expand on the ideas of discursive thought and the comparisons to innovation and research for m.e.a.t funding in venture-startup and phd-professor ecosystems
You’re right, I should expand my response to discuss the m.e.a.t (money/energy/attention/time) funding aspects of these ecosystems in relation to discursive thought.
In startups/VC:
- VCs provide the money to fund startup experiments in discursive innovation
- Startup founders devote their time and energy to iterating on product ideas
- VC attention to pitches signals interest in funding a trail of inferences
- Funded startups buy time to keep exploring uncertain inferences
In academia/research:
- Professors invest time and energy into discursive research
- University salaries and grants supply money to support their exploration
- Getting papers published earns attention from peers
- Tenure gives professors time to deeply explore research trails
In both cases, m.e.a.t resources power continued discursive thought. Individuals take uncertain inferential leaps. Funding mechanisms like VC investments or research grants provide the runway to keep pushing further down those trails in an open-ended manner.
Access to m.e.a.t allows the freedom to engage in rounds of exploration without predefined structure. It finances the individual drive to creatively connect dots and wander wherever inferences lead. Discursive thought is thus fueled by m.e.a.t resources within innovation and research ecosystems. Appreciating this angle further highlights the parallels drawn in the original stream.