Intelligence and Authority

It's a wonder we ever get anything done right in a nation which values tenure over innovation. We, by and large, see something that is new and scrutinize it against the old. This is fine and well, but we forget that occasionally what was old was wrong and what was new is right.

When people publish scholarly work they cite others' past work. As such we justify new ideas with old ones.

I repeat, it's amazing that we progress at all!