/statesman hybrid, it seems a bit vague and pollyannish as a proposed solution. My intuition is that a few scientists might excel in both domains, but it’s unrealistic to expect statesmanship to be a part of the regular curriculum. Additionally, if a large number of people come to speak the language of power and politics, wouldn’t those in power simply change their language to maintain influence?
I’m also skeptical about public awareness as net-positive by default. I can imagine it might work better in a case like nuclear weaponry where the only purpose of the technology is to kill, and the feedback loops are short (everyone gets exploded very quickly, and you have regular drills to prepare for The Bomb), and might fail in cases like Climate Change with high uncertainty, entrenched power structures (energy companies) and slow feedback loops. Did you come across any research regarding public pressure as a power mechanism?
(Epistemic status: Vague intuition and curiosity)
Again, great job on the video! Can’t wait to see more.
Great work! Nice, concise video that got to the heart of a really important problem.
I’m curious to know if you came across anything in your research about the most effective levers scientists currently have to affect change. As much as I’d like to see an institutional reinvention of the scientist as a scientist/statesman hybrid, it seems a bit vague and pollyannish as a proposed solution. My intuition is that a few scientists might excel in both domains, but it’s unrealistic to expect statesmanship to be a part of the regular curriculum. Additionally, if a large number of people come to speak the language of power and politics, wouldn’t those in power simply change their language to maintain influence?
I’m also skeptical about public awareness as net-positive by default. I can imagine it might work better in a case like nuclear weaponry where the only purpose of the technology is to kill, and the feedback loops are short (everyone gets exploded very quickly, and you have regular drills to prepare for The Bomb), and might fail in cases like Climate Change with high uncertainty, entrenched power structures (energy companies) and slow feedback loops. Did you come across any research regarding public pressure as a power mechanism?
(Epistemic status: Vague intuition and curiosity)
Again, great job on the video! Can’t wait to see more.