Note: this article is sponsored by and cross-posted to the Good Science Project. They also write a fair bit, and their articles were essential reading for writing this essay!

Also, this article would not be possible without the hours of discussion/editing help I’ve had with several people from these institutions, and a few outside of them. Huge shout-out to all of them!

Introduction

Arcadia Science, Speculative Technologies, FutureHouse, Arc, and Convergent.

All of these are a new form of scientific institute.

Most are funded entirely by a few billionaires. Most are non-profits. Most of them focus on the life-sciences. Most of them have sprung up in just the last few years.

They do all also have one common thread: a grand statement. We are an experiment in a new way to do science.

And they are! Traditionally, research is conducted in academic or private industry labs — dependent on [...]

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Outline:

(00:40) Introduction

(05:35) Background

(11:53) Observations

(11:57) Selection pressures will always exist

(14:32) Organizational unity is extremely important

(17:00) Importance of scientific marketing

(21:31) Incentive structures are challenging to pin down

(24:01) Concluding thoughts

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First published:

Source:

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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