“星球大戰”防御計劃：

The so-called “Star War” defense initiative, championed by Reagan administration during the 1980s. In retrospect, this initiative was ill-conceived and largely a waste of taxpayer dollars; and few would dispute that exorbitant amount of money devoted to the initiative could have gone a long way toward addressing pressing social problems of the day. As it turns out, at the end of the Star War’s debacle we were left with rampant gang violence, an AIDS epidemic, and an unprecedented federal budget deficit.

加拿大電影工業：

Canada’s film industry, which is heavily subsidized by Canadian government, and which provides countless jobs for film-industry workers as a result. The Canadian government also provides various incentives for American production companies to film and produce their movies in Canada. These incentives have sparked a boon for the Canadian economy, thereby stimulating job growth and wealth that can be applied toward education, job training, and social programs.

“弦論”：

A new so-called “string” theory posits the existence of an even more fundamental, and universal, unit of matter. These discoveries have rendered things more comprehensible, by explaining and reconciling empirical observations of how matter behaves. It also reconciles the discrepancy between the quantum and wave theories of physics.

“非主流”的影響：

正面：One such need involves our common experience as humans that we freely make our own decisions and choices in life and therefore carry some responsibility for their consequences. Faced with infinite choices, we experience uncertainty, insecurity, and confusion; and we feel remorse, regret, and guilt when in retrospect our choices turn out to be poor ones. Understandably, to prevent these bad feelings many people try to shift the burden of ** difficult choices and decisions to some nebulous authority outside themselves—by relying on the starts or on a stack of tarot cards for guidance.

負面：Without any sure way to evaluate the legitimacy of these avenues of inquiry, participants become vulnerable to self-deception, false hopes, fantastic ideas, and even delusions. On a personal level, stubborn adherence to irrational beliefs in the face of reason and empirical evidence can lead to self-righteous arrogance, intolerance, anti-social behavior, and even hatred. On a societal level these traits have lead all too often to holly wars, and to such other atrocities as genocide and mass persecution.

理想主義的作用：

商業：Admittedly, the everyday machinations of business are very such about meeting short-term goals. Yet underpinning these activities is the vision of the company’s CEO-a vision that might extend far beyond mere profit maximization to the ways in which the firm can make a lasting and meaningful contribution to the community, to the broader economy, and to the society as a whole. Without a dream or vision—that is, without strong idealist leadership—a firm can easily be cast about in the sea of commerce without clear direction.

政治：It is idealist—not pragmatists—who sway the masses, incite revolutions, and make political ideology reality. Consider idealists such as America’s founders, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King. Few would disagree that through their ability to inspire others and lift the human spirit they were eminently effective in leading others to effect social change through civil disobedience. Had these idealists concerned themselves with shot-term survival and immediate needs rather than with their notions of an ideal society, the United States and India might still be British colonies, and African Americans might still be relegated to the backs of buses.

技術進步的目標：

Advances in biotechnology can help cure and prevent diseases; advances in medical technology can allow for safer, less invasive diagnosis and treatment; advances in genetics can help prevent birth defects; advances in engineering and chemistry can improve the structural integrity of our buildings, roads, bridges, and vehicles; information technology enables education while communication technology facilitates global participation in the democratic process.

政府對科學研究的干預：

The Soviet government’s attempts during the 1920s to not only control the direction and the goals of its scientists’ research but also to distort the outcome of that research—ostensibly for the greatest good of the greatest number of people. During 1920s, the Soviet government quashed certain areas of scientific inquiry, destroyed entire research facilities to the state’s authority. Not surprisingly, during this time period no significant scientific advances occurred under the auspices of the Soviet government.

人性本身導致社會存在的通病：

Theses sorts of problems are the ones that spring the failings and foibles that are part-and-parcel of human nature. Our problems involving interpersonal relationships with people of the opposite sex stem from basic differences between the two sexes. The social problems of prejudice and discrimination know no chronological bounds because it is our nature to fear and mistrust people who are different from us. War and crime stem from the male aggressive instinct and innate desire for power. We have never been able to solve social problems such as homelessness and hunger because we are driven by self-interest.