And all along, there have been parallel advances in critical areas of theory, such as the fundamentals of electron transfer or the treatment of complex mass transfer and kinetic problems. Spectroscopic techniques have also come into the field from time to time and have had a big impact. To keep the heart beating, the system of science needs to place a fair emphasis on tools, techniques, and insights. They can create a cycle, perhaps even a few in sequence, but in a field where understanding is very fully developed, new tools and techniques confirm what is already known, and new insights are rare. The heart begins to beat slowly, or even comes to a stop.
New insight is the essential.
For this reason, the scientific enterprise cannot afford to support work that is oriented entirely to tools and techniques. In our pragmatic age, fascinated as we are with the technology of the possible, there is a temptation to devalue that propensity, especially on the physical side of science. The heart responds to exercise and adrenaline, too. For the scientific heart, these things are found in the form of public and private investment and social urgency. It is no secret that science operates on money.