Education Cuts, the Economy, and Star Trek?

Education cuts, the Economy, and Star Trek?

The old saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention.” If that were the case, then everything that has been invented would be something that we actually need. We know that this is not true. However, many inventions have made our lives easier. Perhaps it comes from a creative mind asking his or herself, “If only there was a way…” In this particular piece, I will explain that it is not necessity that is the mother of invention, but the arts.

Recently, a report came out from NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) in the UK, which showed that spending on innovation was responsible for 2/3 of the productivity of England.[i] The US government is also well aware of this fact. In the past few years, the US government has provided a tax credit for R&D (research and development). It seems that the strongest economies the world over know that innovation leads to economic prosperity. Where are these ideas coming from? Some of the most commonly known devices of our day were actually conceived of years ago by writers. That’s right, the arts are responsible for many of the innovations today. All you have to do is pick up a cell phone or switch on a personal computer, and you will be in contact with the brainchild of some of our greatest science fiction writers.

In times of financial crisis there are always cuts to be made, and many times the first places to receive cuts in the education system are the arts. It is not an unknown that the arts drive innovation. In Chancellor Blumenthal’s speech to the UC regents, he cited “Linking the arts and humanities with engineering to create new fields of study,” as one of the prime reasons for the success of UCSC’s science and research department.[ii] With the state of our economy, and our knowledge about what drives productivity, the last place that should receive cuts is the arts.

Where would we be today if Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had not taken writing classes at USC, or Jules Verne had never written, “From Earth to the Moon?” Why, rockets are what bring the satellites into orbit to relay our cell phone calls. But who invented the cellular phone? The answer to that is Martin Cooper, who, “first had the idea [for the cell phone] from watching Captain Kirk talk over his communicator.”[iii] The developers of the PDA and the personal computer have said the same. Star Trek producers even won a case against the major cell phone companies for the patent to the cell phone. These are the minds that are making lives easier, and driving innovation. On a slightly satirical, but believable note, the website filmjunk.com cited the top 10 inventions seen on Star Trek that we use today as (last to first), “the personal computer, the electronic tablet, portable memory, biometrics, the wireless earpiece, remote location finding, sliding doors, the tricorder (PDA, Blackberry), large view screen (flat screen TVs), and the communicator. Of these inventions, it is easy to discern which ones we use today. Maybe the sliding door is a little far fetched, but the rest of them are quite believable. Why, even when laser technology was in its infancy, it was commonly used on Star Trek in phasers, and also surgery. Today, we use lasers for targeting in military weapons, and lasers have been making surgeries safer, and less invasive. Left out of the list of Star Trek innovations was teleportation. I know this sounds farfetched, but scientists have recently been able to, “teleport information between 2 atoms about a meter apart.”[iv] There it is, another great leap in science. What do you imagine was the first thing referenced in this discovery? Star Trek of course.

So as you drive safely while talking on your wireless earpiece (Uhura, anyone?), maybe enter a store with an automatic door, write on your personal computer at the café, or check your email on your iPhone, think about how much of that was made possible by creative writers…and by Star Trek.

So what conclusions can we draw from this (besides the fact that I am a nerd)? We can feel confident in saying that innovation drives productivity, and productivity drives the economy. We can also say that the arts have had a huge impact on creating the spark that ignites innovation. Using the example of Star Trek I hope that this point is clear to you. Even more so, I hope I have shown you how important the arts are to our economy. May it live long, and prosper.

Kirk and Communicator