Yesterday I did my best at trying to explain the concept I call “Trendy Science” – that is, the idea of proposals which sound amazing and pick up interest from the media and the populace, but when examined in detail the proposal just doesn’t hold up. Rather than researching something and figuring out practical applications of an idea, trendy science leads the cart before the horse in proposing something amazing, then usually begging for money to research technology that is already well known (solar roadways is a prime example of this) and then continue to somehow promise a far-out goal that just isn’t plausible.
Read More: What Is Trendy Science?
So, why is this a problem? The above explanation should get the idea across but for the sake of detail, let’s break down some (not all, but some) reasons trendy science is an issue to me.
- Trendy science takes resources away from actual scientific research. It captures the attention of the populace, up to and including politicians and celebrities, to where funding is presented towards ideas that actual scientists can easily demonstrate are flawed before any research is conducted, since these are usually already well known subjects (see Solar Roadways again)
- The focus on these projects pushes actual research into the background and, since science is a slow progression of ideas and discovery of finer and finer details in well known projects, rather than these advancements being paid attention to, all anyone hears about, or cares about, are these projects which, as mentioned, often have never, or will never, lead anywhere.
- Due to the massive fanbases these things will gather, discussion about them that is at all critical of them is met with incredible hostility. For example, Solar Roadways fans will claim the science proving the project fundamentally flawed is “just wrong”, and SpaceX fans will treat the fact that they can land rockets and re-fly them as some justification that their future rockets will be perfect, a non sequitur, to be sure. Additionally, the fanbases also create a might makes right / appeal to popularity attitude – so many people like this it can’t be wrong, right?
- The sheer obsession over these projects can actually make people think that real scientific progress, and the idea that new research should spawn ideas, rather than an idea and end goal be planned, and then research be done to see not if, but how such can be done. People eventually think of the actual scientific process as flaws since it has no end goal, especially not one that benefits them immediately.
I’m certain this still comes off as a little confusion – being vague with only minor citations to things I would classify as trendy science might not put a complete picture in your mind. Of course, there is a reason for this and the prior articles – I’m going to start sharing what I’ve collected on varying subjects I would call “Trendy Science” here, for what it’s worth to people..
The basic point is these things really don’t have anywhere to go – they sound good, but they just can’t happen. They won’t happen because, as I said before, they lead the cart before the horse – they propose a detailed goal and want to try to achieve that, rather than doing the research first and then proposing a use for what is known.
Given one of the points I’ve made here is the hostile backlash many people give, you might wonder why I’m even bothering to risk the harassment here? Well, I don’t like this crap. I’m all for progress and awesome ideas, but I want them to be not only plausible, but based on actual research, not “here’s a crazy idea now give us money to make it happen” so, I’m going to speak up about it.
If you object to my (and others) objections, then simply prove these ideas plausible. I shouldn’t see companies researching solar panel design that’s already been done. (read: reinventing the wheel). I shouldn’t see celebrities touting how wonderful something is, and people following in droves when they known nothing on these subjects, while the scientists and engineers who do know these things are ignored because they speak against it.
If the idea is so sound, it should be easy to prove, not easy to debunk. That simple. I think I’ve said all I can on this front, though – next up, an oldie but a goodie among trendy science.