Many scientific papers, journalists and even scientists on twitter agree. Science is becoming less disruptive than it used to be. People are making more and more papers, that differ only slightly. Just enough to be novel, not enough to be different.
Derek Thompson a writer for The Atlantic says the same thing is happening in the film industry, and this should be obvious if we think of all the Marvel and superhero movies, as well as, the second installments (think Avatar).
Maybe its awareness of the audience, we can track peoples reactions on twitter, citations, and interactions more than ever. Therefore making something to the ideal viewer kind of kills creativity. We not making something for a real person, more for this generated average person. Catering to too many tastes.
Maybe its the funding, funders do not like projects that are too crazy. So they always give money to crazy enough to work projects. A happy middle ground, that likes incremental change.
Maybe it's the way we train scientists, typically they are high achieving people who barely err and always obey instructions, and if they are told to be even more cautious they will remain.
Maybe it's the career path, I feel it now in my career, if I want to get a position I need to publish a lot of high impact papers. If those papers are too crazy they won't get published, or they will in lesser journals. Further, they might piss off people I will ask for jobs later.
Or maybe its now there are too many ideas, so like tv or craft beer choices we are surrounded and frozen. And we need to find a way to focus. AI anyone?!
OR maybe industrial pollutants are finally catching up to us, and a decline in complex thought is the first symptom.
I am not sure, but I know there is a problem.
