Values, associated education, and economic and social incentives
frequently determine the choices scientists make about what to study
and what is viewed as important enough to emulate, cite in our own
work, and support in our recommendations. The perennial mismatch
between personal, societal, and ecological needs means that to solve
larger societal and environmental problems, a larger vision and time
scale needs to be incorporated into a scientist's personal vision of their
chosen work either through their own commitment, education,
granting, and other social incentive systems. Failure can result in
snowballing monolithic scientific cliques, perennial investigations
producing minor nuances on a major theme while ignoring the fuller
portfolio of problems. Repeated recommendations can be generated
but may never be satisfactorily falsified if natural scientists do not
encourage and acknowledge the results of transdisciplinary and social
science nor the social and management failures that arise from their
recommendations. This can result in a smug and irresponsible
monolithic discipline that generate management proposal that cannot
solve real problems.