> Oddly, it's the thinking advocated by many HN posts, denigrating the innovation under discussion as impossible, useless, etc.
A significant fraction of HN has been raised with the idea that “natural” innovation can only arise from the private sector competing on a market, and every attempt at public-funded out-of-market innovation is seen as “unnatural” and doomed to fail.
And like all religion, it's pretty hopeless to refute it with rational arguments.
I find this attitude less common than it used to be. (Also, while it doesn't change your point, I find the same response to private-sector innovation: the top post on most threads is how useless/pointless/ridiculous the OP is.)
> hopeless
Here you lose me. I find people respond very well to rational arguments, presented with openness, curiosity, and respect.
A significant fraction of HN has been raised with the idea that “natural” innovation can only arise from the private sector competing on a market, and every attempt at public-funded out-of-market innovation is seen as “unnatural” and doomed to fail.
And like all religion, it's pretty hopeless to refute it with rational arguments.