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by WhitneyLand 1001 days ago
I assume you’re not proposing some kind of interference limit in principle?

Are you suggesting that limiting interference will be a practical dead end that is prevents advancement?

Either way that would be a pretty significant claim. There are lots of research directions being pursued and plenty of smart people think it’s worth trying.

1 comments

> Are you suggesting that limiting interference will be a practical dead end that is prevents advancement?

This is a hunch I have. Regarding the "plenty of smart people think it’s worth trying", I can only provide an analogy of the 15-14th puzzle known as the Boss puzzle at that time, for which a substantial prize was promised for the first one who could solve it. A lesser-known proof that it is impossible came to surface decades later. There is a lot of inertia in academia along those lines, where grants depend on your ability to make a convincing argument that your path will solve the problem. This sets up PhDs to know only to advance but not to question as the latter does not give the prize.

That’s a good point.

Of course it happens the other way around also - things are thought not to be possible and later realized through some unexpected result or insight.

But I wouldn’t guess that’s as common or as systemic.