@mcc I guess it depends. I tend to like the more hard scifi writers like Asimov, and maybe a background like that gives someone a different view of the world, but I can't say I blame anyone for a fatalistic outlook.
I think one person, or a small team, can do a whole lot of good with a bit of knowledge, but the resources to do something really new, and really difficult, and really impactful are concentrated at the top, and I don't know of many people who got to the top completely by...