Jennifer—He doesn’t seriously want us to lock up our science libraries for good. He’s using fiction to make a point about how people react to scarcity, and mysterious information:
And no, I’m not seriously proposing that we try to reverse the last five hundred years of openness and classify all the science secret. At least, not at the moment. Efficiency is important for now, especially in things like medical research. I’m just explaining why it is that I won’t tell anyone the Secret of how the ineffable difference between blueness and redness arises from mere atoms for less than $100,000 -
Ahem! I meant to say, I’m telling you about this vision of an alternate Earth, so that you give science equal treatment with cults. So that you don’t undervalue scientific truth when you learn it, just because it doesn’t seem to be protected appropriately to its value. Imagine the robes and masks. Visualize yourself creeping into the vaults and stealing the Lost Knowledge of Newton. And don’t be fooled by any organization that does use robes and masks, unless they also show you the data.
Jennifer—He doesn’t seriously want us to lock up our science libraries for good. He’s using fiction to make a point about how people react to scarcity, and mysterious information: