striped evolution - The engineers and the scientist

They are diametrically opposite! What follows is a remarkable thought by me on variable novelty that explains rise and fall of Vedic India, ancient Iran, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, Rome etc, their downfall and the success today of Cubans in Miami, Indians and Chinese in silicon valley. Principle thesis is identification of the synthesis of scientific manager and his value but view businesses evolving by striped evolution similar to, but distinct from, punctuated evolution, the stripes being engineering and science.

Biggest learn from the essay is development of compensation mechanisms for the non-engineers essential for progress but largely failures.

Knowledge is the gold that oil was in the last century. Given any unfamiliar field, it can be posited that it will be a graph, largely dag like. It can be traversed depth first DFT or breath first BFT. DFT is chasing explanations till they are in the known language. BFT is understanding of the width of the field in terms of concepts not properly understood. To illustrate what I am talking about, I consider ageing research, surely of interest to all no matter how skeptic (quest easily goes back 5000 years, why now?). In order to proceed, I will prefer the engineer/manager/politician BFS, only deal with relevant science.

Relevancy sharply separates the engineer and scientist. The engineer seeks relevancy to the problem which must have an economic value. The scientist relevancy is only to solution of the problem at hand or in the field, independent of economic value. Per force, scientist is DFT while engineer/manager/politician if BFT.

The distinction is clear in related fields like music and cinema. There are a vast number of scientists that understand some aspects quite well DFT or somewhat of all  BFT, But there can only be a few winners! It matters not how competition works as long as it is largely genuine! There have to be good winners and losers who do their best to win but do not! Insecure immigrants are willing to work for low pay anjd hard to rise, as compared to locals. Only some immigrant are successful, but proportionally more than established. Novelty is not just good, but required to rise! Explains Cubans to silicon valley. Why else would large army of scientists be available at low pay? Because that is the only way forward!

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Chase of novelty is crucial to understand rise and fall of civilizations. Novelty seeking phase marks the rise, most novelties are counterproductive, but not all are and this is the only way to rise. Experience indicates that past proves the value of one sort of novelty which is self-defeating. Novelties are rarely good, only when they are usually good, the civilization rises. When most are unproductive, civilization suffers.

Enter the OIE who explain the glorious past in a contemptuous language utterly unsuitable for novelty!

USA history can be divided into phases in which certain innovations were useful to all, spreading by communities, tightly knit. Sub communities form, it explains sub castes and trade driven last names. The stature of the sub caste waxes and wanes.

To argue the relative importance of DFT and BFT is stupid.  Ideally, they proceed in parallel.  The conversion of science to engineering is timed process. Given that every engineering is basis of next science and vice versa, it follows that progression is exponential! Further, forward prediction is very hard! Only some fields are exponential, most others are not and very predictable.

Science proceeds by large pool of brights performing experiments  (playing art) under the mistaken assumption that they will succeed like the best. Engineering is far more equitable and benefits the class.