The What And Why Of Suppression

* In his book…Suppressed Inventions & Other Discoveries, Copyright 1999…Jonathan Eisen explained what suppression is, and why it still is an overwhelming and frightening problem.

” In our world of research and scientific advancement, it seems only logical to think that if an invention can further the cause of progress, it will eventually find its way into the mainstream of society. After all, the wonders of our post-industrial age are numerous and diverse, ranging from television to antibiotics. If a suppression syndrome has infiltrated our society, how could these modern-day marvels come into existence?

On the surface, this would appear to be a valid argument. However, the point weakens under scrutiny. For example, television was suppressed for many years by companies with huge investments in the film industry, who believed that movies would not become obsolete. Thanks to their pressure development was slowed, and more than thirty years passed after its discovery before television actually made it to the commercial mainstream; even though it was backed by large corporations like RCA.

Antibiotics were released for use on World War II  battlefields only because the United States government made a deal with the pharmaceutical companies, granting them patents rights for something they had never even developed. This came after several years of negotiations, at the cost of thousands of lives.

For every once-revolutionary idea that is now commonplace in our daily lives, many more have been suppressed or withheld by those vested interests with a focus on profit or power. Pure self-interest results in strong opposition from multinational corporations, orthodox science, and even our own government when innovation threatens the status quo. Wealthy and powerful individuals are not inclined to forfeit their fortunes or their authority, even though the human population as a whole would benefit greatly from new technologies.

That is why the suppression of innovation and discovery is an overwhelming and frightening problem.”

NO COMMON SENSE

ANALYZE THE EXAMPLE

* Which supports and barriers were in play?

* What were the dynamics?

* Who, or What, won the Tug-of-War?

* Discuss the outcome with your friends and family.

* Use Post #4 as a reference for the dynamics and relationships between supports and barriers.