Thus for example, just because their are innovations in physics that are ongoing doesn’t mean I can’t safely dismiss perpetual motion claims.
Yes, but a perpetual machine would be an innovation par excellence, wouldn’t it be? Especially for you and me and everybody else, who are almost certain, it’s not possible.
And while there’s constant research in my own field (number theory) I can be dismiss a lot of claims of proofs of major theorems by crackpots even though there’s ongoing research.
Yes, again. But whatever is quite familiar for you, what you can easily grasp, is not a big innovation for you. Maybe important, but not that innovative. You have thought similar thoughts already.
Thus for example, I have a friend who is a physicist who considers it extremely unlikely that we will ever have room temperature superconductors.
I tend to agree with him. Anyway, superconductivity would be a very important but not a very innovative thing. Unless based on some completely unexpected principles. Then it would be innovative too.
I’m still not clear on this definition as it applies to what the top-level post discussed. Everything in the top level post are ideas that aren’t unprecedented. Many of these ideas have been around for a very long time. So only talking about ideas which are unprecedented and mainly unexpected seems unhelpful. Also, I’m not sure what constitutes unprecedented in this context.
Yes, but a perpetual machine would be an innovation par excellence, wouldn’t it be? Especially for you and me and everybody else, who are almost certain, it’s not possible.
Yes, again. But whatever is quite familiar for you, what you can easily grasp, is not a big innovation for you. Maybe important, but not that innovative. You have thought similar thoughts already.
I tend to agree with him. Anyway, superconductivity would be a very important but not a very innovative thing. Unless based on some completely unexpected principles. Then it would be innovative too.
Could you expand on what you mean by innovative then? How do you define something as innovative?
Done on a new way. Unprecedented and mainly unexpected. It doesn’t mean that it is very important then, only a surprise for almost everyone.
http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=innovativeness
Check!
I’m still not clear on this definition as it applies to what the top-level post discussed. Everything in the top level post are ideas that aren’t unprecedented. Many of these ideas have been around for a very long time. So only talking about ideas which are unprecedented and mainly unexpected seems unhelpful. Also, I’m not sure what constitutes unprecedented in this context.