Posterminaries
- PDF / 137,913 Bytes
- 1 Pages / 576 x 777.6 pts Page_size
- 70 Downloads / 135 Views
Page No. 38
Burleigh Instruments Digital Instruments Elchema Elsevier
9 25 11 60
High Voltage Engineering Europa B.V. inside front cover
Huntington Laboratories
Page No. back cover
65 50 8 56 55
Kurt J. LeskerCo. Linn High Therm Johnson Matthey
MDC National Electrostatics New Focus
nside back cover
Page No. Shinkosha Co, Ltd./Nikko Trading Corp. Staib Virginia Semiconductor
63 12 14 13
Voltaix For free information about the products and services offered in this issue fill out and mail the Reader Service Card, or FAX it to (312) 922-3165.
POSTERMINARIES
More SAGE Advice
published in the Orange County Edition of the Los Angeles Times on April 21,1987 (a
MRS Bulletin: It's been some time since we last chatted, Dr. Sage. Do you have any new insights to share with us?
Tuesday, if memory serves). Both creativity and madness are simply uncontrollable departures from normality.
Dr. Science I.M. Sage: Actually, yes. I'm sure you're aware of the recent trend in the U.S. Congress to direct research dollars into strategic areas and of the kneejerk defensive reaction of our basic research community.
MRSB: How in the Annals of Psychology
MRSB: We have been watching the legislative process with great interest and trying to keep up with the responses of agencies and universities. How do you think this will all come out in the end? Dr. SIMS: It's not the end everyone is worried about. It's the beginning—how many dollars will come out in the beginning of the next fiscal year. But in my humble opinion, I don't think there's much to worry about. Remember, we're talking about the distinction between socalled "curiosity-driven" research and "basic" research in strategic areas related to identifiable national goals. The underlying creative process will remain unscathed. MRSB: How can you reach that conclusion? How can you say that the creativity of a basic follow-your-nose researcher will not be squelched by congressional directives to work on this but not on that? Dr. SIMS: Once again I have overestimated your ability to grasp the most trivial concepts. Let me spell it out for you. Creativity is a phenomenon like a hallucination. Try as they might, higher authorities can no more legislate it out of existence than they could make madness illegal. I commend to you an excellent summary of the long-established relationship between creativity and madness that was
72
Today does this lead you to any useful conclusion? Dr. SIMS: Of course, too large a departure from normal lands you in a facility for the terminally creative. But I consider myself to be as creative as one can be without being hauled off for the greater good. You would be well-advised to follow my example in the face of the new strategic research ethos. MRSB: Please elaborate. Dr. SIMS: O.K. Most of my flashes of insight come to me in the shower or in the nether world between waking and sleep. To date, these have been curiosity-driven insights, and in my pursuing them, serendipitous amplifications have often increased the value of the original flash. Now, al
Data Loading...
