By: Dr David Hill - World Innovation Foundation

Dr David Hill - World Innovation Foundation — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 18:14:58 +0000

What we had from the mid seventeenth century and even before was openness to involve all who had a scientific or technological based mind. The diversified and curious universal mind that was driven by intuition. Since then institutions have closed ranks and we no longer have this openness of dialogue and inclusive thinking between all society that Newton and others held so high in order to progress their great thinking. Indeed those were the times when people like Harrison were allowed, even though under institutional duress and harassment, to be part of this universal openness and full society inclusion. Indeed Harrison a mere carpenter defeated the great Newton to the solution that brought forth the marine chronometer. Something that even the greatest mind of science could not solve. But if we look at the history of S&T, we see a phenomenal truism taking shape over the years. This vital step is that around 70% of all the world-changing inventions came with a price – frustration and constant rejection by the establishment and university systems. The reason, the institutions considered that they were the appointed great minds and that a common person with little university training could not possibly attain the greatest heights of scientific discovery. History shows that this is the complete opposite of what has happened and what is happening in the present day. Overall it can be called an elitist system that stifles inclusiveness and where those not in the club are never invited. For them only frustration in knowing that they are right and that constant rejections is their reward. Today things are worse than they were just a mere half a century ago with regard to the exclusion of society in providing the solutions to many of humankind’s growing problems and through a universal mindset that only the chosen few have the answers. This is not so as if it were humanity would have found solutions already for many of the world’s most pressing problems. Over the last 100 years we can see how people from backgrounds other than our universities and so-called world leading institutions have triumphed where our elitist university system of non-society involvement has failed miserably. Baird, Whittle, Ford, Kilby, Berners-Lee, Clarke, etc, to name but a few.

What all these people had in common was that they knew their thinking was revolutionary, but where the establishment and institutions were at times oblivious to these people and their fundamental thinking. What might be considered as amateur scientists, engineers and technologists and not main-stream as our institutional people like to believe are the true masters of change. Considering all this we are our own worst enemy by refusing to accept that our greatest asset as a nation is the fundamental thinking of our people, not our institutions, so-called advanced centres of corporate R&D or our universities. For history tells us that the greatest things that have changed our lives and the world-at-large came out of the minds of hobbyists and independent minds, not brainwashed by institutional conformity. Until therefore we evolve and put in place the creative infrastructure for all to participate, this dear nation of ours will continue in decline. The reason, the wise elitist system will not allow the equivalents of those who have changed the world in the past to emerge in modern times. That can only be a crime against scientific discovery and a crime against humanity itself.

Overall I know many over the last few centuries who were outside the confines of the elitist system but who have created multi-billion and in some unique case multi-trillion dollar technological industries through their fundamental thinking. Contrary to this I do not know of any from our university and institutional thinking at the fundamental level that have created a single billion dollar global industry. The proof in the pudding is there but we still persist in not acknowledging the real truth and what is really needed to be put in place to solve the world’s emerging problem that are immense to say the least, some considered to be unsolvable but where if intuition was allowed to flourish throughout our society, they are not.

Dr David Hill
Chief Executive
World Innovation Foundation
United Kingdom – Switzerland

Comments on: The Invention of the Modern World 13.

By: Dr David Hill - World Innovation Foundation