Innovate, but with common sense
In Vaclav Smil's volume a brief history of the enthusiasms and failures of science and technology
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We live in an era in which it is truly difficult to find the right balance between enthusiasm and catastrophism, between faith-based approaches and various alarmisms. This lack of balance is even greater when it comes to science, technology, innovation and new inventions. So one day we are one step away from making Mars habitable, the next day we flog ourselves because scientists can't reduce global warming with a snap of their fingers. Thanks to the Internet, news now spreads without any filter and every social commentator tends to become an omniscient expert in the most disparate subjects and the result is an embarrassing carelessness.
In his latest essay, " Invention and innovation " (Hoepli, 2024, pp. 256, also e-book), Vaclav Smil warns us against easy enthusiasm in the scientific and technological fields as well as against the apocalyptic tones of web-savvy obscurantists. Considered one of the world's leading experts on the interactions between progress and the environment , Smil in this book offers us a lucid corrective to the excessive promises created by any discovery, from new treatments for diseases to artificial intelligence. It reminds us that, even once the invention-development-application parable is concluded, it is not guaranteed that we will be able to arrive at something concrete. Or, worse yet, that even after an invention's success, its future may be marked by underperformance, disappointment, market withdrawal, or collateral damage.
Drawing on his vast knowledge in the historical and scientific fields, Smil explains the difference between invention and innovation, and then examines not only the inventions that did not succeed as they should have (for example, the airship, nuclear fission and supersonic flight) , but also those that have proven disastrous (leaded petrol, DDT and chlorofluorocarbons used to refrigerate refrigerators).
Above all, it helps us understand how every invention is a human work, with all the virtues and vices that can characterize any work of us human beings, beings who are anything but infallible. Common sense is therefore also needed in innovation and research . And it takes intellectual honesty as well as moral rigor .
Some inventions, however extraordinary, have been used or are still used badly today. This is the case of DDT, the most powerful insecticide in history, first used recklessly and then demonized. Smil explains how DDT, used only in exceptional cases, can be used to stop infestations by mosquitoes that carry malaria . The mistake was to consider it the panacea to solve every problem of insect pests.
Another case of misuse is antibiotics , which are essential for fighting many diseases, but are used excessively and indiscriminately, making them less and less effective. A case of lack of common sense and honesty was the use of lead in petrol for much of the twentieth century to aid combustion in internal combustion engines . Introduced in the 1920s, lead was already known as a poisonous substance, to be avoided as much as possible in contact with human beings. However, the focus was on lead-rich petrol because it was a convenient, simple and economical solution . Despite the risks, profit won and it took decades to introduce catalytic converters and unleaded petrol.
Therefore full of fascinating examples analyzed with a pragmatic approach, this book presents a sobering picture of the madness that often goes together with human ingenuity, and how it is possible, and necessary, to align our expectations with reality. Above all, it reminds us that before chasing the chimeras of space travel or inexhaustible energy sources with zero impact on the environment, it is better to make the best use of the technologies at our disposal to improve the well-being of all humanity.
As Smil writes at the end of the book: «As far as I'm concerned, I believe that we need to start with the most important things. This means solving the problem of micronutrient deficits that harm the lives of hundreds of millions of children before supersonic transportation is achieved."
