You Know Too Much

Is the world about to drown in science? The demographics look daunting. In 1800 there were perhaps a thousand people worldwide who could properly be called scientists. Nowadays, there are millions. At this rate, there will be a billion scientists on Earth by 2200. The trends in scientific publishing are equally stunning, indicating exponential growth. Scientists are multiplying like rabbits, with no Elmer Fudds to keep them—or scientific knowledge—in check.