Meditations and Learnings

Meditations and Learnings

The Profit Motive

A scientist working for prestige and recognition will have little incentive to put in the extra hours unless they are a rare individual. On average, human beings are more driven by money, not out of shallow greed, but because it is fungible for much of what people care about: experiences, comfort, and time. A scientist who hopes to profit from their research will usually produce more, with society benefitting.