58. Weariness of researchers
The enthusiasm of people moves in
waves. Someone who sends out a certain warning or bulletin may grow weary of
sending out the same message after a few years. This may cause others to think
that the risk has passed, although it persists. This is what has happened with
regard to the risk of nanotechnological arms race
since the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN) lapsed into inactivity
around the year 2010. The researchers who work on global risk topics may never
receive gratitude or see any immediate benefits of their work. Only in the
movies does the Òsavior of the worldÓ get the gratitude of mankind. Recall that
Churchill lost reelection right after the war despite fervently believing that
he deserved reelection. To avoid the effect of burnout, during WWI the American
fleet had a constant rotation of their personnel, with one group at war, the
other ashore. Furthermore, people rarely become heroes for successful preventive
measures. There was a major wave of research into global catastrophic risks
between the years 2001 and 2010, but activity seriously slowed down from 2011
onwards.