Am I a Philistine?

[hors limite]

Just watched BBC Horizon on Cern - a bloody big expensive racetrack for subatomic particles that costs a billion a year to run, I don't know what it cost to build. I found myself wondering why? OK it's great to advance science and human understanding but if the next Higgs Bosun is spat out will it be any more use to us than the discovery of the first one other than to polish the ego of the scientist. I suppose I look at science as a tool with the potential to make the world a better place. When I look at the world of today it seems to be dominated by the discoveries of a long time ago. Nuclear power,the internal combustion engine,computers, jet travel were all discovered decades and decades ago. Pollution and global warming are going to increasingly affect us all. Clean energy seems to be the thing that the world needs most of all. If we are going to use valuable multi-national research resources, shouldn't we be channelling them into things like nuclear fusion which has the potential to transform the future of the planet?
Forgive me if I've gone off on a bit of a rant - a glass or two of my own particle accelerator might be to blame.

 

[Tashyboy]

No your not a philistine. As a coal miner I was all for nuclear fusion which has nigh on no waste. Unlike the crap we are producing now which will leave generations with toxic crap to deal with. Trouble is, it is 50 years off achieving. Gonna be a few more bottles of red wine supped before that comes along.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Arent some of the most useful things developed by accident?
Penicillin and WD40 to name just 2

 

[Foxholer]

Yes, you are! But not drastically so!

The applied science that reaps the tools that 'advances in civilisation' is different from the pure/research science that CERN is about.

However, without the 'pure/research' science, there cannot be any 'new' science to apply, so civilisation would be 'stuck' in whatwver time-frame the research science is halted at.

It is not unreasonable to question/challenge budgets though!

 

[USER1999]

This the thing though, without abstract research, you won't get abstract advances. If you only invest in the known, you get known results.

No one is going to invent hyper drive, unless by accident, looking for something else.

 

[SaintHacker]

It will all be worth it when they come up with a Flux Capacitor

 

[woody69]

No, you're not a philistine as I am not sure the Hadron Collider is anything to do with culture or the arts.

The technological benefits it will bring though are difficult to quantify at this point. I think Brian Cox said one great thing about it though, is that it will inspire future physicists to move into the field, which means (hopefully) more progress and inventions that ultimately benefit us.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Arent some of the most useful things developed by accident?
Penicillin and WD40 to name just 2

+ the glue for Post It notes as another.

The benefit we have all enjoyed from things like Space Exploration and even Grand Prix is enormous.
Dyson spending zillions on electric car/battery development will be interesting. He does have a good track record

 

[SocketRocket]

Arent some of the most useful things developed by accident?
Penicillin and WD40 to name just 2

Don't forget Gaffatape.

 

[jim8flog]

Without this sort of research we would still be watching TV with valves and a cathode ray tube and I would not be 'talking' to you via a computer.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Why did the US spend all that money on the space programme? To invent non-stick coating for frying pans? Who'd have thunk it.

 

[USER1999]

Why did the US spend all that money on the space programme? To invent non-stick coating for frying pans? Who'd have thunk it.

You forgot velcro, and space biros.

 

[Rooter]

space biros.

 

[USER1999]

A common misconception. The Russians also used Fisher biros. Loose fragments of graphite floating about in your space ship is not a good idea, which is why they needed to invent the biro.

 

[SocketRocket]

You forgot velcro, and space biros.

I think velcro is a rip off

 

[Jimaroid]

The entirety of everything, literally everything, physical and non physical, all knowledge and everything you can and can't conceive, all of it, everything, it's all just a bunch of jiggling particles.

It'd be nice to know more about them.