[davidktr]

Of course there are big problems with how we do science. Much of it is garbage. Imagine most software was written by junior engineers, without any code review or input from seniors. That is today's science.

Most scientific legwork is done by absolute beginners, i.e., graduate students. They often lack a support structure to focus on what they have learned so far. Most of the world is not Oxbridge, MIT, Stanford.

Where are the beginners' supervisors, you might ask? Chasing the latest trend to secure funding. Pondering how their line of research can be formulated as buzzword-du-jour markov chain. Ass kissing the dean to get department funding.

Having worked in research for 15 years, I am certain about two things: (1) The scientific method yields better results than doing things freehand. (2) Randomly axing 50% of academia would improve the situation.