Basic science research
Summary
Places to begin
An expansion of http://info.cognitomentoring.org/wiki/Social_value_of_basic_science_research would be nice. Follow-up question: do technological breakthroughs depend more individually on demand for the specific technology, availability of funding, availability of other requisite technologies, and stochastic elements than they do on basic science research? Maybe basic science research is one of the more tractable factors (although funding seems pretty tractable too).
Might be useful to poll physicists and others who believe they are on the cutting edge of basic science research on what impact they expect to come from such research (maybe specific examples)
People to talk to
Carl Shulman
Importance
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Tractability
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Neglectedness
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