CERN's LHC, the Big Bang Particle Collider is a monumental achievement AND billions of dollars wasted. If you want science you must be ready to pay. Profit must NOT be the only motive of our decisions. Lust for knowledge is my motive. I know that someday, I will pay for it!
It is not about "It is worth investing in CERN". It is all about "Is this the proper moment to invest in CERN?". This investment came in a critical time for the European economy. And not only for the European economy but for the global market too. Thousands of jobless young specialists and PhDs are struggling to find a job (no matter what job) in all countries. And they cannot find it anymore. You see, the universities produce so many specialists and after that many of them will do nothing. This is not because they are not good, or eager to do something. It is because there is nothing for them out there, or as in the Italy case, because of the corruption. So, all these billions of dollars were spent in something so improbable, and in the same time, there are no serious solutions for all those people. On the other hand, it will be so nice to travel in time, but I am afraid that this will not be for everyone. Anyhow, can you image an idiot traveling in time and changing the past just because he wants so. Maybe he will kill your grandmother, just because he doesn't like you, and you will ceased to exist. This is sad!
Particle colliders are billion dollar play toys for physicists. This is BIG Science, on par with the Space Shuttle. Although nice, how many less expensive, but no less important research projects go unfunded?
I would like to see Anti-Aging research funded on the scale that we fund particle physics. We can't do everything, particularly in a world economy on the verge of collapse.
If you are about to declare bankrupcy, do you go out and buy an expensive new car? I don't think so, and any banker who gives you the money is a fool.
When the first cosmonaut was sent to space and when the first astronaut landed in the Moon, we could ask: a monumental achievment or billions of dollars wasted?
Reseach and Development is very important to keep a nation competitive and both the Space Race and the LHC, or the new fussion experiment in Cadarche (France) are enviroments for R&D which will deliver more billions of dollars or euros than were invested during the research.
In fact, microwave ovens are a consequence of the Space Race, or all the GPS system (a reason why Galileo or Glonass are bein developed too)
Good Question. And we may not know the answer for some time. Almost certainly it will have moved on our collective understanding, even if it is to conclude not to repeat such a profligate experiment. On the other hand it may well shed light on the ability to develop time travel. Either way blue sky research is the peak of our species' need to understand our environment and should be supported by all.
19 July, 2009, 18:28
CERN's LHC, the Big Bang Particle Collider is a monumental achievement AND billions of dollars wasted. If you want science you must be ready to pay. Profit must NOT be the only motive of our decisions. Lust for knowledge is my motive. I know that someday, I will pay for it!
07 March, 2009, 19:01
It is too early to say if it is a waste of money. Personally i hope it will make some breaking discoveries.
02 February, 2009, 02:34
Just remember that the World Wide Web (www) which we are using right now was designed by the CERN...
01 February, 2009, 18:37
It is not about "It is worth investing in CERN". It is all about "Is this the proper moment to invest in CERN?". This investment came in a critical time for the European economy. And not only for the European economy but for the global market too. Thousands of jobless young specialists and PhDs are struggling to find a job (no matter what job) in all countries. And they cannot find it anymore. You see, the universities produce so many specialists and after that many of them will do nothing. This is not because they are not good, or eager to do something. It is because there is nothing for them out there, or as in the Italy case, because of the corruption. So, all these billions of dollars were spent in something so improbable, and in the same time, there are no serious solutions for all those people.
On the other hand, it will be so nice to travel in time, but I am afraid that this will not be for everyone. Anyhow, can you image an idiot traveling in time and changing the past just because he wants so. Maybe he will kill your grandmother, just because he doesn't like you, and you will ceased to exist. This is sad!
01 February, 2009, 16:30
Particle colliders are billion dollar play toys for physicists. This is BIG Science, on par with the Space Shuttle. Although nice, how many less expensive, but no less important research projects go unfunded?
I would like to see Anti-Aging research funded on the scale that we fund particle physics. We can't do everything, particularly in a world economy on the verge of collapse.
If you are about to declare bankrupcy, do you go out and buy an expensive new car? I don't think so, and any banker who gives you the money is a fool.
Some common sense please!
RA
20 January, 2009, 03:21
When the first cosmonaut was sent to space and when the first astronaut landed in the Moon, we could ask: a monumental achievment or billions of dollars wasted?
Reseach and Development is very important to keep a nation competitive and both the Space Race and the LHC, or the new fussion experiment in Cadarche (France) are enviroments for R&D which will deliver more billions of dollars or euros than were invested during the research.
In fact, microwave ovens are a consequence of the Space Race, or all the GPS system (a reason why Galileo or Glonass are bein developed too)
18 December, 2008, 09:31
"On the other hand it may well shed light on the ability to develop time travel."
Surely not!!!
It is correct to say that it is too early to judge whether achievement or fiasco.
17 December, 2008, 13:49
Good Question. And we may not know the answer for some time. Almost certainly it will have moved on our collective understanding, even if it is to conclude not to repeat such a profligate experiment. On the other hand it may well shed light on the ability to develop time travel. Either way blue sky research is the peak of our species' need to understand our environment and should be supported by all.
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