This is a common, endlessly made mistake; people always want to think that something new is just like the past—they like to be comfortable in their minds as well as their bodies—and hence they prevent themselves from making any significant contribution to the new field being created under their noses. Not everything which is said to be new really is new, and it is hard to decide in some cases when something is new, yet the all too common reaction of “it’s nothing new” is stupid. When something is claimed to be new, do not be too hasty to think it is just the past slightly improved—it may be a
...more
