Reading Today: Advice for A Young Investigator (cont.)

Megalomaniacs
People with this type of failure are characterized by noble
and winning traits. They study a great deal, but love personal
activities as well. They worship action and have mastered
the techniques needed for their research. They are
alled with sincere patriotism and long for the personal and
national fame that comes with admirable conquests.
Yet their eagerness is rendered sterile by a fatal oaw. While
they are conarmed gradualists in theory, they turn out to
rely on luck in practice. As if believing in miracles, they want
to start their careers with an extraordinary achievement.
Perhaps they recall that Hertz, Mayer, Schwann, Roentgen,
and Curie began their scientiac careers with a great discovery,
and aspire to jump from foot soldier to general in their
arst battle. They end up spending their lives planning and
plotting, constructing and correcting, always submerged in
feverish activity, always revising, hatching the great embryonic
work—the outstanding, sweeping contribution. And, as
the years go, by expectation fades, rivals whisper, and
friends stretch their imaginations to justify the great man's
silence. Meanwhile, important monographs are raining
down abroad on the subjects they have so painstakingly
explored, fondled, and worn to a thread. And alas, these
monographs rob from our ambitious investigator the
cherished goal of priority, forcing him to change course.
Without losing faith, the megalomaniac takes on another
problem, and when he has just about anished the imposing
new monument, rivals with scientiac contributions extending
to the anest detail elicit bitterness again. Finally, he
reaches old age amid the indulgent silence of his pupils and
ironic smiles of the wise.
All of this happens because when they started out these
men did not follow with humility and modesty a law of
nature that is the essence of good sense: Tackle small problems
arst, so that if success smiles and strength increases
one may then undertake the great feats of investigation. This
cautious approach may not always lead to fame, but at least
it will earn for us the esteem of the learned and the respect
and consideration of our colleagues.
The dreamers who are reminiscent of the conversationalists
of old might be seen as a variety of megalomaniac. They
are easily distinguished by their effervescence and by a
profusion of ideas and plans of attack. Their optimistic eyes
see everything through rose-colored glasses. They are
conadent that, once accepted, fruits of their initiative will
open broad horizons in science, and yield invaluable practical
results as well. There is only one minor drawback,
which is deplorable—none of their undertakings are ever
completed. All come to an untimely end, sometimes through
lack of resources, and sometimes through lack of a proper
environment, but usually because there were not enough
able assistants to carry out the great work, or because certain
organizations or governments were not sufaciently civilized
and enlightened to encourage and fund it.
The truth is that dreamers do not work hard enough; they
lack perseverance. As Gracián has so aptly pointed out in
his Oráculo Manual: "Some people spend all at the start and
finish nothing; they invent but do not progress; everything
stops short of completion…The discerning should kill the
prey, not spend all of his energy provoking it."