>Dang... I'm glad that we didn't have to wait for excellent science to
>theoretically predict penicillin for us.
Absolutely ! The whole humanity is lucky that things to be
found, whatever, are discovered times to times. Fire, the wheel,
who remember the inventors ?
But our era is lacking of modesty, at least. "Excellent science"
are terms tending to lose any sense. All scientists need to
be recognized as being excellent, no less, for not being fired
(exceptions are at the CNRS, France where we are continuously
excellent for all our life, of course, and so, never fired ;-) and for
continuing to get grants.
Today, nobody can pretend to be a real "savant", because
embracing the whole human knowledge is impossible for a simple
human being. Who was the truly last "savant" ? Newton , Diderot ?
And who are we today ? Excellent scientists, probably, but no
more ;-). Nobody will remember of us, millions of excellent scientists,
in 200 years, or sooner. This could be the beginning of a poem :
"But where are the savants of the yesteryears ?"
Armel
