Comments on: On Morality and Career Choices (Redux) http://www.markpneyer.com/wp/2007/09/08/on-morality-and-career-choices-redux/ Finding Interesting, Useful, and Beautiful Mathematical Patterns in the Universe Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:40:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: markpneyer http://www.markpneyer.com/wp/2007/09/08/on-morality-and-career-choices-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-274 markpneyer Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:40:46 +0000 http://markpneyer.com/wp/2007/09/08/on-morality-and-career-choices-redux/#comment-274 How do you measure the extent to which someone contributes to the world? My argument was that you can't really measure it, so it doesn't make sense to talk about it. How do you measure the extent to which someone contributes to the world? My argument was that you can’t really measure it, so it doesn’t make sense to talk about it.

]]> By: Karthik http://www.markpneyer.com/wp/2007/09/08/on-morality-and-career-choices-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-275 Karthik Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:53:09 +0000 http://markpneyer.com/wp/2007/09/08/on-morality-and-career-choices-redux/#comment-275 Well, here is the way I see it -- you could do one of two things, namely help the world or help yourself. Not that you cannot do both, but at some point, you will have to make a choice. If you are doing something that is pure, good research (e.g. physics, math, computing or whatever) you are more than likely contributing to the fundamental knowledge in the world. On the other hand, you may not be compensated well enough. On the other hand, if you decide to help yourself, you do something where you get paid well but aren't doing something that's great, you would still be contributing to the world, just not as much (usually, that is). Now, here is the more interesting question -- if I decide to do it for myself and made a billion dollars, which I then invested in science and R&D, am I doing good? Or would my time and energy be better spent on solving hard problems? That, my friend, is where passion comes in. Well, here is the way I see it — you could do one of two things, namely help the world or help yourself.

Not that you cannot do both, but at some point, you will have to make a choice.

If you are doing something that is pure, good research (e.g. physics, math, computing or whatever) you are more than likely contributing to the fundamental knowledge in the world. On the other hand, you may not be compensated well enough.

On the other hand, if you decide to help yourself, you do something where you get paid well but aren’t doing something that’s great, you would still be contributing to the world, just not as much (usually, that is).

Now, here is the more interesting question — if I decide to do it for myself and made a billion dollars, which I then invested in science and R&D, am I doing good? Or would my time and energy be better spent on solving hard problems?

That, my friend, is where passion comes in.

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