It’s the end of the science as we know it! And I feel fine! But seriously though, is it? As a global community, we are investing 10 times more money and resources into scientific research than we did in the 1950s, yet the number of groundbreaking discoveries is dwindling.

We’ve gone to the moon. We’ve discovered massive black holes. We’ve split the atom and peered through high-resolution microscopes to observe those tiny little quarks. Sure, we’re still making advancements, but a lot of science these days is refining past discoveries. We’re not really uncovering anything new. In fact, most of the Nobel Prizes awarded since the 1990s have been awarded for scientific work that went on in previous decades.

So is scientific pursuit just slowing down? Or, are we nearing the end of scientific discovery altogether?

CHAPTERS:

00:00 The slowing pace of scientific discovery
03:29 Historical claims of the end of science
07:46 John Horgan’s book: The End of Science
10:11 A Debate: Will we reach the end of science?
12:09 More spending and fewer scientific discoveries
15:30 Big mysteries of science remain
16:46 Blurring the lines of science and technology
18:56 The arrogance of physics
23:15 The Wholesome Verdict: Rod vs Will
23:45 What’s next on The Wholesome Show
28:32 Listener shoutouts

SOURCES:

Is science about to end? by Sabine Hossenfelder
John Horgan interview on The End of Science
Was I Wrong about “The End of Science”? By John Horgan
Lord Kelvin and the End of Physics, Which He Never Predicted
Albert Michelson, notes at the Inauguration of the Ryerson Physics Laboratory
Everything That Can Be Invented Has Been Invented by David J Katz
Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time by Michael Park, Erin Leahey and Russel J Funk in Nature
Are we witnessing the end of science? In The Guardian

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